VIDEO. The Sony HDR-AS50R takes good video, at a quality like nearly all Action camcorders. Pictures were sharp though not as much as the better models, which means you can see much but not all details and subtle patterns in the image. In low-light situations, the video was good: quite viewable but not as bright or clear as the better models. It captures full HD video at 1920x1080 at 60 frames per second (fps), progressive-scan (p). It has an above-normal frame-rate mode 1280x720 at 120p fps.
AUDIO. It captures good audio in stereo, better than most.
PHOTO QUALITY. In Photo mode it captures at best 11.9-megapixel stills with merely fair quality.
LENS. The lens has a fixed focal length; it has no zoom capability. The lens also has a very wide-angle (18.4mm) capability that's very useful for landscapes and group portraits, although you may notice a bit of distortion when you're shooting faces up close, for instance.
IMAGE STABILIZER. Shooting in well-lit scenes, this model did an excellent job of minimizing the effects of camcorder shake.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. It survived our repeated-drop test. It survived being dunked in 3 feet of water for 30 minutes when used with its waterproof enclosure and is much lighter than the average action camcorder.
