Sony DCRHC30 MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

I am really pleased with this camcorder. It is my second miniDV camcorder, my first one was a Panasonic PV-DV910. I got the Panasonic years ago when digital camcorders first came out, and it was no good in low light. So, my main criteria in looking for a new one was...

1. Ability to shoot in low light

2. Zoom comparable to Panasonic (18x-320x)

3. Smaller size

4. Ability to download to PC

5. Ability to take still pics

I got the sony the day of my birthday with full intention of returning it if it didn't suit ALL of my needs. A group of friends rented a limo for the night, so I planned to run the sony through a series of Low-Light and Zoom tests. Here are my results:

1. LOW-Light-(5 Stars) I was able to get some great shots in the limo!!! With the panasonic I would have had to use my Light which would have been very distracting to the situation and ate up most of my battery before we even made it to the destination.

With the Sony, I was able to get great natural shots, because with the infrared light, it wasn't so obvious that i was filming.

2. Zoom(5 Stars) At fist glance the zoom really isn't that great compared to what I have. This was the biggest question in my mind... would I miss what I currently had. We went to a bar after dinner and I was able to zoom in an acceptable distance to the band. I really didn't miss my old zoom at all. But the thing that really made me accept the low-zoom was the fact you can BUY A BETTER ZOOM!!! The lens has the capability to expand!

3. Smaller Size(5 stars) Wouldn't want it any smaller. Love the touch menu and menus are intuitive and easy to use.

4. Ability To Download To PC(5 Stars) Everyone is right about the software, it isn't the greatest but I have other software that I use to capture video to pc.

5. Still Pics (5 Stars) I have a digital camera to take the quality photos but this camcorder takes pretty good quality pics. Not having to carry both camcorder and camera is nice.

To make a long story longer.... I love this camcorder!!! Obviously, I didn't return it. I hope this helps.

After doing much research on the 'net and visiting every electronics store on the island, I decided on the HC30 and I am not disappointed. I've never owned a camcorder before, so I was worried that I'd have trouble using one, but Sony has taken away any hassle with its "Easy" mode, which uses automatic settings--great for point-and-shoot novice (read: wannabe) videographers like myself.

Pros: Size (this camera is tiny compared to other camcorders in this price range), Memory Stick MPEG movie + still image recording (perfect for e-mails + websites, but not for prints), bright 2.5" touchscreen LCD, good automatic settings, excellent picture quality, Super NightShot (a MUST for single CCD cameras used in low-light settings), analog-to-digital pass-through (for recording from a VCR onto your PC using firewire), Carl Zeiss lens (hence the excellent picture quality.

Cons: Menu navigation and getting to manual controls is not intuitive and can be problematic while shooting. The optical zoom is small compared to other cameras in this class (10x vs. 20x).

It's low-light performance is mediocre, but compared to other camera's I've researched and tested, the HC30 outperforms them all with its Super NightShot.

And for anyone complaining about the poor still image quality, I will say that this camcorder, and its stills were not meant for prints, but for e-mails or the 'net. It's a given that if you want good photo quality, buy a regular digital camera--even the most ambitious of camcorders usually only come with a one megapixel sensor, which is not nearly enough for crisp photos. Don't worry, this camcorder is small enough that you can still carry around your digital camera and not be weighted down.

I'm new to the world of digital video, but I'm an avid digital photographer and I've got to say that with its feature set and ease of use, I can readily recommend this camera to people who want no-hassles with good quality. Given it's pros (good auto settings) and cons (buried manual controls) it's obvious that this is meant for consumers and not prosumers, but with its excellent image quality and decent low-light performance, I think that even prosumers should think of picking this up as a good backup camera.

Buy Sony DCRHC30 MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom Now

Don't buy a camcorder for the computer software. Do yourself a favor, get a Mac if you want to do any serious movie editing. iMovie (free with every Mac) is mission-critical for any home movie editor or aspiring Scorcese.

That aside, let me tell you what is right about this smartly-priced beauty. It's tiny. It has long battery life. It has a terrific, touch-sensitive display. It works great across light levels, and even has a special low-light feature that may make you look a little like a zombie, but it's terrific if you want to film those aliens stealing your trash.

The picture quality is terrific (as one might expect from Sony), the form, fit and function are first-rate, it has all the standard features you expect (including a mic-out and "hot shoe"). I can't really see spending more.

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While I haven't used a camcorder since my parents' Sharp swivel screen died about 10 years ago, I can say with confidence that this is a marvelous little camcorder.

The LCD screen is very impressive. No smudges, somehow. The touch screen menu system works flawlessly, even though the "buttons" are a little small for someone with large fingers. The clarity is excellent, even in full daylight.

The menu system is pretty easy to use. It's a little confusing at first, until you realize that each mode (the mode for filming with cassette tapes, the mode for filming with memory sticks, and the edit/view mode) has it's own menu set, with similar but different menu items. Not a big deal; just takes a little time in front of the thing.

This camera is SMALL. I have to say that I didn't think that would be too big of a deal for me, but it really is nice. Now, when I see someone "lugging" a larger camcorder around (even though they're all teeny compared to the monsters from back in the 80s and 90s), I can't help but feel bad for them. This thing truly would fit in your jacket pocket.

Along those lines, there is one problem with the size. It was apparently made for people with little hands. I wear size XL gloves. The hand strap doesn't open far enough for me to get my hand into it. It's difficult for me to use the strap and still be able to reach the buttons. If it were capable of adjusting out another two inches, it would be just right.

I ordered mine with an extra battery (just a stock battery, not the 70 or 90) and a quick charger with a 12V car charger even though the car adapter got thrown away with the Christmas wrapping paper :o(. I would definitely recommend getting the second battery and quick charger.

We also ordered the 4-year Mack warranty. It cost $80, but it might be worth it.

I knew the zoom was only 10X when I bought it, but it still would have been nice to get a 20X optical zoom.

The built-in lense cover is great. My in-laws have a different Sony model sporting a tethered lense cover. What a nuisance compared to this.

The still picture function is pretty cool. You can take stills to the memory stick while recording video to the tape. Pretty neat feature. They're obviously low quality, but it's fun for quick emails. Don't plan on using them for anything else.

The nightshot plus/super nightshot plus (with the infrared light) are absolutely incredible. If there's some slowdown in nighshot, just turn on the infrared light. Really cool to play with. I've only used it to record my little boy sleeping, but I could invision using it while camping, and maybe a couple of other applications as well.

Shooting in a dim room will give you dim results. I don't know what some people expect, honestly. Same thing goes with still photography (digital or film): if there isn't enough light, you'll get a bunch of black. I think this camcorder performs well enough in this regard. The inclusion of spot metering really helps out, too. Just aim at a darker area (shadows, etc.), and touch the screen there. Voila, the camera has adjusted the exposure for the darker areas. Pretty simple.

I can't believe the add-on flash costs $150. That's absurd. It would be nice for stills, though. I doubt you'd want to use it for video, as it draws juice from the battery (maybe if you had a bigger battery).

I read a review someplace about several types of camcorders recording the mechanical noises from the inner works of the cameras. That isn't a problem here. The recorded sound seems to be pretty good to me (without the extra microphone).

I don't have any older media to update to digital, so I can't speak to its capabilities there. However, my main gripe about this camera has to do with transfering images.

I learned too late that the "Burn to DVD" function will only work with the Firewire cable (not included, and extra $50 from Sony) and a SONY COMPUTER! The other option is to go out and buy 3rd party software. We bought a new computer when we got the camcorder, and I made sure it could be upgraded to house an IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port (not a big deal, it's just a PCI card most computers should have an extra PCI slot in them). It'll cost another $60-80 for the hardware, plus another $80 for the software (I'm looking at Roxio Media Creator 7), plus the $50 for the firewire cable from Sony. After dropping $1200 on the camcorder and computer, I would have appreciated a little more from Sony in the way of full disclosure. Don't get me wrong: it's there, just in fine print.

Anyhow, to make a long story short, the included USB 2.0 cable really does nothing useful. If you want to spend $400 on a camcorder (not including excessories and warranties) that will allow you to transfer grainy images (think $50 webcam quality) to your hard drive with Windows XP (the included software from Picture Package SUCKS), then you'll be all set right out of the box.

If, on the other hand, you were expecting to get high quality images on your computer and eventually onto a DVD, be prepared to cough up a little extra moolah. Pretty frustrating, to say the least.

Oh, and for those of you paying attention, I tried to use the video CD (VCD) function through the USB. Unfortunately, my new eMachines computer (built by Gateway) has a cd/DVD write drive that is not on the list of drives supported by Picture Package's software. After 20 minutes on hold, I learned from PP that I'm basically screwed. He told me to use Windows Moviemaker. What a joke.

Sony really should have included a way to get the video to your PC in reasonably high quality with the USB 2.0, either that or include the firewire instead. After all, one of the reasons I went with the Sony over the Canon was the inclusion of "everything you need right out of the box." Not exactly true.

Now that I'm done with that rant, though, I'll summarize by saying this: Once I finally get the necessary equipment to make a DVD directly from the camcorder, I will be very happy with this camcorder (assuming it works). It seems like a solid, well thought out, well built device. The feature set really is impressive for the money. I would recommend it, assuming you haven't been turned off by the above comments.

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A BEST-KEPT MINIDV SECRET: the video "pass-through" feature on the HC30 lets you connect a VCR or camcorder and digitize the signal for editing. You think it can't make a difference? Think again!

I have several DVDs created with one of those USB all-in-one devices, from tapes made on my old analog camcorder. Using the USB, video quality was ok but with some artifacts and pixilazation. I then tried running the analog camcorder signal through the HC30 using the "pass through" feature. What I got were zero lost frames, zero pixalization, and full screen video with no artifacts (!)

So it appears that using USB 2.0 to sample analog video is not the way to go. As a result I've been spending evenings re-editing all my old analog camcorder tapes "through" my HC30.

So don't use the supplied USB cable! Go buy a i.link/Firewire card and cable.I'm not sure why Sony even bothered to include a USB cable and cause everyone grief.

Instead of griping about the software Sony bundled, spend an extra buck and go buy the "Pinnacle Studio" or download the trial of Sony Vegas. Why buy a quality MiniDV camera and struggle editing your family movies with freeware?

HOWEVER: One downside to the HC30 is that mechanical noise from the camera is slightly picked up by the built-in microphone. Adding a high-quality mike like the Sony ECMS930C picks up the sound even more. This is a problem Sony needs to fix to make this camera's sound as good as it's picture...which is excellent.