Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great camera with great features
Comment: I have had this camera for about 6 months and it has been great. This camera is so small that I can put it in my cargo shorts pockets. I think that the touch screen is great, and the menu is set up alright I guess if you are a electronic geek like I am.
I also like the ability to take still photos while video taping. All you do is click the button and you get a still image stored in your memory card. The pictures are only .5 mp, but when you are zoomed in 20x opt. you can get things from far away. The 20x opt. that I am able to get is from a after market 2x lens you can buy for about $35-$50. I went up in the mountains and got some pictures of deer and elk from 200 yards away, and you can tell if they have horns or not.
I have hooked this camera up to my laptop which has a dvd burner, and have burned some dvd's with the this camera. It is at the quality of a dvd movie. I was very shocked to see the great quality.
If you are questioning whether or not to get this, get it. Only don't get it if you are worried about losing it because it is so small.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This is my first camcorder and I'm very pleased!
Comment: I got this one because of the name & the price. The LCD screen is really nice, perfect picture. All I do is make home movies with it, so I'm not really into all the editing stuff. I have taken a few pictures, and the quality is really grainy. But the way I look at it, the video quality is great, and that's why I bought it. The menu is a little overwhelming, and I still don't know what most of the menu items do. I'm learning as I go. Overall, though, I would probably buy this item again.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Great Camera
Comment: I absolutely love this camera. With the Sony name you can't go wrong. The Mini DV quality is fantastic. Little features about this camera really add up as well, such as the Carl Zeiss lens which makes the picture quality even better and with less glare. The internal lens cover is great, you don't have to worry about loosing one. Touch screen is very easy to use and makes shooting that much better. Nightshot modes work very well and it's very impressive how much light it can pick up in very low level light conditions. Remote control is very useful and is a must for any camera. One of the best features is the battery info. Not only does it tell you when your battery is getting low but it also tells you approximately how many minutes you have to work with. Color viewfinder is also nice since it gives great detail and uses less battery power. This camera is very lightweight and small but at the same time very sturdy and not too small to operate. My only complaint is that the camera would have been a little better with an internal light however you can buy one later and attach it to the camera. Overall couldn't be happier, worth the money if you want a top quality mini dv camcorder.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Value and Convenience
Comment: This camcorder does an excellent job in normal lighting conditions considering the aperature is about 1/3 as large as my old Sony TRV57. For those people who are complaining about the performance in low-light conditions: What do you expect? It's a "mini" camcorder. The lens is very small so you sacrifice significant light-gathering capability for a nice, small camera. Sony addresses this problem by allowing you to adjust the shutter speed via different recording "modes". So far, I've found the results in low-light acceptable.
I also purchased the DCRHC65 thinking the larger 1/5" CCD would improve the performance in low-light, but it really wasn't noticeable, so I returned it. The overall design of this camera is far superior to the HC65. All input/output cable ports are in easily accessible locations. The built-in lens cover is nice. Longer batter life by virtue of it's smaller power requirements. Nice and compact.
Best feature, IMHO is the analog to digital pass-through, which is really why I decided on this camera. We have dozens of Hi8 analog tape that I ultimately want available on DVDs. I connected my old TRV57 into this camera, connected this camera to my Mac via firewire and iMovie began capturing the digitized analog footage. I just finished creating my first DVD from one of our old Hi8 tapes.
Incidentally, I do not recommend trying to use a PC to capture and edit movies. If you're going to drop some $$$ for a digital camcorder, do yourself a big favour and buy a Mac. The latest operating system for Mac (OS X) is wonderful and comes stock with iMovie and iDVD so you don't have to fight with the lousy video editing software that is included with this camera. You might consider buying some video editing software for your PC instead. Don't. You'll be just wasting your time and money. I've used PCs for 15 years and I'm just amazed at how incredibly inept they are at doing most things related to multimedia. Take my advice and buy a Mac for your video editing. You won't be disappointed.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not full disclosure from Sony - but a good camcorder
Comment: While I haven't used a camcorder since my parents' Sharp swivel screen died about 10 years ago, I can say with confidence that this is a marvelous little camcorder.
The LCD screen is very impressive. No smudges, somehow. The touch screen menu system works flawlessly, even though the "buttons" are a little small for someone with large fingers. The clarity is excellent, even in full daylight.
The menu system is pretty easy to use. It's a little confusing at first, until you realize that each mode (the mode for filming with cassette tapes, the mode for filming with memory sticks, and the edit/view mode) has it's own menu set, with similar but different menu items. Not a big deal; just takes a little time in front of the thing.
This camera is SMALL. I have to say that I didn't think that would be too big of a deal for me, but it really is nice. Now, when I see someone "lugging" a larger camcorder around (even though they're all teeny compared to the monsters from back in the 80s and 90s), I can't help but feel bad for them. This thing truly would fit in your jacket pocket.
Along those lines, there is one problem with the size. It was apparently made for people with little hands. I wear size XL gloves. The hand strap doesn't open far enough for me to get my hand into it. It's difficult for me to use the strap and still be able to reach the buttons. If it were capable of adjusting out another two inches, it would be just right.
I ordered mine with an extra battery (just a stock battery, not the 70 or 90) and a quick charger with a 12V car charger - even though the car adapter got thrown away with the Christmas wrapping paper :o(. I would definitely recommend getting the second battery and quick charger.
We also ordered the 4-year Mack warranty. It cost $80, but it might be worth it.
I knew the zoom was only 10X when I bought it, but it still would have been nice to get a 20X optical zoom.
The built-in lense cover is great. My in-laws have a different Sony model sporting a tethered lense cover. What a nuisance compared to this.
The still picture function is pretty cool. You can take stills to the memory stick while recording video to the tape. Pretty neat feature. They're obviously low quality, but it's fun for quick emails. Don't plan on using them for anything else.
The nightshot plus/super nightshot plus (with the infrared light) are absolutely incredible. If there's some slowdown in nighshot, just turn on the infrared light. Really cool to play with. I've only used it to record my little boy sleeping, but I could invision using it while camping, and maybe a couple of other applications as well.
Shooting in a dim room will give you dim results. I don't know what some people expect, honestly. Same thing goes with still photography (digital or film): if there isn't enough light, you'll get a bunch of black. I think this camcorder performs well enough in this regard. The inclusion of spot metering really helps out, too. Just aim at a darker area (shadows, etc.), and touch the screen there. Voila, the camera has adjusted the exposure for the darker areas. Pretty simple.
I can't believe the add-on flash costs $150. That's absurd. It would be nice for stills, though. I doubt you'd want to use it for video, as it draws juice from the battery (maybe if you had a bigger battery).
I read a review someplace about several types of camcorders recording the mechanical noises from the inner works of the cameras. That isn't a problem here. The recorded sound seems to be pretty good to me (without the extra microphone).
I don't have any older media to update to digital, so I can't speak to its capabilities there. However, my main gripe about this camera has to do with transfering images.
I learned too late that the "Burn to DVD" function will only work with the Firewire cable (not included, and extra $50 from Sony) and a SONY COMPUTER! The other option is to go out and buy 3rd party software. We bought a new computer when we got the camcorder, and I made sure it could be upgraded to house an IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port (not a big deal, it's just a PCI card - most computers should have an extra PCI slot in them). It'll cost another $60-80 for the hardware, plus another $80 for the software (I'm looking at Roxio Media Creator 7), plus the $50 for the firewire cable from Sony. After dropping $1200 on the camcorder and computer, I would have appreciated a little more from Sony in the way of full disclosure. Don't get me wrong: it's there, just in fine print.
Anyhow, to make a long story short, the included USB 2.0 cable really does nothing useful. If you want to spend $400 on a camcorder (not including excessories and warranties) that will allow you to transfer grainy images (think $50 webcam quality) to your hard drive with Windows XP (the included software from Picture Package SUCKS), then you'll be all set right out of the box.
If, on the other hand, you were expecting to get high quality images on your computer and eventually onto a DVD, be prepared to cough up a little extra moolah. Pretty frustrating, to say the least.
Oh, and for those of you paying attention, I tried to use the video CD (VCD) function through the USB. Unfortunately, my new eMachines computer (built by Gateway) has a cd/DVD write drive that is not on the list of drives supported by Picture Package's software. After 20 minutes on hold, I learned from PP that I'm basically screwed. He told me to use Windows Moviemaker. What a joke.
Sony really should have included a way to get the video to your PC in reasonably high quality with the USB 2.0, either that or include the firewire instead. After all, one of the reasons I went with the Sony over the Canon was the inclusion of "everything you need right out of the box." Not exactly true.
Now that I'm done with that rant, though, I'll summarize by saying this: Once I finally get the necessary equipment to make a DVD directly from the camcorder, I will be very happy with this camcorder (assuming it works). It seems like a solid, well thought out, well built device. The feature set really is impressive for the money. I would recommend it, assuming you haven't been turned off by the above comments.
Summary: Great camera with great features
Comment: I have had this camera for about 6 months and it has been great. This camera is so small that I can put it in my cargo shorts pockets. I think that the touch screen is great, and the menu is set up alright I guess if you are a electronic geek like I am.
I also like the ability to take still photos while video taping. All you do is click the button and you get a still image stored in your memory card. The pictures are only .5 mp, but when you are zoomed in 20x opt. you can get things from far away. The 20x opt. that I am able to get is from a after market 2x lens you can buy for about $35-$50. I went up in the mountains and got some pictures of deer and elk from 200 yards away, and you can tell if they have horns or not.
I have hooked this camera up to my laptop which has a dvd burner, and have burned some dvd's with the this camera. It is at the quality of a dvd movie. I was very shocked to see the great quality.
If you are questioning whether or not to get this, get it. Only don't get it if you are worried about losing it because it is so small.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This is my first camcorder and I'm very pleased!
Comment: I got this one because of the name & the price. The LCD screen is really nice, perfect picture. All I do is make home movies with it, so I'm not really into all the editing stuff. I have taken a few pictures, and the quality is really grainy. But the way I look at it, the video quality is great, and that's why I bought it. The menu is a little overwhelming, and I still don't know what most of the menu items do. I'm learning as I go. Overall, though, I would probably buy this item again.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Great Camera
Comment: I absolutely love this camera. With the Sony name you can't go wrong. The Mini DV quality is fantastic. Little features about this camera really add up as well, such as the Carl Zeiss lens which makes the picture quality even better and with less glare. The internal lens cover is great, you don't have to worry about loosing one. Touch screen is very easy to use and makes shooting that much better. Nightshot modes work very well and it's very impressive how much light it can pick up in very low level light conditions. Remote control is very useful and is a must for any camera. One of the best features is the battery info. Not only does it tell you when your battery is getting low but it also tells you approximately how many minutes you have to work with. Color viewfinder is also nice since it gives great detail and uses less battery power. This camera is very lightweight and small but at the same time very sturdy and not too small to operate. My only complaint is that the camera would have been a little better with an internal light however you can buy one later and attach it to the camera. Overall couldn't be happier, worth the money if you want a top quality mini dv camcorder.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Value and Convenience
Comment: This camcorder does an excellent job in normal lighting conditions considering the aperature is about 1/3 as large as my old Sony TRV57. For those people who are complaining about the performance in low-light conditions: What do you expect? It's a "mini" camcorder. The lens is very small so you sacrifice significant light-gathering capability for a nice, small camera. Sony addresses this problem by allowing you to adjust the shutter speed via different recording "modes". So far, I've found the results in low-light acceptable.
I also purchased the DCRHC65 thinking the larger 1/5" CCD would improve the performance in low-light, but it really wasn't noticeable, so I returned it. The overall design of this camera is far superior to the HC65. All input/output cable ports are in easily accessible locations. The built-in lens cover is nice. Longer batter life by virtue of it's smaller power requirements. Nice and compact.
Best feature, IMHO is the analog to digital pass-through, which is really why I decided on this camera. We have dozens of Hi8 analog tape that I ultimately want available on DVDs. I connected my old TRV57 into this camera, connected this camera to my Mac via firewire and iMovie began capturing the digitized analog footage. I just finished creating my first DVD from one of our old Hi8 tapes.
Incidentally, I do not recommend trying to use a PC to capture and edit movies. If you're going to drop some $$$ for a digital camcorder, do yourself a big favour and buy a Mac. The latest operating system for Mac (OS X) is wonderful and comes stock with iMovie and iDVD so you don't have to fight with the lousy video editing software that is included with this camera. You might consider buying some video editing software for your PC instead. Don't. You'll be just wasting your time and money. I've used PCs for 15 years and I'm just amazed at how incredibly inept they are at doing most things related to multimedia. Take my advice and buy a Mac for your video editing. You won't be disappointed.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not full disclosure from Sony - but a good camcorder
Comment: While I haven't used a camcorder since my parents' Sharp swivel screen died about 10 years ago, I can say with confidence that this is a marvelous little camcorder.
The LCD screen is very impressive. No smudges, somehow. The touch screen menu system works flawlessly, even though the "buttons" are a little small for someone with large fingers. The clarity is excellent, even in full daylight.
The menu system is pretty easy to use. It's a little confusing at first, until you realize that each mode (the mode for filming with cassette tapes, the mode for filming with memory sticks, and the edit/view mode) has it's own menu set, with similar but different menu items. Not a big deal; just takes a little time in front of the thing.
This camera is SMALL. I have to say that I didn't think that would be too big of a deal for me, but it really is nice. Now, when I see someone "lugging" a larger camcorder around (even though they're all teeny compared to the monsters from back in the 80s and 90s), I can't help but feel bad for them. This thing truly would fit in your jacket pocket.
Along those lines, there is one problem with the size. It was apparently made for people with little hands. I wear size XL gloves. The hand strap doesn't open far enough for me to get my hand into it. It's difficult for me to use the strap and still be able to reach the buttons. If it were capable of adjusting out another two inches, it would be just right.
I ordered mine with an extra battery (just a stock battery, not the 70 or 90) and a quick charger with a 12V car charger - even though the car adapter got thrown away with the Christmas wrapping paper :o(. I would definitely recommend getting the second battery and quick charger.
We also ordered the 4-year Mack warranty. It cost $80, but it might be worth it.
I knew the zoom was only 10X when I bought it, but it still would have been nice to get a 20X optical zoom.
The built-in lense cover is great. My in-laws have a different Sony model sporting a tethered lense cover. What a nuisance compared to this.
The still picture function is pretty cool. You can take stills to the memory stick while recording video to the tape. Pretty neat feature. They're obviously low quality, but it's fun for quick emails. Don't plan on using them for anything else.
The nightshot plus/super nightshot plus (with the infrared light) are absolutely incredible. If there's some slowdown in nighshot, just turn on the infrared light. Really cool to play with. I've only used it to record my little boy sleeping, but I could invision using it while camping, and maybe a couple of other applications as well.
Shooting in a dim room will give you dim results. I don't know what some people expect, honestly. Same thing goes with still photography (digital or film): if there isn't enough light, you'll get a bunch of black. I think this camcorder performs well enough in this regard. The inclusion of spot metering really helps out, too. Just aim at a darker area (shadows, etc.), and touch the screen there. Voila, the camera has adjusted the exposure for the darker areas. Pretty simple.
I can't believe the add-on flash costs $150. That's absurd. It would be nice for stills, though. I doubt you'd want to use it for video, as it draws juice from the battery (maybe if you had a bigger battery).
I read a review someplace about several types of camcorders recording the mechanical noises from the inner works of the cameras. That isn't a problem here. The recorded sound seems to be pretty good to me (without the extra microphone).
I don't have any older media to update to digital, so I can't speak to its capabilities there. However, my main gripe about this camera has to do with transfering images.
I learned too late that the "Burn to DVD" function will only work with the Firewire cable (not included, and extra $50 from Sony) and a SONY COMPUTER! The other option is to go out and buy 3rd party software. We bought a new computer when we got the camcorder, and I made sure it could be upgraded to house an IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port (not a big deal, it's just a PCI card - most computers should have an extra PCI slot in them). It'll cost another $60-80 for the hardware, plus another $80 for the software (I'm looking at Roxio Media Creator 7), plus the $50 for the firewire cable from Sony. After dropping $1200 on the camcorder and computer, I would have appreciated a little more from Sony in the way of full disclosure. Don't get me wrong: it's there, just in fine print.
Anyhow, to make a long story short, the included USB 2.0 cable really does nothing useful. If you want to spend $400 on a camcorder (not including excessories and warranties) that will allow you to transfer grainy images (think $50 webcam quality) to your hard drive with Windows XP (the included software from Picture Package SUCKS), then you'll be all set right out of the box.
If, on the other hand, you were expecting to get high quality images on your computer and eventually onto a DVD, be prepared to cough up a little extra moolah. Pretty frustrating, to say the least.
Oh, and for those of you paying attention, I tried to use the video CD (VCD) function through the USB. Unfortunately, my new eMachines computer (built by Gateway) has a cd/DVD write drive that is not on the list of drives supported by Picture Package's software. After 20 minutes on hold, I learned from PP that I'm basically screwed. He told me to use Windows Moviemaker. What a joke.
Sony really should have included a way to get the video to your PC in reasonably high quality with the USB 2.0, either that or include the firewire instead. After all, one of the reasons I went with the Sony over the Canon was the inclusion of "everything you need right out of the box." Not exactly true.
Now that I'm done with that rant, though, I'll summarize by saying this: Once I finally get the necessary equipment to make a DVD directly from the camcorder, I will be very happy with this camcorder (assuming it works). It seems like a solid, well thought out, well built device. The feature set really is impressive for the money. I would recommend it, assuming you haven't been turned off by the above comments.
Sony DCRHC30 MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom Reviews: Page 4 of 8
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