Sony DCR-HC20 Handycam Mini DV Digital Camcorder - Inexpensive and Easy to Use
Written: Sep 30 '04 (Updated Apr 13 '05)
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Pros: Inexpensive, easy to use, good performance and features, compact size, MiniDV format
Cons: No analog inputs, manual controls not easily accessible, poor still performance
The Bottom Line: If you want a compact, inexpensive and easy-to-use camcorder with very good performance, the HC20 is a good choice. But for more...
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| dkozin's Full Review: Sony Handycam DCR-HC20 Mini DV Digital Camcorder |
The Sony DCR-HC20 is a very inexpensive digital camcorder. Although you can buy it for less than $400, it still uses MiniDV format and features quality Carl Zeiss 10x optical zoom lens.
It used to be quite expensive to buy a Sony-branded MiniDV camcorder. You had to settle for their Digital8 model to get lower price and/or more functionality. Now, the HC20 is quite inexpensive. Which is a good thing, because it is also compact and lightweight and also uses a de-facto industry standard – MiniDV tape.
The low price required some sacrifices comparing to more expensive models. But it is a “half-empty glass” view of it. You can think of it (in a “half-full glass” vein) as having all the necessities and no luxuries. In fact, there are some luxuries as well.
Looks
Although some elements of the camcorder look stylish, some look cheap. The tape door and the whole side have cheap look to them with grayish plastic and very shiny main mode switch. The opposite side with the LCD look metallic and stylish.
The camcorder is quite compact, although not as small as the most miniature models. It is convenient to hold and the main controls are within easy reach. Notice that I say “main controls”. The “Rec” button is conveniently located within the easy reach of your thumb as is the main switch and the “Photo” button can be easily reached as well.
Zoom
The camcorder has a 10x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar optical zoom lens, which, combined with digital zoom produces up to 120x total zoom. The lens is multi-coated to reduce flare and internal reflections, thereby increasing contrast.
The camcorder uses a 680,000-pixel CCD sensor, which is quite high resolution for such an inexpensive camcorder (340,000 pixels are used for image, the rest helps stabilize the image).
Image Stabilization
The camcorder has digital image stabilization, which is quite effective at removing unwanted image shake.
Viewfinder
The camcorder has a rudimentary black and white viewfinder, which only extends slightly, but does not rotate out of its horizontally-fixed position. In other words, the viewfinder flexibility is limited and you will be tempted to use the LCD screen anyway. The viewfinder has diopter adjustment for eyeglass wearers.
LCD
The camcorder uses a 2.5-inch LCD touch-panel viewscreen, which opens up to 90-degree angle and can rotate forward 180 degrees and backward 90 degrees. Once the screen is rotated and faces the subject, the image flips automatically, so the subject can see himself/herself without being pictured upside-down. You can even close the screen, making it face the outside.
You will probably have to use the LCD almost exclusively, as the viewfinder does not tilt from its position, it can only extend slightly. The button above the LCD turns the backlight on and off. You can turn it on in brightly lit areas to make the screen brighter and more visible.
Controls
The target audience for this camcorder is epitomized by the prominent “Easy” button, which, when engaged, switches the camcorder to full auto mode and even increases the font size on the screen to make operation easier. The camcorder has a large “Easy” button on its body, above the LCD. When engaged, you can gust “point and shoot” – the operation is automatic and the camcorder is very easy to use.
The LCD lets you control the camcorder’s many functions by tapping the choices that appear on it. Although it makes it somewhat easier to navigate the menus, this method has a couple of drawbacks.
Firstly, some “virtual buttons” on the screen are too small and I had to concentrate on touching them precisely. If you touch off-center of the button, it might not work. Also, it is not easy to point the camcorder in the right direction while trying to tap on the screen in the correct spot with the other hand.
The functions like manual focus, spot light metering and focus, white balance, exposure control and others are buried in the menu system and are not easily and quickly accessible.
I remember how easy it once was to access important or semi-important functions like manual focus or exposure on the older cameras. On the TRV120, you could quickly push the button on the back of the camera and rotate the wheel to adjust manual exposure. Or move the switch in front of the LCD and rotate the ring around the lens to adjust the manual focus when the auto focus decides to focus on a wire fence instead of the object behind it.
With this camcorder, you have to either tap on the screen to let camera know where you want it to focus, or tap on “ ” and “-“ in the manual focus mode – a slow and error prone process.
I am sure that it is cheaper to use a touch-sensitive screen than have a bunch of buttons, switches, etc. And it will work well for majority of people majority of time. But if you intend to use manual controls a lot, the HC20 is probably not for you.
Otherwise, congratulations! You can now buy an inexpensive good performer, which is also easy to use. And it does work remarkably well in the auto mode.
Performance
The most important characteristic of any camcorder is its picture quality and in this case, the picture quality is very good. The colors are vivid, images sharp and edges of objects are well-defined. The sound is adequate for travel and “people” events. Unlike some other camcorders, this one has a microphone that does not pick up the sound of the tape mechanisms, which is a definite positive.
As I mentioned, the camcorder has digital image stabilization, which works well and is useful at the lower end of the zoom let alone at the high zoom levels. The camcorder has no problem keeping many objects in focus at the same time (it has a wide depth of field) due to the small size of its CCD and use of wide angle lens.
The CCD sensor’s 340,000 effective pixels can provide up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution (340,000/480=708).
Formats
The camcorder records video and still pictures on MiniDV tape. No capability to store digital still pictures on a memory card is provided – the pictures are rather recorded on the MiniDV tape for 7 seconds with sound. The quality is barely adequate for email or web.
You can use standard SP speed with MiniDV tape or LP speed, which lets you record 50% more on the same tape with no loss of quality. The drawbacks are lack of ability to perform audio dubbing (but who uses it anyway?) and the warning in the manual that the LP-recorded tapes might not play well in other MiniDV camcorders (including camcorders of the same model).
Connectivity
The camcorder has i.Link (FireWire) high-speed digital connection for transferring video in digital format to your computer or standalone DVD recorder in real time with no loss in quality. Also present are USB 1.1 (for picture download and video streaming) and A/V/S-Video outs.
Unlike more expensive models, there is no A/V input – only an A/V out (including S-Video). A microphone input is present (as I mentioned, the camcorder’s stereo microphone is adequate for most tasks, but if you want to connect a better one or the one that is closer to the action, you can use this input).
Also present a LANC editing controller interface. The camcorder also has an Intelligent Accessory Shoe, which is close to the viewfinder (not too good of an idea, unless you have to mount a long microphone). If you are a complete geek, you can even attach a portable printer to it. Keep in mind that the shoe cannot supply power to the attached gadget.
Remote Control
The remote control lets you control not only the playback, but the recording too. It has zoom and recording control as well.
Battery
The NP-FP50 battery is supplied and lasts about 50-120 minutes, depending on usage. If you record continuously with LCD off, you may get up to 120 minutes. If you use LCD with backlight, use optical zoom extensively and turn the camcorder on and off, don’t expect more than 50-60 minutes.
The battery is of “InfoLithium” kind – you can see the remaining battery power in minutes. A pretty useful feature.
Bottom Line
If you want a compact, inexpensive and easy-to-use camcorder with very good performance, the HC20 is a good choice. But for more easily accessible manual control, analog inputs for archiving old videos or decent still picture performance and convenience, look elsewhere.
Note: the Sony DCR-HC40 (click here for review of it) has analog inputs, higher resolution and Memory Stick capability.
My Reviews of Other Digital Camcorders
Sony DVD Camcorders:
Sony DCR-DVD201 Handycam DVD Camcorder Review
Sony DCR-DVD101 Handycam DVD Camcorder Review
Sony MiniDV Camcorders:
Sony DCR-HC40 1-Megapixel Handycam Mini DV Digital Camcorder Review
Sony DCR-HC30 Handycam Mini DV Digital Camcorder Review
Sony DCR-HC20 Handycam Mini DV Digital Camcorder Review
Sony Digital8 Camcorders:
Sony DCR-TRV460 Handycam Digital8 Digital Camcorder Review
Panasonic MiniDV Camcorders:
Panasonic PV-GS200 Palmcorder 3CCD Mini DV Digital Camcorder Review
Panasonic PV-GS120 Palmcorder Mini DV Digital 3CCD Camcorder Review
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 390
Recommended for: Budget Buyers - Best Values to Fit the Budget
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dkozin
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I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
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