Ray Pringle:

Rating

I have been renting a Sony DCR-HC21 from my college for a month or so now. I’m a photographer by trade but I really became interested with editing digital video so I looked around for a camcorder that was a bit above mid range. This is it, it has enough professional functions to make it just right for me. Ability to recored in 16:9 widescreen, touch screen LCD, ability to control exposure, manual and auto focus, 40x optical zoom, and at $234.99 it’s an awesome buy.

The one Con I can reckon of is that the battery provided with the camera is very poor. Only lasts for 115 minutes, which seems nice but in comparison to the NPFH50 that lasts for 3 hours it’s poor. Do yourself a favor and buy the NPFH50 Battery for $26 here on amazon.

The other thing that I can’t fathom is that none of these minidv camcorders come with the firewire data cable. It seems like including an 8 dollar cable wouldn’t be that hard, Sony afterall bundles the software needed to transfer the video to your PC.

All in all this is the best camcorder for the money, I chose this over the Canon ZR900 and I’m glad that I did. It’s well build and has all the features that an amateur or professional would want.

Terry Morris:

Rating

The overall positive reviews on this mini-dvd camera are warranted. This is a fantastic small camera for the money that produces some very excellent video. I have a Panasonic DVX100B, and I initially bought this camera as a low cost video deck alternative, so I wouldn’t wear out the motor on the DVX while downloading video footage into my computer…and this camera serves that purpose very well. But, I found that this camera is just a fun overall camera to have just to shoot video on the run without the need to set up a bunch of other equipment.

I highly recommend this camera.

CarmeliteHeart:

Rating

Although this is a camcorder that doesn’t have many features (ie: no external mic input, no headphone input), it works like a charm for those who just want to take decent-quality videos for a fantastic price. The picture isn’t all that fantastic, but it’s a nice small camera that hasn’t let me down yet. It’s lightweight and simple to travel with. Even without an external mic input, it picks up sound very well. I use it often, even for a major project I am doing. Get yourself some video-editing software with this camera, a firewire (IEEE 1394 is what I use) to connect it to your computer (make sure your computer has a firewire port, as this camcorder doesn’t use a USB cable for hook up), and you’re excellent to go. The best part about this camcorder: Mine didn’t require the manufacturer’s annoying software that you have to install in order to use the camcorder with your computer!! I like that part. I can upload the videos straight into any software program that supports DV video uploading (like Windows Movie Maker). I have used this camcorder both with Windows XP and Vista. No problems either way. I highly recommend it!

Matthew Hellstern:

Rating

First let’s right the Amazon description, this is a 40X optical zoom camera, not 25X as seen on the product itself.

This is a fantastic camera to start out with, the simplicity of Mini DV tapes makes this a excellent value choice. DVD camcorders in this price range suffer from terrible battery life, and disk errors that can render your disks useless. The Mini DV tapes are tried and right.

I use an Apple computer at home and the camera connects to iMovie with no problems using the iLink port on the camera. All you need in most cases is a Firewire 6pin to 4pin cable, and you are excellent to go.

The video and audio quality are excellent, and the night vision is fun too. This is not a upper level camera so don’t expect several bells and whistles, but it performs fantastic, and has the basic features most people will ever need. The battery life is honest, but that is expected, all camcorder companies want you to buy an extra battery, but at least Sony gives you several options.

With a full charge and a new tape, expect about an hour of record time.