- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 5 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"Awesome Mid-Range Camcorder"
Pros: Good image quality (even indoors), traditional viewfinder
Cons: Included ImageMixer software
Summary: The Sony DCR-HC46 is a terrific mid-range digital camcorder. It has a more than adequate 12x optical zoom (any more and even image stabilization won't remove the jitters). There are quick access buttons on the body of the camera, and a ton of features in the on-screen menus (available only on the swing-out LCD viewfinder). Using your fingers on these menus is much easier than I thought they would be, and most of those features are for infrequent occasions. In addition to the LCD viewfinder, there is a color traditional viewfinder (missing on many up-scale models like the DCR-SRxx line of hard drive camcorders), which is great when outdoors where the sun can wash out the LCD. We really appreciate the Handycam Station that makes connections to computers and TVs a breeze while charging the battery. Now that really is "handy."
Technically, the image capturing technology is the same as the hard drive-based DCR-SR80. However, MiniDV recording technology does not compress the digital images where hard disk and Mini DVD technologies do. Therefore when you transfer the data to your computer for editing, you avoid the uncompress process required by the latter two technologies. When you create the resulting DVD, that is the first and only compression to hit your video, meaning you get better image quality.
The cons? Well, the included software is woefully lacking. I'd like to author DVDs, but ImageMixer is a Video CD authoring tool. And VCD is so ten-years-ago. And the built-in 1 megapixel camera is truly a joke.
Where to buy
Sony Handycam DCR-HC46:
$599.95
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Amazon.com Marketplace
|
$599.95 | Yes |
|
