Announcement:
Sony unveils high-definition (HD) consumer camcorder
Cdn Price:
$2,499
Review
CNET Review
Sony unveils high-definition (HD) consumer camcorder
Cdn Price:
$2,499
Review
CNET Review
Sony HDR-HC1 High Definition Camcorder Review
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
Should wait for next year's model. The price will drop.
And But Quickly My TRV33 dropped from $1400 to less then $1000
in the first year and now the equivelent HC40 can be had for about $750
exactally 2 years later.
This Cam has definately got me interested though as We have been
considering moving our home base vidiography business into the realm
of HD. The CMOS Vs CCD technology does cause me some concern though
as we have a very expensive 3 chip CMOS based X-ray diffraction camera at work here that's been a regular pain in the butt ever since we hooked it up, it's down for repair more than up for operation. Guess I will just have to wait and see how good it stands up and what the user reviews are like, IF it drops
to Below $2000 I will be giving it a real serious look for sure.
And a Slightly More informative Review:
in the first year and now the equivelent HC40 can be had for about $750
exactally 2 years later.
This Cam has definately got me interested though as We have been
considering moving our home base vidiography business into the realm
of HD. The CMOS Vs CCD technology does cause me some concern though
as we have a very expensive 3 chip CMOS based X-ray diffraction camera at work here that's been a regular pain in the butt ever since we hooked it up, it's down for repair more than up for operation. Guess I will just have to wait and see how good it stands up and what the user reviews are like, IF it drops
to Below $2000 I will be giving it a real serious look for sure.
And a Slightly More informative Review:
Joined
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116 Posts
5 channel sound
Can it record sound in 4 or 5 channel surround like the one dvd camcorder model?
Can it record sound in 4 or 5 channel surround like the one dvd camcorder model?
Got an Invite in the Mail yesterday from the local Sonystore
and an E-mAIL From sonystyle lastnight to come
on down on July 20th and try this Bad Boy out,
In My E-Mail they were also showing a 4 Channel surround
sound Microphone as an optional accessory, For this camera
although they do not currently list it as such on the
sonystyle Web Page so Iam Guessing that It can handle the new
surround sound mike. But The current specs Say Stereo only
Hmm < Very confusing.
Also the new Vegas 6.0 HDV software has
DD 5.1 Support.
and an E-mAIL From sonystyle lastnight to come
on down on July 20th and try this Bad Boy out,
In My E-Mail they were also showing a 4 Channel surround
sound Microphone as an optional accessory, For this camera
although they do not currently list it as such on the
sonystyle Web Page so Iam Guessing that It can handle the new
surround sound mike. But The current specs Say Stereo only
Hmm < Very confusing.
Also the new Vegas 6.0 HDV software has
DD 5.1 Support.
I finally managed to pick one up at a reasonable price.
This camera has a great 'feel' to it and produces incredible pictures. For me there was no other choice out there. I didn't want to spend $5k for a large cumbersome HD camera since I am not using it for professional reasons. The picture is head and shoulders above even the top of the line prosumer MiniDV camcorders. The ring around the front of the lens is great for using for zoom and then it can be switch for use as a focus dial with a 4x enlargement in the viewfinder - all things considered, it makes it easy to get the shot you want without having to fiddle with too many items.
My next adventure is going to be pairing this up with either a Blu-Ray recorder or HD-DVD recorder so that I can put the tape contents onto a more permanent media. My computer isn't fast enough to warrant editing the video on it although I supposed I can probably get a faster computer for less money than either of the two HD DVD formats.
This camera has a great 'feel' to it and produces incredible pictures. For me there was no other choice out there. I didn't want to spend $5k for a large cumbersome HD camera since I am not using it for professional reasons. The picture is head and shoulders above even the top of the line prosumer MiniDV camcorders. The ring around the front of the lens is great for using for zoom and then it can be switch for use as a focus dial with a 4x enlargement in the viewfinder - all things considered, it makes it easy to get the shot you want without having to fiddle with too many items.
My next adventure is going to be pairing this up with either a Blu-Ray recorder or HD-DVD recorder so that I can put the tape contents onto a more permanent media. My computer isn't fast enough to warrant editing the video on it although I supposed I can probably get a faster computer for less money than either of the two HD DVD formats.
Glad to here You Like It Najeeb, Ive got to use this Camera on Two occasions now and have been really impressed with the picture quality although you need to keep your panning speed Down I find. Its a great Cam for the Money right now , My local Sony shop has sold 4 outright plus there demo model off the floor
since its release and are waiting for a second shipment. As you mentioned the next biggest hurdle after getting one of these guys is to put together a suitable editing Machine. My current Editing pc Will work( marginally) but rendering times are out of this world , a half hour of footage is running 14 hours to render.
Heres a link to an HC1 user forum that you might find usefull if you don't alredy have it, Lots of great user solutions and general problems and solutions users have been experiencing.
http://www.sonyhdvinfo.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=24
Enjoy your new Camera Iam gonna hold off making the move to HDV
for awhile yet myself, and let others like yourself work out the Bugs
since its release and are waiting for a second shipment. As you mentioned the next biggest hurdle after getting one of these guys is to put together a suitable editing Machine. My current Editing pc Will work( marginally) but rendering times are out of this world , a half hour of footage is running 14 hours to render.
Heres a link to an HC1 user forum that you might find usefull if you don't alredy have it, Lots of great user solutions and general problems and solutions users have been experiencing.
http://www.sonyhdvinfo.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=24
Enjoy your new Camera Iam gonna hold off making the move to HDV
for awhile yet myself, and let others like yourself work out the Bugs
Well I'll start working out the bugs starting tomorrow .. just picked up my HC1 today! I paid just over $2000 for the camera (before extended warranty, tapes, battery & case OUCH!). I'm really excited to see what this looks like. First camcorder I've owned and I just got a new HDTV last week! The wife and I are thinking about doing some weddings to recoup the cost.
I made a very infrequent visit to the Yorkdale Mall Friday, mainly to shop at The Apple Store, and while there I also dropped in to The Sony Store. I noted that they had the HC-1's price lowered by $300 to $2,199, with an accompanying ad' card highlighting the fact. I was rather pleasantly surprised to find that it was much smaller than I had thought it to be judging from the many photos I had seen. Experience has taught me that a camcorder is only a worthwhile purchase if it is small enough to be taken just about everywhere you go, otherwise it sits at home until vacation or special event time comes around.
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511 Posts
That' the real problem these days. Where do you store it, and how do you show it. It would seem that the only answer now is to hook it directly to your HD TV.Najeeb said:
I bought the camera about three weeks ago and like it except for having to take it off the tripod to change tapes. Another annoyance is the proprietary shoe mount which forces the purchase of Sony products.
Picture quality is outstanding and the touch screen menu system is fairly intuitive. I bought a tripod with remote control which is a great feature that reduces camera shake. I was able to remove the remote part and screw it into a much larger (and cheaper) tripod. With high definition, a tripod is best for many shots - especially zoom. After a while, I found that I was better at moving smoothly when panning.
Sound quality is above average although the Sony wireless mic that I bought is going back - lots of static.
My main use so far has been to record presentations although the mandatory shots of cat dog and protesting wife are also in there too. As for how to play back and store - you can record your edited work back to the cassette and use the camera to feed HD equipment. At the moment that's what we pioneers have to do until HD DVD gets sorted out.
Picture quality is outstanding and the touch screen menu system is fairly intuitive. I bought a tripod with remote control which is a great feature that reduces camera shake. I was able to remove the remote part and screw it into a much larger (and cheaper) tripod. With high definition, a tripod is best for many shots - especially zoom. After a while, I found that I was better at moving smoothly when panning.
Sound quality is above average although the Sony wireless mic that I bought is going back - lots of static.
My main use so far has been to record presentations although the mandatory shots of cat dog and protesting wife are also in there too. As for how to play back and store - you can record your edited work back to the cassette and use the camera to feed HD equipment. At the moment that's what we pioneers have to do until HD DVD gets sorted out.
Just a quick question about this camera: Is it possible to hook it up directly to a non-HD television and have it letterbox the image appropriately (or even display at all, even if it squishes the signal into 4:3)? Just thought if you're at someone else's house or something, it would be nice to still be able to show the video you've just shot.
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