-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 19 reviews
- See all user reviews
Product summary
The good: Supercompact; bundled Handycam Station; 1-megapixel imager; hybrid LCD great in sunlight.
The bad: No earphone jack; no built-in flash or video light; bottom-loading cassette; viewfinder doesn't tilt.
The bottom line: This pocket MiniDV camcorder excels outdoors, and back home, you'll love the Handycam Station dock.
Specifications: Video input type: Camcorder ; Optical sensor type: CCD ; Optical zoom: 10 x ; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 07/30/2004
- Released on: 03/15/2004
Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more. The Sony Handycam DCR-PC109 is one of the few camcorders that requires a trip to the manual just to figure out how to hold it. However, once you realize that you can wrap your fingers around the front without worrying that you're covering the dark plastic window below the lens--it's only the remote-control sensor--we bet you'll like the design.
In contrast to the strict vertical position for the zoom switch on most vertically oriented camcorders, the forward position and the tilt of the PC109's allows for a more natural hand position, which may help overcome the discomfort some people have with its location.
True to Sony form, the camera has a solid, precision feel. Though an extremely compact camcorder, the DCR-PC109 has a control layout that's intelligent without being crowded or clunky.
Though the labels get a little crowded, the PC109's full-size controls are well spaced.
We particularly like the novel hand-strap belt release, which converts the hand strap into to a wrist strap. The addition of a record start/stop button on the LCD bezel is another very nice touch--not only elegant but truly practical when you use the LCD to shoot. Ditto for the internal lens cap, which makes for one fewer item dangling from the camera or swimming around in your pocket.
 |
 |
| Two of our perpetual design gripes: The cassette loads from the bottom, making it impossible to change tapes on a tripod, and though the viewfinder pulls out, it doesn't tilt to provide more shooting flexibility. | |
Newbies and low-tech shooters will like the Easy button, which throws the camera into the simplest, most idiot-proof point-and-shoot mode available. This is great when you have multiple users with various levels of sophistication, allowing Mr. or Ms. Nontechnical to quickly grab the camera and achieve good results without having to worry about manual control and custom settings.
Unfortunately, Sony leaves off a headphone jack. If you want to monitor your audio while recording, you're out of luck. On a camera that has so many bells and whistles--interval recording, a dual-function hand strap, an intelligent accessory shoe, a LANC connector, and optional accessories that include more directional mikes--why did Sony omit such a basic component?We're nitpickers when it comes to the feel of the zoom control. Often it's touchy and hypersensitive, which makes it nearly impossible to do a slow, controlled zoom without stalling out or speeding up. The zoom control on the Sony DCR-PC109 is a small slider that we assumed wouldn't provide the necessary sensitivity, but we achieved the desired zoom speed consistently in 9 out of 10 tries. It helps that the autofocus is quick and decisive, without excessive hunt time or erratic pulsing, except occasionally in no-light NightShot situations.
We'd love to see the typical included battery life of all camcorders, including the PC109, move up to a full hour to match the length of a single MiniDV tape.
Like many of the cameras in Sony's latest lineup, the PC109 sports a Hybrid LCD that delivers good visibility, even in bright sunlight. You can turn off the LCD backlight, which will extend battery life by about 10 percent. That can be a lifesaver, but you can only do that in bright conditions, such as outdoors midday. We prefer to leave it on unless battery power becomes an issue.
As is usual with most camcorders that come our way, the supplied battery doesn't last the length of a single tape. To its credit, Sony gives the PC109 two ways to stretch that life a bit: either by dimming or turning off the LCD backlight completely. Still, we'd like to see battery life move up to a full hour.The Sony DCR-PC109's 1/5-inch CCD produces the sharp, crisp video that typifies the company's camcorders. In daylight, it produces pleasing, accurate skin tones and rich, vibrant colors. Overall, the camera handles limited lighting well, maintaining details without adding lot of fuzziness to the image--typical of the clean gain that Sony has achieved in recent years.
The PC109's still captures are noisy with severe edge aliasing (jaggies).
However, even under good lighting indoors, skin tones tend to flatten monochromatically, losing warmth and subtleties. The colors also generally skew toward the cool and desaturate a bit more than we'd like.
Indoor videos look relatively desaturated, as this video capture shows.
For very dim light, Sony has upgraded its NightShot to NightShot Plus, which is supposed to add more natural color to the typical monochrome infrared experience. While we appreciate the enhancement, we find that NightShot Plus just occasionally picks up the slightest hint of natural color and only when there is already considerable external light on the subject.
- See more CNET content tagged:
- color,
- Sony Corp.,
- camera,
- video
User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 19 reviews
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
-
Showing 3 of 19 user reviewsSee all 19 user reviews
-
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful
"Great features packed in a tiny package but not without flaw (or two)"
-
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
-
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
- See all 19 user reviews Write review
