Sony DCR-HC32 Mini DV, Flash Media Camcorder

Pros: Easy to use, yet extremely versatile
Cons: Low Battery Life

My Background Experience I figured it was important to start with my experience, or lack thereof. You see I am married to an Audio/Visual Aficionado (it's not just his hobby but his line of work). Unfortunately, that doesn't make me one! Our ...

Pros: Good picture quality, easy to use as a point-and-shoot, small size, comfortable
Cons: black/white viewfinder, minimal software, no on-the-fly controls besides zoom, memory stick duo expensive

As a camcorder with a small, single CCD, the DCR-HC32 is a good camcorder with good picture quality for its price. Sony has made it very easy to use and should appeal to the point-and-shoot crowd. Picture quality is good, but not great compared to ...

Pros: Small size, "pass-through" video
Cons: Pricy at $499 (HC-21 was only $269 at Wallmart).

I bought this camcorder when my Samsung refused to record for no reason. It was time for an upgrade anyway, because I wanted the ability to use "pass-through" recording. The camcorder offered all the wires necessary to dub VCR tapes through the ...

Pros: Easy to use. Good filming quality. Compact.
Cons: Poor photo quality. Low battery life(when using LCD). Difficulty downloading (might be my problem).

I bought this particular model after much research and many phone calls as well as on-line research. I wanted a basic camcorder to capture the moments of my firstborn. This really fits the bill all around. Easy-to-use with all function keys within reach ...

Pros: Large zoom and I love the overlap fading option
Cons: Videos are dull and focus is already going after one year.

Before buying this camera I had a analog one but i really wanted to switch to digital. I did quite a bit of on-line research before buying this camera. I really wanted to capture more of my children's lives on camera to keep forever. They are only ...

Pros: Video Quality, Battery Life, A/D conversion, LCD Screen, Size
Cons: Very Low Light Performance, price of accessories

I wanted a miniDV camcorder that had a Analog to Digital pass-through capability so that I could convert all my old Hi8 tapes to DVD's. I wanted one that was small and light, had a large zoom range, and was good on batteries. After agonizing over ...

Pros: Nightshot, Light Weight, Good battery life
Cons: B&W instead of the Color View finder.

I bought this camcorder from J&R - NY. Its small and handy and has 20x Optical Zoom which is really good to get at this price. and its light in weight. The battery life is good and gives good resolution at night. Nightshot is a very good feature available at this price, and the touch screen buttons makes it pretty handy

Pros: I enjoy that it's very user friendly.
Cons: None so far.

I just purchased this item and I am really liking it so far. I usually buy Sony because it is very user friendly.

Pros: Good night shot, Good software, good battery life, lightweight.
Cons: Dumb "dock" charger, use of sonys propritary crappy memory cards.

After going through best buy's idiotic return policy i managed to get another camcorder with very good nightshot, Canon Z200 sucks so don't waste your time or money on this. NightShot is cool very neat feature and well worth the price, I'm not a big fan of the touch screen and i do not care about the lame B&W viewfinder. The only thing that bothers me is the fact that the cover has to be flipped switch off when you start to film, you also have to switch not a turn switch manually to get from VCR, to Memory to Record. You also need a dock to be able to get the videos/pictures off of your camera, not a big deal as my sony handbag does the job with plenty of space. Battery life is ok with an average of 90+mins with the stock battery.

Pros: 20x Optical Zoom, Size, Video Quality
Cons: B&W Viewer instead of the Color on the HC30

I wanted a smaller camcorder than my Sony Hi-8 for traveling, and the Sony DCR-HC32 is just great. Easy to use, and feels more solid than the previous HC30 model I was looking at before this one was introduced.
The view is black and white instead of color like the previous HC30 model, which seems like a step backwards.
Otherwise, I'm very satisfied with the HC32.

Pros: ease of use, touch screen menu, letterbox
Cons: not really plug & play, short battery life

We bought this camera for basic "film our family and vacation scenes" use, so I will try to compare apples to apples. The camera is a good, basic, easy to use camera. We have enjoyed the touch screen menu, the letterbox or 16:9 feature, the lens quality, the LCD clarity, and the voice over feature. The voice over can be especially helpful after hearing your voice on the camera and deciding that you would rather have James Earl Jones, Kathleen Turner, or some other voice narrate your children's antics.

The only drawback we have experienced so far is the importing to computer. As far as we know, you cannot import video from this camera to any computer without the Handycam docking station and a power outlet. This is a strike against portability and ease of use. If you never use it anywhere but your home/home computer that could be just fine. However, there are other cameras that allow importing of video and charging with an extra item. Also, importing the video to a friend's computer or using video at work could get to be tedious.

Pros: Superb quality, Easy to use, Can use memory card instead of tape.
Cons: View finder is black and white

I wanted to upgrade from an older VHS camcorder since I am into amateur DVD home movie making now. What a difference it makes using the HC32 since it is so user friendly especially the touch screen menus. I compared using a USB connection making a video and then bought a i.LINK cable and found a big difference in video quality.
The HandyCam station makes it very easy to download my videos and photos now. My friends commented on how well the TELE MACRO feature worked and actually recorded serial numbers for insurance reasons on all the important household items. Thanks Sony