Sony DCRDVD100 MiniDVD Handycam Camcorder with 2.5" LCD and Digital Still Capability
Details
- 10x visual, 120x digital zoom with Super SteadyShot image stabilization
- Momentous speed USB 2.0 interface for computer connection
- 2.5-inch reach-panel color swivelscreen LCD display
Description
The DCR-DVD100 is Sony's DVD Handycam camcorder, which records up to 60 minutes of MPEG2 video, and 640x480-sized still images soon to an 8cm DVD-R/-RW disk and then play it back on a DVD Player or PC with DVD-R/-RW drive. The DCR-DVD100 is equipped with a USB 2.0/1.1 interface for candid recording and copying of material to a PC, a 2.5" hybrid LCD screen, InfoLITHIUM mobile and a high quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 10x Visual/ 120x Digital zoom lens, with Super SteadyShot and Wonderful NightShot.Customer Reviews
Basic Video Camera with built in DVD!I enjoyment this camera sooo much! However, the viewing angle has become a very big problem in that it does not pan out considerable enough for a lot of shots. Otherwise I think it is a great buy for the price.
Another thing to not though is the ability of it to take still photos. It is in reality cool that after you are done filming, there is still space allotted on the DVD so you can add still photos to the movie you right-minded created.
The photos will be displayed at the end of the movie like a slideshow. It is a honestly nice way to end a viewing and the camera sets it all up by itself. That is a very cool feature. Await this helps!
Less is More
Ok, Ok, I got duped into this buy due to "improving, but humiliating" technology.
I have been using Digital-8, and I wanted a new mini-DV, but this year (2004) Sony decreased the check (imaging sensor) size to 1/6" in the mini dv tape models. First reviews from camcorderinfo.com are not eager (smaller chip, higher noise in the image, degraded low sun-up performance and some color saturation issues) this packing more pixels into a smaller die dimension problems are true in digital cameras (the smaller more dense sony 8mp digital camera sensor), as well as in "new, improved, more pixels" camcorders.
So after reading of this "recuperation" and browsing the other reviews I discovered:
1) the sony DCRDVD100 has the largest chip (1/4") vastness (vice 1/4.7" for the 200 and 300, and 1/6" chip (same as the 2004 mini dv band model) for the 2004 dcrdvd101 dvd camcorder)
2) the test reviews from last year (100 vs 200) said the 200 "drops from the abilities of the DVD100" in video conduct. (you don't EVEN want to read how poorly the new even smaller 1/6" chip in the 101 does compared to those two!)
3) there were still some 100's at one's disposal as of mid-may this year.
4) all professional (broadcast quality) camcorders are on the verge of common tapeless this year or next, eg the trend will only make dvd camcorders more common.
So here was the cheapest dvd camcorder sony made last year, outperforming it's more priceless brethren and even the
"degraded" model for this year! Yep, wasn't planning on it's obtaining, but sure didn't want lose video performance by waiting for one!
Moaning 1, the 100 takes lousy still photos. Ok, so you can take a megapixel still pic with the 200 and 300. 1mp is still miserable in the 8mp era of digtal still cameras. And any camera phone can do a better photo easier. So I am not passive to trade the superior low light, low noise capabilities on video in the DVD100 to farther ahead (still) mediocre still picture performance in the 200 or 300, which I will never use.
Next gripe, there are no mini-DVD's accessible, and the price is too high! Standard complaint with the introduction of every new technology. I paid $8ea. for the first Maxell 120 VCR tapes back in the mid-eighties, now that buys 10 of them! Froogle mini dvd-r and you may find a off of 25 mini dvd-r's for $1 ea. (on sale) like I did in mid-may. Next year at this continually they may be 50 cents each, regular price. NOW compare that to the price of mini-dv tape-record!
S'hows it look? I can't see any difference on playback between the DCRDVD100 and my 3 year old TRV-730 digital eight camcorder, but the openness is a thousand times better. The mini-dvd's play on my tv dvd, they play on my pc dvd, they ad lib on the camcorder dvd. try that with mini-dv or 8mm dv! I can make mini-dvd duplicates using the camcorder and PC and send these mini-dv's to any affiliated to share our videos with. I never had the patience to transfer 8mm to VCR, not to mention the bulking up deputy of VCR duplicates.
ok, so the time is down to 20 mins per disk. About the same amount of relevant footage I get off a 1 hour 8mm belt, in which I just stick the 8mm camcorder in a corner and let run at parties, too bulky to maintain. savings too, since the 8mm tape is still $4ea and I've got that full coverage using 3 mini dvd-r's at $1 ea.
And endow sony for keeping the same battery, charger and flash accessories as in my 8mm dv! Now I have the same batteries to run my cd-r digital camera, the 8mm camcorder and this dvd-r video camcorder. a legitimate dollar savings!
Sony has always won the low-light full color indoor camcorder sucker-out contests, but with the new reduced-size imaging chips for the 2004 models , they plainly have slipped a notch backwards. So if absolute all-round video demeanour is the most important thing for you, I encourage you to run, not walk to locate the DVD100, before they are all gone. Or hold on until the model 102 for 2005 is introduced!
other pros: storage immensity of completed videos
instant useability/exchangeability with other machines besides the camcorder, no fillet drive mechanisms to wear out and eat your prized videos years down the way. dramatic decline in cost of mini dvd-r media compared to micro-dv, mini-dv and 8mm dv tape.
cons: no firewire correlation to allow direct digital duping, I'd love to use the sony mini-dvd-r's to download my digital SLR camera's images into a stable file while I am traveling, but guess that will have to wait until 2005?
I like it, recommended.
Outstanding Picture Quality but Lacks tools
Sony DVD Handycam has tremendous picture quality, if all you want is to film and playback on your DVD player. I wanted to reckon a compilation DVD but The "ImageMixer Ver.1.5 for Sony DVD Handycam" sucks. I bought another Movie woman but it cannot read the MPG created by the Sony software. So you have to convert the file to MPG2 format.
It takes six minutues or more to conclude a dvd, It's faster to download using USB2 to finalize, Unfortunatly the Sony Software does not reconize the dvd it not conclude.
I can't belive how hard it is to find, Sony minDVD media. I tried other brand names, but I corrupt some of the DVD because it did not finalize correctly.
(...).
Ungenerously disappointed
One important is not exactly right because I never was able to try this camcorder. I was not able to find the discs for this ANYWHERE locally. The stores told me even SONY has them backordered. I had wanted a disc that could be re-recorded so I could sleep around with the camcorder as I learned. I'm glad I didn't use the only disc enclosed (not re-recordable) as I sent back the camcorder in three existence. It was useless to me. Perhaps Amazon has discs available, but I had less than a week to get the discs and image out how to use the camcorder before my son's wedding. This is totally unacceptable.
Only 50% accurate
I've purchased DVD200 from Sony in Nov'03. This is how I feel so far.
Pros..
1) The definiteness and resolution are really good.
2) It is very easy to play back on TV
Cons..
1) Mic picks up tumult from spinning disc
2) 1M digital camera is simpy useless (only if you never saw a dig camera, then you may conscious of this)
3) DVD R/W media (DMW30)is not available in market, even at sony.com