yakkowarner's Full Review: Sony Handycam® DCR-HC40 Mini DV Camcorder
This is a consumer friendly camcorder that records a digital signal onto a tape medium. It has the usual features like an LCD screen, playback, as well as simple editing. You can download your data to the computer from either the memory card or the Mini-DV tape. This is not a workstation and in order to do any real work on the video you will need to download it to your computer.
The media it uses
There is two types of media it uses. The first is the memory stick. This is the standard Sony memory stick that is used in their palm pilots and digital cameras. It works well but the capacity is fairly small. You can record both video and photos to the memory stick.
Mini-DV is the other medium. It can be described as a happy medium between pure digital and analog tape. It is a small tape that records information digitally and that information can be loaded onto a computer fairly easily. This is just a cheaper option for people looking to get a digital camcorder.
Ergonomics
The controls on the camera are easily controlled and intuitive. I had no problem using the various buttons with my thumb without having to look down at them.
The problem is the camera is not very secure on your hand. All you use is a simple strap. It does not secure to your hand very well. Anyone with arthritis or carpal tunnel will have problems with prolonged use.
About the digital camera mode.
This is a convenience feature for users so they do not always feel like they have to carry both a digital camera and this video camera. You simply hit a button easily reached by your thumb and the camera takes the picture. The capture is almost immediate but it take 2 seconds to write it to memory stick. So do not even think of taking rapid shots of your child’s soccer game.
This is a nice feature if you forgot your digital camera but it is no where near as quick nor are the pictures as good a quality of the digital cameras out today. If all you have is a 5 year old digital camera then you should find it comparable in quality.
It has a touch screen? How cool!
I thought this was awesome when my father-in-law first showed this to me. All of the annoying buttons that are around the body of a typical camera are no longer there. All you do is tap the screen to move around the menu or change the setting manually.
The problem I have is that you cannot change setting very quickly at a moments notice by using the touch screen. If you need instant control of aperture or focus then this is not the camera for you.
There is also an added feature that simplifies the menu. There is a button just above the LCD that turns this on and off. This would be for non-technical users or users that do not need to manually control focus, brightness, etc. If you go to Best Buy then you will find this feature turned on, turn it off to see the full menu.
The screen is also backlit and most of the time you will have to have it on in order to see it properly (unless you are in direct sunlight.) The screen is fairly clear and looks good. But the quality is not very high, I certainly would not want to watch a whole movie on this screen because of the poor color quality and size (as compared to a real monitor.)
My view of the lcd
The LCD is of average quality in my opinion. It is fine for filming and quickly reviewing what you watched. You can view the screen from most angles with no problem. The colors on the screen are very poor and not accurate.
Night shot
This works by projecting a red light from the front of the camera. The red light (and any infrared radiation it emits) bounces off the surface and bounces back into the lens.
I was very impressed with how well it worked. This was the first time I was able to play around with a camera that had this feature and I was moderately impressed, you really could see in a perfectly dark room with this feature.
The two issues I do not like about night is that the camera cannot differentiate from different colors and the screen looks like you are looking through a spy glass. I placed out several colored toy fish and filmed them. I could not see any color. I expected that the red fish would have been a little brighter but that was not the case. I also turned off the red light and the only thing that showed up was the night light in the bathroom. It did not pick up any body heat or any thing else for that matter.
I also turned on the enhanced night shot and did not see any improvement in the picture. In fact the frame rate dropped and the video got choppy.
Color viewfinder
The viewfinder slides out but that it is. The whole unit is stationary and cannot be positioned at an angle. I assume they did this to eliminate moving parts but it does make the camera much harder to use without the LCD screen. It was awkward for me to use so I just used the LCD. What ever was displayed on the LCD is also displayed on the viewfinder.
Zoom speed
It takes 2 seconds for the lens to complete zoom into a subject. This is for analog zoom, not digital. Digital took about a second longer.
Microphones
There are two microphones in the front of the camera so you can record in stereo. The problem with this is the microphones are so close that you will not get a good stereo effect. There are external microphones available.
Recharge time and battery life
Recharge time is variable depending on the battery being used and the amount of juice left. It will take 125 minutes with the supplied battery and 220 minutes with the larger capacity battery.
Typical recording time will vary depending on if you leave the unit on, leave the LCD on, or leave the LCD backlight on. With the supplied battery you can expect to average 50 minutes and with the large capacity battery you can expect to average 200 minutes. With everything off and while using the high capacity battery, you can continuously record for 355 minutes. Playing time will be 400 minutes with the high capacity battery (this is under ideal conditions, not realistic ones.)
How comfortable is it to use?
In just 5 minutes I felt my hand cramping up. I certainly do not feel it fit my hand well. The buttons are positioned for a smaller person and I have to curl my fingers a bit just to operate all of the buttons easily.
But the buttons are placed well and are fairly intuitive. For those people with small hands I believe it would be fairly comfortable.
What is comes with.
The lower capacity battery,
audio video cable- S-video and the 3 RCA plugs.
Power/charging cable.
8MB memory card.
Memory card adapter- so you can use the smaller
A computer program
USB adapter
Accessories
There is a wide assortment of accessories Sony wants you to buy.
-batteries- The high capacity battery is a must.
-speed/portable chargers
-microphones
-light sources including a night shot light that extends the range from 10 feet to 100 feet.
-wide angle / zoom lenses.
-polarizing filters (I highly recommend for any camera if you can get one)
-tripods
-carrying cases galore.
-ilink/usb/audiov video cables.
-high quality tapes.
-memory stick readers, video display machines, and portable printers.
Resolution
maximum picture resolution is 1152x864 (HC30 is less)
Maximum video is 320x240
Weight and dimensions
weight is about 1 pound
dimensions are 2 x 3.6 x 4.5 inches
Tape length
Tape length is approximately 60 minutes (90 minutes at lp setting)
Image stabilization
This is standard on every video camera I know of. It works very well and I did not see any problems with it. You can shut it off in the menu screen.
Even when I had it zoomed to 120x, the image stabilization worked surprisingly well. I had to hold my hand steady but I did not need a tripod. My old Panasonic camcorder had to be set on a tripod at just 24x even with the image stabilization on.
Problems with digital zoom.
When I used digital zoom I noticed a lot of pixalation beyond 80x. And at 120X it was so annoying that I could not read the print on the poster. I always suggest leaving digital zoom off on any camera. If you want a zoom then do it in the editing room.
Connectors and Buttons
You have a manual slide that opens and closes the lens.
Dual purpose 1/8 inch plug for power and external microphone.
Sony memory card slot for the half size sticks only.
Manual on/off slider for nightshot plus.
Sony's computer link slot.
Digital video slot.
Audio/Video slot.
LANC slot
A one-touch photo button.
Mode select button- selects to camera mode, memory stick mode, or play/edit mode.
Record button.
On/off rocker that also changes mode.
Battery eject button right above the battery.
There is also a microphone in the front and a speaker on the right side.
On the left side above the LCD screen is a backlight button, display battery information button, and an easy menu settings button.
Next to the LCD is a record start top button and an LCD backlight button.
On the bottom are the typical screw holes for a tripod.
The top has a mounting for an external light source.
On the right side is a recessed reset button.
The top has the zoom button.
Just above the battery is the eject button to remove the tape. My father-in-law had to show it to me because I could not find it initially. The tape takes about 10 seconds to eject and it comes out of the bottom.
There is also a viewfinder focus knob. This is located on the side of the small viewfinder so that people with a need for reading glasses can use the viewfinder without having glasses on.
The touch screen menu
The touch screen works perfectly. You can touch the screen while looking at it or you can put the screen flush against the camera and use it to operate the settings manually (setting like exposure, or digital effects.) The screen eliminates the need to have external buttons getting in the way and makes it more trekish in the process.
But I do think the program could be tweaked to make it easier to navigate.
It is easy to read as long as the backlight is on. If the backlight is off then you need to be in a brightly lit area in order to see it.
Some of the touch screen program settings.
You can customize these buttons by setting them on different screens, or by adding/deleting them on the menu. These buttons are usually set on/off (like nightshot light) or automatic/manual (like exposure).
Fader- Simple fade effects found on most camcorders.
Spot focus- Focus on a spot on the LCD screen.
Exposure- Automatic or manual
Focus- Automatic or manual
Spot meter- The camera exposes the picture at the point you press on the screen.
Program AE- This sets it to an auto exposure setting or you can set it for specific exposure programs (spotlight, portrait, sports, beach & ski, sunset & moon, landscape,
LCD brightness- Change the brightness of the LCD.
Super NSPlus- Adjusts the shutter speed to get a higher quality nightshot picture. Does not work well in total darkness.
Color slow S- tries to get better color by adjusting the shutter speed.
D. Effect- these are fun to play with initially but they get old. Probably the most used will be the blur effect or the vintage film effect, the other ones I really did not like.
16:9 wide- does not increase the quality of the image, it just records it in wide screen, you must have a compatible TV in order to see it displayed properly and it decreases the resolution of the overall picture. I do not recommend this feature.
Self timer- a 10 second timer.
Memory mix- Mix stills with moving images.
Beep- Change or eliminate the camera noises.
Langage- English, simplified English, Canadian French, Latin American, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, traditional-Chinese, or Korean.
Image stabilization- this keeps the image from shaking too much. It works well and should be left on for most users.
P-menu set up- this allows you to customize the touch screen menus.
Digital zoom- set off, 20x, or 120x.
Other cool features
You can setup sections on the tape and search for these sections on playback.
You can record from a VCR and then save the video to your computer.
Compatibility with my palm pilot
I went ahead the used the 8MB card since it was empty and took a brief video and some photos. I then used the adapter and inserted it in my Sony palm pilot. The palm pilot recognized the card and stated it was full but is was unable to read the data on the card. So it was incompatible.
Input ports
Audio (RCA), FireWire / DV / iLink, USB
Output ports
FireWire / DV / i.Link, USB
What is comes with
Software, USB Cable, Video Cable, 8 MB Memory Card, Driver, Lithium Battery, Battery Charger, AC Power Adapter, Remote Control.
Provided software
Software OS Compatibility: Microsoft® Windows® 98SE, Me, 2000 Professional, XP Home and Pro; Macintosh® OS X (10.1.5 or later)4
Picture Package™ Software v1.0 for Sony)
What I do not like.
The resolution is poor for someone that really enjoys HDTV.
The camera is too small for my hand and the ergonomics are not quite right.
I would like to see aperture and focus controls on the camera body itself for manual control.
The available lens and filters are very limited.
Summary
This is a good camera that is easy to use. I heartily recommend it for the price. There are a lot of features that work well but ultimately you will mostly use this camera for taking video for posterity. This camera will not take high quality video nor can you easily control the manual settings. These are minor grips for what you are getting.
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