Sony HDR-HC1 2.8MP High Definition MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom
by Sony
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Our Price: $249.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony HDR-HC1 2.8MP High Definition MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom
Customer Review: First shot in a revolution
Summary: 5 Stars
To be completely honest, I think the whole HDTV thing is a bit over-hyped, mainly because there's so little HD stuff to watch right now. All DVDs are still NTSC definition, and the two HD camps in Japan are still dueling it out to see whose format will win (HD DVD vs. Blue-Ray). So-called HD channels on DirecTV and your (un)friendly local digital cable tend to show old craps nobody really wants to watch, and not everybody is into watching sports -- even there, nothing is as spectacular as your (suspciously) friendly local TV salesman makes it out to be.
But if you are already on the HDTV bandwagon -- and our beautiful, freedom-loving, democracy-promoting government has conspired with the TV industry to make *all* analog TVs obsolete in the next year or two -- you may want to get an HDTV camcorder to record your life or shoot the next "Blair Witch Project". In fact, if you are an aspiring filmmaker, (like some of my friends are), you'll want to get an HDTV camcorder.
There aren't that many choices right now. In fact, the only HDTV camcorder for under $2000 is this Sony HDR-HC1, a slimmed down version of the $4000 HDR-FX1, which has caught the attention of many professional videomakers. BTW, you should definitely search the web (e.g., pricegrabber dot com) for a better price, as this can be had for as low as $1700 at some other legitimate websites (as of this morning).
I was lucky enough to have a chance to look at, and play with, an HC1 at my local electronics store over the weekend. I was very impressed. First of all, it's a small camcorder and can be operated in one hand, and all the recording controls -- power, record, zoom -- care well placed for a normal adult hand. (As alays, this is a right-handed camcorder.) Second, amazingly, its lens has a manual focus-and-zoom ring, which allows for professional-looking shooting, esp. in low-light situations. Third, it uses REGULAR miniDV tapes, which are dirt cheap these days.
What truly impresses me is the camcorder's ability to record in HDTV (1080i) or regular (NTSC) formats. I didn't get to check this out first-hand, but the salesman did a quick demo for me and it seems to have worked. (I was getting so dizzy from all the excitement and awe.) Video quality is very good for a single-chip camcorder -- and the resolution at HD setting is very high, provided you play back the HD recording on a, duh, HDTV. (Even a 720p HDTV will do, as such sets will automatically down-convert the 1080i signal.)
If you want a camcorder that can truly impress your friends, yet don't want to shell out your entire savings, the HC1 will do very nicely -- and, by the way, it'll help preserve your moving memories in all its glory and some.
Other Sony bells and whistles are included. The so-called intelligent battery which shows minutes remaining (but not always accurate -- and you definitely need a bigger battery), night vision mode (think "blair witch project"), bright and clear flip-out LCD screen, 10x optical zoom -- the sales guy told me it's about 42-430mm in 35mm-equivalent terms. And, as a bonus, you get a 3MP digital camera, which is good for casual shooting (and it's nice to be able to zoom in 10 times!).
Other reviewers have pointed out a few flaws -- what they don't tell you is that nothing in this world is perfect, not even God, so it's just stupid to be nitpicky with such a revolutionary camcorder. Of course it has flaws, and given it's a Sony, it uses the superior-but-less-popular Memory Stick Duo flash memory card. But, if you search around, you'll see that Memory Stick media is not much more expensive than, say, Secure Digital.
The biggest problem right now is you don't get a good yet inexpensive software program to edit your video on a computer. Of course, 99% of camcorder users don't do anything with their videos on the computer, so this may be a moot point for you.
If you do want to do editing on a computer: on the PC side, you have many HD video editing programs to choose from, but they tend to be expensive. Good news is, the next version of Windows Movie Maker (free with Windows XP or Vista) is supposed to support the HD format. For now, you may be able to download trial versions of HD editing programs if you don't want to spend any money. On the Macintosh side, you can do some very basic stuff with the $100 iMovie program, but it doesn't do much, and the number of full-blown editing programs is limited for the Macintosh (which means Mac users will end up paying much more, like they do with everything else).
And, according to my sales guy, you can't even copy the HD video to a DVD or VCR, since these latter devices don't support HD video yet. On the other hand, I've read on the web that you can convert HD video to regular video using free utilities available for Windows; but then, why would you do that, destroying the high def and high quality of your HD masterpiece?
For now, whether you edit your video on a computer or not, the only way to play it back is from the HC1 directly. So you may want to wait until HD DVD is here before making a purchase -- by then, Sony and other companies will have released better, cheaper HD-compatible camcorders.
Customer Review: The future of video with consequences.
Summary: 5 Stars
I shoot those little movies that help me to focus the ideas and settings of my books (available on Amazon). I also produce marketing and training videos for my software business. For that I switched to HD a year ago and bought that Sony HDR-FX1, which is an excellent camera. HD format is always 16x9 and uses higher resolutions up to 1920 pixels. There are many formats and 24, 25 and 30 frames per second in interlaced and progressive recording. Be aware of that.
I just bought a HC1 and here are my impressions. In my opinion (and on comparison tests) the HD video quality of the HC1 is identical to even the professional cameras mentioned below. But that obviously has to be understood as an electronics feature and not in terms of lenses or usability for movie production. The HC1 just produces more video noise in low-light conditions.
Why did I buy the HC1:
1) size: people behave unnatural in front of a large camera
2) second camera angle is ideal in some scenes
3) portability: pro quality in any location
4) picture quality for later editing
HD prosumer camcorders:
JVC JY-HD10U $2800, larger,
Sony HDR-FX1 3-CCD $3000+, larger, better lenses,
Sony HDR-HC3 not yet out $1000+ smaller, less features
HD pro camcorders:
SONY HVR-Z1U 3 CCD, $4500, smallest pro cam
JVC GY-HD100U 3 CCD, $5000+, interchangable lenses
Canon XL-H1 3 CCD, $9000+, interchangable lenses
What does HD mean to you:
Mostly higher cost and more issues if you want to edit on a PC. I had to spend $3000 for Adobe Premiere Pro 2 and a dual-dore processor with 2GB of RAM to make it work. Get Cineform's Aspect-HD for good editing performance. The best consumer HD-capture is done by the Sony DVGATE software. Sony Vegas is a good editing program too. Most HD-video formats can not be played on a normal PC unless you downgrade it to 720x480. Getting HD format onto a DVD is a similar complex path.
Conclusion:
HD quality is pricey and if you don't enjoy solving problems then PC editing is not for you. Should you buy the HC1? YES! Why? The quality of the original tape is always the most important. You can record in HDV and watch it on your HDTV. You can downgrade it to DV for PC editing or for DVD and convert it to HD-DVD later, once the equivalent harddisk recorders get to the market a year from now.
A last tip: The future is harddisk recorders. I already use a CitiDISK HDV to record without tape. In one year most high-end camcorder models will have harddisk recorders rather than tape. And HD will be the norm and not the exception. But there will always something new and life just goes on ...
ENJOY AND RECORD IT NOW!
Customer Review: A Great Camcorder
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had this camera for about 7 moths now and still continued to be impressed, from the features and the picture quality to the size and portability of this camera. When watched on my HDTV the picture quality is stunning when you are outside during the day cloudy or sunny (almost like being there). It is the best picture I have ever seen from a high definition consumer camcorder. The picture qualities of the hdr-hc1 are exactly if not vary close to an HD broadcast like Discovery HD Theater or ESPN HD channels. This is definitely a HD broadcast quality camcorder. If you are filming inside or lower light in general I have found that the picture quality is not as bright or as clear as the outside shots. But in my opinion it is still a lot nicer than standard definition. The 3mp digital still camera is pretty good for being on a video camera. I would not know personally because I manly bought this camera for recording HDV video. But I have used the still camera a few times and printed out the pictures on my HP photo smart printer and with the pop up flash on the camcorder the pictures came out nice and bright, vary nice for 3mp like I said, and when I do need to take a digital still I am not looking around for that camera it is right on my video camera that is a big +. I consider this video camera to be the all in one solution for HD video & 3mp stills. I have also been comparing the hdr-hc1 to the new HDV video camera that just came out the hdr-hc3 witch I have looked at best buy and played around with it. The conclusion that I came to after trying out both the hdr-hc1 & the hdr-hc3 is that they are both nice cameras, the only downsides to the hc3 is that there are no mic/headphone jacks on the hc3 and there is also no zoom ring. Which are some of the reasons that I prefer the hc1 to the hc3. Overall if you are like me and like and use the mic/headphone jacks and zoom ring this would be the camera for you. But if you do not need these features than I would go with the Sony hdr-hc3. For those who want to buy this camera better buy fast because I heard that Sony is discontinuing this model because of all the pro features on it and for the price that it is being sold for. So get one while you can because the next camera up from this is the hdr-fx1 which is 3 times heaver that of the hc1 and is over 3grand. I still continue to be impressed with this camera and think it is worth every penny. So have fun & enjoy this camera.Customer Review: Just Incredible - But Believe It
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this camera to film my son's budding music career. I am familiar with the difference between standard definition TVs and HD TVs, since I've owned a HD TV for over two years. There is no way that I was going to buy a SD camera - when this exists. For the extra money that you are going to spend above a SD camera, there is simply no comparison. The camera comes with component cables enabling the HD to come through on the TV, and it is absolutely STUNNING. Other writers have done a great job of comparing the price of this camera to other HD cameras, and the others are simply out of the range of most individuals. The HC1, while expensive, is a screaming deal for what you get. Its manual adjustability, taken away in the HC3, is quite good, good enough, I daresay, for most people's tastes. In any event, if you want that sort of control now, you are not going to get it from Sony unless you drop in excess of $3K. I am told that they are discontinuing the manufacture of this camera, so get 'em while they are still around. Though you are basically stuck either a) connecting it to the TV directly or wiring it to your computer and then to your TV, you are also completely future-proof when the new generation of HD DVD players/recorders come around, which is apparently going to take some time. But fear not gentle reader - you are prepared for anything with this camera, and it will not be surpassed certainly for the foreseeable future. As to downsides to the camera, apart from its immediate connectivity and play-back limitations, I honestly can't think of any, with the minor exception of Sony's decision (a good one from a business point of view) to make the hot shoe proprietary so that you have to buy an adapter to fit anything other than a Sony microphone or light to the top of the camera. The adapters are available, so this is a relatively minor inconvenience. Also, the use of a tripod is a must. Further, you might want to invest in a wide angle lens - I am going to. I simply love this camera. It is preserving memories for me that will never fade away or be blurry or anything less than 1080i which makes me a happy JazzDad. See you at the Blue Note.Customer Review: Stunning video, but maybe not suitable for the average consumer
Summary: 5 Stars
For me, this camcorder is off the charts. If Amazon would allow it, I'd give the Sony ten stars.
For others, though, I imagine is might present some challenges.
I bought this camcorder three days ago, despite being a bit skeptical because of the low-light issues mentioned by some other posters. I also wondered if this might be a product that's arrived before it's time, given that it's currently impossible to store HD video on DVD.
There are some other annoyances, such as the fact that you're forced to use Sony's proprietary MemoryStick for still photos. But that's a nitpick.
My advice: If you're moderately sophisticated about gadgets and can afford this camcorder, you're going to love it. I'm absolutely floored by the quality of the video. A friend has the Panasonic GS-250, with three sensors, and the video from this Sony (I've only recorded in HD so far) absolutely blows away the Panasonic.
Unlike some other posters, I have no complaints about the Sony's low-light recordings. They're fine. Much better than the Panasonic. Besides, the optional video light is only about 50 bucks and weighs next to nothing.
Granted, I'm strictly an amateur video guy, so perhaps my standards for low-light video aren't as high as other posters. But I think that anyone who uses this camcorder for typical family videos will be happy with the indoor results and stunned by the outdoor results.
The one downside might still be the storage of HD video until HD DVD players make it to the market in 2006. For me the tradeoff is fine; I'm willing to suffer a little inconvenience to be ahead of the curve.
If you want a simple solution with the least amount of hassle, this camcorder probably isn't for you. But if you value video quality above all, the Sony will keep you smiling.