Customer Reviews

Sony HDR-HC3 4MP High-Definition Handycam MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have had this camcorder for about 2 weeks now. Overall I'm pleased. Most of my video playback has been done via a Pioneer 50" plasma HDTV so I do have a very nice playback source to judge the recorded video quality.

Disclaimer - I am a novice photographer/videographer so people might correct my few gripes saying, "if you'd just set the flux capacitor settings to ...," but my review should be applicable to people that operate the camera in "easy" mode (all of my recordings have either been done in 'easy mode' or with the auto settings - not quite sure what the difference is other than 'easy mode' doesn't let you adjust anything).

Pros:
- Incredible detail & pretty good color reproduction when photographing outdoors. Seriously, it is almost (but not quite) as nice as watching cable/satellite HD when hooked up to an HDTV w/HDMI and/or component video connections - (I've tried both, not much noticable difference between the two, although HDMI is more convenient). I don't believe (and I've read the specs on the format, so I'm pretty certain), that HDV format will produce true HD quality video but in the right lighting conditions, what is reproduced is definitely better than watching an anamorphic widescreen DVD on a progressive scan player so I'd say it's somewhere between HD and SD in quality (when the lighting is ideal).
- Easy to operate. Great menuing system and the controls are easy to use.
- Very nice LCD display & view finder
- Compact, ergonomic design that fits well in your hand
- Very sturdy, robust feel to the camcorder

Cons:
- Picture quality degrades quickly in lower light conditions including normal indoor lighting almost to the point that I'm not sure if it's any better than standard DV quality (other than the nice widescreen format). I bought an external 3 watt Sony flash that helps at close range but even then, color reproduction is not as good as outdoors and I notice more artifacts (blurriness in certain images & patterns, pixelation, etc.). I'd probably venture to guess that if all of your videotaping is done indoors, you might be better served with a 3 CCD camcorder than this one - but outdoors, there's no comparison.
- Images with bright sources behind them get washed out. I videotaped a sunset and everything other than the sunset, itself, was completely washed out. I imagine this is one of the things that the white balance or exposure can correct but in Easy/Auto mode, no such luck (par for the course???).
- Camera often requires two hands to hold steady to avoid jittery video. Maybe it's just the fact that the quality with this Sony is so sharp, but even my POS JVC mini-DV camcorder from 6 years ago seemed to have a better anti-shake mechanism. Those w/steady hands, tripods, or willing to use two hands need not worry.
- Sony seems to be hiding driver/software support for the camcorder and the HDV format. There's little to no help in the manual about how to upload video to a PC in HD format unless "it's a Sony VAIO." I'm pretty turned off by it. Digging around, it seems that if you're a PC user, you need Windows XP SP2 or else you have to jump through hoops to get it to work. I hooked it up to my mother's Mac and had no problems capturing the HDV video using iMovie. I'd love to know what some of the other reviewers are using (hardware/software) to down convert the video for standard DVD (MPEG-2) format - others have said they've had great results. When I down convert, the results look choppy, grainy, and there are compression artifacts everywhere (this really isn't the camcorder's fault, though).
- Battery life - this might be par for the course with camcorders these days, but I just got back from the zoo where I did lots of record/pause/record/pause recording for a few seconds at a time and the freshly charged battery only had about 35 minutes of recording life. I'll probably buy a second battery.
- Some flimsy platic covers that cover the AV outputs and AC adaptor and seem destined to break off at some point in the future.

Unless you're a 'glass is half full' person, it's always easier to cite the cons of a product than its pros. Overall, I am very pleased and if it wasn't the few complaints that I've listed, I would've given this 5 stars. My only serious gripe is the video quality drop-off in lower light settings, but my old mini-DV JVC camcorder had the same problem (it was only $500, though). If they had a 3 CCD version of this for under 2K, it'd probably be perfect. Some form of HD MPEG-4 recording format would also be nice, but for now, I can't imagine a consumer HD camcorder in this price range being any better.

Bottomline, if you're eager to start videotaping in HD format and aren't a professional with at least 5K to drop, you should be pleased with this camcorder, but taylor your expectations for indoor/low-light recording and buy a nice a flash.

After recording and playing video all weekend, my simple conclusion is this video camera is AWESOME. Yes it is expensive, but, WOW the pictures is fantastic when hooked up to my hi-def plasma or played back on my iMac. It is as small and light as any normal video camera. It takes regular DV tapes, and is easy to use and easy to play back on the TV with either HDMI or Component cables if you don't have HDMI.

If you are considering a new video camera, GET THIS CAMERA.
It is absolutely worth the money.

I went back an looked at my old video tapes, video I once though looked good now looks terrible compared to the images from this sony camera. I haven't been this thrilled with a purchase in a long time.

I have had this camcorder since Friday April 14th and have multiple opportunities to 'play' with it. Most of my videotaping has been in SD mode, not HD.

This camcorder is the perfect camcorder for users who want to position themselves for HD in the future. It is capable of HD recording and the recording quality is very good to excellent. The controls are plentiful for an average consumer. However, the prosumer or professional user may be disappointed that there is no mic or headphone jack as well as no separate controls for White Balance, Exposure, Focus or AE shift.

I would recommend that if you are doing any recording of music, that you purchase one of the microphones that are available for this camcorder. The built in mic is only adequate.

There is a technical review of this camcorder on camcaroderinfo.com that goes into a wealth of detail if you are interested.

So far, after 3 days and a church cantata, I am very pleased with the performance of this camcorder. Good job Sony!

This is my 4th camcorder and I just love it.
I'm a big photo enthusiast, and despite I own a Nikon D70 Digital SLR camera, this summer on a 3 week trip to Europe (by train) I decided to travel light and left home my Nikon to use only my new Sony Camcorder: It's a great travel companion, light discrete and easy to use. Still photos are very acceptable. Video quality is simply breathtaking.
I've done editing on my G5 iMac using iMovies HD and it works just fine. Edited video needs to be recorded back to tape to keep the HD format, but I hope that problem will be solved in a few months, when HD DVD-R drives becomes more affordable.
In summary if you are looking for great video quality and performence, look no more. This is the best Camcorder you can get without going PRO.
As additional advice: get a case and one additional battery since the one that comes with the camcorder is rather small and doesn't last enough.

Bought this camera way back in April shortly after when it came out. Bought it just in time for my first born to join us in the world. The reason why I bought this camera is because it was cutting edge, and at the time, I was in a time crunch and knew that if I bought a SONY camera, then it will be a good buy. Well... its been 6 months now and I can tell you that this camera does rock. here are some things I had to buy for this camera (which by the way I bought for 1499 way back. now look at it, it's only 1099. WOW!)

1) Bought the HD tapes (Bestbuy has these for 30 bucks for a 2pack, amazon has it for 20 bucks)
2) Bought a battery with longer life span.
3) Bought a firewire cable (any firewire cable will do) to connect it to my Mitsubishi WS55511. Found out that MitsWS55511 does not comply with this camera to my big dissapointment and I was about to return the stupid camera out of disgust. I can't believe I can't use the firewire connection with my HD tv. Ticked me off to be honest with you. I then took the camera to the BigScreen Store with a bunch of HD tv's and found out that all the new tv models that has IEEE input does work with this camera. I decided to keep the camera and basically use the component cables (my tv does not have HDMI input) and used that for the TV.
4) Bought a $100+ HD software (pinnacle software) to download the movie from the camera to DVD. $1499 camera and it does not come with download sofware?! C'mon!
5) Bought a Camcorder light and found out it makes a whopping difference with low light.
6) Bought a tripod but hardly use it.
7) Bought a 2GB Memory chip

Things I have issues with:
1) The camera does not have a stabalizer button, Supposedly its built in, however while watching videos, It does not seem the stabalizer is working.
2) The camera does not come with a shoulder strap. Again, $1499, it should come with this.
3) The camera does not allow you to record movies on the memory chip. This would've been a great feature for quick clips and all you have to do is take the chip out and download the file. All movies has to be recorded on the DV Tape.
4) Without a light, recording in low light conditions may affect the quality of your HD playback. Thus, the reason why I bought the Sony Light (see my other review).

Things I think is worth it:
1) The item is compact and light
2) The picture is OUT OF THIS WORLD. BEST PICTURE, BAR NONE!
3) The 4MP is pretty good. I love taking still pictures (widescreen and 4:3) with this thing. I dont have to lug around 2 cameras around.
4) The LCD touchscreen is wide and big enough for quick playback.
5) Zoom is awesome, especially in HD.

Overall, this product does deserve a 5 star. However the package it came with could've been better, esp with the price I paid. $1099 for this product is a steal! Of course the pictures I took with it is priceless. I attribute this to the timing of when I bought the product. Was in a hurry in buying a camcorder but at the same time I wanted something that would at least last me for a few decades. Now to get my ROI, it needs to!
LOL

Hope this helps!

Just got this camera from amazon a day ago, and the performance is unmatched. I been waiting for an HD consumer camcoder to match my 2 year old HDTV for a while, and this one is perfect. Recorded footage in dusk lighting and its superb. I switched between Discovery HD theater Channel and my camcorder and both look the same quality. Definetly broadcast HD quality camera. Records to my old DV tapes just fine, easy to capture video in HDV ( sony vegas software), easy to hold, film, good image stabilization, zooming focuses quickly as well. I exported the capture HDV video to 720x480 MPEG 2 Widescreen for use to burn my files as DVD, and to my surprise 90% of the HD quality remained ( when you have a very good source for making DVDs, they look as good as any DVD u buy in store). This will make perfect quality DVDs, and i will keep the HDV footage (either on Hard Drive, DV tape or DVD5 in divx or WM9 file format at full resolution) so that i can master HD-DVDs or Blue Ray dvds at full resolution when that technology is ready.
Low light performance is good as well. But clearly the best aspect of the image quality is the picture perfect quality of HD footage, the stable HD picture and the immence detail... everything from 300 full detailed flowers on my garden, to every 1" tile in my pool, to leaves of grass on my lawn, all recorded flawlessly with full detail.

Stop thinking about it and buy it, you won't regret it. Plus u have 30 day return policy on amazon, so u have time to test it.

Opened up my HDR HC3K box last night. The HC3K just means that it has a few extra goodies (extra battery, sony HDV tape, cleaning tape). Initial impression even before turning on the camcorder was it felt solid in the hand and not too big. It felt a little more compact than the DVD based DVD405. Played with the controls for a few mins and then started shooting video in reasonable indoor lighting. Below are the pros and cons:

PROS:
1) Good indoor video performance: I had halogen lamps in the room, so the picture was little tinted... but the picture control infront of the camera can be adjusted to lower the white balance and make it look little whiter.
2) Easy controls: There are not that many manual picture controls but sufficient for a non-pro user. The controls can be accessed via the LCD menu as well as by pressing and holding down the button infront of the camcorder. The buttons are easier to use than the LCD (which could leave fingerprints). The whitebalance and exposure controls give you great enhancement in video specially under low light or indoor conditions.
3) Beautiful picture quality: The indoor video quality was just fantastic. Crisp, Clear and sharp. Plugged in the AV cable and played it back onto the SONY Vega TV (non-HD). The picture quality was just great. But I was a little under-impressed with the fact that picture wasn't any better than my brother's panasonic GS500 (non-HD). But may be on a plasmaTV it might have looked better.
4) The slow-speed record feature is a great addition. Haven't played with it extensively but sounds like a cool feature.
5) Imports smoothly into Macbook: Just plugged in my firewire cable, the macbook recognizes the camcorder within iMovie and copies the video file. No drivers required... was a piece of cake. Ofcourse copying is not as quick as from sony DVD405 or hard disk based camcorders into a PC. You still have to play the entire length of the recording to capture in mac.

CONS:
1) Constant whirring sound of the tape while recording. Its more noticeable in the indoors. Having said that, the sound wasn't high enough to be caught on tape. I couldn't notice it while playback.
2) Lacks 5.1 surround sound. That would have been a nice addition. But I read in a few forums that its more of a technical reason than just a design issue.
3) Doesn't come with a Firewire cable: When you spend $1K+ for this camcorder, you would expect sony would provide atleast a $25 firewire cable. But its a shame, they don't.
4) Really pricey: I bought this at a online retailer [...], and got it for $[...]... but its still pricey compared to sony DVD405 which is almost half the price. But quality is probably worth the extra bills.

I bought this camcorder in preparation for my son's birth. Even though it is expensive compared to most non-HD camcorders, I think the picture quality is well worth the price. The video is easily transferred into iMovie HD on a Mac and after some editing, I can burn it on a DVD!

There were some information that I couldn't find readily before I bought the camcorder... This camcorder works well with regular DV tapes. I didn't buy the "HD" DV tapes. The "HD" DV tape claims that it can reduce 90% error and 50% dropout, but if the regular DV tape only suffers 0.1% error rate, then the premium in price for the HD tapes is definitely not worth it.

Sony doesn't include a i.Link cable (4pin to 6pin 1394 cable), so have to get that if you are planning on transferring the video to a computer.

They are also kind of cheap and does not include a HDMI connector. Considering the manufacturing cost is well below $5, it does not make sense why they can't just throw it in.

For myself, as a network television cameraman & editor, this is the best consumer video camera, for the money, that I have ever seen or used. The picture quality is so good that I have been using it a lot lately to shoot b-roll for a national television program and everyone from the producers to the technical staff have been genuinely impressed with the results. Sony should be charging a lot more money for this camera based on picture quality alone, not to mention the many great features it has. This camera has been very well thought-out.

A few of the things I really like about it..

1. The manual white balance function
2. Spot meter
3. Spot focus
4. HDMI output
5. Smooth slow-mo record
6. Touch screen monitor
7. HDV/DV switching
8. Zebras
9. Low-light sensitivity
10. End-of-tape search
11. Zoom & re-frame during playback also displays in HD
12. Wireless remote control also has the zoom in and out on it
13. The optional 7 hour battery is well worth it
14. Built in flash

I could go on and on!

Very happy with this camera. Was expecting poor images in low light and focus issues (had read other reviews that stated those problems) but was pleasantly surprise.
I don't do any pro-audio, so an external Mic jack is not a problem for me. In my experience, recording music (at high or low volumes) sounded great IMO.