Customer Reviews

Sony DCR-DVD408 4MP DVD Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I tried this camera during my recent visit to Seattle for Tulip festival. The recording quality is amazing. 5 channel recording is superb. I tried it in 16:9 and 4:3 fine mode with playback on HD Plasma TV. The quality was breathtakingly good. Yet to try photo (claimed to take 4 MP pictures) as photos can only be taken with a memory stick.

Cons:
-Limited Mini DVD space (20 minutes max in fine mode).
-Limited support for combining mini DVDs to a regular sized DVD. Bundled software requires double the size of DVD (9GB) free on the PC to make a movie
-Box contains just the camcorder without any memory stick or DVD. It has to be separately ordered.

This video camera is phenomenal. I bought it for the birth of my son but unfortunately he came early, one day before the camera arrived. I should have bought it sooner. So for the delivery day excitment I used by older Panasonic miniDV tape camera and after that used the Sony 408DVD camera. What a difference. I don't know why people think the miniDVs give a better quality image. In fact I know a profession who uses it and I do believe there is some credibility to that statement, but he also has very expensive professional video equipment. But for the average home user its a hassel dealing with tapes that play only in your camera or you have to capture it via your computer and burn dvds which takes hours to do and tons of hard disk space if you don't want to loose quality. This Sony is one of the higher end DVD cameras from Sony. I believe its exceptional video quality come from the fact that the lens is T-star (sharper) and twice the size of other cameras (1/3in vs 1/6in). I am extrememly happy with it. In addition I don't always have to carry 2 cameras. This camera takes 2MP video (very nice even on HD televisions) and 4MP still images with built in flash in still camera mode. This is enough to print clear 4x6 or even larger. So overall I'm very happy with this camera. You can either use rewritable miniDVDs and then transfer to regular DVDs via computer or do what I do. I buy inexpensive miniDVD -r or +r disc and keep then as "orginals". Later if I want to combine or make a special DVD I can do that. I almost bought a Hard Drive camera but it was this fact that steered me away. For the same price as a low end HD camera I got a high end DVD camera. Also I can finalize and play in anyones DVD player without the need for cables or computers etc. I also feel that every time you trasfer video data (digital or analog) there is a chance that the quality may drop based on the software your using the computer processor and the quality of the dvd writer and media used finally. Thus I decided to record on one time use DVDs as masters and make copies as needed. In point here is that what you do is up to you. Your not forced to to use a computer or forced to copy and free up your DVD-RW if you don't want to. Flexibilty means everything in electronics. I highly recommend this camera and if you can afford it try the 508 but if not the 408 is fantastic. Hope that helps you make you decision.

I had been to Portland & Oregon costal beaches. For the first time I am using a camcorder. My Sony DCR-DVD 408 captured the nature extremely good. Impeccable picture quality, 5.1 dolby stereo effect is cool. I recorded the music played by a person in the Rose test garden and it came out really well. The touch screen is another cool feature. The scene selection(Sunrise/Sunset, beaches, portrait etc) is excellent. Its worth the money.

Only negative thing is the Software is not that versatile to create your own movie.

I loved this camcorder, but I had to return it because unlike the DCR-DVD405 that it replaced, the DCR-DVD408 does not have analog inputs and will not function as a "VCR". This is an important feature if you want to record from another device to this camcorder. I bought one of the last remaining DVD305 instead, which is also an awesome peice of gear. I own five sony cameras and have had mostly good experinces. The one time I had a camera serviced, the repair facility in Laredo, TX performed very well and very quickly. There's really no other choice for me but Sony.

PROS (the camera itself):
This fantastic piece of technology will cover all needs of the average (home) user, who wants to create quality footage in a fast and simple way: Stunning sound and movie quality, rich features and ergonomic controls make this camera a top choice. Still-picture quality at 4MP is more than adequate to capture precious moments.
An overall 5/5 !

CONS (the "package"):
Alas! The package accompanying the camera is a bit of disappointment:
1. A $7 Memory Stick to capture still pictures is still missing from the SONY packages. Has to be bought separately.
2. The information in the User Manual is awkwardly organised
3. The accompanying software barely covers substantial user needs

Sony has created a very cute and affordable Video-Editing software (Sony Vegas Movie Studio + DVD) that will actually do the job! It will read the DVD directly from the camera or the PC drive, create the movies and save in a variety of readable formats (mpg, avi, mov, etc). Combined with DVD architect it will create an "ab-fab" final product.

This camcorder got good reviews - better than the 508, which is its top-of-the-line sibling. It is very easy to operate. I was using in just as soon as I charged up the battery. The video looks great. The touch screen is a little small but so far it has worked well for me. I got the biggest battery for it since it was recommended as being very long lasting. Definitely an excellent value.

I bought the Sony Handycam DCR DVD408 for my wife in December 07 as a Christmas gift since Amazon offered a decent reduction in the price. I have to say I am impressed with the quality of the recordings and the out-of-box ease of use. It even has an easy button if you aren't overly confident in your video recording skill. I purchased additional miniDVD's and planned to record onto a disc and then finalize it and then use another disc. Now I have started to just transfer the video onto my computer and then format the disc as I have a fairly large external HDD and I'm not too concerned with running out of space on it (Videos can get large - about 1MB per minute recorded). If you plan on editing your video I would not recommend this format (MiniDVD) since it is not as friendly for editing, also Sony did not include any software for editing with the original package. All you get is some crappy dubbed instructional DVD and a basic (VERY BASIC) software suite. Sony does not give you a Memory Stick either so you can't use the still image camera out of the box; so if you buy this, make sure you also have a MS if you plan on using that feature. The steadyshot is smooth and you can really see it in action especially at full zoom. The NightShot feature is also very cool and looks great too. Just keep in mind that the IR (infrared) spot light illuminates the human eye in a not-so-pretty way. Colors are rich and true to life thanks to the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens and great image processor onboard. The camera offers both standard and widescreen shooting options and also has DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 Surround capture abilities which is awesome when you watch your final cuts with the family. Just remember that when you're wielding the camera to talk a little lower since your voice will come out on the final recording with a lot of volume especially if you have a decent surround sound setup. The LCD viewfinder is a touchscreen and it is very well done, the screen response is very precise and quick and the old school eye viewfinder is not fixed and can come in handy although most of the time you'll find yourself using the LCD screen because it is more comfortable. Battery life is about 100 minutes and this will vary depending on whether or not you use the LCD viewfinder or not. This camera is small and realtively lightweight compared to other Sony Handycams. Overall I would buy this camera again if given the chance, the main drawbacks being lack of software, poor compatibility with Vista and limited editing due to the nature of the recording medium.

This is my first digital camcorder and the picture is great. I did a lot of research trying to determine which format to get. I had a tape VHS-C before and it just didn't get it anymore. Started having trouble with bad tapes. So I really did not want another tape format. The new hard drives are nice, but so are the prices. I went with the DVD format and I am very pleased with it. Before you go on a trip or to a special event just make sure to format the disc first. I believe you just can't go wrong with Sony and especially with this camcorder. Very simple to use, yet has enough features for the more technically advanced user. High recommend this camcorder. Compared it to Canon and Panasonic and Sony came out on top.

I previously owned a later generation Sony DVD Handycam (DCR-DVD405) and decided to stick with Sony after reviewing their new product line, as well as what their competitors had to offer. This new camera does not disappoint.

After a lot of research, I decided to purchase the sony dcr-dvd 408. night vision works great, a bit grainey with telephoto, but the instructions tells me this. Telephoto is very good, everything works as expected, no surprises.
Great color, easy to operate, great price and free super shipping. This is a
sure buy, Shoot the disk, finalize, throw it in a player and there it is.The
manual is a pain tho, you read about a function in the front and then either the middle or back of manual to finish reading about areas of the same function. Has a disk that comes with it, a little editing, haven`t worked with that much. Usually software that comes with a product is only bits and pieces of a real program anyway. I am going to purchase a program anyway.