Sony DCR-HC96
May 1st, 2006 | by David Elrich
 |
Average user rating from 4 users |
It's an absolute shame!
by Marcus Goldade on Jun 17th, 2007 at 11:16 PM:
The fact that Sony has decided to reduce their selection of MiniDV Camcorders is a real disappointment! What is even more of a disappointment is that now only the top camera on their line has a LANC port.
Sony has always been the camera of choice for skydiving. Our helmets are constructed around the Sony line. Unfortunately the DVD and HDD camera's will not stand up to the vibration and elements we subject them to. The MiniDV is the only stable choice for us! Having a LANC port is necessary to connect the camera to the "Cam-eye II" on the helmet (a device to allow us to remotely control the cam while it is enclosed in the protective shell mounted on the side of our helmet which includes a visual aid to let us know the state of recording during freefall).
The real bonus here is that sony has reduced both the size and weight substantially! Believe me, when you are falling at 120mph to the earth and open a parachute, that weight makes the difference between a chiropractic visit or a beer. Sony has always lead the way with their handycams for us. The PC10, the PC100, the list goes on... and so does the quality!
While most of you will never strap a camera to your head and jump out of a plane, I do. And to know you are buying a camera that will stand up to that vigarous of an environment should help you make an informed decision on your purchase.
Now, maybe some techie from Sony will read this and either make a better HDD cam to stand up to our sport, or they will expand their MiniDV line for the needs required by extremists like myself (BTW, there are thousands world-wide!). To see what kind of resolutions we get with sony handycams, check out the video at http://www.skydivingmovies.com
I would say that 99% of the video in our industry is shot on Sony MiniDV.
My review? I give this cam a 9 out of 10. How could you make it better?
-Better battery
-include the firewire cable
Another great job by Sony!
Is this the top from SONY??
by Robert on Nov 23rd, 2006 at 8:16 AM:
I bought few years back the lower quality model HC46 and I was surprised to see the bad quality on the pictures and most video shots in low light situations. I tested the HC46 camera for almost two weeks and decided to return it to the store.
Starting two months ago I decided to look again for a camcorder and again after taking out other manufacturers I decided to try again SONY. I’m planning to use the camera most of the time for underwater video so one of the reasons I choose SONY is because there are housing for SONY more than Panasonic, etc.
Is a mistake… not sure yet, quality of video and still is definitely better but I was expecting much better for an $800 camcorder – best model from SONY for MiniDV camcorders.
Video Resolution
by F Fortuny on Nov 3rd, 2006 at 3:32 PM:
You don't mention in your review that this camera has 2056K pixels to capture the video image, as opposed to, let's say, 384,000 the classic Sony TRV10 came with. 2056K pixels supplies a lot more information to work with when downsampling to the SD size of 720x480 pixels (384,000). This camera will ALWAYS generate less artifacts than others. It is one 2056K cmos device, instead of, let's say, 3-CCD devices 600K pixels each. It is that huge device for video resolution that generates such better images when downsampled to 720x480.
Write Your Review
Your review should be relevant to this item. An email address is required for verification purposes only and will not be displayed. HTML is not allowed in comments. If you want to discuss the product rather than write your own review, visit the forums.
RSS Feed
Video Resulation
by Juano on Jan 2nd, 2008 at 11:05 AM: