Sony HDR-HC3 HDV 1080i Handycam Camcorder
SONY HDR-HC3 HDV 1080I HANDYCAM CAMCORDER REVIEW - Ease of Use Turns HD Capability into a Bonus
October 2006 By ––David ThomasThe HDR-HC3 HDV is clearly designed with the average user in mind. Certain features feel like they found their origin in a suggestion box. With the Display Guide feature, you can literally touch the icon to find out what it’s saying.
This is just one of the nifty features of the touch screen menu, which is patterned after the layered menu system of a PC or cell phone. You can quickly get to whatever feature you’re looking for simply by pressing “P-Menu” and then shuffling through the most popular options available. Avoid the menu option that’s actually called “Menu” however, unless you want a deluge of choices, as it contains every possible option the camcorder allows. You can also customize the main menu so that it shows you the options you’ll most likely use.
Setting the exposure or focus manually is a snap, and the ability to use the re-assignable focus wheel to do both makes for less clutter on the camcorder body. On the other hand, the location of that wheel can get blocked if you have to angle the LCD screen forward. There is also a spot focus feature, which allows you to literally touch an object on the viewscreen and have it remain in focus for the duration of the shot.
My favorite feature, however, has to be the Smooth Slow Recording, which creates the most film-like slow motion I have ever seen on video for less than $100,000. Simply engage the setting, and for three seconds at a time, everything you record will be rendered in a flowing, elegant slow motion playback.
Besides the touch screen menu, the camcorder includes a few other perks to make shooting that much easier. Instead of a lens cap, a shutter closes over the professional quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T-Lens when not in use. Instead of having to fumble with the on/off switch to get the camcorder to just the right mode, the switch toggles so that each nudge simply advances you to one of three settings – camcorder, digital still camera or playback.
The reason you’re spending $1,500 on this camera, however, is not the features, but the picture – true 1080i HD quality that shows. Playing back on a 56-inch high definition Samsung DLP television, the color quality and vivid detail were exquisite. Try as I might, I could not detect one pixel of noise.
The camcorder’s image stabilization is good, but not great. If you’re trying to hold a steady shot while zoomed in on an object at a distance, the stabilization will compensate for your shaky hands fairly well. On the other hand, if you’re walking along and trying to do some sort of tracking shot without a dolly (admittedly, a bad idea to begin with) it will not be able to compensate much for your shaky feet or the bumpy ground.
The still camera capabilities are nothing to write home about. While it’s nice that you can take pictures while recording, the resulting pictures are no better than any other camcorder’s digital stills, which is to say, mediocre at best. Your stills will have the same color aberrations you get from any other camcorder which is much better at being a camcorder.
Ultimately, the HDR-HC3 is a winning entry into the growing handheld HDV market, matching its gorgeous picture with ease of use to make entering the world of high definition home video a far more inviting prospect. yy
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