Sony DCR-IP5 user reviews

2.5 stars

"Survived 5 wks of rugged outdoor professional use, but transporting content sucked." on April 17, 2005 by Livio Bestulic

Pros: Size matters when you are in the wilds.

Cons: The content takes too much effort & time to transport to editing software.

Summary: I intended to used this camera as a second unit in 5 weeks of professional mountain filming (Austrian Alps, Moroccan Atlas Mtns, and Greece's Olympus Mtns) but its size (and lack of weight) made it a first unit very often. However, I was concerned about the final quality.

Upon return to the US I found the quality comprable to any of our full-size Sony 3CCD units. Editors couldn't tell the difference when viewing footage from the fullsize camera and this micro.

Problems:

Finding micro tapes in many countries. Couldn't find them at all in all Eastern Block or third world countries. In Austria I found them only at one large electronic outlet for almost $50 each.

Couldn't use the output with any of our professional (or consumer) editing software. So had to transport the content of the micro tapes to Sony PCs (only new ones with DV-Gate Plus) then translate and export the content to a mini-dv camera. Then import the content back to the PC for Final Cut Pro editing. The process took approx 4 hours per one hour of original tape.

Basically the backend time to get the content into an editor is unacceptable. I gave the camera away as a result. It is strickly a consumer product.

4.0 stars

"Terrific little camera thats easy to use and delivers respectable image quality!" on February 28, 2005 by Flyerboyz

Pros: Super compact, Ultraportable, Intelligent menu system, good feature set and controls, nice digital effects, beautiful LCD, decent battery life, fun to use.

Cons: No lighting options for low lux shooting, high price tag, small buttons take getting used to, lack of proper handstrap.

Summary: I wont beat this opinion on this camera to death as many have already done. I will say the quality Sony is famous for is definitely there in all aspects of this little camcorder. Lots of neat features, clever design implements and good video round out this little pocket rocket. It has its quirks but none I found that I couldn't get used to with minimal practise. The one thing that really bugged me was that there is no "real" hand strap incorporated into the design. To me, this is somewhat like making a car with no seat belts. Sony gives you a drawstring type wrist loop which just doesn't quite provide the same sense of security a proper palm wrap would. Other then that this little guy is very pleasing to use and the finished product is as good as any DV stuff I've seen.
This camcorder is for the tech savvy consumer who wants the guy next to him to take notice when you pull this little guy out of your shirt pocket at the little league game. They are pricey and yes you could buy a really nice Mini DV for less, but it just won't be as small, as cool, or as fun!

4.0 stars

"Compact Cool Camera" on January 12, 2005

Pros: Amazingly small and easy to use. Its just so nice to have a video camera that is "at your fingertips" when travelling. I only wish that I had this thing years ago, instead of the "big" 8mm TR5, that spent so much time in the cupboard.

Cons: Tapes are pricey but once you become familiar with the software that's not a problem.

0.5 stars

"Thinking about taking Sony to court" on September 18, 2004

Pros: Small

Cons: I think this product violates the UK Sale of Goods Act. What is the point of creating a camcorder which cannot be downloaded for editing ? I agree with others that Movieshaker is crap and it frequently crashes my PC. I then turned to Ulead VideoStudio 7.