Sony DCR-HC52 Reviews, Compare, Prices

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 4:04 am

Product: Sony DCR-HC52

List Price: $249.99
Average customer review:

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

This is a astronomical camera to initiate out with, the simplicity of Mini DV tapes makes this a superior value choice. DVD camcorders in this notice range suffer from awful battery life, and disk errors that can render your disks useless. The Mini DV tapes are tried and fair.

I expend 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 noble to go.

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

With a elephantine charge and a novel tape, question about an hour of report time.

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 enthusiastic 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 produce it honest apt for me. Ability to recored in 16:9 widescreen, touch shroud LCD, ability to control exposure, manual and auto focus, 40x optical zoom, and at $234.99 it's an awesome retract.

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

The other thing that I can't fathom is that none of these minidv camcorders reach with the firewire data cable. It seems like including an 8 dollar cable wouldn't be that difficult, 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 happy that I did. It's well construct and has all the features that an amateur or professional would want.

I purchased this camera in mid October 2008, and so far have been very gratified given the improper trace. I initially wanted more features, but did not want to consume over $250-270 total (with accessories like MiniDV tapes, firewire cable, bag, extra battery) . I employ it for recording my children's music performances.

Plus:

- The video quality is very favorable. 40x OPTICAL zoom. This was the highest optical zoom I could glean in a camera in this brand range.

- The sound quality is splendid in the 12 bit mode, and even better in the 16 bit mode.

- Easy to exhaust.

- Compact.

- Smart Lithium battery.

Minus:

- No MiniDV tape included. You will need to occupy some.

- NO PASSTHROUGH MODE. This camera cannot pick up input from analog sources (like output from an aged VHS-C camera or a VCR) . If you thought to utilize this camera to transfer from older analog to digital video, it won't do it.

- Battery life is short, 115 minutes according to book, but I find between 90 and 100 minutes. Engage an NP-FH50 and consume the battery that came with the camera as a spare.

- No USB port. You WILL need firewire inputs on your computer to remove the video. And if you occupy from Circuit City, do not ask the sales people to know this.

- No Firewire cable. Factor that in the acquire brand. Firewire cables are expensive ($25-$30) IF you win from a brick and mortar store; put a question to to pay $8-10 online

- No Remote control. So if you want to effect the camera on a tripod, you must manually inaugurate and finish the recording.

- No memory slot. MiniDV only.

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