Sony HDR-HC7 6.1MP MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
By: Sony Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 42
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 On: 2008-04-18
Lots of noise issues in low light situations. Sonys customer service isnt the best either. Their uncooperative reputation is starting to bite them or so I hear. My personal experiences with them have been frustrating to say the least. Cannon has much better customer service and their HD products outshine Sonys. This HDR-HC7s low-light performance was a disappointment.
 On: 2008-04-05
When I encountered a defective internal lens cover I went to their website about getting it fixed and they state there is a minimum $250 charge. Their warranty only covers parts, not labor. I sent the camera in anyway and they called to say they would charge me $600 to fix it because of "corrosion" which was not covered by the warranty.
I only had the camera about two months when the lens cover started to fail when I was on a weeks vacation at the beach in Sanibel, Florida. The camera will not start when the internal lens cover fails. When it fails, you get a message on the screen that says "lens cover failed to open, turn camera off then on." I did that several times and it usually did not resolve the problem. But sometimes it would. Ironically, here in dry Arizona it works most of the time, but at the beach or near the Colorado River it jams up.
However, this had to be a known manufacturing defect if they have an error message for when it occurs! I had ordered the camera with a lens filter and the filter was always on the camera, so it is highly unlikely anything entered the camera through the lens opening.
So now I have an expensive camera that works sometimes and sometimes it doesnt. When it works it works great, although the autofocus can be off at times. And the still photos are gorgeous. I think its a good camera when it works, but Im a little miffed that they want me to pay over 50 percent of what the camera cost to fix their defect.
I would advise not buying their 1.7x teleconverter because it doesnt improve the zoom that much and if you zoom out your videos vignette so badly it looks like you filmed it through a pipe. I also bought the Sony wide-angle screw on, which vignettes if you put a filter on it. I suspect these may be because the internal lens cover requires the real lens to be recessed quite a ways.
 On: 2008-03-29
I am very pleased with the video quality and the comfortable feel of this HD camcorder. Unfortunately, the camera began to intermittently auto-focus erratically in the third month and failed in the fourth month of use. Sony offers a one year parts and 90 days labor warranty on this camera. The labor charge after 90 days is a flat rate of $249 regardless of the repair required (25% of purchase price). Since I had contacted Sony within in the first 90 days about the auto-focus problem I was able to convince the fourth person I spoke with to waive the labor charge for the failure.
Got the camcorder back from Sony today and the repair ticket states "reconnected power flex". I suppose a connector must have come loose. Hoping that I get several years of use out this camera before any more failures occur...
 On: 2008-03-27
The Sony HDR-HC7 has features that you would not expect in a Handy cam. I once asked a Professional at a local retailer, why HD Tapes are 63 minutes instead of the traditional 60 minutes tapes. He said that the additional 3 minutes were for professional Camcorder to save there settings. I wondered what settings would a camcorder need to save! Well I did not ask any more question because one again I figured that the setting were for the "Big Boy". Well one day I was playing with my HDR-HC7 and I ran across "Color Bars", so I call the retailer and asked what were "Color Bars", and he reminded me about the 3 additional minutes on the tape he told me about, was for "Bars and Tone". The next time I talked to him, he had sold his Canon HV20, and purchased the Sony HC7. He loved the feel, the ability to do so many things in manual mode, that he "now says that the Canon felt like a toy in comparison". I think you get the point. I would like to see 24p on the Sony HDR-HC7, but I would not even think about giving up my ability to use all of the great manual features available on the HDR-HC7. If you look at the Sony HVR-HD1000U HDV camcorder, it is the HDR-HC7 repackaged in a Professional looking body, for twice the price.
On: 2008-03-24
Ive had this camcorder for about 8 months now and Ive been using it enough, I feel, to give a pretty accurate review.
Ive been using the camera in a number of different environments (outdoors, studio, in the home, etc) and the only thing Ive noticed it consistently stumble with it nighttime shooting, but considering this is camera is on the prosumer end of things, this is to be expected. Day time shooting has been flawless and the camera holds up in the studio as well. Even using the standard miniDV settings, the image is pretty superb.
The camera can be outfitted with SCORES of different accessories--lenses, filters, mics, etc. I havent used the hotshoe at all because I have a lot of "cold-shoe" accessories which can be mounted with a video bracket with universal mounts (search online--theyre about $10-$15 and totally worth it). I feel its the way to go instead of shelling out more money for hotshoe accessories. Just carry some batteries around.
On the topic of mics; the build in one is actually pretty good (most camcorder ones are), but the problem is that, usually, the camera is too far away from the action to accurately pick up good sound. That said, its totally reasonable to invest in a small shotgun mic ($50) if youre serious about your audio quality. A big plus with this camera is the mic input in the front of the camera. It seems today most consumer cameras are losing this option, but its a great one to have.
The camera accepts all standard 37mm lens accessories (filters, lenses). Filters (polarizing ones, especially) are great to have if you plan to do a lot of outside shooting. As for lenses, the 37mm wide angle lenses Ive used (the cheap ones, at this point) have really messed with the image quality, so I resorted to using older, larger lenses (49mm). To do this, all you need to do is pick up some adapter rings and youre set. If you choose to do this, watch out for vignetting--this is where your image gets rounded at the edges because the adapter ring/lens is cutting off the actual camera image.
The touch screen is pretty useful except there are a lot of menus to go through if you want to know EVERYTHING the camera does or is capable of. Its hard to see in bright daylight, but there are hoods you can buy (or make out of cardboard...) that will help you out.
The one thing the camera lacks is a real focus ring. Sure, theres a dial on the side near the lens, but it just doesnt feel right and focusing becomes a somewhat daunting task. You can set the dial to do a number of things, like exposure, for example, but I wouldve preferred an actual focus ring.
The still photo quality is pretty decent and now that my old digital camera has crapped out on me, Ive been using the camcorder for still shooting.
All in all, the camera is pretty versatile--if youre using this for leisure, its great as is with some menu-tweaking, but if youre looking to do some amateur work, it can be tricked out with more accessories than you can imagine.
 On: 2008-03-22
After receiving wrong camera I finally received the right camera about a month ago.
I am very pleased with it. Specially pleased with the close-ups and the flash. This camera lets you take good quality videos, and also good quality photos (havent yet tried the high definition).
The only problem I had is that the memory stick was damaged while taking pictures and I lost all the pictures taken on an outing with my grandson (memory stick doesnt work at all) . Anybody know why this happened.
On: 2008-01-18
I received the Sony HDR-HC7 for a Christmas present Christmas morning. Right out of the box, I put the battery in (still plugged it in anyway), put a dv tape in, and videod 15 minutes of my family opening presents. Later, I downloaded the sample Sony Vegas and edited the video.
I up-loaded the rendering to Vimeo, which shows very clear on-line HD video. The results looked real good. I had to downgrade the video to SD to burn it onto a dvd, but it looks better than regular sd on my dvd player. Lastly, I plugged the HDMI cable from the camcorder into the HD LCD TV and the picture quality was stunning.
Very nice camera. Frankly, there is no excuse for television stations or networks to be videoing and showing their programs in anything but HD with this sort of consumer equipment readily available.
Well satisfied with my Christmas present.
On: 2008-01-07
This camcorder is a joy to own. The quality is so much better than our old camcorder which is now 7 years old - and well worth the investment to trade up. Easy and comfortable to use. No technical problems with this one. I am not a fan of the touch screen - but I can live with it.
On: 2008-01-02
Echoing others this thing isnt great in low light. Here([...]) is a video I shot in 1080i that was rung through Final Cut and compressed into mp4. Keep in mind it had to be compressed to fit onto YouTube. Go ahead and get the Sony external mic, it cuts down on the camera noised picked up on the tape. I film churches for a local company and tons of short movies and this camera handles them all. If it has the specks youre looking for pick it up today.
On: 2008-01-01
Echoing others this thing isnt great in low light. Here([...]) is a video I shot in 1080i that was rung through Final Cut and compressed into mp4. Keep in mind it had to be compressed to fit onto YouTube. Go ahead and get the Sony external mic, it cuts down on the camera noised picked up on the tape. I film churches for a local company and tons of short movies and this camera handles them all. If it has the specks youre looking for pick it up today.
On: 2007-11-23
Reading through all of the techincal reviews of this camcorder didnt necessarily help me with my decision to purchase. Im an average consumer that wanted to capture my new babys first moves in high definition. Anything better than standard definition was a huge step up for me and everything looks pretty darn good to me.
Ive been using this camcorder for 6 months now. Ive taken 4000+ pictures and 8 full 63 minute video tapes. Its nice to be able to take stills while recording as well. We enjoy the flexibility of both video and still photo options as well as the decent, but not extreme optical zoom. (I mean, you need a tripod for full zoom anyway to prevent a ton of movement and we bought this for hand held use.)
Paired with Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, importing DV-AVI video was a snap. Even better, Ive burned DVDs and HD-WMV files for display from an MS Xbox 360 as a media extender -- Until the higher definition DVD formats become less expensive to record and distribute, the home media server has been our best display of this cameras video and pictures.
The pictures from this camera are vibrant and often are better than the local "Target" photographer can produce.
We chose this storage format specifically because it used MiniDV tapes and not a Hard Drive or DVD for storage. Its much easier for us to record, record, record - swapping tapes as needed than worrying about downloading a hard disk and having enough drive space at home to maintain ALL of the video. We use Sony 63 Minute tapes as temporary archival (< 10 years) until a better non-compressed video storage option is developed. We use Windows Movie Maker to create video clips to email to grandparents and friends as well as to burn DVDs for non-technical relatives.
I do wish that the camera had a USB 2.0 connection for downloading pictures, but I have a media bay integrated in my home computer which is USB 2.0 -- so its a moot point for me.
Its a good camera and we expect to capture a lot of our childs first few years with it.
On: 2007-11-16
We have been on a world tour for all of this year and this camera has performed flawlessly in all kinds of situations. It has been dropped a few times, had spills etc etc. Our kids have used it heaps and its stood up to that test, perhaps the toughest very well indeed. Weve gone thru some 60 MiniDVs and taken over 7000 photos and its cranking.....Very happy...
On: 2007-09-24
After having shot an hour of tape during the past month, I am very pleased with the camera. The HDV looks great on my HD TV. In addition to good video, it also shoots fairly good stills. They are not as good as my DSLR camera, but they are probably as good as many small digital cameras. Plus, you get a 10X zoom.
I wanted to use more flexible software, other than that included, for capturing and viewing the video. I am using HDVSplit and VLC media player.
On: 2007-08-27
One or two previous reviewers have faulted Sony and this wonderful HD camcorder for not coming with Mac OS video editing software, and as a reason for buying the Canon HC-20. Well, anyone who has a Mac knows it comes pre-loaded with IMovie 5, IMovie6 or iMovie 8 software, which is superior to most Windows programs and its free, so whats the issue? Citing that a fault on the HC-7 is ridiculous. While both of those camcorders are roughly similar in video output quality, etc. the Sony feels much better in the hand and feels like quality (go try the Canon and tell me if it feels as good, in is bulky and plastic shell).
On: 2007-08-26
One or two previous reviewers have faulted Sony and this wonderful HD camcorder for not coming with Mac OS video editing software, and as a reason for buying the Canon HC-20. Well, anyone who has a Mac knows it comes pre-loaded with IMovie 5, IMovie6 or iMovie 8 software, which is superior to most Windows programs and its free, so whats the issue? Citing that a fault on the HC-7 is ridiculous. While both of those camcorders are roughly similar in video output quality, etc. the Sony feels much better in the hand and feels like quality (go try the Canon and tell me if it feels as good, in is bulky and plastic shell).
On: 2007-08-23
Excellent camcorder. I used in during my trip to Europe. Quality of the video is amazing. I was VERY surprised with the quality of image stabilization as well. Even picture is appearing shacked on the cam LCD, it is pretty much still on the playback. The quality of the stabilization is one of the most important features of the small hand held camcorder. Great item, highly recommended!
On: 2007-08-23
Great HD camera. My personal issue was that I needed a camera with a firewire output so it was compatible with my iMac. Macs dont like USB for camera downloads - I had to go through several steps to get the old videos (not firewire-downloaded) onto the mac. This camera works perfectly.
Also, Best Buy is selling the lesser camera, the HDR-HC5 for the same price. Dont get fooled. This is the better camera and was the same price on Amazon.
Love this camera!
On: 2007-08-08
Things I like:
Takes excellent pictures outdoors
It has USB, HDMI, Composite, RCA, I-Link right on the camera (unlike other HD cameras from Sony, where they are available on docking station). All cables are supplied with the camera.
Handy access to backlight compensation button and auto focus button
Pictures look good even when recorded in SD mode (well not at high resolution)
When you burn normal, regular DVDs (MPEG2) (supplied Sony software does it), pictures look good. So, if you dont have the blue-ray or HD-DVD player right now, you still can use this camera. When you get your HD player, you can convert your tapes (hope you saved it) to which ever format you need.
HD-DV format is supported by most of the available video editing softwares available right now.
Things I didnt like:
Indoor performance is not great. Even with two 100-watts lighting up average size living room, I see lot of grains in the picture. (I guess this is true with all the Sony consumer cameras)
Though slow motion capture is nice handy feature (especially when you captures kids in action), this camera captures with very low resolution (I think its even less than that of normal TV resolution). Makes sense, given the fact that camera has to write lot of information into the tape in a very short time.
The DV format records only 1440 pixels of horizontal resolution (not the true 1920px). Though the camera has resolution of 1920px, it down converts to 1440px (max allowed in mini DV tape) to record into the tape. This is common to any HD camera recording on mini-DV tapes. (I am not sure if you live capture through HDMI port gives you a full resolution).
Operating touch screen menus while recording is ON, will get you unnecessary camera shakes (and finger prints all over the LCD). I like the touch screen in general, additional button based access should be for basic adjustments.
The software thats supplied is really bad and provides only basic features. Given the fact that the HD cameras are being so expensive, Sony could have bundled better software. You have to spend additional money to get you decent software.
The bundled software saves the movies as .m2t file (Sonys propriety format)
Things that Sony has to improve:
Provide easy access to slow motion record. Its buried under hierarchy of menus. Hard to reach, when you need it the most. The resolution of the slow motion recording has to be improved.
Provide button based (or click wheel based) access to simple functions such as exposure adjustment, picture effects etc. over. Using touch screen while the recording is on results win camera shakes.
Provide better editing software. Its worthless for the money we pay to get the camera.
I didnt really use the still image camera and hence no comments on it.
Overall, this camera is good for basic, general purpose shooting. I had the camera for last 20 days before returning to Amazon (thanks to Amazon for the easy return policy)
On: 2007-08-08
This was a lot more than I was planning on spending but it was well worth it. I was able to start using it after a brief glance thru the guide. Both video & photo quality are great. I like the compact size and the touchscreen guide.
On: 2007-08-08
This is a somewhat specific review, but as a research
biologist Im hoping it will be helpful for someone looking
to use this camera in a similar way.
Ive owned the camera now for about one week and have been
using it daily to film animal behavior. My previous
research cameras have either been low end miniDV for basic
video capture or the Canon XL1 and its previous Hi8
incarnation.
Despite previous negative reviews, I decided to purchase
this model because of its ability to film in infrared light
and its ability to capture 3 sec of high speed video (250
frames/sec). Ive been pleasantly surprised by the image
quality and functionality. Several reviewers have commented
negatively on the touch screen, but I find it quite a relief
from small buttons and joysticks. The big buttons are easy
to access and the customization ability is one of the first
things that I used, setting up my own custom menu. I have
had no fingerprint problems with this screen and, overall,
like how the controls can be accessed.
The ability to take up to 3 photos (at the 4.1 Megapixel
resolution) while filming is great for capturing images that
can appear as journal-quality figures. I have not yet
seriously used the high speed function, but it works well.
Several reviewers have criticized reduced resolution and need
for more light when using this function. However, I think
this is a bit unfair. High speed filming requires more
light and the reduced resolution produces an image that is
still much better than dedicated high speed video cameras
costing several thousand dollars more.
Finally, the ability to manually control audio recording
level is a very welcome feature on a camera of this price.
Im quite satisfied the sound recording quality and would
definitely recommend this camera to anyone who needs to
record biological sounds.
In terms of what could be improved, I would prefer to adjust
my exposure levels using the more traditional f-stops rather
than how the camera does it, showing a graphical bar that
can be adjusted in small + or - levels. Also, I have not
found a way for the camera to display the date and time on
its screen while it is recording.
Overall, I think this is a good basic research camera. It
can be purchased for under $1000 with free shipping and no
tax. It is compact and has good image quality and excellent
control features. I have not compared it with other cameras
in terms of performance under lower light conditions and
understand it does more poorly. However, I believe that its
infrared and high speed capability compensate for this.
On: 2007-07-25
Know that you will NOT see HD pictures UNLESS you use the cameras COMPONENT or HDMI outputs to connect to your 16:9 HDTV.
The analog output delivers only normal SD quality pictures but in widescreen - NOT High-Definition widescreen.
Analog output can play HD recordings letterboxed on conventional 4:3 TVs.
Because the SONY HC7 does so much (HD or SD video as well as stills), there is plenty to learn on this camera. Practice before you take a trip or attempt to capture precious moments.
NEGATIVES:
The touch screen interface is annoying and slow.
Camera should have a focus ring around the lens barrel.
ESSENTIAL SUGGESTION:
Be sure to buy an extra, higher capacity battery than the one supplied.
You will need it.
SUMMARY:
To me, tape is still the best medium to record and preserve home movies.
There are no noticeable video compression artifacts.
The camera has quirks but it seems to be the best available HD camcorder out there in this price range at this time.
The moving pictures are spectacular!!!
On: 2007-07-24
If you are an average mac user with just the regular softwares in your Hard drive, please spare yourself the pain of buying this camcorder. SONY does not provide a MAC OS video editing software with this camcorder! A better option will be Canon HV20 which comes with MAC OS video editing software.
On: 2007-07-23
If you are an average mac user with just the regular softwares in your Hard drive, please spare yourself the pain of buying this camcorder. SONY does not provide a MAC OS video editing software with this camcorder! A better option will be Canon HV20 which comes with MAC OS video editing software.
On: 2007-07-16
I bought this camera as a companion camera to the Z1U and it has exceeded my expectations so far. Way easy to use, great color saturation and much higher quality on the single chip than I expected.
I shoot both cameras in native DV as most of my product is distributed on the internet, but as a test, shot scenes on both camera and edited them on Avids Liquid Pro NLE Software. Most shots are indistinguishable in difference. Obviously the Z1U handles low light better but has a higher lux and thats just expected. I ran the same test, this time outputting to DVD and playing back on standard defintion monitor. Got the same results....better than expected quality and little difference between the two cameras.
My only negative is that the 7 cannot receive a line level input, but does have something the Z does not...adjustable headphone volume. I really like adjusting the menu with the touchscreen viewfinder and find it much easier to activate and navigate. High marks from me...Its a keeper.
On: 2007-07-14
We love our new HD camcorder so far. Its pretty easy to operate but here is a hint GO SLOW ON PANNING!!! If you go to fast it makes you dizzy on playback! Great picture but I couldnt get my Samsung HD DLP to recognize the playback straight from the camera using the digital component hookup. It did find on the plain ol analog connect. Wish I had HDMI connection on the tv.
We have not tried to edit tape yet. That will be the next challenge.
On: 2007-07-13
An excellent camcorder, SONY quality, neat and compact. Great color, does well in low light too. LCD screen is a bit small, especially since its a touch screen for menus. I dont mind; others have criticized. Because it is small, there are several cons, for me, at least. I like to do manual exposure settings - almost all camcorders have a tendency to over-expose parts of a picture using the "auto" mode. Switching to manual is not something you can do by feel on this camera - the switch is small and so is the "roller" switch. And you can only have one mode available to you at a time - ie, aperture or shutter speed or focus, etc. Understand that Im 71 years old and not the steadiest and while it does have automatic steadying, I find that its hard to hold a small, light camera really steady as opposed to a larger, heavier one. That may be just me. Also at higher altitudes (and we spend about 6 months of the year at 7300 ft or higher), my breathing tends to be a bit labored. At least it sounds like it in my movies. The mike is just too close to my mouth. That can be helped somewhat by adding the zoom microphone accessory. But of course that takes away from the compactness a bit. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, it doubles as a still camera using an SD card and does a VERY credible job. You can take photos in both 4x3 mode and 16x9. I have enlarged both modes to 8 1/2 x 11 with no pixalization whatsoever. A good buy if you want to get into HDTV and especially if youre a "point and shoot" kind of videographer.
On: 2007-06-27
Picture are nice (depends how steady your hand is). The video is beautiful, once again the steadier the better. Big improvement over my old JVC in every aspect. Low light is not very good, but then again what is. I am satisfied.
On: 2007-06-16
Although i chose this camera after a comparison with Canons and JVCs HD cameras, my item was defective "the cassette compartment wont retract back automatically when closed".
Amazon said they will replace, then they sent an email today saying they cant because it seems a lot of cameras are affected. Im not sure why do they allow people to buy it if there was a widespread problem.
The 1 star rating is due to defect, not performance.
Shadi
On: 2007-06-13
Its a great camcorder. My last one was a JVC DVL-720, this one far more superior. Not because its a HD but the features in general are way better. I like the various output options that are available. Theres the USB jack (but not USB 2.0),composite, component jack, HDMI, and firewire. Thats a good variety to suit different scenarios for both HD and SD output. Theres the Easy Shot function, and scene selection functions that work great. For example, the twilight scene actually makes the shot look nicer when the sun is setting. My old camcorder, it made it look worst!
That said, it is an HD camcorder so dont bother buying this until you have an HD television. You can watch the video shot on this via connection to your PC or on the LCD display. But its not the same as viewing it on a large widescreen television. Ill break out the pro and cons below but in summary, I would definitely recommend this camcorder.
PROS:
Super crisp and clear video.
Fast yet steady zoom.
I like the manual focus. My old JVC, if I film through through a wired screen. It focuses on the screen and everything is out of focus. With this camera you can manual focus and actually focus past the screen getting the shot that you want.
Nothing can beat Super Nightshot. My old JVC all I see is the campfire, the people are dark and you cant tell whats going on. With this camcorder I can go out 11 pm at night and still capture the moment.
I like how the video export to computer. When you videotape each scene is its own file. For example, each time you press the record button on the camcorder a new file is started. So you dont end up with one gigantic bulky video file. Instead you get many smaller files that you can scan through to remove unwanted scenes.
CONS:
LCD Display is wayyyy too small. Its only about 2 3/4 inches. So the video thats displayed on the screen isnt really true to what you recorded. And when you watch the video, the screens so small that you dont experience the effects of HD.
Also, its a touchscreen. Great idea. But in reality you just end up getting fingerprints all over the screen making the camcorder look dirty and the screen is so small that you have to be extra careful to avoid pressing the wrong button.
No built in camcorder light. Theres a flash bulb for taking snapshot pictures. But no camcorder light. You have to buy a separate light to attach to the hotshoe interface.
Thats all I can think of now. There are some items that I dont like but in general a good camcorder.
On: 2007-06-06
I bought the HDR-HC7 over the weekend after several years of longing to own a HD camcorder. I didnt really debate the differences between the Canon HV20 and the Sony - all my camcorders have been Sony Handycams. My previous Sony Handycam, the DCR-HC1000, has been half way around the world with me and performed flawlessly throughout.
So imagine my excitment at having this new HD camcorder from Sony in my hands!! Its a small camera and very easy to hold and use. It has enough manual controls to give a long-time Handycam user like me choices I may need to make now and then when setting up a shot. But mostly, I shoot in auto mode and this camera, like my previous camcorder, has excellent auto focus, exposure, and white balance.
My first few minutes of video taken with this camera gave uneven results. I tried shooting outside in bright sunlight, and indoors with both natural and artificial lighting. Some of the color accuracy seemed a bit "off" on several scenes with a bit of oversaturation. I found, however, manual adustments to exposure corrected some, if not all, of these issues.
But today was a different story altogether. On an overcast day, I visited what is the largest Buddhist Temple in L.A., and probably the country, in Hacienda Heights, California. The video this camera produced was absolutely stunning when I hooked it up to my LCD display at home. Color fidelity, focus, detail - it was all there!! I could swear I was watching footage from Discovery HD Theatre, it was that good. BTW, Im not a novice when it comes to HD - I have been watching it since the early days when only one or two channels (on DirecTV) were available.
So when I say you will be impressed with what this camera will do, you better believe it!! I cant wait to hook this baby up to the MacBook Pro and start editing in glorius HD!!
On: 2007-06-02
I purchased this camcorder in early May after many months of debating and shopping around. We just had our first child in March and Id been trying to figure out if I should replace my practically unused Sony DCR-TRV310 camera (circa 1999!) with something HD and the cheap voice of reason in my head just couldnt justify spending a grand on a new camera when my older one was in fine working order. I was planning on just dropping $300 on a newer SD camcorder that would be smaller and more convenient than my old Sony, but I kept hearing the call of high definition...cant you hear it?
Eventually my lust for HD won me over and I broke down and bought the HDR HC7 - what an excellent choice this has turned out to be!! The difference between SD and HD home video is simply stunning and I absolutely regret not purchasing this thing before my kid was born so that all of our videos of her could be in HD. Whether watching the tapes back through the camcorder via the (included) component cables/via my HDMI cables, watching the raw footage on my computer or watching the 16x19 low compression DVDs Ive burned after transfering and editing footage on my computer, everything weve shot with this thing just blows us away. Of course, low light situations result in grainy footage, but this is almost always the case with any consumer camcorder and this one performs better than most in those circumstances.
With HD being the accepted standard for the foreseeable future, and my growing disdain for SD elevating every day Im forced to watch a show or channel thats not in HD, Im quite content knowing that the tapes and raw files Im archiving will be in the highest quality available in a non-pro camcorder at this time. Ultimately, this camera is worth every penny and Im thrilled that I bought it. Now I just need to wait for HDDVD or BluRay burners to get affordable so I can kick out my 1080i discs! :)
Pros:
*Amazing image quality so long as you have somewhat decent lighting
*Convenient transfer to PCs/Macs via firewire and Sonys included software
*Transferred .m2t format files are easily editable in phenomenal quality in a multitude of free and low-priced editing software and can be transcoded to 16x9 DVD beautifully
*MiniDV tape medium is relatively inexpensive (~$2 each for regular tapes and ~$8 each for the supposedly better HD tapes), convenient and very reliable - I personally believe moreso than HDD if you shoot them, then store or transfer them. Ive had countless hard drives fail me over the years, but very few of my Digital8 or MiniDV tapes have failed me when I use them infrequently (shoot, transfer to computer, store).
*Very compact design with a nice, big, clear widescreen LCD and very comfortable feel. Sony quality and attention to detail abounds.
*Auto lens cap. If youre like me and have an older camcorder youll be replacing, youll appreciate the integrated automatic lens cap. Its amazing how many times I was frustrated by my dangling lens cap back in the day and this logical evolution is a nice touch (and is on most new camcorders nowadays, but I still dig it)
Cons:
*Battery life - while the supplied battery is one of Sonys solid InfoLithiums, the ~100 minute capacity will probably make you want to spring for one of the optional high capacity batteries if you shoot outside of your home frequently or like to record/replay footage in big chunks without the DC cable. This is true of any camcorder, though, and is kind of reaching for a con
*Manual focus location is inconvenient. Its behind the viewfinder and in many situations you cannot easily access it because the LCD will be in the way. Thankfully the auto focus works great for most situations.
*Touch screen controls. Some people seem to like this and it certainly works well technically, but I find it annoying on a few fronts. First, I dont like using my left hand to access the menus - older cameras had menu buttons you could access with your right thumb while operating the camera and that felt good to me. Then theres the whole touching the screen you have to look at - perhaps Im just grungy, but the screen gets dirty pretty quickly when youre constantly touching it. Again, small gripes that other people seem to totally disagree with.
Overall, Id rate this as the best electronics purchase Ive made in the past 10 years. My wife and I are in awe of every video weve shot so far and every person weve shown the videos to cant believe that they came from this little home camcorder. If you have kids and want to capture memories in incredible quality, this camera will do everything you need and then some.
**I didnt rate or review the digital still feature of this camera because Im not using it. I have a small 10.1MP camera that we use for stills already and I hate that Sony forces its proprietary memory sticks on us for 2-3 times the price of SD cards.**
On: 2007-05-29
I ordered this from Amazon and it came as planned. As any proud purchaser who just received his new toy, I started using it right out of the box. I purchased the video light and flash model hvl-hfl1. It works great because you dont need to worry about turning the light off and it comes on when you need it. I also purchased the bluetooth microphone which is a great addition. The only problem is that you cant have both on at the same time because of only one hotshoe. The pictures look great with the flash. I went to a wedding and took awesome photos. Great stuff. I recommend it.
On the business side of things, I used the existing telemacro feature and it has worked great. I took a video of my own teeth and mouth while working on phonetics. I use this video on my dental advice website to show people the importance teeth position and lip position when speaking. Really cool feature.
On: 2007-05-28
Es una excelente camara. Su tamaño es ideal para el trabajo y para las vacaciones. Su resolucion es impresionante y todos los aditamentos que trae son muy completos.
On: 2007-05-27
Es una excelente camara. Su tamaño es ideal para el trabajo y para las vacaciones. Su resolucion es impresionante y todos los aditamentos que trae son muy completos.
On: 2007-05-24
Trying for the best in Video quality, is easy or difficult. To achieve it on a budget Ive gone to High Def the Sony Hc7 allows me to turn out 16x9 Dvds that are as sharp as Commercial Quality. The Low point is the quality is great. To achieve it youre probably going to have to buy a new computer for editing. My old machine would capture perfectly my Digital 8 data, & the Dv stream from the HC7. High Def no way it stuttered and dropped portions of the image. The controls with the Hc7 allow you to control exposure easily. my only wish would be a ring around the barrel of the lens to allow a easy manual focus. They do have a multipurpose wheel on the side, for focusing it is not convenient. I use it set for Exposure compensation.
On: 2007-05-17
I purchased this camcorder in anticipation of the birth of my son last month. This is my first camcorder purchase and I am extremely impressed and happy with my purchase.
My goal was to make videos that I could watch in HD on my TV and also quickly edit on my macbook in iMovie and then burn to dvd or upload to youtube.com to share with family. In this regard it works flawlessly. The camcorder and my macbook play together beautifully and it is simple to get the footage off of the camcorder and into my macbook and then burned onto a dvd or uploaded to youtube.com. The footage is automatically adjusted to standard definition by iMovie but the tape in the camcorder retains the 1080i HD footage. This means that I can play it back on my TV in HD whenever I want and also save it for the future when I have an HD disc burner to make HD discs.
By the way I have never done ANY video editing of any kind prior to buying this camcorder and macbook. I am a complete amateur and the ease of which I can make decent home movies with titles and effects and then share them with family is nothing short of astounding!
The bonus is that I can also play the footage directly from the camcorder to my Sony XBR2 1080p TV using an HDMI cable and the picture quality is breathtaking, as clear and sharp as some of the network HD feeds I get through Comcast cable.
Video Quality: The color is very lifelike although tends to be a bit oversaturated. Some may prefer more subtle true lifelike colors that the Canon camcorders are known for. I like the Sony color however, because the colors seem to "pop" a bit more while still seeming natural. This camcorder utilizes Sonys new x.v. color which promises nearly twice the viewable color currently available. My HDTV does not support x.v. color so this feature is useless to me. From what I understand, very few HDTVs support x.v. color so for now this seems to me like marketing hype. The sharpness is absolutely amazing. When watching on my HDTV via HDMI cable, the image is in my eyes comparable to the prime time network HD shows through my cable provider.
Low light performance: When researching this camera, I read the camcorderinfo review which stated that this camcorder suffers from poor low light performance. I find that to be simply untrue. Based on that review I expected the low light footage to be bad and was delighted to find that the low light performance was quite good and more than adequate for my needs. I tested the low light ability at night in my living room with the 60 watt ceiling bulbs dimmed halfway and the video came out fine. The colors were a little muted which was expected but there was no graininess and the footage was sharp and detailed. For my needs I will be filming low light indoor scenes such as candle-lit birthday parties and Christmas morning present openings and I am quite happy with the cameras abilities in these types of low light situations. In outdoors in sunlight, the picture and color will take your breath away.
Ease of Use: My wife was quite intimidated by the thought of learning to use an HD camcorder. I was thrilled to find that the HC7 has an "easy" button. My wife and I got quite a laugh out of this but it really is a great addition. The "easy" button sets the camera to all automatic point and shoot mode and I have to say in this mode the video comes out amazing with no effort or manual adjustments on your part. Because of the "easy" button my wife is no longer afraid of the camera and is now filming as much as I am. In fact, we both use the camera primarily in the "easy" mode and the footage always comes out sharp and stunning (and I get to be in the footage with my son now that my wife shoots too).
For more experienced shooters, this camera has tons of manual controls which I will probably never use. The menu system is a bit awkward as you have to dig deep into nested folders to find some of the options you want. This is extremely frustrating when you are shooting and want to change something quickly. For example to change white balance or turn off optical image stablisation when using a tripod requires scrolling through mulitple folders to find the option you want - annoying. Although to be fair the instructions do say that you can set your most used manual controls on a custom touchscreen for easy access. I have yet to do this.
Batteries: The Sony Infolithium batteries give real time information on exactly how much time you have left to shoot. This is extremely helpful and I find the estimates to be incredibly accurate. You will have to purchase an additional battery however, as the one it comes with does not give you adequate shooting time before needing to be recharged.
Overall I am extremely happy with this camcorder and would absolutely recommend it. The stunning video quality, compatibility with my Macbook for making videos to share with extended family and incredible ease of use make this camera a winner. Throw in the fact that it has an "easy" button that allows my non-techie wife to take incredibly sharp, beautiful footage and be comfortable using the camera and enthusiastic about shooting, and you have the perfect camcorder for my family. Highly recommended!
On: 2007-05-14
Nice camera in general, but in my experiece the slow motion feature is very blurry.
On: 2007-05-11
Im very much a novice when it comes to video. I have a 3 year-old Sony mini-DV Handycam (DCR-TRV22). I wanted to upgrade to something better. I looked at numerous 3-chip standard definition cameras, and I rented one (Sony DCR-VX2100) locally to try out for a weekend. The video with the 3-chip was clearly better than the 1-chip, but I wasnt convinced it was worth about $[...] for the model Id selected (Panasonic AG-DVX100B). I stumbled across the HC7 in Videomaker® magazine and became interested. The reviews here on Amazon sounded promising and it was $[...] cheaper!
There is a beautiful 60-foot waterfall near my house. When the HC7 first arrived, I charged the battery and headed out. The video quality was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! It was manifold better than the 3-chip camcorder Id rented. You could easily make out the texture of the moss growing on rocks near the bottom of the falls, probably over 100 feet from my vantage point. I could count the blades of grass growing around the edge. Stunning! I brought it to Pizza Hut the following night (to film my pizza, of course!) and you could count the anise seeds in the Italian sausage. Weird, but cool! I displayed the video on my MacBook Pro and on a 65" DLP HDTV and I was majorly impressed. The TV displayed that the input was 1080i and it looked the part, too... sweet!
I took a few still photos with the HC7. I was comtemplating purchasing a Nikon D200, but the quality of these stills is probably good enough for me. Im not in any way saying the HC7s stills are comparable in quality to that of the D200... Im just saying the HC7 stills are nice enough for my needs (for now).
Ive read elsewhere that the low light performance of the HC7 is not good. I tried it in low light and it doesnt seem any worse than the DCR-VX2100 or the DCR-TRV22 and maybe a little better.
One of the features that appealed to me was an accessory mentioned by an earlier reviewer, the SPK-HCB marine pack. This allows you to use the camcorder while snorkeling or just around the pool or beach without worrying about water damage. The SPK-HCB (about $[...]) doesnt list the HC7 as a compatible model, but the $[...] (and otherwise nearly identical) SPK-HCC did, so I purchased the latter. I have not tried this out yet, but it looks to be well-made and will likely work adequately.
The audio quality is lackluster, like all consumer camcorders. To add insult to injury, the Sony external camcorder microphone I purchased on Amazon 2 weeks ago for the DCR-TRV22 wont work with the HC7. The "intelligent" shoe, found on the DCR-TRV22, has been replaced by the "active interface" shoe, found on the HC7. The dang thing wont fit this shoe... $[...] down the drain! This destroys the value of Sonys accessories! A two-week-old mic is worthless! Because of this, I give the HDR-HC7 a 1-star rating. Advice to Sony: quit raking your loyal customers over the coals, and well do a better job of promoting YOUR products!
CONCLUSION: 5-star camcorder by a 1-star consumer-unfriendly corporate giant
On: 2007-05-10
Im very much a novice when it comes to video. I have a 3 year-old Sony mini-DV Handycam (DCR-TRV22). I wanted to upgrade to something better. I looked at numerous 3-chip standard definition cameras, and I rented one (Sony DCR-VX2100) locally to try out for a weekend. The video with the 3-chip was clearly better than the 1-chip, but I wasnt convinced it was worth about $[...] for the model Id selected (Panasonic AG-DVX100B). I stumbled across the HC7 in Videomaker® magazine and became interested. The reviews here on Amazon sounded promising and it was $[...] cheaper!
There is a beautiful 60-foot waterfall near my house. When the HC7 first arrived, I charged the battery and headed out. The video quality was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! It was manifold better than the 3-chip camcorder Id rented. You could easily make out the texture of the moss growing on rocks near the bottom of the falls, probably over 100 feet from my vantage point. I could count the blades of grass growing around the edge. Stunning! I brought it to Pizza Hut the following night (to film my pizza, of course!) and you could count the anise seeds in the Italian sausage. Weird, but cool! I displayed the video on my MacBook Pro and on a 65" DLP HDTV and I was majorly impressed. The TV displayed that the input was 1080i and it looked the part, too... sweet!
I took a few still photos with the HC7. I was comtemplating purchasing a Nikon D200, but the quality of these stills is probably good enough for me. Im not in any way saying the HC7s stills are comparable in quality to that of the D200... Im just saying the HC7 stills are nice enough for my needs (for now).
Ive read elsewhere that the low light performance of the HC7 is not good. I tried it in low light and it doesnt seem any worse than the DCR-VX2100 or the DCR-TRV22 and maybe a little better.
One of the features that appealed to me was an accessory mentioned by an earlier reviewer, the SPK-HCB marine pack. This allows you to use the camcorder while snorkeling or just around the pool or beach without worrying about water damage. The SPK-HCB (about $[...]) doesnt list the HC7 as a compatible model, but the $[...] (and otherwise nearly identical) SPK-HCC did, so I purchased the latter. I have not tried this out yet, but it looks to be well-made and will likely work adequately.
The audio quality is lackluster, like all consumer camcorders. To add insult to injury, the Sony external camcorder microphone I purchased on Amazon 2 weeks ago for the DCR-TRV22 wont work with the HC7. The "intelligent" shoe, found on the DCR-TRV22, has been replaced by the "active interface" shoe, found on the HC7. The dang thing wont fit this shoe... $[...] down the drain! This destroys the value of Sonys accessories! A two-week-old mic is worthless! Because of this, I give the HDR-HC7 a 1-star rating. Advice to Sony: quit raking your loyal customers over the coals, and well do a better job of promoting YOUR products!
CONCLUSION: 5-star camcorder by a 1-star consumer-unfriendly corporate giant
by: sell5813 On: 2007-05-05
It is a nice camcorder.
But it would be nicer, if it is HDD (hard disk drive) based. The miniDV tape just not able to record the whole event I like to record. transfer file from tape to computer is also taking a long time. Wish they have a HDD version so that I can get the capture through USB port like their other HDD version camcorder!
On: 2007-04-10
Just came back from Orlando vacation with it. I am very impressed with the video and still picture quality. As a non-pro consumer, I think it is a perfect product.
On: 2007-04-01
Pros:
1. Great video quality in good to great light. Colors are "punchy".
2. Doubles as a still camera. Even though the still quality is not great, it could still come in handy.
3. Down-conversion to standard definition seems pretty good. Can easily record hi-def to DVD using a down-converted digital connection from the camera to a DVD recorder.
4. Handling seems good. The size of the camera is fairly small. Its amazing what they can pack into things of this size.
5. Uses HDV format on MiniDV tapes.
Cons:
1. USB interface is not USB 2.0! This is 2007! Downloading still photos takes much longer than it should. I dont intend to buy a proprietary memory card reader.
2. Uses Sony proprietary memory.
3. Still camera functions are mediocre. Probably equivalent to todays $200 and less digital still cameras. I have a Canon 20D digital SLR and the difference is quite clear! The Sony still photos are noisier and just not as good looking. The flash photos in low light are poor to fair.
4. Dont like the menu system. Seems harder to use than it should be.
Neutrals:
1. Fair battery life with the included battery.
2. Video quality in low-light could be better, but its not poor. Id say it is fair.
3. Audio is good but it picks up the cameras motor noise and that can be a bit annoying. It does have a MIC jack though.
On: 2007-03-22
What a great camcorder! The resolution is excellent and the 6MP pictures are sharp and clear. This is one camcorder that really does an excellent job as a combination camera/ camcorder. Motion artifacts are minimal and the colors are bright even in dim light. All in all, an excellent buy.
On: 2007-03-13
I got an HC7 a couple of weeks ago and am really impressed with the image quality. I originally tried the Sony HDR-SR1 but was put off by its dismal low-light performance. The HC7 is much better on that front. Color tends to wash out a bit, but noise is not overly prounounced. However, in bright outdoor lighting, the picture quality is absolutely stunning.
In regards to photos taken by the HC7, I havent printed any out yet, but Ive viewed some on my 1080p and they look very good.
Overall, I am a happy camper. Perhaps unfairly, I gave this a 4 star only because it lacks 3 CCDs.
On: 2007-03-12
I got an HC7 a couple of weeks ago and am really impressed with the image quality. I originally tried the Sony HDR-SR1 but was put off by its dismal low-light performance. The HC7 is much better on that front. Color tends to wash out a bit, but noise is not overly prounounced. However, in bright outdoor lighting, the picture quality is absolutely stunning.
In regards to photos taken by the HC7, I havent printed any out yet, but Ive viewed some on my 1080p and they look very good.
Overall, I am a happy camper. Perhaps unfairly, I gave this a 4 star only because it lacks 3 CCDs.
On: 2007-03-11
This just arrived Thursday so these comments come with minimal time on camera so far. I am also absolutely an amateur user of camcorders so I wont be able to comment on the quality of the manual controls, etc.
I agree closely with the other two reviews so I wont repeat their details. Ill try to hit a few other topics and also compare the HC7 to the Sony HC90, an earlier model that took 16:9 standard definition video with 3 MP stills.
I have taken about one hour of HD video so far, and have viewed it through an HDMI cable on a Sony 46" XBR LCD TV (1080p). I captured a few indoor scenes, a few neighborhood outdoor scenes, and some footage at Harpers Ferry in West Virginia - river, mountain, and two trains passing by at close range while I was at the railroad station there. I can say comfortably that you wont confuse the video from this camcorder with Standard Definition camcorder video - when they say High Definition, they arent kidding. If your TV can show the video off to advantage and youve grown fond of HD, I think youd be pleased with this camcorder. In my case, the overwhelming reason I upgraded camcorders was to get the HD video, so this has made it worth the steep expense. My second requirement is to have a camcorder that took decent stills so I only have to carry one piece of equipment around. I already had this in the Sony HC90 at 3MP, so going up to 6MP was desirable but not enough to make me buy something this expensive in itself.
My only output criticisms so far are that the West Virginia footage looks a little brighter and the water a little greener than I remember. I didnt play with any settings so take that with a grain of salt. These camcorders have a lot of manual adjustments you can make which I have not explored. One or more of them undoubtedly would have given me improved footage, and Im not unhappy with what I think I noticed in the slightest.
The stills look very good to me so far, but Ive only taken about 20 and viewed them on the TV. I normally view stills on a PC.
I dont have a telephoto lens yet so I cant report on the quality of the stabilization. I used a tripod today and that was readily apparent in the stability of the video. I was very pleased, by the way, with how well the camera did with the moving trains. Very crisp where I expected a fair bit of motion blur.
LCD size and controls have been mentioned in First Looks. Im perfectly happy with a 2.7" LCD instead of the larger one in the UX7. So this wasnt a negative for me personally. The controls (menus) are highly similar to those of the Sony HC90 I already have. If you havent seen them before, theres a learning curve. If you have the HC90 or another camcorder with those menus, youll be right at home with the HC7. One note: you can configure P[ersonal]-Menus to include the things you use the most in your own order, in addition to the camcorders menus. One thing I forgot is that each mode (video, camera, play/edit) has its own configurable personal menu. So I was looking for things to add to the Play/Edit personal menu that I was sure should be configurable, but couldnt find them. That was because they belonged only to the filming side, not to the playback side. So youve got three personal menus you can create, not one.
Battery: check the sizes on the batteries. The HC90 batteries were very thin. I think three of the batteries for the HC7 fit entirely within its case. The fourth and largest battery looked to be much bigger in one dimension such that I thought it would extend past the end of the camera 1/2" or so. The other three will fit flush into the back of the camera, though theyre not behind a door or anything.
Battery life: my impression so far is that the battery life statements are accurate, but the batteries drain faster than that of the HC90. This is almost certainly a function of increased power load instead of the older batteries being better than the newer ones. The CCDs and the stills and everything are all "more" than in the HC90. So I think Im fine with the battery life, but youll need to watch it and definitely have more than one battery.
Size compared to the HC90: this struck me as being about 10-15% bigger overall than the HC90. Its maybe 1/2" longer front to back, and wider as well. I think the HC7 is one notch up in size from the average camcorder I see in Best Buy. But its noticeably smaller than last years SR1 Sony hard disk camcorder, say. I dont see dropping this one in a coat pocket like I did with the HC90, but its pretty light and still fits in the case I used for the HC90 if I dont load other stuff in there.
Fit in the hand: I found a Best Buy with an HC5 and UX5 on hand and played with both at the same time. These have the same footprint as the HC7 and UX7 as far as I can tell. The HC5s tape case is maybe 3/8" wider than the UX5s DVD case. The UX5s DVD case is maybe 1/4" higher. So I found that my right-hand fingers curled nicely around the smaller but taller UX5 and it felt slightly more comfortable. However, I found that the HC5s extra width made me curl my palm slightly such that the base of the camcorder fit solidly on top of the ball of my thumb. As I played with this in the store, I realized it seemed like the HC5 actually was easier to hold stable because of this. Absolutely try these two out on your own instead of assuming this will be true for you. Just wanted to say that the two cases do differ a bit and will probably feel different to you at some level.
Tape vs DVD (really HDV vs AVCHD): I spent a lot of time wondering if the noise reported in last years AVCHD UX camcorders would still be present, and if I would care in any case. The detailed reviews still arent out, so I dont know whether there will be a noise problem there. But I can say I noticed nothing in the footage so far that Id call noise, so my decision to go with the tape and HDV format looks very good to me right now. I have never had the problems people report with Mini-DV tapes, so that whole transport discussion (tape vs DVD) didnt weigh on me much. The noise discussion did have an effect on my decision, though.
Getting the video to your TV: "how much money do we have?", apparently. I played the tape back to the TV directly, but thats not a long-term solution. I have heard that you can capture the HDV video and then will be able to transform it on a PC to formats suitable for Blu-Ray or HDV burners, if you have the money. Then you need a Blu-Ray or HDV player attached to your TV. For now, it sounds like many people are archiving the HDV video to DVDs as data files. Then they burn playable DVDs where the HD is down-converted to standard definition video. So they get to see decent versions of the video now and can produce HD versions for playback in the future as technology changes and prices drop. One other HC7 reviewer also implied that HD files captured by Ulead software could be moved to a PS3 hard drive and played back to an HD TV from there. So far, the easy and cheap path we have for SD video to DVDs to TVs is not quite there for HD based on what Ive read.
The one extra feature I wish the camcorder had was a built-in 20X optical zoom. Im sure this would affect both the cost and the size of the barrel negatively, so I "understand". But that would be #1 on my wish list.
Overall, I am amazed at what camcorder manufacturers can pack into these shells now. I know were talking computers that are way more powerful at image processing than anything that existed ten years ago. But it is still almost like magic to drag a camcorder of this size around, take some video, and then have play it back on a high-quality HD TV looking to me like it was taken with broadcast-level equipment. I know better intellectually, but its really great to have a camcorder like this that marries up with the new TVs so beautifully.
On: 2007-02-28
This product, so far as I know, has not been available from Amazon since Jan. 8 as a comment claimed. It wasnt available on Feb. 19 when I ordered it from an Amazon competitor. Its now available (about March 1) at a very competitive price.
It is a fabulous video camera. Colors are accurate, low-light performance is amazing, video noise is non-existent, resolution will blow you away. The 2-hr battery provides a full 2 hours of recording. The camera is light, flexible, and intuitive to use.
The Sony miniDV tapes cost a reasonable $10 ea., and there are zero dropouts. Loading couldnt be easier. Itd be nice if Sony would stick to optical zoom specs (10X), since digital zoom can be anything (why stop at 20X? - go for broke, 1000X! Idiots.) Steadycam - optical stablization - seems to work very well. You can shut it off if youre using a tripod.
Audio is okay, but it could be much better. They provide a jack for an external mike and a powered shoe for a lamp. Video output is flexible - USB, iLink, component, S-video. Speaking of flexible, the user guide runs over 100 pages! There is useful content on every page - itd take months to try all the options available!
Image quality is stunning, esp. considering the reasonable price. Ive not tried the included software, but HDMI playback to my Panasonic 50" plasma is just like network HD! Fantastic! You wont be disappointed. (Okay, there is one little glitch. The zoom speed (rate) is not menu adjustable. Theres variable zoom speed provided via a little lever, but youd better be r e a l l y steady.)
Great camera overall.
On: 2007-02-23
I received the Sony HDR-HC7 over two weeks ago. This HD camcorder is the 3rd and final piece of my HD makeover. The first component is the Sony KDS-R60XBR2 1080p TV, the second is a PS3, and now the new camcorder. One thing I noticed immediately upon playing my older home-made DV videos is that the big screen really amplifies the lower resolution (which is bad), and that the hand jitter of the home movies is more problematic as well to look at. Both of these deficiencies prompted me to go for this HD camcorder with optical stabilization. Impressions after using this camcorder in different locations (snow, indoor, and the beach):
Pros-
- The video is great, especially filling the 60 inch screen. The images look smooth, not always necessarily eye-popping sharp, but very pleasing. The clip of an arcade at the beach with its many sounds and especially the many bright colors made for a very rich video experience on the big screen.
- The still images are excellent. At 6.1 Megapixels, they are as good as any 6 MP still camera (I did the comparison). My test for still cameras is to print 8x10 glossies. When you do that, it is easy to judge excellent, good, and not-so-good. The 8x10 prints are excellent. Moreover, the camera has a 10x optical zoom, so that is a major advantage for still photography. The flash is surprisingly robust- better than most smaller still cameras. This camcorder truly opens up the possibility of leaving the still camera at home.
- The DV tape is a cost-effective convenience. I popped in a standard Sony Premium DV tape and everythings been fine. So far, Ive not seen any evidence of frame dropping after 1 hour of HD videotaping. Everything has been smooth and very eye-pleasing. I carefully considered the other alternatives of HDD and DVD burners, but for overall ease-of-use, the DV is a proven cost-effective way to take a lot of videos and to store them conveniently.
- Sony offers a case for underwater video (Sony Camcorder Marine Case (SPK-HCB)). This case which is listed as an accessory offers good value considering that custom camcorder cases can run in excess of $1K. I bought one and had to custom-adapt a mounting plate because the hole pattern was not quite right. I used it while it was snowing on the beach and it worked very well (the case has its own stereo microphone). Im planning to use it very soon for some snorkeling. Such underwater home footage should be very cool. The case really protects the camera from the elements. The case is surprisingly sophisticated. For example, it uses a mirror to access the camcorder display. It turns out that once connected properly, the image on the LCD display is backwards, so that it can be seen correctly when looking at the reflected image in the mirror. A well thought-out product indeed.
Cons-
- It is not the most elegant or stylish hardware.
- Does not have a neck strap.
- The audio is not its strong point- nothing bad, but not particularly compelling.
- I like to use the fader feature to separate the different tape segments, but accessing the fade button through the display touch-screen method takes too many strokes. Once I start to tape, it is bothersome to activate the fader function during taping.
- The on-the-fly stills are in 16:9 widescreen so that the overall resolution on printed paper is not as good as the stand-alone stills which are the standard 4:3.
- Naturally, with a substantial investment in the camcorder unit, comes the additional costs for options such as (1) stand-alone battery charger, (2) extra high-capacity battery, (3) better microphone, and (4) external light source for video and stills. I already have the external mike (Sony) and the double external light (still and video). I havent used these enough yet to provide a proper review.
This early camcorder review would not be complete without mentioning the significant value added by using PlayStation 3. The camcorder video is stored in the DV tape in MPEG2 format. After recording, I simply transfer the video into my Ulead VideoStudio 10 Plus which handles HDV files. After that I copy the MPEG2 file into the hard drive of the PS3 using a transportable hard drive. Roughly speaking, one hour of HD recording takes up 10 GB of memory. One can then watch the HD video on the big screen using the handy remote ($25) for the PS3 with fast forward and such so that the overall operation is almost as convenient as if you had burned a BluRay DVD. Also, the fact that the SXRD TV has a 3rd HDMI input in the front makes connecting to the camcorder particularly convenient. Bottom line- the camcorder is very impressive. The picture on the 60" screen ranges from very good to eye-popping. The colors are very rich. Ive primarily covered the basic functions so far but theres more to learn and to explore with this unit. The coupling of the 1080p TV and the PS3 with the camcorder results in a most enjoyable HD experience.
On: 2007-02-22
I received the Sony HDR-HC7 over two weeks ago. This HD camcorder is the 3rd and final piece of my HD makeover. The first component is the Sony KDS-R60XBR2 1080p TV, the second is a PS3, and now the new camcorder. One thing I noticed immediately upon playing my older home-made DV videos is that the big screen really amplifies the lower resolution (which is bad), and that the hand jitter of the home movies is more problematic as well to look at. Both of these deficiencies prompted me to go for this HD camcorder with optical stabilization. Impressions after using this camcorder in different locations (snow, indoor, and the beach):
Pros-
- The video is great, especially filling the 60 inch screen. The images look smooth, not always necessarily eye-popping sharp, but very pleasing. The clip of an arcade at the beach with its many sounds and especially the many bright colors made for a very rich video experience on the big screen.
- The still images are excellent. At 6.1 Megapixels, they are as good as any 6 MP still camera (I did the comparison). My test for still cameras is to print 8x10 glossies. When you do that, it is easy to judge excellent, good, and not-so-good. The 8x10 prints are excellent. Moreover, the camera has a 10x optical zoom, so that is a major advantage for still photography. The flash is surprisingly robust- better than most smaller still cameras. This camcorder truly opens up the possibility of leaving the still camera at home.
- The DV tape is a cost-effective convenience. I popped in a standard Sony Premium DV tape and everythings been fine. So far, Ive not seen any evidence of frame dropping after 1 hour of HD videotaping. Everything has been smooth and very eye-pleasing. I carefully considered the other alternatives of HDD and DVD burners, but for overall ease-of-use, the DV is a proven cost-effective way to take a lot of videos and to store them conveniently.
- Sony offers a case for underwater video (Sony Camcorder Marine Case (SPK-HCB)). This case which is listed as an accessory offers good value considering that custom camcorder cases can run in excess of $1K. I bought one and had to custom-adapt a mounting plate because the hole pattern was not quite right. I used it while it was snowing on the beach and it worked very well (the case has its own stereo microphone). Im planning to use it very soon for some snorkeling. Such underwater home footage should be very cool. The case really protects the camera from the elements. The case is surprisingly sophisticated. For example, it uses a mirror to access the camcorder display. It turns out that once connected properly, the image on the LCD display is backwards, so that it can be seen correctly when looking at the reflected image in the mirror. A well thought-out product indeed.
Cons-
- It is not the most elegant or stylish hardware.
- Does not have a neck strap.
- The audio is not its strong point- nothing bad, but not particularly compelling.
- I like to use the fader feature to separate the different tape segments, but accessing the fade button through the display touch-screen method takes too many strokes. Once I start to tape, it is bothersome to activate the fader function during taping.
- The on-the-fly stills are in 16:9 widescreen so that the overall resolution on printed paper is not as good as the stand-alone stills which are the standard 4:3.
- Naturally, with a substantial investment in the camcorder unit, comes the additional costs for options such as (1) stand-alone battery charger, (2) extra high-capacity battery, (3) better microphone, and (4) external light source for video and stills. I already have the external mike (Sony) and the double external light (still and video). I havent used these enough yet to provide a proper review.
This early camcorder review would not be complete without mentioning the significant value added by using PlayStation 3. The camcorder video is stored in the DV tape in MPEG2 format. After recording, I simply transfer the video into my Ulead VideoStudio 10 Plus which handles HDV files. After that I copy the MPEG2 file into the hard drive of the PS3 using a transportable hard drive. Roughly speaking, one hour of HD recording takes up 10 GB of memory. One can then watch the HD video on the big screen using the handy remote ($25) for the PS3 with fast forward and such so that the overall operation is almost as convenient as if you had burned a BluRay DVD. Also, the fact that the SXRD TV has a 3rd HDMI input in the front makes connecting to the camcorder particularly convenient. Bottom line- the camcorder is very impressive. The picture on the 60" screen ranges from very good to eye-popping. The colors are very rich. Ive primarily covered the basic functions so far but theres more to learn and to explore with this unit. The coupling of the 1080p TV and the PS3 with the camcorder results in a most enjoyable HD experience.
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