RadioShack
Sony Handycam DCR-HC38
-
"Good solid Camera" on by Beaglelady
Pros: Good video and sound
Cons: no memory card- expensive batteries
Summary: Bought this camera after buying the Canon ZR800 & ZR850. The canons motor/tape noise was so bad you could not hear over it in a quiet room and it was awful on playback of the tape. The sony has a very quiet motor that you do not hear on playback. Video was better on the Sony. I think overall for the money this is a great camera for someone wanting an inexpensive camera.
-
"Excellent camcorder" on by shirananselm
Pros: Good video qualithy, low price, touch panel, sony, 40 op zoom,
Cons: no still pics, no accessary shoo, no flash, night shot mode make video black and white
Summary: Well I bought this camcorder very recently. You may also see it in youtube at this address-http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Sony+DCR-HC38&search=Search-
So far I am pleased with this camcorder. But I have still to extensively use it. Downloading video via i link was easy enough and I don't use the software bundled with the package but another video editor and downloader. It works with any software.
The filter diameter for this camcorder is 30mm as stipulated in the user manuall and it is true. You can only use 30mm diametre filters for this.
My only complaint is that the night shot plus feature drastically affected the video quality giving it a black and white touch. But even in pitch dark it lightens up the subjects. But overall I am happy with this. -
"Good for the Price" on by intilli4
Pros: 40X OPTICAL Zoom and Touch Panel Controls
Cons: Resolution of Video. 640K
Summary: Very good product for the price. Great starting camera for the novice. I think this camera has a lot of potential with the extra features/add ons one can get. The video could be better but for 300 dollars what do you expect. It also would be nice to take snapshots and store them on a memorystick or SD card. I also wish you could have a standby button that would allow you to bring the camera on and in record mode RIGHT AWAY. I would recommend this product to my friends and family if they want to capture those special moments.
-
"It's all in the customer service" on by kansley19382
Pros: Small and handy
Cons: You're stuck if there's a problem
Summary: It seemed to work well for about 3 months. Then, it would inexplicably zoom in on whatever was being recorded. The only way to reset it was to turn it off and then on again. This ruined recording my 4 year-old's Christmas pageant because it did it 3 times in the space of 15 minutes, before I finally quit trying to record the event.
I called customer service because, in my opinion, I should be able to return something I buy that performs so poorly. Particularly when it costs $350. After being placed on hold for 13 minutes, I was told that they could not help me.Updated
I've had two issues with this camera in the year that we've had it. One was that it would zoom during use. The answer was actually simple, it just required me to hit the 'reset' button on the side. But getting their help on the issue was so bad I considered eBay-ing the thing. A forum helped me.
And I haven't been able to get Windows Movie Maker to work with this camera since I went back to XP2 from Vista (something else that didn't work very well). Sony had an updated driver on their site, but it wouldn't work without the original - WHICH THEY DID NOT SEND TO ME WITH THE CAMERA. I called and asked them about this,and the girl told me that she'd be happy to send me a disk, for $30. By the way, the driver is not on the web. Another driver solved the problem, but it took me a long time to solve.
In sum, this camera isn't so great as to overcome how atrocious Sony's customer service is.Updated
I've had two issues with this camera in the year that we've had it. One was that it would simply turn off during use. The answer was actually simple, it just required me to hit the 'reset' button on the side. But getting their help on the issue was so bad I considered eBay-ing the thing. A forum helped me.
And I haven't been able to get Windows Movie Maker to work with this camera since I went back to XP2 from Vista (something else that didn't work very well). Sony had an updated driver on their site, but it wouldn't work without the original - WHICH THEY DID NOT SEND TO ME WITH THE CAMERA. I called and asked them about this,and the girl told me that she'd be happy to send me a disk, for $30. By the way, the driver is not on the web. Another driver solved the problem, but it took me a long time to solve.
In sum, this camera isn't so great as to overcome how atrocious Sony's customer service is. -
"Great basic Camcorder for a great price" on by NorthernQuality
Pros: Very easy to use
Cons: Menus are hard to navigate and understand
Summary: The Easy button provides all of the basic settings to allow you to start taking movies right away. The basic battery lasted almost as long as the tape. An extra battery, with longer life, is a must for any camcorder.
Write a Review
Online Stores
| Store | Promotions | In Stock | Price | Total Cost | Initial Sort Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | No | Yes | Tax: TBD Ship: TBD | $499.99 Shop Now | |
| See all prices | |||||
