I bought my IP220 two weeks ago. The unit is fairly compact and light which I carry to places with ease. The pros:
1. Video quality is excellent, same for the recorded sound qulity which is crystal clear
2. Swivel LCD panel is very easy to use and innovative
3. Touch screen feature works well and is pretty user-friendly
4. The set sits perfectly in the palm and the finger position also fits very nicely with the zoom lever, photo button and record button
The cons:
1. Even with 2.1 Mega pixels CCD, IP220 does not provide the kind of picture quality as other Sony digital cameras (like DSC-70), especially at 1600x1200 resolution
2. The MicroMV to MPEG2 conversion through movie shaker 3.1 (MPEG2-TS)is incompatible with the regular DVD standard (MPEG2-PS), therefore, it is impossible to burn DVD for regular DVD player use without converting it through a third-party software (e.g. pinnacle studio 8)
I would recomment this unit to those who care more about the video quality than photo quality.
pros:
delivers vibrant colors when shooting in daylight.
10x carl zeiss vario-sonnar T* lens.
2MP still capability.
great connectivity options: firewire, USB, S-video, headphone, bluetooth, mic input, etc.
has a built in pop-up flash for taking stills.
steady shot and night shot.
ability to record mpeg videos directly to memory stick.
top-loading cassette.
boatloads of optional accessories.
manual focus/zoom ring on lens.
has NightFraming which allows you to focus and compose your scene in total darkness with the aid of the infrared emitter, then shoot a full-color still with the pop-up flash. very cool.
cons:
microMV format is proprietary and may go the way of betamax.
microMV video quality is noticeably worse than MiniDV.
images emerge washed-out when shooting indoors.
uses an mpeg version that may not be compatible with your current video editor.
Super Night Shot, Color Night Shot very choppy in low/no light.
not Mac compatible.
very bad ergonomics zoom and photo shutter controls are poorly positioned.
LCD can't tilt backwards if you've had it before, you'll miss the ability to show kids themselves as you videotape them.
the advantage of microMV is size but that's not reflected in this camcorder. this is the biggest microMV camcorder out there: 3.9"W x 3.0"H x 5.3"D, weighing 1.5 lbs. you can get smaller camcorders like the panasonic's gs70 or sony's trv33 or the pc105. granted, those have less features, mainly still camera capability (2.0 megapixel vs 1.0 megapixel).
as with most sony products, you pay a premium, pushing up the price.
the included 8MB memory stick (for a 2 megapixel still camera!) is unacceptable. you'll need at least a 64MB memory stick with if you want to take full advantage of the higher resolution pics you'll be taking.
although bundling the camcorder and still camera together means you only have to carry one piece of equipment, it also means that if one breaks, you have to replace both.
as an alternate to this bundling strategy, you can get a gs70 or trv33 or pc105 and get a 3 megapixel still camera and still save money in the process!
battery life could be better.
only 2.5" LCD and it's not as crisp as others in the sony line-up.
non-intuitive menu system.
bottom loading battery so you can't replace this while mounted on a tripod.
the accessory shoe is not a hot shoe.
no built in video light but you can get one less than a hundred bucks.
in the end, the microMV format is a deal breaker for me. it is sony proprietary and not widely supported. and the main reason for even using microMV (size) is not really reflected in this camcorder. if you're looking for a camcorder/camera hybrid, i'd say wait a couple more years (hopefully). the still quality is just not there yet. your best bet is to get a decent camcorder and complement it with a stand-alone digital camera.
i hope this helps your buying decision. peace.
Buy Sony DCRIP220 MicroMV 2.11-MegaPixel CCD Bluetooth Camcorder Now
Pros: Small size. Good ergonomics. Screen on back. Still photos. Compact tapes & batteries.Cons: Expensive. MicroMV format may or may not equal MiniDV. Lens could be more wide-angle.
I found the camera easy to carry, though I kind of wish it had a neck strap. I think the size is about right not too small to handle, but still very easy to carry. One complaint/frustration was that its lense doesn't seem to be as wide-angle as I'm used to trying to tape inside buildings, etc. I found myself constantly backing into corners and still cutting people off at the waist, etc. I may have to look into getting a wide-angle lense for this. Of course, I was trying to tape inside 150 year old houses with small rooms, so that didn't help. As for video and still quality, all I can say is that they look fine to me I watched for pixelization or other artifacts reported as being problems with MicroMV, but haven't noticed any even in dark areas. I will say that experimenting with the night shot and super night shot, I don't see much use for them I could hardly distinguish what I recorded in these modes. I was impressed by the ability of the still camera and flash to take decent photos of buildings from around 50 feet away in near total darkness. I didn't expect the flash to work at such a distance, but the photos came out quite well. One reason I selected this camera was that I thought it was better designend for use in underwater housings than the PC120BT I was also considering primarily because the screen is on the back rather than flipping out to the side (which requires a much larger housing, or not using the screen). I didn't get a chance to try the camera in an underwater housing on this trip, but I still think the design will lend itself to this application. Ergonomically I prefer the IP220, but I have lingering questions about whether I sacrificed video quality by going with this model. But that's based on others's comments on previous MicroMV camcorders not on any problems I've seen with my own camera or video. I haven't yet loaded video or stills onto my PC for editing, so I can't comment on that.
Read Best Reviews of Sony DCRIP220 MicroMV 2.11-MegaPixel CCD Bluetooth Camcorder Here
I have had this camera for over two years. While the images are accpetable, I am have a terrible time capturing software. If your main goal is video editing, then this camera will be a nightmare.Pros: Small, relatively easy to operate.
CONS: expensive camera, expensive tapes, still images are not of good quality when considering a comparable still camera, proprietary format may go way of betamax. No microphone jack, makinig it hard to hear people in crowded area. While using pinnacle, when editing, I have to spend more time syncing the sound, rather than being creative with the editing process. (Granted, this may be a pinnacle software issue, but it highlights the lack of compability with the .mmv format).
If I knew then what I know now, I would not buy this camera.
Want Sony DCRIP220 MicroMV 2.11-MegaPixel CCD Bluetooth Camcorder Discount?
I bought my IP220 two weeks ago. The unit is fairly compact and light which I carry to places with ease.The pros:
1. Video quality is excellent, same for the recorded sound qulity which is crystal clear
2. Swivel LCD panel is very easy to use and innovative
3. Touch screen feature works well and is pretty user-friendly
4. The set sits perfectly in the palm and the finger position also fits very nicely with the zoom lever, photo button and record button
The cons:
1. Even with 2.1 Mega pixels CCD, IP220 does not provide the kind of picture quality as other Sony digital cameras (like DSC-70), especially at 1600x1200 resolution
2. The MicroMV to MPEG2 conversion through movie shaker 3.1 (MPEG2-TS)is incompatible with the regular DVD standard (MPEG2-PS), therefore, it is impossible to burn DVD for regular DVD player use without converting it through a third-party software (e.g. pinnacle studio 8)
I would recomment this unit to those who care more about the video quality than photo quality.
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