I did quite a bit of homework before purchasing the HC-90. I wanted High quality DV in a 16:9 format. I own a 42" Sony LCD HDTV and I wanted sharp, high quality performance.Other factors for me: Solid build (exterior), and good quality parts (interior). Firewire, size, ease of use, MiniDv, and price.
Things that I got but didn't expect:
sizeWhen the package arrived, I was surprised at the size of the box it came in. It is small. When I opened the box, I was even more surprised at the size of the camera. I was expecting something compact but this little camera is small. I own a JVC MiniDV camera and it is about twice the size and 4 times as heavy. I wanted a small camera but thought that I would have to sacrifice some functionality for size. Well, I didn't. I don't think that I would want a smaller camera or it would start becoming difficult to push the correct buttons without looking around the camera first.
Still shotsI have read some comments that this camera doesn't take quality still pictures. I didn't buy it for that but this camera takes really nice photographs and in 16:9 format so it is just like having a wide angle lens. If you email your images or make DVD slide shows, this camera can take some quality shots. I have email some of the pictures to family and I had to resize them all to make them a lot smaller in dimension and subsequently, the images became sharper and details stood out. The flash works just as well as any other still digital camera I have owned. More than adequate for emailing or sharing on the web. I will be leaving my Olympus still camera behind on family outings because the HC-90 can take its place.
Motor functionI was simply amazed at the motor and function of the motorized parts in this camera. This thing is fast. Really fast. My JVC is a 3 year old piece of clunky crap compared to the HC-90. When you are playing back a movie and want to scan forward quickly, there is no waiting around for it to change gears, it does it instantly. The push button LCD is very responsive and the camera will take commands without clunking and whining. It rewinds very quickly. It sounds solid and it performs. I am most pleased with this surprise.
Things I expected (the good)
The video qualitySo far it has been awesome. As I said earlier, I own a 42" Sony Widescreen and to see the entire screen filled with video is a delight for me. The colors are rich and the details are fine enough to satisfy me. The camera seems to handle 16:9 perfectly. My wife was astonished at the quality when she first saw it. I used the camera in low light mainly. Dimly lit rooms with lamps. The steady shot works great, giving a flowing look to video when you are walking around. The colors remained bright in low lit areas and in the sun, colors are rich. I messed around with some of the features and they all look good. My wife is a point and shoot person and I taught her to push the easy mode button and she was off. No teaching her how to use it. Common sense is all you need.
Dumping DV to my MAC G4 PowerBookI plugged it in via firewire, IMovie picked up the camera instantly and I began dumping DV as well as editing. That was all there was to it. I haven't even looked at the software that Sony sent. IMovie also recognized the 16:9 ratio and set up my project accordingly. Quick Time and the Sorenson 3 codec had to be fed the aspect ratio manually. I have to figure out pixel sizes with a calculator. I plugged in the USB cable to the camera and my MAC and the MAC mounted the volume and imported my images flawlessly. I also did the same with my WINXP PC. Just plugged in the USB cable and Voila. It showed up as a new drive in My Computer.
I also used the HC90 for ICHAT on my MAC laptop. The guy on the other end said he got great video from me. The chat session was between Hawaii and Ireland.
Build Quality Awesome. There is NO creaking (like my JVC). The camera is ergonomically great for my hands and my wife also agrees. All of the buttons are in the right place. The touch panel LCD is wonderful for me. It is solid and I don't worry about it ripping off when opening it and when you close it, it makes a satisfying thud like it was meant to be slammed shut in a hurry. The top loading of the tapes is great. No need to lay the camera on its side or anything like that. I can change the tape while the camera is plugged in to fire wire and the power simultaneously. The camera is very light but built very, very well. I am totally pleased with the build quality. It feels like a Sony. The zoom button is light or easy to manipulate but it can either zoom slowly or very quickly. It is quite sensitive and took a little getting used to. My old JVC felt like it was going to crumble in my hand and the mechanisms seemed so fragile but this camera feels like it can be handled with less apprehension.
Things that could be an issue but not as of yet.
The pry open plastic doors for cable plug in access To charge the battery, you have to pry open one of the plastic covers to access the inputs. I can understand that these covers protect the jacks from dirt, etc. Some have said that they may easily become detached in the future. I beg to differ. My JVC has the same type of protective covers and I have not broken them off in 3 years. I was always prying on them because I am always plugging firewire, etc in to the ports. They never broke and most likely never will. I think the hinge is that annoying plasic that never breaks no matter how much you flex it. The more you use the covers, the more plyable they becaome and easier to access. The sony covers are good quality and I doubt these will ever be an issue. It is somewhat inconvienient to charge the camera because you have to open the cover first. The stand alone chargers are not that expensive and I purchased a spare battery so it might be worth getting the charger.
Memory Stick Pro I spent a bunch of money for a Memory stick original for my Sony Still camera and it will not work in this DV Camcorder. The little one that they sent in not adequate. Looks like I will have to buy another one soon. I wish I did not.
Lens cover This camera has a shutter that opens when you turn the power on so that you don't have to fiddle with lens covers. I absolutely love this feature but, dirt, sand, crap can collect in that area even though the lens will be protected. There are threads there for lenses and filters. There should have been a plain glass lens there to occupy and protect that area from the elements. I will most likely get a cheap filter to screw in there and protect the fine threads.
All in all, I love this little camera and I am sure that my family will enjoy it for years to come. Between this, my 12" MAC PowerBook, my 42" Sony HDTV, and living in Hawaii, I think I have what I need for ample amounts of fun.
This is my first camcorder so I was under the impression that I would have some intensive study of the included manual ahead of me. I was mistaken. All I had to do was skim the first few pages and I was off and running (albeit in Easy Mode).
I have read some critical reviews of Sony camcorders bemoaning their compatibility with third party components, such as PC's. Nothing further could be from the truth! I own a Mac Powerbook. I took a few snaps in Picture Mode and the USB cable loaded them seamlessly into iPhoto. I picked up a cheap 4 to 6 pin Firewire cable at RadioShack, connected the device to my Powerbook and iMovie instantly downloaded the widescreen video footage without any prompting. And it was the same ease of operation in connecting it to my TV, my VCR and my DVD player. I can honestly say that I have never encountered a piece of high technology that operated with such ease and joyful simplicity. I have already shot hours of video without further consulting of the manual and the included software disc remains in its sealed envelope. This little gem seems almost organic in its construction and operation.
At 3.3 MP, the still photos are quite excellent and the panoramic option is a real cool feature. The video is superb. I live out in the forest and I can only describe the image quality as true to life. The built in microphone is excellent. When I reviewed some footage shot out in the swamp it was as though the bull frogs were singing right in my living room! The only drawback is that it amplifies anything stronger than a light breeze, but I found that this can be minimized by closing the LCD display and taking advantage of the camcorders sleek exterior design.
The battery life can also prove irksome if you like extended shootings.But for a modest investment you can purchase a battery with twice the life.
Do I like my new DCR-HC90 Camcorder? No! I absolutely LOVE it!!! It is so portable and easy to use that you can just take it everywhere without even thinking about it, and it attracts looks of admiration and envy wherever it goes.
The one I bought was the last one in stock. The salesman whom attended to me said the model was selling like hot cakes, and even though it was the priciest item on display, they were literaly flying off the shelves into the eager hands of happy customers. It is easy to see why.I have a Canon G6, a fine device in its own right. Since I acquired my HC90, it is more or less collecting cobwebs in a forgotten corner of my cabin.
Buy Sony DCR-HC90 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom Now
This is one of the best camcorders in the market today and I would definitely recommend it to anyone planning to buy a Mini-DV camcorderPositive factors:
Very small and easy to hold with one hand. Can be easily attached even to a mini-tripod with ease.
Excellent widescreen video and hi-fi audio. Your videos finally get that "Hollywood" feel when you shoot movies in 16:9 ratio (widescreen format). Even if you don't have a widescreen TV currently, you will very soon have one as more and more people are buying them. So its better to buy this camcorder and shoot in 16:9 format to enjoy your movies later in widescreen format.
Includes widescreen rotatable LCD so what you see is what you get when you shoot in 16:9 ratio (widescreen format)
Good battery life. One extra battery is enough. You can easily manage a day's worth of shooting with two batteries before recharging them again
Includes docking station making it easier to connect to computer or TV. If you have a good computer with a firewire port, please buy a firewire cable to connect the camcorder to your computer. You can download your movie in excellent clarity in .avi format and edit it as required
Make sure to change the audio setting to 16 bit (instead of the default 12 bit) for very good hi-fi audio
Touchscreen menu system is great. You don't have to search for any buttons as they are all available in the touchscreen menu itself.
10X optical zoom is more than sufficient for ordinary home videos. Anything more produces more "shaking" and would necessiate the use of a tripod. When you shoot without a tripod, 10X is the best zoom you can achieve without worrying about shaky videos
Widescreen still photo. The photo clarity is OK not too good. So please don't expect great shots. Since the photo is in 16:9 format, you can take panoramic photos and cover more people in group shots
Nightshot: Cool feature that records using infrared light. Useful for shooting at night as you can record a video even in 100% darkness
Color widescreen viewfinder Very useful when you are running down on batteries and need to use the viewfinder. The color widescreen viewfinder gives an excellent picture and is as good as the LCD in clarity
Negative factors:
Outdoor videos especially in bright sunlight are overexposed. So please adjust the white balance when shooting outdoors. Add the white-balance menu to your shortcuts so that you can easily access it and return to default once you start shooting indoors
Sensitive microphone may pick up button clicks (best to turn off the button click "beep" sound).
Notes:
Use a fresh cassette after recording 2 or 3 times on the same cassette. The head tends to get dirty if you re-record on the same cassette more than 3 times
You can edit movies in Windowx XP using Windows Movie Maker, but beware it does not support 16:9 ratio video. Hence your videos look ugly as you shot them in 16:9 but Movie Maker converted it to 4:3. Invest in Pinnacle Software version 9 or 10 for better movie editing capabilities. Pinnacle is the only software, I am aware of, that preserves teh 16:9 ratio. Even Roxio could not allow 16:9 format.
You can also invest in wide-angle lens as it gives excellent coverage
Read Best Reviews of Sony DCR-HC90 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom Here
This is the fourth camcorder I've owned, and it's definitely the best. I couldn't believe how small and light it was when I first took it out of the box. Other features I like:> Wide screen recording looks great on wide screen and regular size TVs
>Touch-screen controls are much easier to use than buttons while recording
>Long battery life
>Great still pictures -I don't need to carry a separate digital camera
>Video is sharp, bright, and the colors are vivid
Want Sony DCR-HC90 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom Discount?
I shopped around for a while before I bought this camera. I checked out many reviews and I have to say, I'm VERY happy with this camera. I wanted something that worked in low light. This was the most important feature I was looking for. I had a Canon video camera, and I now have very few videos of my daughter growing up because if there wasn't enough light it would make interference on the tape. This camera works very well with normal indoor lighting. You don't have to turn on extra lights. (It also has nightvision which works in very low light)The only complaints I have are 1) the battery doesn't last more than an hour but I don't video that long anyway 2) the memory stick doesn't hold many pictures but I'm spoiled with my digital camera holding lots.
In general, I would highly recommend this camera. You can download the video to you PC really easily and burn it to DVD.
Oh, and in some reviews it mentions that the zoom is hard to use. I don't find that to be true at all. It is sensitive, but not hard to use.
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