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Sony Handycam FDR-AX53 - camcorder - Carl Zeiss - storage: flash card

Mfg # FDRAX53/B CDW # 4211621 | UNSPSC 45121516

Quick tech specs

  • AX53
  • 4K / 30 fps
  • 20x optical zoom
  • flash card
  • NFC
  • Camcorder
  • 16.6 MP
  • Carl Zeiss
  • Wireless LAN
  • black
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Know your gear

Your moments deserve the stunning clarity that only 4K Ultra HD can provide. With wide-angle lens, a 20x zoom and the unrivaled stability of Balanced Optical Steady Shot, you'll always get the perfect shot. Fast Intelligent Autofocus and new 5-direction microphone ensure clean and crisp video and sound, all in a compact body.

This item was discontinued on February 20, 2024

Enhance your purchase

Sony Handycam FDR-AX53 - camcorder - Carl Zeiss - storage: flash card is rated 4.20 out of 5 by 66.
Rated 5 out of 5 by from AX53 Had some technical issues with the camera not shutting off and having play back issues. Sony did take care of repairing it under warranty. It’s overall all a really good camera.
Date published: 2020-01-20T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Easy to use and awesome videos I purchased this camera to record church services during the COVID crisis. It is very easy to use and has awesome quality video and stills. I would recommend this for excellent quality videos
Date published: 2020-04-26T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Solid Camera Bought this a month or so ago and have used it 4 times, once for a 1.5 hour sporting event. Very happy with it. Areas for improvement would be the phone app. I have not been able to connect to the camera. That process is very arcane and needs a lot of improvement. I think that app itself needs to be completely rewritten and fixed. Other than that, I am happy with it.
Date published: 2022-03-04T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from THIS is the 4K Camcorder You're Looking For I've been hemming and hawing about making the move to 4K. All those hours spent on YouTube paid off. There was never a question of not going with Sony. The questions was WHICH camcorder would do the trick. A side-by-side-by-side comparison of three different Sony 4K camcorders made this model the one. The bigger sensor and the BOSS stabilization sealed the deal. No more shaky telephoto shots, no more tripods or steadicams needed. There are enough options and manual overrides to keep me happy. The image quality is astonishing and yes, I bought a 4K Ultra HD television to go with it. I sank some serious money into this and am relieved at the result. I film a lot of outdoor footage and buying this camcorder puts me ahead of anyone shooting 1920x1080p. There's a bit of a learning curve, but that always comes with buying any electronic item with bells and whistles. Still, I was shooting 4K within a few hours of unboxing and going over the manual.
Date published: 2017-09-23T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Gret upgrade from my TRV-900 I've had this about a month now. Picture quality is amazing. I stuck with my Sony TRV-900 for a long time due to its great low light and 480i quality. I've seen video from newer cameras the the TRV-900 beat them The FDR-AX53B camera definitely blows the TRV-900 away though. Mostly I've used an external mic with it but the internal mic seems capable. Great to have modern features and 12 hours of video on 128G micro SD card
Date published: 2019-06-05T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Very Professional High quality and fantastic stabilization. Excellent lens, the best.
Date published: 2020-05-03T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Amazing picture, easy to use. I bought this camera for recording my children's basketball games. I was using a Handycam before I purchased this one. There is a dramatic difference between the two. When reviewing games with my kids and team, we can see the picture clearly without any difficulties. I love it.
Date published: 2018-12-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Perfection-except for the User's Manual Purchased 1 1/2 months ago...easy to use...outstanding product
Date published: 2021-08-05T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great way to enter the world of video production I have produced a few you tube videos with The FDR-AX53 and am pleased with the results. All videos filed in September were made with the FDR-AX53 and can be viewed at my channel- FreeLiveMusicFortPierceFL
Date published: 2022-09-10T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Quality high end camcorder! I bought this to digitize our old family home movies taken back in the 1960's. Wow, did it ever do a great job recording with great clarity and vibrant colors. It is easy to use and has many features to allow creativity. I am so impressed with the feel of the camera in my hand, made with quality and precision.
Date published: 2018-08-29T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great produck This is my 3rd Camcorder and I love the product takes great Movies
Date published: 2021-04-10T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great Quality! I needed a camcorder for streaming and the AX53 fits the need!
Date published: 2020-05-13T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great quality and video stabilization I bought this 3 weeks ago and is OK for me , but I need more time to make some super movies in nature
Date published: 2018-04-05T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Very nice camcorder I purchased this Sony FDRAX53 the end of March 2019. It is a very nice camera although I have only had it a month. I like the size and weight of it. Fits my hand perfectly with the adjustable hand strap. The LCD screen is very clear and bright. I did purchase a screen hood for times in direct sunlight. The pictures are bright and clear with natural color. The zoom works great as well as the focus. The sound is very good from the built in mic. I did however, purchase the extra Sony microphone. I have not, as of yet, gone through all the features of this camera but will in time. This is my first digital camcorder after having a VHS camcorder purchased in the 1980's.
Date published: 2019-04-29T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Meet my expectations much easier to work with, as the automated features make what ever you need
Date published: 2018-05-20T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Easy to use excellent quality footage This camera does more than the average person needs it to do. But the switch to 4K is a must if you broadcast video to your big screen tv or larger size pc screen. It is unacceptable to view blurry footage when the technology exists to view it in a sharp form. That is what 4K gives you. So get rid of the old camcorders and make the switch to 4K. But don’t expect to be able to easily transfer this type of footage. It takes a huge amount of memory and requires reconfiguration of the s drive to format the card to transfer the video. However you can film simultaneously in mp4 and 4K and transfer the mp4 with ease. As a young person with children I would only buy a 4K camcorder. Sony makes excellent film equipment because they are in the movie business.
Date published: 2018-12-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from decent camcorder I bought this for personal use. The HD video is shot in AVCHD is amazing. However there is not much support 4K XAVC-S. Even my Sony PS4 does not play the files???
Date published: 2019-07-03T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great Compact , easy-to-use all in one unit built in options
Date published: 2022-08-28T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great B roll and secondary camera I use this camera With my Sony PMW 200 and it does the job well. I biught 2 if this camera.
Date published: 2017-10-17T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Half great, half not so great The AX53 is a mixed bag. I'm upgrading from an XR-500. The good... Image stabilization and 4K quality is superb. That's pretty much what you're buying the camera for. Quick auto focus, and great zooming abilities. Negatives...Exposure in auto mode is terrible. The old camera did so much better. Anything faster than the slowest pans are not clear. The design is clunky and bigger than the XR-500 to handle the huge lens. If not using a tripod, hand fatigue sets in quickly, as it never did on the XR-500. Major disappointment.... most of the "cool" features including 5.1 surround, slow motion, etc. are not possible in 4K.Come on Sony, help us pro-sumers out. If were shelling out the $ for 4K we want those features usable in 4K. Had I know this, I probably would have not purchased this camera. In a nutshell, quality is great, features are severely limited in 4K.
Date published: 2021-08-29T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great camera I am amazed how stable video I can get with full zoom and no tripod! 4K is sharp! Videos look great on big screen.
Date published: 2021-10-15T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Awesome camera I bought this camera for my trip to Africa. It was so great to have a camera which has great stabilization. It was easy to follow a charging elephant without showing my shakiness. Also does wonderful photos and I won first place in county fair on pictures taken with this camera. I love that it takes pictures in the dark.
Date published: 2017-08-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great Camera I bought this for vacation and I'm glad I did, worked out perfect
Date published: 2018-06-13T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Amazing Picture Quality I had been shooting Sony Video 8 for years and wanted to go HD. This seemed to be the best choice. My only criticisms are the eyepiece lets in too much light. For such a sophisticated camera, a nice eye shield could have been included. Also, it is slow in auto focus change. Prefer buttons or wheels to a touch screen for settings.
Date published: 2020-09-24T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from great images image quality is great. had to do a manual power reset after the 2nd shoot. camera would not power up. trouble uploading 2nd shoot as saved in 4k but dropping frames when saved to hard drive. trying to see if can save as lesser quality.
Date published: 2017-09-18T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Nice camera so far I bought the camera about 5 weeks ago after quite some research and comparison. This is my first camcorder from Sony and I am quite impressed with the video quality. I basically have one issue with it and that is that the scene counter not always stays in the LCD screen or viewfinder. It only does it when the display setting is not in automatic mode in this setting the rec button on the LCD screen is not available what is sometimes inconvenient. It would be helpful if it was always there and the only reason for not giving it 5 stars For the rest great camcorder
Date published: 2018-04-24T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from great camera recorder I brought this camera just now .Am exacting to start recording family memories
Date published: 2016-12-17T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Sony's best Handycam! This is definitely Sony's best Handycam that checks all the right boxes. 4K, GREAT built in optical image stabilization!
Date published: 2017-07-04T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Would Have Been Perfect, But... This camera would have been perfect. It has many great features, the 1080p60 footage was great, but it has one major flaw. After getting my new SD card that would allow me to shoot in 4K I was very disappointed. Once setting the camera to 4K mode and hitting record, the camera would crash. It would shutdown and restart. Formatting and trying a new SD card changed nothing. After looking into it I discovered this was an issue that is known to affect this particular model. The camera was returned and I went with the next best option, the AX33, which after some research, had no instances of recording in 4K crashing the camera. Buy the AX33 if you want to be sure to avoid this issue, if you need the 20x optical zoom that badly then I would just be cautious with expectations of shooting 4K throughout the camera's lifespan.
Date published: 2018-04-11T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from website your website is terrible. i can't access my account after password resets.
Date published: 2019-08-18T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Very good camera, low light exceptional shots Took a bit to understand things but overall this is a really good camera. Lowlight and night vision . Autofocus doesn't struggle and I"ve done alot of concerts and moving shots. Can't complain at all. Hand grip is a tad uncomfortable for the larger hands.
Date published: 2018-11-10T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Awesome Quality and Practicality Since I purchased this product two years ago to film sporting play-by-play, I have not be disappointed! I have definitely used it for more than my initially intended use.
Date published: 2021-01-19T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great, All Around Camera I bought this camera simply because it is a Sony. When I got home I looked up reviews on it. One company listed it as its choice for the best video camera on the market. I love having a viewfinder which my cheaper camera does not have. Since I shoot a lot of videos in low light, this camera is perfect.
Date published: 2017-01-27T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Video Quality is Excellent Best picture Quality I've ever had period And I shoot video 24/7
Date published: 2017-07-17T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Eyepiece does not block out winter sun glare Setting up new camera: downloading to existing PlayMemories Home is not covered. Password change process does not reveal that existing account does not exist. Sony Electronics account does not work. Sun glare makes using camera in winter or in sun rise and sun set conditions is very difficult. It does not appear that a consumer upgrade is possible. Coupled with the excessive post-processing effort required to remove sections of bad video in PlayMemories Home, it appears that excellent design is severely compromised by marketing and sales compromises.
Date published: 2017-12-07T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Mixed feelings I've had this camera for about two weeks. The picture quality is very good, especially when coupled with the superb built-in stabilization, both mechanical and software (in HD mode, camera can use the unused sensor pixels to further steady the shot). I wanted a small form factor to shoot candidly, but Sony did cripple this camera, I assume so it would not compete with it's more robust cousins that can shoot "full manual". You can set aperture, shutter speed or gain (iso) manually, but only one at a time - the other two will always stay on automatic, and you have no idea what they are set at when shooting. A couple of ways to get around it would be to use the exposure adjustment, and to keep the shutter speed low on bright days, use a neutral density (ND) filter. The zoom is quiet - I haven't noticed any noise being picked up by the mic. There are two speeds, depending on how far you push the rocker switch - I wish there was a menu option to choose variable or fixed, as my $200 Canon Vixia R800 has. It's nice having a viewfinder, but it is small and they blew it by not including an eye cup so you could actually use it. And no lens hood? You will get lens flare shooting outside on sunny days if the sun is anywhere in front of the camera - these small things matter and I would gladly pay a few bucks more for an included hood.
Date published: 2021-06-27T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from REMARKABLE CAMCORDER THIS CAMCORDER IS AN EASY TO USE HIGH TECH BARGAIN FOR ANYONE.
Date published: 2017-04-23T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Outdated information on abilities I bought this camera for mobile streaming and all this info says its possible but all the apps and services it says to use have been discontinued.
Date published: 2020-09-03T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Hidden HDMI port The Handycam is really a nice piece of equipment. The only issue I see is I want to keep the HDMI cable connected most of the time to my video switcher at church but I can't close the monitor door because the cable is in the way. Like to see the HDMI out port relocated or moved down 1/4" so door will shut with cable connected.
Date published: 2018-04-23T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great Camera but software is awful I recently filmed a couple of weddings and have been trying to make CDs with the software. It’s clumsy and slow
Date published: 2018-07-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Easy Use, Great Features, Excellent 4K Quality Have used the camera for a month and provides excellent quality video. Used in low light situations and an external wireless mic. Very satisfied.
Date published: 2018-08-20T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great in low light conditions Bought last night. Seems easy to use, and is very good in low light. Happy so far.
Date published: 2021-06-20T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Very Happy Youtuber! I am a videographer, and I am very happy that I brought this camera, it has enhanced my youtube channel!
Date published: 2018-02-19T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Good video I like everything about it but moving files to computer.
Date published: 2020-02-28T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Product from Japanese I bought this camcorder on the last day, I am very happy, I not yet using it so I always believe all product from Sony.
Date published: 2017-01-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from REPUTABLE PRODUCT I purchased the AX53 Handycam because of the satisfaction that I got from my previous Sony Handycam and the very positive reviews from existing customers
Date published: 2018-01-08T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Camera already not working We have only had 2 months and it is already not working. Getting error message that it can’t write to any media. This is the second Sony that has not performed. This should be covered under warranty since we just bought, but that means we will be without a camera for a while. My iPhone seems to be the only reliable video I can count on. So frustrating!
Date published: 2021-10-14T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from great camera It is realy great camera, For this money 4K is great
Date published: 2017-01-02T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from GREAT FEATURES AWSOME OPTICAL ZOOM AND NIGHT VISION. ALSO, THE STILL PICTURES ARE VERY HIGH QUALITY.
Date published: 2019-07-05T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great camera but defective battery charging system I bought the camera in July for my online class small business, play with it a bit to make sure it was working. I bought an open box from best buy and the usb cable was missing from the box. Fast forward to yesterday (November 5th) finally get to use it, the video are awesome but sadly once the battery died it won't recharge, I'm making sure the camera is close, it stayed connected all night but nothing, I'm still a 4 minutes left. from what I read online, it's a common problem with this camera. Why a separate charger is not include in the box is beyond me. At this price it should, now I have to wait until it comes in the mail to finish a shoot that need to be on my website asap…
Date published: 2018-11-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from ROGER Easy set up! Great memory options.Great for recording grandkids ball games.
Date published: 2017-11-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great for travelers Bought this for trip to new Museum Of The American Revolution in Philadelphia and other sites. Also 4th of July fireworks on Washington Mall etc. Mt. Vernon and Monticello. Walking video was great! Screen grabs were as good as my Nikon DSLR. Still photos steady and sharp.
Date published: 2017-09-17T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from great features only had the camcorder a few days. noticed you can't pause and batt pack is big on the back of cam.
Date published: 2018-04-07T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Mixed feelings-rating given may change Received camera on 8/4/22. Worked well until 9/24/22 when my Shure microphone no longer functioned. Replaced mike iwh new microphone and it also didn't function. Conclusion AX53 mic jack faulty. Purchased another microphone (Sony) that runs from hot shoe. Both it & internal mic function. Day after new mic used I experienced difficulty with SD card. Not sure where that problem is located, Thinking not a Sony problem because camera will play both still and movies but no files can be found when card is read in computer. Otherwise I am happy with the AX53 and what I produced before I lost sound recording. I will complete this review and iwhhold further rating after the wired microphone issue its resolved, Also might mention that I cannot use the Sony smartphone app on the AX53 but did get I to work on a Sony A99.
Date published: 2022-10-08T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Camera is excellent BUT the Guidance is Poor. I have found it extremely difficult to get to this point (downloaded video from camcorder to my computer). I printed the User Guide (the printed copy with the camera is small print and hard to read), read pertinent parts, searched the digital copy, found sections e.g. 51, 55, 57 about transferring, tried to view on TV monitor without success, chatted with Sony rep who gave me a link to PlayMemories, which I downloaded and installed; the info in the link was the first time I read about having to use the USB cable rather than the HDMI cable to connect to the computer, etc., etc., Bottom Line: Lots of Guidance but not very helpful. A knowledgeable person should be able to combine the PlayMemories info and the User Guide and condense it down substantially.
Date published: 2018-01-09T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Love the wifi I received this as a Christmas gift from my wife. Not the model I would have chosen but still a great camera. I usually pick the best model and she usually picks the cheapest. I love the 4K and wifi and being able to control the camera from my phone through the Play Memories App. The menu is a little easier to understand compared to my HDR-XR550 but I still haven't been able to figure out how to change the sound from 2 channel to 5 channel. I wish it had internal memory like my other camera which has a 240GB hard drive. It also feels a lot lighter than my other camera and feels like a cheaply made camera where my other feels a lot heavier. I like the big manual control ring and the ease of changing what manual function the ring will control. I also like the viewfinder which a lot of new cameras do not have any more. I don't like the way you can't put your eye up to the viewfinder when you use an extended battery. I used to have a Sony camera that had an adjustable viewfinder that I was able to adjust upward and put my eye against, but the new models don't have that feature. I am very happy with the camera and hope to get many years of good use out of it like my previous Sony cameras.
Date published: 2017-01-01T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Excellent Product Excellent product and easy to use. I bought it to record football game and it is very good. Quality is much better than others.
Date published: 2017-11-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Love compact size Love all the features of the camera, but are unable to produce a DVD.
Date published: 2017-07-30T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Love this Camcorder My first FDR-AX53 had a lot of use and I felt it was getting worn out so I bought a used AX53 as a backup and a brand new FDR-AX53. My second day using it, when I would turn it on nothing would happen. I would have to remove the battery and reinstall it to get it to run. This happened about 6 or more times during the day. Once I had to remove and install the battery twice before it would turn on. I don't remember this ever happening with my old FDR-AX53 in the last 2 1/2 years. It was a warm day, but not that hot. Otherwise I love this camcorder. You can't beat the image stabilization, but I wish the image quality was better when zoomed in.
Date published: 2018-07-16T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Image Stabilization is incredible! I have owned this camcorder for a month and bought it together with the Panasonic HC-WXF991K. I tried them both and decided on the Sony. Panasonic had slightly truer colors, higher megapixel stills, and a viewfinder eyecup, but had weaker image stabilization than the Sony and that was the deal breaker. I returned the Panasonic. The AX53 could use some menu refinement, a better viewfinder with an eyecup, but does a tremendous job with action shots and the stills are quite good quality. It feels good in my hand and does a great job shooting on auto. I am looking forward to using it for vacation and hobby videos.
Date published: 2017-05-02T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Like it but found a bad flaw So far I've enjoyed the Camera up until I found out that when I'm using it to live stream... the shutter shuts off every 5 minutes or so.
Date published: 2018-05-14T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Awesome Surprise in a Handheld 4K I'm just a novice videographer, all thumbs. I bought this 4K Handycam because I saw it had a Zeiss lens and when I was using cameras in The Bronx, as a child, I knew it was good. Well, it was more amazing than amazing. The resolution rocked my New York socks.
Date published: 2018-10-07T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Did not have tags when purchased. This product came "new" in the box without tags or stickers. Second hand from manufacture is unacceptable.
Date published: 2016-12-27T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Recording quality Love the camera so far. The recordings look great and they look great on tv
Date published: 2021-12-29T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Image Stabilization is incredible! I have owned this camcorder for a month and bought it together with the Panasonic HC-WXF991K. I tried them both and decided on the Sony. Panasonic had slightly truer colors, higher megapixel stills, and a viewfinder eyecup, but had weaker image stabilization than the Sony and that was the deal breaker. I returned the Panasonic. The AX53 could use some menu refinement, a better viewfinder with an eyecup, but does a tremendous job with action shots and the stills are quite good quality. It feels good in my hand and does a great job shooting on auto. I am looking forward to using it for vacation and hobby videos.
Date published: 2017-05-02T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Hockey Dad I am not an expert with camera's. I use this mostly to film my kids hockey and rugby games. After a month of use I can give this a great review. It has a great picture and keeps up with the action. It is easy to use right out of the box for someone like me that really doesn't know what everything does. To be fair that would be with any camera. I would certainly recommend it to sports parents that are looking to capture their kids events.
Date published: 2023-09-29T00:00:00-04:00

This page was printed on 4/25/2024 1:03:01 AM.