Sony HDR-HC1 HDV Camcorder Review (page 2)
The Results
Next stop, the viewing room. We plugged the camera's component cable into our 42" HP plasma HD television and the image was beautiful. The camcorder delivered very nice color saturation, no blurring on the quick pans, incredible detail. While in the studio we tested the stereo microphone by standing in different parts of the room and talking and in the viewing room we were happy to hear how well the onboard mic preformed. We did notice a very subtle ghosting above mostly white images, but all in all, the image and audio were very impressive. The camera did produce a loud, almost musical hum of differing tones during rewind.
Finally, we attached the camera to our Dual 2.7 GHz PowerMac G5 and imported the footage into Final Cut Pro HD. The transfer occurred without a hitch and we were editing HD video ten minutes later.
For soccer parents, indie filmmakers and wedding videographers, HD acquisition is a financial possibility with Sony's new HDR-HC1. Beginners can start shooting right out of the box on fully automatic settings and more sophisticated shooters will be happy to find many professional bells and whistles. High-end users may what to look toward the more expensive prosumer models. Now, if the DVD folks can agree on a HD format before January, we would agree with Mr. Jobs that this is the year of HD.
Morgan Paar is Videomaker's Technical Editor.
TECH SPECS
Format: HDV 1080i
Image Sensor Type: CMOS
Number of image sensors: one
Size of image sensor: 1/3"
Pixels on image sensor: 2.97M
Video Effective Pixels: 1.9M
Focus: auto/manual
Shutter Speed: auto/manual
Maximum Shutter Speed: 1/10,000 sec
Minimum Shutter Speed: ¼ sec
Lens f Stop: 1.8-2.1
Optical Zoom: 10x
Focal Length: 5.1 -- 51 mm
Image Stabilization: Optical (Super Steady Shot)
Manual White Balance: yes
Viewfinder: color
LCD Monitor: 2.7 in. color, touch-panel, passive matrix, 16:9, 123,000 pixels
Progressive Scan: no
HD Modes: 1080i
Video In: IEEE 1394
Video Out: IEEE 1394, Composite, S-Video
Mono/Stereo Recording: Stereo
Microphone In: yes
VU Meters: yes
Manual Audio Level Controls: yes (in menu)
Headphone Jack: yes
Speaker: yes
Still Shot Media: Memory Stick PRO Duo
Memory Card Included: 16 MB
Flash: yes
Wireless: Remote yes
External: Battery Charger
Provided: no
Battery Type: Li-Ion
Tape Loading Configuration: bottom
Onboard Video Light: flash for still only
Accessory Shoe: Active Interface Shoe
STRENGTHS
- Relatively low price
- Small
- Beautiful HD image and sound
- Many pro features
WEAKNESSES
- Tape door and battery release in bad places/li
- Doesn't ship with stand-alone battery charger/li
- Audio levels adjusted in the menu
SUMMARY
A great HDV camcorder for beginners and intermediates at a surprisingly low price.
$2,000
Sony Electronics, Inc
16765 W. Bernardo Dr.
San Diego, CA 92127
1.800.222.SONY
www.sonystyle.com
