Sony Handycam DCR-HC20 Mini DV Digital Camcorder

Pros: Inexpensive, easy to use, good performance and features, compact size, MiniDV format
Cons: No analog inputs, manual controls not easily accessible, poor still performance

The S ony DCR-HC20 is a very inexpensive digital camcorder. Although you can buy it for less than $400, it still uses MiniDV format and features quality Carl Zeiss 10x optical zoom lens. It used to be quite ...

Pros: compact, user-friendly, great quality digital film, good sound, great zooming, night-vision, touch screen
Cons: Mini-DV cartridges lose quality fast when overwritten; not the cheapest camcorder on the market

This review is written for the casual user. I'm writing it from the point of view of someone who suddenly found themselves in the position of needing to preserve memories (a newborn) and little patience for researching such a diverse field as camcorders. ...

Pros: Cost, Size, "Easy" Button, Nightshot
Cons: Software, Software - But what did I expect for free??

Summary: I shopped long and hard for a new Mini DV camcorder this Holiday Season. I shopped stores on-line and off. I interviewed other camcorder owners, Big-Box store salespeople and camera store people. It came down to Samsung, Sony and ...

Pros: Good all around performance and features for the average user
Cons: Weak construction and poor reliability

I bought the DCR-HC20 for a very specific use: record in-board car videos on race tracks. This was my first DVC and I was attracted by a comprehensive feature set including: - firewire interface for easy transfers to a personal computer - rotating LCD ...

Pros: Ease of use, cost, small compact and very lightweight, easy touchpanel LCD, great picture quality
Cons: black and white viewfinder that doesn't move up or down, tape removal with tripod attached

My husband and I did a lot of research on camcorders before our final purchase. My father has last years version of this camera, the DCR-250. We did a test run with his camera and liked most of the features, but felt we could do better. We went to ...

Pros: Very compact, Good battery life, and Good overall performance for the price!
Cons: Don't like the touch based LCD screens, weaker zoom power

This unit is just the perfect size, small and light weight. The price isn't bad considering it is a mini DV and a Sony. Video performance is good like other entry level make ie JVC, Panasonic and Canon. Performance is average in low light, again like ...

Pros: Small, roughly the same price as the previous model, easy to use
Cons: Night shot, Video picture same as last years model.

This is Sony's new camcorder for the 2004. For those of you who are familiar with the Sony DCR-TRV19 then this review may look very similar to that camera. Basically it’s this year’s model but they have managed to reduce the size of the camera (I hope ...

Pros: Light weight, compact size, touch screen features , Carl Zeiss lense, great picture quality.
Cons: Slight motor noise but not audible on playback.

I bought a Sony DCR-HC20 through buying a Cannon first. A few days ago, I went to BestBuy and bought a camcorder. An employee there recommended the Cannon ZR85. Boy, I did NOT like how that camcorder worked! Its loud motor noise drove me crazy and ...

Pros: Well built, small, sleek, minimalist design - excellent lens and feature set.
Cons: Doesn't ship with a tape. An external battery charger would have been nice.

My 8 year old 8mm Sony camcorder has done yoeman's service, but the batteries are shot and we have a large family affair coming up. I wanted a new camera since it wasn't much more expensive to upgrade than to buy 4 new batteries. The choices - first ...

Pros: great features
Cons: battery charge/discharge problem crops up after a few months

I love the camera, and the good reviews here are spot on, but there's a bug in it that makes me wish I didn't buy it. Many other people have reported this, including users of the HC-40. Somewhere inside there's a flaky electrical connection that will discharge the battery and then (sometimes) prevents it from charging properly, or at all. You can read all about the bug and Sony's less-than-helpful responses to it here: "http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=e5bb1f66c0e42e5e976dec17710416fe&t=107753&page=2&pp=15"

My camera began to exhibit this problem after about four months, and I am about to try to get Sony to fix it, but others have had a LOT of trouble getting them to do so without paying over $200 for "labor". Some people seem to have managed to get Sony to pay for the repair, but they seem to be the minority. I currently do NOT recommend this camera, but if Sony decides to recall and fix it, I would recommend it, albeit with less than a full set of stars. If it never had this bug, I would give it five stars.

PS, anyone considering buying any Sony camcorder should seriously consider getting the extended warranty. Their minimum repair cost is outrageous.

Pros: size,touch screen,cables
Cons: strap for hand, does not come with a bag

I got this camera as a birthday gift and love it. it fits perfect in your had and love the touch screen. in other reviews people said it was noisy i have not noticed. i bought a second battery on ebay for 10 dollars retailed for 50

Pros: easy, handy, excellent movie quality in daylight
Cons: MiniDV tape memory are very expensive, nightshot plus not useful, limited effect, software need improvement.

This is a very easy to use camcorder, I enjoyed filming my little son with it ,it has good quality during daylight but at low light I was unsatisfied but not complaining you get what you pay for.

Pros: Easy to use Many cool features like the LCD touch screen
Cons: Image Quality is very bad for a $500.00 dollar camera.

Image Quality is very bad. Don't buy this camera unless you like poor picture quality, Very grainy video. You can see all the pixels while playing video back on your TV It is so bad I bet they could be actually be counted!!! So if you like to count then make sure you buy this real winner from Sony.

Pros: Compact;lightweight; picture quality; ease of use
Cons: Nighttime plus dulls color; black/white viewfinder

For my first camcorder this is extremely easy to use. I feel the picture quality is excellent; playback/record easy with the remote control feature. Took a little getting use to using the zoom in/out button. The nighttime button dulls the color and I found it generally wasn't necessary for distant filming. I was looking for a middle-of-the road camera and this is a great purchase for that model. I would recommend it to anyone.

Pros: Size, weight, picture and sound quality, ease of use, NightShot light feature, availability of accessories.
Cons: Limited Viewfinder extension, inability to load/unload when using a tripod, and cost of accessories.

I was pleasantly surprised at the picture quality and sound quality of this small, lightweight camcorder. Don't let the size fool you! Low light recording is decent, and the NightShot light is a nice feature for recording close shots (up to 10 feet)in the dark. No buyer remorse here! Would buy again.