Sony DCR-DVD201 DVD Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

I am a point and shoot type: Kids/parties/family stuff. No pro training or desire. I just wanted a new camcorder to video the little ones as they grew up.

I haven't bought a camcorder in 10+ years and I did a lot of research. I was ready to buy a Sony DCR TRV38, but the new DVD recorders had just come out. These are 2 different categories of camcorders, but each has its appeal. I decided to give the DVD201 a try for the convenience of direct DVD recording. I have compared the two (borrowed my parents' TRV38 for comparison) side by side. Here are my impressions:

1. Size: the DVD201 is smaller and felt good in hand. Very easy controls.

2. The DVD201 didn't have a touch screen LED. That's good for me!! Its LED screen is 2.5" versus 3.5" on the TRV38. Sony has incorporated a new technology for the LED that lets you see it in bright sunlight. This feature was EXCELLENT!! It actually worked. I never had to use the viewfinder because of screen "washout." It easily beat the TRV38 in that department. The TRV38's LED was unusable in bright sunlight.

3. Image quality: Hands-down, the TRV38 wins here. I was a bit disappointed with the DVD201. Why? Read the review of the Sony DCR-HC40 at camcorderinfo.com and you'll see that they weren't impressed with the CCD (sensor) of that camcorder (it got unsatisfactory marks for low-light quality / and video quality in general). Unfortunately, that CCD is the SAME ONE USED IN THE DVD201. In order to make the camcorder smaller, Sony had to reduce the size of the CCD to 1/5". They claim that "new technology" compensates for the smaller sensor......NOT REALLY!! The larger 1/4.7" CCD of the TRV38 shows in the quality of the video. Both have the same 690K effective pixel resolution, so what gives? Does it matter? Not really!! The bottom line is that the TRV38 provides richer, fuller, and brighter video quality than the DVD201 (for $200 less). The DVD201 video looked gray and washed-out compared to the TRV38. Maybe it's the media itself; mini-DV versus mini-DVD. Maybe it's the sensor. Maybe it's the recording format. It doesn't matter why......the video quality doesn't compare to cheaper units. [side note: the TRV38 has consistently earned very high marks for video quality and low-light ability]

4. As far as low-light ability, the TRV38 "wins" here too, but not by that much. I thought the DVD201 was comparable here with the TRV38. In low light, both videos were a bit grainy. The "Super nightshot plus" gimmicks were just that; gimmicks. The DVD201 does look better due to color being incorporated into the nightshot IR scene. Not a big deal, however.

5. Here's where the new Sony shines: The convenience of the DVD201 is unmatched. Simply pop in a mini-DVD (expensive media, however) and record away. Unfortunately, you have to "finalize" the disc before playing it in a DVD player. The manual warns that this process could take 1 minute to 2 hours?!? HUH? I have burned several so far and it never took more than 3 minutes. Here's the real kicker: Pop the finalized disc into your DVD player and watch it right now!! It's that simple. You will be enjoying your videos while everyone else with a mini-dv camcorder is still trying to hook up the darn camera to the TV with cables. THIS IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST REASON TO BUY THIS CAMCORDER..........Convenience. You don't have to download anything to your computer, compile it, burn a DVD (on the computer), and then pop it into the DVD player.

6. My kids love to watch their home videos...right now!! This camera eliminates the need to hook up anything to your TV with cables (where little hands can break an expensive camera). If you loathe the thought of taking video on a mini-DV, downloading it to the computer via hotwire, compiling/editing your obviously amateur video, re-writing it to a DVD with a DVD burner, and ONLY then get to enjoy it "effortlessly" on your TV, then the DVD201 is for you.

7. Here's the downfall, however; Not much editing ability with the DVD201. Using a DVD-R disc, you burn the DVD as you are taking the video. If you use a DVD-RW, you can download the video to the computer, erase, edit, and rewrite with it. (Apparently, the supplied editing software sucks, but I can't comment because I haven't used it). I will probably never edit much, so I don't mind. If you love to edit, think twice about this camera.

PROs: Small size, good feel, excellent LED screen, ultra convenient DVD media (can eliminate computer interface if desired), perfect if you don't care about doing much editing, excellent image stabilization, "finished product" for kids' review very quick (shoot the video, finalize disk, ready for DVD player, DONE!!), good sound quality

CONs: Video quality not as good as cheaper units (looks gray/washed-out), expensive media, sound of DVD spinning captured on tape (low "whir" audible), a bit grainy low-light performance, no wind filter, not much editing ability

HERE'S THE QUESTION TO ASK YOURSELF: Is the convenience of the DVD media worth an extra 200 bucks at the expense of video quality? I'm still debating. Don't get me wrong. The video quality is good, but not great. The DVD201 is a good point and shoot camcorder, but isn't video quality what it's all about? Maybe. Maybe not. Convenience is a huge factor for some of us. One thing is for sure; the DVD201 beats the heck out of the JVC VHS-C I'm replacing. Of course that camcorder is 10+ years old.

BOTTOM LINE: Who will buy this camcorder? People who place convenience at the top of their list of features and are willing to sacrifice some video quality to get it!!!

Hope this helps. By the way, I'm debating whether to return my DVD201 or not.

Have had this camera for a few weeks now, and I must say the image quality is impressive. We originally had a DCR-DVD200 on backorder since Christmas time, and recently found out that it was discontinued by Sony (as well as the DVD100 & 300), making way for the new DVD101 & 201. Glad I waited, for these new models are over 25% smaller than their predecessors, and hopefully Sony has addressed some of the earlier complaints customers had about the previous models, improving on the features/qualities.

Besides the sharp image quality, the stereo sound is superb (in my opinion), however the spinning noise of the disc in quiet environments can be noticable in your recordings. The "Pixela" software that comes included seems to be a little too basic, and found using the free Windows Movie Maker is much better, however you can only make VCDs with WMM. I have tried some trial versions of DVD editing software (Ulead's Videostudio and Movie Factory), but so far they don't seem to support this camera, or at least the 'Dolby Digital' audio, rendering the captured videos silent. Anyone recommend a certain program to use that works with this? Those seem to be my only complaints.

All in all, I'm quite happy with this camera, and recommend it for the ease of use and image quality.

Buy Sony DCR-DVD201 DVD Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom Now

It's just incredible convenience to be able to record directly onto a (mini) DVD, then pop the DVD into your home DVD player, and then play your video and also store it on a permanent (100+ years?) medium. No more fumbling with IEEE 1394 cables, transfering video over to VCR or (ugh!) PC, only to face a demagnetized VHS tape or crashed computer hard drive.

The convenience of using DVD-R/RW is the #1 reason why you'd buy this camcorder. It's also stylish and easy to operate, with a great shape for the (right-hande) palm. But Sony should have included a larger zoom than the 10x optical included. Considering Canon's miniDV can do 20+x zoom, Sony should improve this.

The review by Pat from Colorado is helpful but I disagree with his/her assessment of the video quality. I think the DVD201's video quality is pretty good. It's not pro-quality like the 3-CCD camcorders from Canon, but it's pretty good compared to other consumer-class miniDV camcorders. Initially I was afraid of digital artifacts on the video, but have seen none so far.

With DVD-R (much cheaper than the 3" DVD-RW, which is also hard to find) you can record only once, but you can always just copy the files to your PC and use Windows Movie Maker or Adobe Premiere or any video-editing package. I haven't tried it, though. It's just fabulous to just pop out the DVD from the camcorder, pop it into the DVD player and not worry about anything else.

Is this worth $900 while you can get a great miniDV camcorder from Canon, JVC or Panasonic for one-third of that? I can't answer this question for you. For me, the convenience alone is worth a heft premium, since I no longer pull my hair out over frustrated video-transfer attempts. I can now actually enjoy shooting AND playing back my home videos. I can now live a few years longer, I think.

NOTE: When buying blank media, be sure to buy the right format!

Read Best Reviews of Sony DCR-DVD201 DVD Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom Here

The DCRDVD201 camcorder is a pleasure to use because it is not difficult to operate, has many great features, and probably its best featureit is very small and lightweight.

It does not take hours of user manual reading and fidgeting around with the camera to begin using it, and ocassionally referring to the manual to use its more complicated features is all you need to do.

The steady shot is always on and makes recording and viewing easy. The super night shot works well also, but unless your nocturnal, it doesn't get used too much.

The image mixer software that comes with the camera is not as self explanatory as the camera is, but with a little extra effort and time, the program is versatile and capable of handling all your editing needs.

The hype over the DVD camcorders is over done. Unless you buy and use the expensive little DVD-+R's to record onto, and have nothing to edit, there is little benefit to recording directly to a DVD. But if you use the DVD-RW's so you can edit, erase, and re-record, you are going through the motions of putting the video on your computer anyway; which you can do with miniDV or another recording format. In short, the DVD's that you record to is just temporary storage, if you, like most people will edit your recording before putting the video on a final DVD-+R.

I say all that to saysuprisingly, the picture quality is argueably not as good as miniDV and if you are going to have to transfer your recorded material to a computer to edit and finalize anywayyou may want to save yourself the extra $500 and buy a camcorder that doesn't record onto DVD-+R's.

Want Sony DCR-DVD201 DVD Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom Discount?

This is our first camcorder. Admittedly we were intimidated by all of the choices and formats on the market. This DVD camcorder is a wonderful option because you do not need to use a computer or any additional equipment to watch your movies. If you do desire to do editing with your PC, you can do it with a usb port and unlike many other camcorder formats you do not need a firewire. We have a DVD player (not even a new or fancy one) and we are able to pop the DVD right from the camcorder into the DVD player and watch it right away no extra steps. There is no need to plug the camcorder into a vcr or tv to play it if you have a dvd player. To us that made it worth the extra cost beyond that of a minidv camcorder. In addition, the DVD media is a lot more permanent than most tape formats as a DVD will last a much longer time no need to transfer it into another form for archiving. The DVDs can even be played on the sony playstation game players.

If you don't want to buy a lot of extra equipment for a computer and you want instant gratification where you can view your movies quickly and archive them without hassle, this is the camcorder for you!