Sony Handycam HDRHC3

 

To heck with keeping up with the Joneses. Pick up Sony's new HDR-HC3 Handycam—the first of a new breed of compact, user-friendly high definition camcorders—and you'll not only lap the J.family, you'll have the best looking home video of anyone you know.

People accustomed to standard definition home video (in other words, pretty much everyone) will be blown away by the difference between the image quality they're used to and what's delivered by the Sony Handycam HDR-HC3. Video shot at the camcorder's maximum 1080i resolution is virtually faultless, thanks to the combination of an outstanding new 2.1 megapixel CMOS sensor and some impressive Carl Zeiss glass. From color reproduction to image clarity, the HC3 has set the bar high for compact high-definition camcorders.

And it's loaded with features. Take, for example, the slow motion mode that stretches three seconds into 12. Or the military-style infrared night shooting mode that provides the ability to capture video in the darkest of settings. Or the digital cinema mode that recreates the look and feel of film. Or the dual video/still mode, that allows users to capture 2.3 megapixel stills while shooting high definition video (in just plain old still mode, the resolution actually goes up to four megapixels, delivering images on par with many dedicated still cameras in the $200-$300 price bracket). In short, the HC3 is well suited for a wide variety of applications outside of your standard wedding/birthday/vacation shooting situations.

It's easy to use, too. Novices will welcome the six video presets for various standard shooting environments, while more experienced videographers will appreciate the tight, powerful controls for manual focus and picture settings—though they might be a little frustrated by the spartan physical interface. Very few buttons exist anywhere on the HC3. Rather, users must navigate a series of menus via the touch LCD display to exploit much of the camcorder's functionality, which can make it difficult to immediately access and change settings and modes. That's not to say the menu system isn't well-designed—I rarely had trouble finding the functionality I needed or figuring out how to do what I wanted—but advanced users might have appreciated a few more external switches to facilitate quick setting alterations under rapidly changing shooting conditions.

Still, it's hard not to appreciate the device's beautiful and minimal physical design. The HC3 is surprisingly small and attractive for a high definition camcorder, sporting a cylindrical, gunmetal gray body. A slightly lopsided MiniDV chamber is affixed to the right side of the barrel while a 2.7-inch 16:9 LCD that rotates 270 degrees flips out from the left. Above the MiniDV compartment sit controls for zooming, snapping photos, and changing modes, while the record button rests just below. A smattering of buttons are located on the left side as well, including zoom and night shot controls near the lens, with screen brightness, battery info, and easy mode switches just above the LCD recess.

To the side of the display are three simple membrane buttons that act as alternate keys for recording, zooming in, and zooming out. All of the camcorder's ports—which include HDMI, component, and composite video outputs, among others—are discreetly hidden behind hard plastic flaps. Like all MiniDV camcorders, it's a bit on the loud side while in operation, but, surprisingly, the stereo microphone located under the lens doesn't pick up any motor sounds.

When all is said and done, there's really only one serious drawback to the HC3, and it's not even a problem with the camcorder. Rather, it has to do with high definition home video being a relatively new technology and the early adopter issues that go along with it.

First off—and this bears saying even if it seems obvious—you must have a high definition television to take full advantage of the HC3's high definition output. Viewing tests for this review were carried out on HP's critically lauded PL4200N 42-inch plasma HD television, which definitely had a positive impact on the high definition footage viewed.

Secondly, you'll either need to buy new video editing software or upgrade your current suite. Publishers like Pinnacle have recently released new versions of their programs that support high definition video transfer and editing activities. Just be prepared to devote a significantly longer amount of time to editing—if you thought your standard definition video files were big, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Another hurdle is finding a practical playback format. Traditional DVD technology maxes out at 480p, so the only realistic options for viewing the HC3's true, unprocessed high definition video are playing it directly from the cassette in the camcorder or streaming a video file from your PC. This issue will continue to plague users until high definition-capable next generation DVD technologies such as Blu-ray and HD-DVD begin offering burners.

Keep in mind, though, that the HC3 does an admirable job of recording in standard definition as well. Future-thinking consumers currently shopping for a camcorder might do well to consider the HC3 as an alternative to buying a standard definition camcorder today that they'll just end up replacing once they have a viewing environment conducive to high definition video.

That's assuming you can afford the HC3. Leading edge design, versatility, and image quality doesn't come cheap. Tagged at a cool US$1,500 or CA$2,000, the HC3 is definitely leaning towards the higher end of mass-market consumer camcorders (massively rich market?).

Price and early adopter concerns aside, the HDR-HC3 is an excellent piece of hardware. Assuming you have a suitable viewing environment, there's little chance you'll experience any buyer remorse once you see the video quality. The Joneses, on the other hand, might start regretting purchasing their piddly little standard definition camcorder, which is doomed to obsolescence in just the next few short years.

Details
Reviewed: May. 31, 2006
Type: Camcorders
From: Sony


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