Digital Trends

Sony DCR-DVD203 October 3rd, 2005 | by David J Elrich

Performance

Camcorders are not digital cameras so don't expect an “instant on” experience. This can be a problem for grabbing spontaneous action so it's recommended you keep in it Standby when you're planning to shoot. It's still not instantaneous but it's a bit faster than a cold start. In the case of the DCR-DVD203, it was ready to go in about six seconds from off to on. Using a DVD-R disc I took a variety of clips including a baseball game, sight-seeing images in Manhattan and motion video. I also took a number of stills.

As noted, the camcorder was initially set in the Auto Easy Handycam position; a cool blue light lets you know you're in that setting as well as onscreen displays. With this setting you simply point and hit the Record button and off you go.

When a camcorder is Auto, it truly is point-and-record. You simply frame your subjects and record away. The 2.7-inch LCD makes this a breeze, no matter if you're in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio. The screen, although only 123K pixels, held up very well in direct sunlight. With the optional mic on, I recorded a 360-degree view of NY's Columbus Circle. Getting tired of such simplicity, I left the Big Easy behind and used the various Program AE settings where appropriate such as Sports for speeding taxis, Sunset and Landscape. In between I'd move into the Still mode and grab a few images. Then it came time for the true test—playing back the disc after a finalization process that lasted about five minutes (this for a DVD-R disc). This is a process you must do or else the disc won't work in a DVD player. When you finalize there are options for playback menus. We kept it in default with thumbnails for each scene. Note: It's not necessary for +RW but you won't get the thumbnails.

Once done, I checked out the video via a DVD player on a 42-inch Pioneer plasma TV connected to a surround sound system. In general the video was a mixed bag. Shooting outdoors in good light, the color was lifelike and accurate, much better than the Hitachi reviewed earlier. The scenes shot in widescreen looked very nice. In other instances, the color lacked contrast and deep blacks so it was disappointing. The scenes shot indoor with NightShot Plus were OK but a bit on the noisy side yet that's to be expected. However, those recorded indoors using Color Slow Shutter were much better. The surround sound added a very nice depth and dimension to the video although it was a bit disconcerting to hear my voice coming from the rear speakers as I narrated the footage. Although an option, I recommend it for anyone who wants to go beyond the traditional home video fare. I didn't get to a NASCAR race but I'd imagine it would be great to truly immerse yourself—and record--the experience.

The one-megapixel stills were as you'd expect: not good enough for anything beyond a 3x5—and that's stretching it. The still mode functions very smoothly with an amusing clicking sound and shutter closing to simulate a camera. Quality was far better than the Hitachi but still nothing to stand up and cheer for. It worked best on stationery objects; anything in motion was blurry.

Image Courtesy of Sony Electronics