I got this camcorder a few days ago. It is very user friendly and simple. This is great for those of us that are not the most savvy. Sadly user friendly can also be a curse. Even though the picture quality of the video is great(still shots not so great, but thats not why I got a camcorder) special effects and other features are lacking. So if you want a camcorder thats easy to use and will make great home videos this is a good buy. You'll have few worries and no tapes. Easy DVD burn(just one button). If you want features and loads of them you may want to browse some other models. No light, but good night vision. No view finder, but the lcd screen is pretty good, I could even see it well outside with the sun hitting it. No adjustments to still picture quality. No special effects built into the camcorder. But really easy to use.
After using this camera, I realized that it would have been a big mistake for me if I got the mini-dv tape camera. The advantages of convenience of a hard drive camera by far outweight the extra price (sometimes as low as 50$).
The best thing I like about this camera is of course the convenience of not having to buy tapes, and the ease with which the videos are transferred to the computer. I also really like the fact that I can review the clips on the camera right after recording, or earlier clips on the drive, without having to wait for the tape to rewind and trying to catch the right moment.
I also think that the audio is very good, the sound is clear and it records very quite sounds which make the videos even more interesting.
The other great thing I like about this camcorder is its powerful 40x zoom. I read a review here claiming that it's only a 25x zoom, but it still is really powerful and allows me to zoom up on people's face when they are so far that they wouldn't even be able to see that i have a camera. High flying airplaines can also be zoomed up to a full screen and I don't use the digital zoom.
There are other great things I like about this camera but I am sure it will be covered in other reviews so I am going to list some things that I thought were its weak sides.
First of all, the camera doesn't have a viewfinder which means that in order to see what is being recorded, one has to keep the LCD screen open, which uses the battery power pretty quickly. The camera can record, though, if you point it at something while it's on a tripod, and then let it record with a closed LCD, but hey, how often does that happen?
There is no usb port on the camera itself, the usb cable pluggs into the docking station, which means you have to carry it with you if you need to download a video on some other computer away from home.
As far as the video quality, it seems to be quite good by my standards. I mostly watch it on the computer and it is quite clear and sharp. The video is slightly better than on a Sony HC21 I tested before, and is about the same or slightly better than on my brother's JVC GZ MG21U hdd camcorder. The video is nowhere near the professional quality of course. But hey, professional cameras don't shake like camcorders either.
The bottom line, I think this is a good camera and the conveniences of instant file transfer combined with good zoom and audio should help the potential buyer make his/her decision. .
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OK, I have to start by saying I have not actually used this product. However, I have to comment on the review that says Sony is falsely advertising a 40x zoom. Unfortunately, the reviewer does not understand what 40x means, and since this is likely true of many readers, I wanted to clear this up.If you read the specifications, you will see that this Sony camera has a lens with a minimial focal length of 36mm and a maximum focal length 1440mm. To calculate the zoom multiplier, divide the maximum focal length by the minimum focal length. In this case, 1440 / 36 = 40 so indeed the Sony camera has a 40x lens.
So, what happened when the reviewer "GAB" went to the video store and compared this to the JVC and other models? The answer is, he only compared the maximum zooms of the different cameras. The JVC, for instance, turns out to have a greater maximum zoom. JVC's camera specs for this model indicate it has a minimum focal distacne of 2.3, and a maximum of 78.2. You can't really compare the focal length numbers since the cameras are on different scales, but you can apply the same formula to the JVC, in which case 78.2 / 2.3 = 34, so indeed the JVC has a 34x zoom, as advertized. However, to completely compare the lenses, you should also zoom ALL OF THE WAY OUT, and compare those pictures as well. If you do this, you will find the Sony gives a much wider view than the JVC. In other words, the Sony has a wider angle lens than the JVC. So, if you are close to the subjects you are viewing, you will get much more in the picture with the Sony than with the JVC.
The bottom line is that zoom multipler on any camera lens is the ratio of the widest angle to the strongest zoom. Which is more important is up to you. Do you plan to shoot more indooors than out? In that case, a wider angle is probably better due to the close quarters. Do you plan to shoot lots of sporting events from the bleachers? In that case you probably want a greater zoom to get close to the action from a distance. Some of of both? You probably want greatest flexibility, which in this case the Sony gives you slightly more.
Consider how you plan to do most of your shooting, and buy the camera that meets your needs. But make sure you are comparing apples to apples, and considering all aspects of your decision. Zoom is only one of many features on these cameras compare them all!
Note: Since I have not used this camera, but I had to select a rating for it in order to write this, I choose four stars in order to average with GAB's rating of 2 stars and end up at 3. I apologize is this is misleading to anyone.I had to think twice about getting this camera due to the price, but I'm glad I did. I have had it since last December. I used it at Christmas time and was able to store quite a bit of video on it, before downloading it to my computer and adjusting it. You can adjust features yourself or just use the Easy mode. The camera does such a great job of adjusting itself most of the time during Easy mode, that I haven't bothered with other features, except for the night vision. That does come in handy when taking night shots, though the video is black and white when using the night vision feature. Downloading is SO easy! Battery life is long. Video quality is great. My only complaint is that still pictures are very grainy and pixelly. I was hoping for just one camera that would give me good stills and good video. For some reason that holy grail has yet to be achieved. But as a camcorder, the quality of this product is excellent.
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I will start with the bad first......This camera and included software is NOT Mac compatible. Not to say you can't use it with a Mac, just not as easy as it should be. From what I understand many other Sony products are Mac compatible (including DV tape based video cameras), so I am not sure why their HDD cameras aren't. The Manual only explains how to transfer images to your computer using the included software. I had to figure out how to get the images into my Mac on my own and it is a fairly long process. Importing 1.07GB worth of video took 20+ minutes to get into the computer. Once it is finally in the computer, you will have to convert the MPG2 files into DV files if you want to use it in IDVD or Imovie. This is also a long process and requires the purchase of additional software. I am not able to use some of the features like the direct to disc burn feature on the camera. I also can't use some of the features on the Apple software that requires you to load video direct from your camera. Although I blame Apple for not allowing the use of MPEG2 files in their software, I also blame Sony for not including some sort of simple software or instructions on getting the files into your Mac.
My other complaint is the Manual. It includes a "guide" that constantly tells you to refer to the "handbook" which only comes on the disc in PDF. The 140+ page handbook includes instructions for at least 1/2 a dozen models and every you look it says except for this model or except for that model. Very hard to follow. For the cost of this camera, it should have had a hard copy manual specific to this model.
As far as the battery issue others are having, it doesn't seem to be much of a problem for me. I don't leave it on in stby mode too often and I always put it back on the dock at the end of the day. Most cameras come with the entry level batteries and longer life batteries are available.
Now for the good...
The size is amazing, it is comfortable to hold and easy to use.
Picture quality is pretty good considering they are compressed MPEG2 images.
A DV tape based camera does not compress the video and is a little better quality, but the trade off of not having any tape or discs was more important to me. Not having to worry about tape is great and 30GB is plenty of room for hours of video.
The 40X optical zoom is also great, which is the highest I found in any HDD camera including Sony's more expensive models.
Bottom line is it is a nice camera, but think about how much trouble you are willing to go through if you own a Mac.
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