Camcorder Review Web Exclusive!
Sony HDR-HC3 Mini DV

Andrew Burke
November 2006

Just plain realism is the lighting style visible in most movies and TV dramas (comedies shot with multiple cameras generally use a different approach). Realism uses the same light-painting techniques, but tones them down so that their artificiality is invisible to the casual eye. Let's see how to do this with our three-point setup.

Not since Sony's first HDV camera, the FX1, has an HDV camcorder generated so much buzz. The Sony HDR-HC3 is aimed at the amateur shooter who wants Hi-Def at a Low-Def price. Great 1080i video is recorded to tape and can be viewed nicely on your 16:9 HDTV set using its HDMI connection. The sleek HC3 easily melds tech and usability, but the prosumer or advanced shooter will want to look at Sony's other offerings in the HVR-A1U (reviewed in Videomaker August 2005) or HDR-FX1 (reviewed in Videomaker November 2004). For a hands-on look, see our Vidcast episode 5. We do have to hand it to Sony for making the smallest HDV camcorder to date.

The HC3 looks futuristic with its streamlined design and brushed metal coat. The viewfinder is in-line with the body, and shows a 16:9 wide screen image without cropping. Manual controls are accessed by the touch-screen menu and a physical scroll wheel. Though, the scroll wheel is hard to toggle when the LCD is in use. The HC3 is 26% smaller than Sony's other small HDV camcorder, the HC1. Even so, a substantial area under the viewfinder sits empty, ready to accept a large battery. This looks to prevent the battery from protruding too much and permanently bending your nose. Atop this small device is Sony's Intelligent Accessory Shoe, capable of accepting balanced XLR audio adapters or Bluetooth receivers.

The picture quality of the HC3 is quite subjective. On one hand, you'll see that a 1080-line Hi-Def image appears really large compared to your regular video. Two million pixels are a lot to play with! The overall feel is quite different because of this. Common jaggie" edges and color smearing are less noticeable in HDV, leaving your footage looking cleaner overall. On the other hand, the HC3 is in a new group of camcorders that utilize a single CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor, instead of a more common CCD (charged coupled device) to create images. This is not necessarily a bad thing, although it should be noted that Sony's CMOS isn't yet a substitute for their 3CCD system. Generally the HC3 handled color very well; much better than other single CCD Sony camcorders, but not quite as accurately as their 3CCD offerings.

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