Affordable digital video camera, if you can find it.
Written: Jun 08 '03 (Updated Jun 22 '03)
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Pros: Excellent digital video quality, bright LCD, popular MiniDV format, Firewire connection.
Cons: It is an older model, single CCD sensor, photo mode is useless, no built-in light.
The Bottom Line: The small portable size and high-resolution digital image quality make the DCRPC7 an excellent video camera for most consumer needs. However newer 3CCD megapixel models have made it obsolete.
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| aashok's Full Review: Sony Handycam DCR-PC7 Mini DV Camcorder |
You can see an image of this video camera on my profile page.
What is it and why did I buy it?
The DCR-PC7 was one of the earliest MiniDV digital video cameras produced by Sony electronics. At that time small video cameras were gaining in popularity and the most popular formats were 8mm, Hi8 and VHSc. MiniDV (which had the most lines of resolution) was considered very expensive and for professional and semi-professional use only. Very few manufacturers offered a consumer version of these highest resolution video cameras. I was one of the earliest adopters of MiniDV when Sony introduced this model. It records digital video and audio, on the very popular Mini-DV cassettes. I purchased it over 4 years ago and can still remember asking myself, “I wonder if MiniDV will go the way of Beta?” I’m happy to see now that MiniDV has been accepted by other manufacturers as well as consumers. It is one of the most convenient ways to capture digital video with stereo sound. I like this format so much that late last year, I purchased my second MiniDV camcorder, the Sony DCR-PC120BT.
Quick Resolution Guide by Format.
Any video displayed on a TV is comprised of horizontal lines. The higher resolution displays are capable of displaying more horizontal lines. Hence video resolution is still measured in horizontal lines displayed. For comparison purposes, here is a quick resolution guide to some of the more popular consumer oriented formats:
VHS: 250 horizontal lines, (analog recording)
VHS-C: 250 horizontal lines, (VHS in a compact size cassette, analog recording)
SVHS: 400 horizontal lines, (VHS size cassette with higher resolution, analog recording)
SVHS-C: 400 horizontal lines, (SVHS in a compact cassette, analog recording)
8mm: 270 horizontal lines, (analog recording)
Hi8: 400 horizontal lines, (8mm size cassette but with higher resolution, analog recording)
Digital 8: 500 horizontal lines, (8mm size cassette but with digital recording)
MiniDV: 520 horizontal lines, (digital recording)
Micro DV: 520 horizontal lines, (cassette smaller than MiniDV, digital recording)
There are many more formats used for professional purposes but I won’t go into them here.
Design and specifications.
This is not the smallest video camera made today but it is still very small at 57x44x107mm, and weighs approximately 7oz. It has an adjustable grip strap that allows single-handed operation by left or right-handed individuals. On the left just above the battery, is a 2.5” flip out swivel LCD panel. It can be used for playback or as a monitor while recording. Below the battery is the connection panel which includes a S-video, A/V mini jack and a multifunction port. The firewire port is located at the bottom front and is covered by a little rubber flap. The camcorder has a 40mm f=4.0 lens that is capable of 10x optical and 120x digital zoom. It also has a super steady shot feature. The color electronic viewfinder has a diopter adjustment for people with eyeglasses. The 4 position power switch has a safety lock and can be set to VTR, Camera, Photo and Off. It can be quickly accessed with your thumb. The telephoto/wide angle control is located on the right side above the MiniDV cassette compartment cover. The cover is locked in place by a panel that has to be manually pried open, in order to access the cassette eject button. The stereo microphone is on top next to the shoe for an external light. There is a tripod socket at the bottom. Overall, I found it very easy to learn the layout of the various functions and was happily shooting within a few minutes out of the box.
What is included in the box.
- DCR-PC7 video camera,
- RMT-806 remote control (IR)
- ACV-100 AC power adapter and battery charger,
- Power cord and connecting cable (DK626),
- A/V connecting cable,
- NP-F100 730mAh Li-Ion battery, (lasts about 30 min with LCD on, and 45 minutes with LCD off) (also available are F200 and F300 extra capacity batteries)
- Battery terminal cover,
- Lens cap,
- Instruction manual.
- 2xAA batteries for the remote control.
The power cord included had a European plug. But I called Sony customer service and they immediately shipped me the correct power cord. There was no MiniDV cassette included.
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WHAT’s HOT.
Excellent video and audio quality.
The camcorder captures video using a single 1/3” CCD sensor. This combined with the auto white balance, renders extremely sharp video. The colors are very bright, vivid and the skin tones are very natural. Even though it is rated at a minimum of 1 Lux, the camcorder really records the best video at about 100Lux of lighting. In low light conditions, it will still record reasonably good video with minimum digital noise. The recorded image quality is so good that you can freeze frame the camcorder and capture individual frames from the video stream, as JPEG still images. The recorded audio is in stereo. However because the microphone is so small and located in one spot, there is virtually no noticeable stereo separation. However the microphone is very sensitive and picks up even the smallest detail. During family dinners, you will most likely pick up some kid whispering, “rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub”. There are two record speeds namely SP (1 Hr) and LP (1.5 Hrs) (on 60 min tape).
Firewire port and digital video editing.
In order to transfer any video from an analog source to your PC, it must be first converted into a digital format. (DVI, AVI, MPEG2, MPEG4 or windows media) The purpose of having a digital camcorder is to minimize any degradation in quality caused by analog to digital conversion. The Firewire port also called IEEE 1394, allows for very easy and quick transfer of your video from the camcorder to the PC. If your PC doesn’t have a Firewire connector, you will need to install a Firewire PCI card. Generic IEEE1394 cards can be purchased for about $10 and the install is quite simple as well. I often connect the video camera to my PC and download the video in MPEG2 format, directly to the HDD. I then run Pinnacle Studio ver 8, to do scene editing and insert titles and special effects, before burning to DVD or VCD. You can read more about my adventures in digital video editing, in my review of Pinnacle Systems Studio version 8 software.
LCD Panel.
The TNT active matrix LCD panel (384x220 resolution) flips open and can be turned to face the subject being recorded. The LCD can be used as a viewfinder to enable recording from odd angles, as well as for playback of recorded video. It also displays all the onscreen menus and advanced record/playback functions. The menu system is well organized and intuitive. It allows for quick access to the functions you need. You can also adjust the color and brightness levels of the LCD display. Below the LCD panel is a small speaker that allow you to hear the audio during playback.
Other notable features.
- These include a super sharp 10x optical zoom,
- 120x digital zoom, however the image shows excessive pixelation at the extreme zoom range
- Super steady shot that minimizes hand shake and bumpiness while moving,
- InfoLithium rechargeable battery system, it tells you approximately how many minutes of record time are available.
- Auto exposure and white balance,
- Scene fade in / out, scene search with indexing, editing and audio dubbing.
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WHAT’s NOT.
Useless Photo Mode.
The camcorder has a photo mode that is not useful at all. In this mode the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed up to 1/1000 sec depending upon the exposure. It records a still image and 7 seconds of background audio. You can record up to 510 still images on a 60 minute tape. However, you can freeze/pause the video playback and capture the frame as a still image anyway. So the photo mode is really very redundant. Last year my wife and I took a cruise to the Bahamas. When we came back, I captured quite a few stills from the videos I had taken. The quality was good, but nowhere near my digital still camera.
Single CCD sensor only.
This is not a bad thing considering how old this model is. However some of the models being currently offered have 3 megapixel resolution CCD sensors. This significantly improves the colors and resolution of the captured video. It also allows for significantly better capture of still images. Many of them also have dedicated removable flash memory to store digital still shots, pop up lamps for illumination in low light conditions among other features. The newer Sony DCR-VX2000, and the Sony DCR-TRV950 are models that have some of these features and much, much more.
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The BOTTOM LINE.
The small portable size and high-resolution digital image quality make the DCR-PC7 an excellent video camera for almost all consumer needs. However it is quickly being made obsolete by the new breed of megapixel 3 CCD models. If all you want to do is record good quality videos of your family and friends, then you could save some serious coinage on the DCR-PC7. (used models are currently being sold on eBay for around $250-$350) However if you demand the best video resolution and color quality available today, then consider the newer DCR-VX2000, and the DCR-TRV950 models.
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Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 899.00
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