Sony DCR HC52 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom
680,000-pixel CCD (340K effective pixels) * variable-speed 40X Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar?optical zoom lens (digital zoom to 2000X) * 2-1/2″ touchpanel LCD * Super SteadyShot?image stabilization * NightShot Plus mode for filming in low-light settings *
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Cannot find firewire…..
My biggest complaint is that I cannot find a firewire to purchase so I can view the recordings on my computer. I even looked for it on Samsung’s website store and got nowhere. Watching my granddaughter on the little screen attached to the camera is the pits. I will not purchase another Samsung camcorder.
1 Star no sound on WMP
Movies play on other media players but on Windows Media Player there is no sound. I called Sony and they said that it was “Microsoft’s problem”, but I disagree, it is their CUSTOMER’S PROBLEM and they refused to help. Stay clear of this quirky pos.
2 Stars noisiest camera I ever owned
I have had 3 Sony Camcorders, including two mini-dv handhelds. None of them make the noise this one does. I bought it as an extra camera to record some of my psychotherapy sessions, but the motor is so loud I cannot use it. I could hear it from across the room of my office. Maybe I just have a dud. Sony has always been a good brand and I am going to try one of their solid state media low end cameras instead. At least then it should not be noisy. The video quality seemed ok – about what I would expect. I would not recommend it.
4 Stars would be better with standard 1394 cable
I love the picture quality. i love that you can transfer videos if you have 1394 cable and card… but what if you don’t have either one.. I would have been happier if they supplied the 1394 cable with the camcorder… The biggest advantage of the the mini-DV … you are not dependent on a hard drive (which for all it’s convenience is still a less reliable media when compared to a DV tape or DVD. The picture quality is very good.. I had a DCR HC20.. was very happy with it.. got the DCR hc52.. it had more zoom.. but they completely eliminated the USB.. which was kind of Bizarre.. but it’s Sony and they like to be proprietary retained the firewire.. Would have loved it even more if they could find a way to attach a flash.. but I knew about these minor drawbacks even before I bought… and went ahead all the same ‘cos i loved the picture quality with my dcrhc 20.. so far the hc52 has been as good as anticipated
1 Star piece of junk
If you intend to transfer your video to your computer, do not buy this junk. I agree with the other reviewer, I will never buy anything else with the Sony name on it.
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