Sony DCR-DVD205 1MP DVD Handycam Camcorder with 12x Optical Zoom

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 2.2 x 3.5 inches ; 1.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000E0G00U
• Item model number: DCR-DVD205
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,873 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 7, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Capture 1.0-megapixel stills, a wide-angle view and superior color reproduction with the Advanced HAD CCD on the DCR-DVD205 Handycam camcorder. You'll enjoy crisp and clear monitoring and playback on the 2.7-inch-wide Clear Photo LCD Plus display. And your home movies will be brought to life with 5.1ch surround sound recording.

1.0-Megapixel Advanced HAD CCD Imager; 1070K Gross
1/5.5-inch Advanced HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCD imager with 690K effective video pixels provides excellent detail and clarity, for exceptional digital video (up to 520 lines of resolution) and still image performance. Realize great looking digital still images with 1,000K effective pixels.

DVD Format Video Recording
The DVD recording format delivers digital picture and sound quality comparable to that of MiniDV, but on DVD. Playback of the DVDs couldn't be simpler. After finalizing the disc in the camcorder, the disc can play back in most DVD Players, computers and even PlayStation 2 video game consoles.

DVD-R/RW and +RW Compatible
The DCR-DVD205 is compatible with a variety of DVD formats allowing the easy of use and simplicity found in DVD Media. With DVD+RW media there is not a need to finalize the disc (minimum recording required). Simply remove the disc and insert the media into a compatible DVD Player.

12x Optical/800x Digital Zoom
The optical zoom helps to bring the action close up from far away. In addition the Digital Zoom Interpolation means that extreme digital zooming is clearer, with less distortion than previous types of digital zooms.

Professional Quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens
Carl Zeiss lenses have an advanced optical multi-layer coating that offers less glare and flare with increased contrast. This results in vivid image brilliance, true-to-life color saturation and perfect renditions of subtle tones.

2.7-inch Wide Touch Panel SwivelScreen LCD Display (123K Pixels)
The 2.7-inch wide (16:9) LCD screen provides excellent viewing clarity with improved resolution. The high resolution 123K pixel LCD screen rotates up to 270 degrees for multiple viewing angles providing sharp, detailed images for monitoring or playback, and the widescreen format makes shooting in 16:9 mode and composing shots even easier.

SteadyShot Picture Stabilization System
Picture stabilization system that uses motion sensors to detect and compensate for camera "shake" without compromising picture quality like some other digital stabilization systems.

On Screen Zoom and Record Buttons
For addition control of the camcorder, the DCR-DVD205 features Zoom and Record buttons on the frame of the LCD screen. This allows the user more flexibility when holding the camcorder, especially in overhead or low angle shots.

Manual Focus
Allows the user to manually adjust the focus of the camcorder using the touch panel. Manual focusing also allows the user to control the focus in difficult situations where either the environment or the subject does not allow the camcorder's auto focus to perform optimally, such as when shooting through a window or in a crowded environment.

InfoLithium Battery with AccuPower Meter System
Charge the battery at anytime because unlike NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries, Sony's rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries are not subject to a life shortening "memory effect". Sony's exclusive AccuPower meter displays the battery time remaining in minutes, in either the viewfinder or on the LCD screen.

Super NightShot Plus Infrared System
With Sony's Super NightShot Infrared System you can capture natural looking video, even when shooting in low light. Record subjects up to 20 feet away using the built-in infrared system, but without the overall monochrome color common with earlier low-light recording systems.

Stamina Battery Power Management System
Using the optional NP-FP90 InfoLithium Battery, the DCR-DVD203 can continuously record for up to 8 hours on a single full charge, providing extra long battery life.

Picture Effects
Get creative when recording or playing back your videos with Sony's Picture Effect Modes. Effects available in Camera mode: Mosaic, Monotone, Sepia and Pastel. Effects available in Playback mode: Monotone and Sepia.

Fader Effects
Enhance your personal videos by adding professional looking fader effects. Choose from Black, Overlap, White and Wipe.

Conversion Software
Nero Express 6 software is included for easy duplication and conversion from 3-inch media to 5 1/4-inch media.

Additional Features

• Battery information
• Program AE (autoexposure) modes
• Easy Handycam button

What's in the Box
Sony DCR-DVD205 1MP DVD Handycam camcorder, power adapter/in-camera charger (ACL25), InfoLithium rechargeable battery (NPFP50), stereo AV cable, lens cap, Nero Express 6 (conversion software), cleaning cloth

Product Description

Watch your home movies come to life like never before with the DCR-DVD205 DVD Handycam camcorder from Sony. Enjoy the extra large 2.7" wide LCD screen, which swivels and adjusts to optimize the viewing angle for easy recording. Not only can you record digital video, but you can also capture quality digital still images at up to 1 Megapixel.Fully equipped with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, you can capture professional quality digital video and images with enhanced color and clarity. The 12X optical zoom brings the action close with minimized distortion. The Super NightShot Plus infrared system lets you record in low light conditions. As with all of Sony's DVD Handycam camcorders, you can conveniently record directly to DVD.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handycan is E-A-S-Y, August 27, 2006

By	mary poppins "football mom" (Clawson, MI) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

My husband has been after me for quite some time to purchase the sony DVD Handycam. Neither one of us likes to fool around with transferring of tapes. We both love just finalizing the disc, then popping it into the DVD recorder. It is sooooooooo user friendly, and the touch screen is amazing. So far the greatest feature is the night lighting/ dim lighting feature. That has been great for our sons' later football games. It makes it look like you are shooting in the day light. GREAT PURCHASE. As always Sony lives up to it reputation.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handycam is very Handy, November 11, 2006

By	Diana "Hans Mom" (apo, ae) - See all my reviews

First of all, I am not a expert when it comes to camcorders. I am a mom with two adorable children that I chase after 24-7. In my opinion this is a wonderful camcorder for the price. I recently bought it to replace a Samsung that was dropped and broken. I did a lot of research on Camcorders before choosing this one and one thing I learned is that most of the bad reviews given to lower model cameras come from people who are what I call ametuer professionals, who should be looking at buying more expensive cameras than this one. Anyway, things I like about this camera include has easy it is to transfer it to regular 8 inch dvd. Just pop it into your computer and use the nero software. Second I love that it takes snapshots. Sure with this model they are only 1 mega pixel but most of us have another camera for taking pictures with anyway. If you want one to do both I would highly reccomend the Sony 405 that takes 4 mega pixel pictures. I also love the optical zoom, although I do wish it would zoom further. All in all this camera is an excellent choice for busy parents who are not trying to make motion picture films. A really great and handy camcorder.

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sony DCR DVD-205, October 22, 2006

By	D. Johnson - See all my reviews

I replaced a Sony Hi-8 camcorder with the Sony DCR DVD-205. The old Sony had a x20 optical zoom, and the new Sony only has x12. I was told you get less zoom with a higher quality lenses, but if the video image is noisy and grainy due to the CCD sensor, video circuitry, and/or low light conditions, that super high quality lenses is useless. I'd rather have the x30 lenses of JVC or Panasonic.

The nightshot on the old camcorder lit up the room with infra-red. It also had a built in light, which was great. Using the light, scenes were bright and in color. On the DCR DVD-205, the nightshot is a weak small spotlight, and as a result the picture is a black and white, somewhat noisy grainy image. Other brand camcorders have a build in lights which give you color, including JVC, Canon, Hitachi, and Panasonic. I'm convinced you need a bright light, and I'm willing to trade battery life for higher quality images.

Probably one advantage for infra-red is you can't see it, but I am looking for good scenes with high quality color images, and nightshot doesn't do that. Sony's super nightshot plus slows down the shutter, so you get a blurry slowly changing image.

A big MINUS for Sony, and PLUS for Panasonic, JVC, Canon, and Hitachi -- When you rotate the LCD display 180 degrees on the old Sony Hi-8 Camcorder, the viewfinder remains on. The kids see themselves on the LCD, they giggle and jump around and play while I frame the shot in the viewfinder, and get great scenes. On the new Sony DCR DVD-105, 205, 305, 405, and 505, the viewfinder turns off. Panasonic, JVC, Canon, and Hitachi leave their viewfinder on, so if you want great images of small kids, don't get the Sony - Sony totally missed the boat removing this feature, probably to save power - I'd rather have an option to off the viewfinder if the LCD is rotated 180 degrees, rather than Sony forcing it off. Based on the lack of a built in light and removal of the viewfinder when the LCD is rotated 180 degrees, I decided to return the camcorder, and I feel good about doing that, because these basic features make the video better and should be in the Sony product.

The get to the fader, you have to go through menus, which is a poor design, those should be buttons on the device, as should the volume controls. The zoom buttons on the LCD display are slow speed and basically useless, the zoom control over the viewfinder is the one to use.
I like the touchscreen, however you have to use it for all menu functions, so it gets smudges quickly. Once the touchscreen breaks, the Camcorder will need to be thrown away.

I recorded with DVD R-W in VR mode so I could do some editing in the Camcorder. I finalized the disc but can't view it in my DVD player, and now it won't unfinalize. I'll need to buy a DVD Recorder on my computer and copy to a DVD-R before I can recover the video.

Sony was too cheap to include an S-VIDEO cable, but viewing on the camcorder screen or over the analog AV cable, all indoor shots (day or night using Nightshot) are viewable but noisy and grainy.


In Summary:
PLUS: Nightshot (infra-red light), although its too weak, doesn't disturb anyone at night.
MINUS: No build in visable spectrum light
MINUS: Viewfinder shuts off when LCD display opens (major flaw for family videos)
PLUS: Can use AC power with the battery installed, true also with JVC and Canon. Panasonic and Hitachi don't allow AC power with the battery plugged in, this is a big minus for Panasonic and Hitachi.
Video Quality - Indoors Poor but viewable, Outdoors same as all the others.

Research is still needed to see if Sony really does have the best low light performance - the only comparison that counts is how the camcorder works with each brand's built in light provided.

I'm still looking for a good camcorder for family shooting!