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"Day 1: it's great" on by elizajody
Pros: - amazing night shooting
- easy flip out touch screen
- Easy Button
- fun extras like the Slow Motion feature (records 3s of video and plays back over 12s)
- tape miniDV media for storage
- ability to snap photos and save to a Memory Stick DuoCons: - too many menu options
- no neck strap, but the sturdy hand strap is alright
- battery life is disappointingSummary: I'm an average consumer who likes to shoot video of the kids and family events, and edit on the PC to make short videos. I wanted top quality video images so chose a miniDV HD video camera. I plan to keep this for years, so opted for HD so that it'll remain fairly current as I slowly upgrade my tv etc.
I picked up this camera today, second hand, and I love it so far! There's an Easy Button to get started right away. It feels solid when holding it. The zoom is 10x optical and I'm quite satisfied with that. The digital zoom 20x is optional and can be disabled. With some practice I'm sure I can zoom smoothly.
The camera has a Night Shot mode which uses an IR sensor. Subjects appear slightly green, just like you see on television when the characters use night vision goggles. An optional IR spotlight brightens the scene immensely. This feature will be handy in any low light situation.
There are many many menu options. I refer to the manual to see the lists of options available. I've caught on to the basics in just a day, so it's not that bad. Again with some use it won't seem so complicated.
You can switch between HD and SD recording on the same tape. I'm not sure why one would want to do SD, but there is that option.
I've been using the camera all day and the battery is out of juice. That's disappointing. Do any of you recall the Sony CCD-TRV41 with the Sony Lithium batteries? I have one of these (14 years old) and the batteries are as good as new (despite lots of use). How could battery technology not improve over this time?
After I've done lots more with this camera I'll post another more comprehensive review. -
"Outstanding images, versatile, professional features" on by LeslieDF
Pros: Compact, easy to use and set, beautiful color and image quality.
Cons: Manual focus dial too small. Transfer software a bit confusing with first use.
Summary: A great HD video camcorder with lots of features found in professional camcorders. Lots of existing accessories and add-on equipment available. Lots of I/O connections found only in professional camcorders.
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"Disappointment" on by Zensphere
Pros: Light wait
Cons: poor image quality
Summary: The HC7 is better. Even though when editing, the properties say the resolution is 1440 x 1080. It just doesn't look good. Most articles will say this is the same as the HC7 and HC5, just a better menu but I will tell you the image quality is lower and a great disappointment.
Sony Handycam HDR-HC9 user reviews
Results 1-3 of 3
Results 1-3 of 3
Where to Buy
MSRP: $1,199.99
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