wsmunch's Full Review: Sony Handycam® DCR-HC20 Mini DV Camcorder
Part 3. There isn't too much difference in Sony's HC line of camcorders and if I cover one, might as well cover them all.
"I need to replace an old camcorder that I have from years ago with something new."
"What are you looking for in a camcorder? Any particular features or specifications?"
"I'm looking for something that's good quality and easy to use. I don't want something that's really big either. And I don't want it to be difficult to use."
"Are you going to use it outdoors where you might need a high zoom?"
"No, not really."
"Are you going to want to do a lot of video editing and burning with the video you take?"
"Mmmmmmm... maybe later on, but for now I just want to take the video and be able to play it on the TV."
"Let me introduce you to some of these Sony MiniDV camcorders then."
That's a typical conversation start for customers coming into my work with money, and walking out shortly thereafter with a Sony camcorder. Not all the camcorders I sell are Sony, so it's definitely not the best around (since there are better alternatives in JVC, Canon, and Panasonic for either less, or around the same cost), but those who are focused on the before-mentioned features usually end up with something Sony. Sony's familiar name helps explain the inflated cost (even though it's packed with features), and the amazingly compact size helps clinch the sale. I use the DCR-HC40 to demonstrate the HC line since it's the most commonly purchased Sony camcorder, and depending on the customers' budget and needs they can either move up to the DCR-HC65 or down to the DCR-HC30 models for changes in both features and price. Commonly enough the price of the HC30 is much more appealing, especially for the minor difference in hardware compared to the HC40. But then every once in awhile people look at the HC20 and decide they want to save the $50 and get that instead. "What am I losing when I buy the HC20 compared to these other ones that cost more?" You'll lose the memory card slot for easy photo transferring, color viewfinder, analog to digital passthrough, the Super Steadyshot, and Super Nightshot. The features are worth more than the $50 price difference between this HC20 and the HC30. "Nah, I don't think I'm going to need to use any of those things. I just need to record video, let me buy the HC20." The people who purchase the HC20 always baffle me for one reason or another, even though I'm assuming that they choose the HC20 based on Sony's name or size, or both. They don't want to put up for the HC30 model since they just "want the video" and the HC30 is "too expensive" but they're still buying a Sony unit when other camcorders cost less? And those who purchase the HC20 either come in and walk out with one in under 15 minutes, OR they'll stand and stare at the HC20 and HC30 for over an hour trying to decide if they want to spend the extra money or not. Half the time they'll confuse themselves and leave, only to come back later in the week (once, maybe twice more) and repeat the process before making a decision. I try to convince people that the HC30 is a better buy (which it is when compared to the HC20) to nudge them along.
Ease of Use
For those worried about a multitude of buttons decorating the camcorder, Sony camcorders eliminate those with it's touch-screen LCD. All of the advanced settings and controls are at your fingertips and easy enough to navigate (at least in comparison to staring at buttons with bewilderment). On the LCD side of the camcorder there is a button labeled Easy which changes how many options you can affect in the menu. Easy-on has the common features. Easy-off gives you the full-fledged menus with all the options that you can change. You can tell which mode you're in easily due to the blue glow of the button when the easy mode is on. From the (limited) manual controls to the basic camera settings, it's all there. There are a number of screens available and the camcorder itself is not very self-explanatory so browsing through the manual while experimenting with the camcorder is recommended. Once you get the hang of the menu system and know where the common controls are located, you'll be enjoying taking video with confidance.
The other two buttons on the LCD side of the camcorder are Back Light, which makes the LCD screen brighter/darker, and Batt Info which shows how much battery power you have remaining. The LCD screen itself has the backlight button and a record button on the left-hand side for easy operation while using the LCD while recording. Other than that, the other buttons are self-explanatory: record (right thumb button), Nightshot Plus, Photo (for taking stills), and the on-switch which toggles between playback modes. And that's it! It doesn't take long to demonstrate those features and customers are impressed with how easy it is to navigate.
Quality Image: The HC20 sports a 1/6" HAD CCD which was designed to give better image quality with less fuzziness. It has less CCD since the unit is about 1/3 smaller than the previous version, but it's advanced as to retain the quality. Combined with the Carl Zeiss Lens, the colors in recorded video are vibrant and full. The HC20 has the regular nightshot mode which will cast a green hue over the video being recorded when this feature is turned on. The next models up are upgraded with the Super Nightshot Plus infared which will have less-green and more natural colors in the video. Sony makes great use of low-light conditions with it's nightshot technology, though less light available will increase the video noise and make it a bit grainier. Under normal light conditions, a 3CCD camcorder (such as Panasonic) will outperform the Sony, though I have heard that 3CCD recordings can create muddy edges on the video from too much information. Even in some cases a 3CCD camcorder can perform just as well as the Sony camcorders with the Nightshot. Otherwise most people reviewing the video recording demonstrated in-store on the HC20 are pretty satisfied with the results.
The quality of the stills are okay.. if you're used to web-cam quality pictures. Otherwise the stills are not near any type of photo-quality that is achieved by a megapixel digital camera. The HC20 lacks a separate memory card to save the stills on so those using the photo button will have to transfer the video on to a PC, find the frame with the still picture, and then save it separately to print or email. If you're not interested in taking snapshots, then the lack of the card slot won't be an issue.
Zoom: Big miss here. While other manufacturers (Canon, JVC) are upping the optical and digital zoom on their camcorders, Sony has stuck with the 10x optical 120x digital for theirs. While this is okay for small events (parties, in-home stuff, recording the protestors across the street) it's definitely not going to work for those who need to zoom in close up (like soccer-moms in the stands taping their kid playing in the game). If the zoom factor isn't an issue, then you'll appreciate Sony's accurate zoom control. One advantage with less zoom is better image stability, especially coupled with Sony's good image stabilization. But either way, it would have been nice to have much more zoom than what is provided.
Sound: It's almost as good/bad as the zoom, mostly for stuff close up. People who are trying to record something further away and want to capture the sound well will have to get a mic (either plugged into the microphone port or inserted into the accessory shoe on top) instead of using what's built into the camcorder itself. The Sony camcorder itself runs quite smooth so even if you're recording something while there is not much sound present you're not going to get any motor noise in the background of the video itself. This is sometimes overlooked until it comes to the point when it actually happens, and a few models from other manufacturers aren't as good as Sony when it comes to internal motor noise. Based on the trend of customers coming in to my work and making purchases, most of these people aren't worried too much about the distance of the sound nor zoom since they're doing close-up recording anyway. At least for now.
Manual Controls
Sony makes starter camcorders, so you're working with mostly automatic controls. Those wanting a more professional feel or quality should pick a Canon or Panasonic, which offer more manual controls. But the controls that Sony offers are important ones and are easy to use too. The Spot Metering and Spot Focus allow the user to manually adjust the exposure and focus with the touch of a finger. The adjustment is made by tapping the area of the LCD screen where the desired exposure or focus is, and the camcorder will automatically adjust the exposure/focus to that area. The other manual control is White Balance with an indoor, outdoor, and manual setting (adjusts just like spot metering and focus). Unfortunately, the manual controls are in the submenus and require a little navigation. Hopefully Sony will make the menu system a little more intuitive to use. But once you're familiar with the location it's easy enough to access with a few finger taps.
Hardware Screen: The 2.5" touch-screen LCD has a quality build that lasts all the constant touching, poking, and accessing of menus and features. The images in the LCD screen are consistently sharp, even when being used outdoors. The screen neatly folds out and can rotate 180 degrees so you can effectively record yourself. One interesting thing I noticed with the Sony camcorders is that the LCD screen can rotate about 60 degrees before the image flips. Explanation: The camera is pointing at you and you are viewing yourself in the LCD screen. As you rotate the screen backward, you can still see your image right-side up until the screen is about 30 degrees from the horizontal, when it will flip the image upside-down. Turn the camera around so it is pointing away from you and the image will be right-side up from that perspective. The other manufacturers don't have as wide a rotation before flipping the image! I tried with Panasonic, Hitachi, JVC, and (I think) Canon. With those manufacturers I can rotate the screen only about 20-25 degrees before the image flips. This can be very important if you're trying to record something at an odd angle and need to rotate the screen appropriately (like if you're short and trying to get over someone else's head). It's something that people don't really think about until comes the time when they try and find out that early image-flipping creates a nuisance. Sony gets a plus for their screen.
Viewfinder: It's black and white. It extends out about half an inch. That's it. I don't know why Sony decided against keeping the vertical rotation since not all of us like to hold a camcorder up to our face for the duration of recording without the LCD screen. You can get hours of recording time without the screen, and only a couple max with it. It's not very comfortable using the viewfinder so maybe Sony is encouraging using the LCD as to generate sales from additional batteries as an accessory attachment? Maybe even moreso with the HC20 since the black & white viewfinder seems ridiculous to have in this day and age of technology.
Overall
The unit itself is small and while not quite pocket-size, it's definitely purse or pouch-sized. It's something that you can easily take with you anywhere and whip it out on a moment's notice for recording purposes. The camcorder itself has a nice feel with well-placed buttons. No longer needed is the lens cap since there is a switch on the side, near the front, to open and close the shutter to protect the lens. It's a nice change from having dangly lens caps swaying around. Other notable features of the DCR-HC20 are: USB Streaming, One-Touch DVD-Recording (when hooked to a Sony Vaio PC), and digitally enhanced 16:9 aspect ratio. The ports that the HC30 has available are: A/V, USB, Firewire, S-Video, Microphone, and LANC. They're neatly tucked away from sight, but easily accessible. Sony includes a pretty full software bundle for transferring video to your computer for editing and burning purposes.
The Sony DCR-HC20 is great for people new to camcorders or new to camcorders of the digital age and don't need all of the features that the HC30 provide. Otherwise for the cost, it's hard to seriously justify the Sony brand to those who want more, better, or professional out of a camcorder. Exceptions would be people stuck on the Sony brand or the compact size (I've qualified customers to a Panasonic or Canon based on their needs, yet once in awhile they'll go with a Sony for either it's size or just the Sony name). The pricing for the HC20 is decent, but spending up to get the HC30 is worth it. If you're itching to get one of your own right now right away, see if you can hold out for a great deal. Those who are patient and shop smart will pay a price better suited for the quality of the camera (meaning Sony is overpriced).
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 449.99 Recommended for: Budget Buyers - Best Values to Fit the Budget
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