Sony Handycam® DCR-IP220 Micro MV Camcorder

Pros: Small size. Good ergonomics. Screen on back. Still photos. Compact tapes & batteries.
Cons: Expensive. MicroMV format may or may not equal MiniDV. Lens could be more wide-angle.

I wound up buying the new DCR-IP220 just before leaving for a vacation that included a few days visiting historical sites in the gloomy midwestern U.S. (Missouri and Illinois), and a week on sunny Grand Cayman in the Caribbean.

Overall, I'm...

Pros: Video quality, multitasking, many features, high cool factor, good battery life, touch screen controls
Cons: Ergonomics, microphone placement

As a professed Sony Gadget Geek, I jumped all over this camera and pre purchased it before it was even available. I love this camera. I can take it on a trip and have 2MP digital video (60 min per tape) and 2MP digital pictures (saved to Sony's propriet ...

Pros: Small, light, 2 mega still images, view finder
Cons: cost, wish the lens was wider

I wanted a really small camera that did it all. I wanted something I could put in my purse that I could use for both video and still shots. I have 2 little babies and I only wanted to carry one small camera, but be able to capture the moment wherever...

Pros: Camera is easy to use, small, nice lens
Cons: Who cares how good the camera is-you can't download video and work with it.

I am extremely disappointed with the software bundled with the Micro MV camcorder. Pixela Image Mixer and Movie Shaker for Sony are so problematic, I have yet to successfully import a full-length video with it. After a few minutes, the recording stops, and a message pops up saying "HDD problem". A software patch from Sony designed to fix the problem was NO help. Sony site has terrible support for both the camera and the software problems.

The only info I can find is on independent sites, and most concur that the camera is too expensive, and not at all user friendly when it comes to downloading and manipulating the video files.

I am at a total loss how to solve the problems because Sony has LITERALLY NO customer support for the IP220 Micro MV recorder. How can they get away with this? I'm ready to take the loss of the $900 I paid for the darn thing and buy regular sized DV. What do I do about the once in a lifetime shots I have on the Micro MV tapes??

Pros: Size, Quality, Accessories, external lens fitting
Cons: relatively expensive paid £1200

I bought this camera 8 months ago in preparation for my daughters birth and childhood as well as many other things.

I am very happy with the camera and find the quality of the stills and movies exceptional.

I think the MicroMV is very good and the software that accompanies the camera is outstanding, allowing the user to export to a wide range of formats including the ones that the MiniDV cameras record to. The size saving is huge considering I have 9 60 minute MicroMV tapes which as MiniDV would take up a load more space.

I cannot understand why the MicroMV format has not rocketed, as I can see only benefits from it. I have no regrets about purchasing this camera and would challenge it against MiniDV anyday.

I bought my first camera at Singapore airport, it malfunctioned within 48 hours. So I sent the unit to Sony Consumer Products UK, under warantee. I recieved the unit one month later only to find that it malfunctioned in the same way when I inserted a tape. I then Sent the unit back to Consumer Products UK with a strongly worded letter and also wrote a letter to the Sony UK Managing Director. After some discussion with Sony Representatives regarding the unit not being fit for purpose only 48 hours after the time of purchase, Sony UK agreed to replace the unit and did so promptly. The new unit performs very well and I am very pleased with it. The moral of the story is that as these machines become more advanced, they will have more that can go wrong. Be careful when buying these sorts of things overseas as international warantees dont compare to domestic ones. And finally a big thankyou to Sony UK, you did come through in the end with a bit of pushing.