HC30 gets thumbs up
Written: Oct 30 '04
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Pros: picture quality, bright colors, compact size, amazing electronics, great LCD, EZ to use, many features
Cons: hard to find any. possibly range of contrast, possible cool bluish picture
The Bottom Line: HC30 is excellent value, with bright, crisp, natural color, good low light options, very easy to use, well designed, great automatic operation, full of features, light and compact.
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| rsmith55's Full Review: Sony Handycam® DCR-HC30 Mini DV Camcorder |
Its hard to choose a cam. There are so many things to be considered. I'm an experienced amateur still photographer and completely understand exposure and shutter speed etc. I was looking for something compact and light to take on vacations. Before purchasing I read many detailed reviews of many models in the price range up to $1200. Then I went to the store for a "hands on" trial of the Sony, Panasonic, and Canon models. I require bright, natural colors and a sharp picture most of all. The 3CCD Panasonic 120 model was very attractive because of its bright images. While I am sure that for more $$ and larger size you can get a better quality picture, I decided that the Sony HC30 was the best compromise between compact size,lens quality, great video quality, decent low light options, marvelous electronics,image stabilization, great automatic operation, and low cost.
After purchasing the HC30, I shot some test video that ranged from fall foliage in sunlight at noon, to dark areas of my closet at sunrise when only a little light got into the room. When viewed on my big Sony TV, I found the daytime colors to be bright, natural, and sharp, with possibly a hint of bluish coolness. I did notice that possibly the range of contrast might be limited since I noticed that in bright sunlight, when the bright areas were not overblown, the leaves of a dark area greenleafed tree were not as detailed as my eye could see. However I suspect that most other camcorders would be the same and it was acceptable. I am concerned that the HC30 has only 350K effective pixels, but the video looks great on my TV. A note here to say that the image stabilization works great! Haven't evaluated the Still shots yet but I bought the HC30 for video, not stills.
I was concerned about the HC30's ability to handle dim lighting but it seems to handle it quite well. It may not have the best low light detector, but it isn't too bad. I shot my twins in their bedroom with only 1 75w ceiling bulb and the video wasn't bad. The colors were slightly lacking but still what I would call acceptable. The camera was capturing about what my eyes saw....and you can't ask for more than that. I tried the HC30 in near darkness in my closet and as expected there was almost no color or detail. But in the really low light, I find that Sony HC30 offers several nifty options: When I switched on "nightshot plus" the detail popped right out. Even better in "super nightshot plus". I don't know how they do it but these infrared nightshot plus options seem to preserve a bit of color in the images...and lets face it, in that dark setting there isn't much color to be seen. Also, very importantly, I found that hidden in the menu under "d effects", "slow shutter" you can choose a slow shutter speed to improve light gathering ability in low light situations. The slow speeds range from 1/30, 1/15, 1/8 to 1/4 second. I like the 1/30 or 1/15. And there is also Sony's "slow color" option but I find it to be too slow so it leaves ghost trails. It would be OK for non-moving images.
I could go on and on but I'll end with comments on the LCD menu and buttons. Most camcorders nowadays have these menus. Some also have outside access buttons. Reviewers say that the LCD menus are slow and cumbersome relative to outside buttons and jogs...and they are. But Sony's is well thought-out, accesses fast and is intuitively easy to understand. It probably works best if you have small hands. If you need to tweek an exposure you don't have time to go through a menu. And usually its a backlight problem that can be helped with the HC30's backlight button ( yes, a real outside button...the HC30 has a few). So I looked at the Canon models that have outside "jog" wheels and buttons as well as menus. I found that with my face pressed against the viewfinder, It was extremely awkward to try to use buttons and jogs. You end up jiggling the camera and ruining the video anyhow. So I conclude that, for me, Sony's touch-screen LCD menu and an outside backlight button are probably as good as anything out there... unless you go to expensive,larger,nearly professional equipment. Also I might note that the LCD screen can be flipped and folded flat against the camera. In this mode, the touch-screen buttons are active and can be used like real buttons while looking through the viewfinder.
A final consideration: last year I dropped my Nikon camera into the ocean on a snorkeling trip in Cozumel. I wouldn't want to repeat that with a very pricey camcorder. But lets face it, sometimes you have to take your camcorder into risky situations to get great video.
In conclusion I find the HC30 to be solid value giving excellent results with some limitations.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 425
Recommended for: Home and Families - Keep Memories of Family Vacations
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Epinions.com ID:
rsmith55
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Reviews written: 1
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