Look For Sony Dcrhc20 Minidv Digital Handycam at Amazon
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One of the most well-known brands of camcorders on the market today is the Sony handycam. For years, Sony has proven to be a leader in all segmentations of the electronics industry and the camcorder arena is one where they have become a major player. The world of digital camcorders is being led by the handycam and it is innovative science. This camcorder comes in galore dissimilar styles to fit the life of the most savvy, high tech guru or to support simplify the life of even the most technologically challenged individuals. A Sony handycam is not a specific type of camcorder; it is merely the brand name of Sony’s line of respective camcorders. Individuals have a lot of choices when it comes to choosing the perfective digital handycam. A person may buy one that uses a tape, a mini DVD disc, a hard drive, or one that uses a memory stick to house the recorded memories. All are great, but if a person is not so tech savvy, then the Mini DV type that uses a tape is a good choice for any novice. A Sony camcorder also has galore other beautiful incentives to entice a buyer to buy one. They are comparatively easy and simple to use no matter what type of camcorder a person chooses to purchase. They are likewise very high tech and comparatively inexpensive when a person considers other camcorders that are on the market. A person may have the best possible camcorder and “still” camera all in one for less than one thousand dollars. The quality is splendid and user reviews give these brands of camcorders a seven out of ten at most review websites. A Sony handycam is one investment that most persons will not be sorry about. These beautiful and somewhat priced camcorders are just one reason why Sony has become a leader in high tech gimmicks that focus on capturing memories. No longer does a person have to rely on faded pictures. Thanks to these outstanding brands of camcorders, an person may store their memories with a click of a button! Most helpful customer reviews 117 of 121 people found the following review helpful. Modern MiniDV cameras are also very reasonably sized; occupying less than half a cubic foot, the HC36 weighs in at less than a pound even with the battery and tape. That’s about large cheeseburger size, or the size of a digital camera from a few years ago. Despite toy-like dimensions, the sculpted duo-tone exterior and handsome chrome lens bezel lend to a quality look and finish. Those of you intimidated by the arms-length list of features who “just want to hit record and go” will be glad to know that the HC36 has an Easy button. Located right next to the Sony logo on the left side of the camera is a blue button labeled – yes, really – “Easy”. Pressing this button puts the camera into everything-automatic mode, and also increases the size of text on the display (very handy for the reading glasses set), allowing the old-school and I’m-not-technical school alike to record full quality video. You don’t even have to know how to flip out the LCD screen, the Easy button literally makes the camcorder point-and-shoot. The more technically inclined are accommodated with tailored personalization. Nearly all the camera’s functions are controlled by the touch screen LCD’s menu system, but Sony uses a clever shortcut; A personalized menu which you can set to display the features you want – any camera function, such as exposure, white balance, etc., can be set as a menu button; A single touch of the LCD brings up the menu of buttons you’ve set to display. No scrolling through menus to get to some deeply-buried function, just press the screen and there’s the menu that you made with your functions. This system is in some cases faster than physical buttons on the camera itself! And there’s no shortage of functions to play with. The HC36 features two different levels of night vision; “Nightshot Plus” employs an infra-red lamp on the front of the camera providing a fully lit view up to about ten feet even in total darkness, while “Super Nightshot Plus” bumps up the light sensitivity by slowing the shutter speed – great for distance viewing in low light, or shots of the night sky (night vision can see stars that you can’t). A Tele Macro function captures close-up sharp images from a few feet away, and the Spot Focus feature makes focusing a breeze – just touch what you want focused on the touch-screen and it focuses to that object. There’s the usual basic palette of picture effects and faders included, but the true video editor will of course want to use the computer, which is what the MiniDV format was made for. An i.LINK jack (i.LINK is Sony’s name for Firewire/IEEE1394, they’re one and the same) is provided for a quick and quality connection. A note to the uninitiated: *DO NOT use a USB connection to export video to your computer.* The USB format is slower and will result in poorer-quality video. Connecting by Firewire provides a better-than-TV image using the right software – I avoid using bundled software when possible, and would recommend using Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 or Sony’s own Vegas DVD program, both of which offer free trials to see which you prefer. The HC36′s still picture feature is a novelty; you must purchase/provide a Memory Stick Duo for the function to work, and while 640×480 VGA size images are nothing compared to a digital camera, it can be entertaining when combined with the camcorder’s other features – using the digital zoom and NightShot for example, you can capture an image from several hundred feet away in near darkness. Fun, but a real digital camera is still the way to go for photographs. Connections are the HC36′s weak point. The aforementioned Firewire jack is there, but the cable is not included. An analog video/audio jack (out only, no in) is provided along with RCA-ended cable to connect to your television or analog source, but because the jack and cable are non-standard and unique, should you lose the cable, you’ll have to go to Sony to get another. And there’s no mic input. The built-in stereo mic can record 16-bit high-quality audio, but a camcorder with this many features should have this one more. Overall, the HC36 is the sweet spot in the Sony camcorder lineup, a big-quality features-heavy camcorder in a small, lightweight package, with a tiny price to match. Five stars for Sony’s movie-making multi-tool. (Addendum: Why not DVD? DVD camcorders offer similar features, however you must pay hundreds more for a DVD camera than a similarly-featured MiniDV cam. They’re also noticably larger, and DVDs aren’t nearly as easy to work with – You must format a DVD before using it, which requires setting the camera on a steady surface and waiting several moments. Recording at the highest quality setting, a camcorder DVD will hold only 20 minutes, and then you must “finalize” the disc before playing it in any other DVD player. Should you need to replace the DVD during an important timely event, or forget to finalize the disc before giving it to someone or storing it, you’re pretty much out of luck. Because the DVD camcorder system is set up to just play the DVD as-is, editing or getting the video on computer can be a long and very complicated process. Whereas MiniDV tapes last an hour, were made for editing, and offer slap-it-in-and-go convenience. If you have the extra money and just want to play back video as you shot it, a DVD camcorder is a possibility, but at a fraction of the price and complication, the MiniDV cam is the bang-for-the-buck convenience-is-king winner.) 29 of 29 people found the following review helpful. 41 of 44 people found the following review helpful. I have owned several camcorders over the years and I’m always pleased with the quality of Sony. I will definitely use the HC36 as a backup for wedding shoots. |
The Sweet Spot
DANGER! PICTURE PACKAGE!
Good camcorder for the money
