Sony Handycam DCR-HC46
Starting at: $599.00
CNET Editors' Review
CNET Editors' Rating
- Reviewed by: Philip Ryan
- Released on:
- Reviewed on:
The good: Small size; lightweight; easy to use.
The bad: No accessory shoe; short battery life; low-resolution still images.
The bottom line: Sony's top midlevel MiniDV camcorder delivers quality video that is worth the step up from its less-expensive siblings.
Like its siblings, the Handycam DCR-HC46 is small and lightweight and will easily find a spot in a backpack or other bag. The layout is essentially the same as the DCR-HC36's. The main difference is the HC46's slightly-larger wide-screen 2.7-inch LCD touch screen. If you dislike Sony's touch-screen interface, this modest increase in size isn't likely to change your mind, especially since the HC46's wide-screen LCD is not as tall as the HC36's 4:3 display, but the increased size is nice for 16:9 shooting.
For shooters willing to venture out of Easy mode, the DCR-HC46 as a decent amount of control, including some autoexposure presets, manual exposure, and both manual and autofocus. As usual, Sony's NightShot plus did a fine job of capturing footage, even at extremely low light levels. Sure, the results are greenish, monotone images, but that's still more enjoyable than the grainy or blurry shots you'll get from most camcorders in this price range.
Another major difference between the DCR-HC46 and its less-expensive cousins is its connectivity. While the HC36 has FireWire and USB jacks built into the camera, the HC46 and the more-expensive HC96 come with a dock that includes A/V output (via a breakout cable), as well as USB and FireWire connections. The camera itself includes an A/V output--again via a breakout cable--so you can still hook the camera up to your TV and watch video directly from the camera. The HC46 doesn't include an analog-to-digital converter, so if you plan on digitizing your analog video, you'll need to spend the big bucks on the Handycam DCR-HC96 or another similarly equipped camcorder.
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Most Helpful User Review
stars 9 of 9 users found this review helpful
"Extremely limited by its Brand" By olsjoe
Pros Nice features, Interface, screen, nightshot, compact
Cons Cradle, battery, cables, charger and more...
Summary I work with DV cameras quite a bit documenting events all over the world. Prior to this camera I had three other sony's a panasonic, a cannon and two jvc's. The problem with this sony is that it is completely incompatable with anything and everything that isn't ... Expand full review
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Specifications
See full specsQuick Specs
- Optical sensor type: Advanced HAD CCD
- Effective sensor resolution: 0.69 megapixels
- Flash type: Built-in
