Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I'm quite impressed with the new Sony DCR-HC85. I had been looking at some of the Panasonic 3CCD cameras in this price range as well as the Canon Optura Xi (which is a little more expensive). In the end I chose this camera for the following features:
* very large (and sharp) CCD for the price
* 0lux night shot mode, though somewhat gimmicky. grainy, and green in practice, is very effective for taking sleeping baby shots
* reputedly much higher reliability and better repair services (vs the Panasonic)
* large reflective/transmissive LCD that's highly visible in both dark and light
* many videophile-oriented features (more on that below).
* can operate as a webcam
Upsides:
* Though many online reviews have questioned whether or not the touchscreen-based interface is a good thing, I found it to be more than adequate for my needs. One of the first things I did was rearrange the menus with my favorite features up front. Very easy to do and makes the camera feel "customized". If the camera weren't capable of these customized personal menus, however, I'd imagine the somewhat slow and bulky interface would get pretty annoying.
* True anamorphic 16:9 widescreen functionality works great and is easily understood by video importing tools.
* Nice shape, easy to hold. I have shaky hands and prefer a slightly larger camera to hold onto.
* Its optical image stabilization is amazing. Once again, I have shaky hands and was worried about getting steady video. Exceeded my expectations on this point.
* Setting it up as a webcam was straightforward and the quality was great.
* Nightshot Plus is eerily effective. The video ain't gorgeous, but it sure does do the trick. I'd imagine that the accessory shoe-based IR light that Sony offers would improve the functionality of this feature even more.
Downsides:
* Camera comes with an 8MB card that can only realistically hold 8 photos. Kinda pointless unless one is just test-driving the feature.
* Camera comes with just a single FP50 lithium battery which doesn't hold enough power to record an entire 60min DV tape (unless, possibly, you turn off the LCD, use just the viewfinder, don't use anything on the accessory shoe, and film straight through without stopping). I guess that's what keeps the price down.
* Camera doesn't come with a FireWire cable. I was not able to use Windows Movie Maker 2 using just the included USB cable (although USB streaming with MSN Messenger worked great with that). I had plenty of FireWire cables in my bin of extra computer parts, but just don't see how you can get professional results without one.
* Though the camera supports both progressive scan and true anamorphic 16:9 widescreen (both features helpful in acheiving a film look with a digital video camera), you can't use them both at the same time.
* Some default settings are questionable (but easily changed). Why default to 4-track 12bit audio vs 2-track 16bit? Why default to beeping melodies on key presses? Some odd buttons on the default Personal Menu (which is what you customize).
Overall, I'm a big fan of this camera and would recommend it highly.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony DCRHC85 MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom
When image quality matters most, choose the DCR-HC85 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder from Sony. It features a 1/3.6" advanced HAD CCD imager which captures up to 2 megapixels of video information, translating into 530 lines of crisp, clear horizontal resolution. It even allows still image capture on Memory Stick DUO up to a huge 1600 x 1200 resolution. Combined with the new glare-reducing Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens, the DCR-HC85 gives you video that is larger and more vivid than any other camcorder in its class.Digital Still Memory ModeProfessional Quality Carl Zeiss(R) Vario-Sonnar T* LensEasy Handycam ButtonSuper NightShot Plus Infrared System i.LINK InterfaceMPEG Movie EX Mode2.0 Megapixel (Gross) Advanced HAD CCD Imager 1/3.6" Advanced HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCD Imager with 1080K (effective) video pixels provides excellent detail and clarity, for exceptional digital video performance. Realize unprecedented digital still images with 1920K (effective) pixels. The Megapixel technology enhances your digital videos (530 lines of horizontal resolution) and digital photography performance.10X Optical/120X Digital Zoom The optical zoom helps to bring the action up close from far away. In addition, the digital zoom interpolation means that extreme digital zooming is clearer, with less distortion than previous types of digital zooms.3.5" Hybrid SwivelScreen LCD Display (123K Pixels) Provides excellent viewing clarity with improved resolution. The 123K pixel LCD display makes images sharp and detailed during playback or when monitoring recording. The Hybrid Reflective-Transmissive LCD Screen provides accurate viewing in sunlight or bright light, virtually eliminating the "wash-out" common with traditional LCD Screens.Digital Still Memory Mode with Memory Stick Duo Media
0 comments:
Post a Comment