My Sony HDV HDR-HC1 Camera - Love it!

[sampatterson]

I got one of the first ones released here in the US a couple of months ago and just wanted to let anyone know who is looking for a great HD camcorder that I am really happy with it. It is small, light, and the picture quality and sound quality are amazing. It's native HDV resolution is 1440x1080i but what an incredible difference it is over DV. Playing it on a native 720p or 1080p (or 1080i) TV is amazing. Have taken about 30 hours of video with it so far.

The one down side is that the native HDV files are huge (just like DV files as they use the same MPEG-2 Long GOP format). So 60 minutes equals about 12-13GB.

Really a very polished product for a version 1.0 version of the first affordable (under $2k) HD camcorder.

 

[SGAFTA]

Sounds awesome. With this MPEG4 taking hold, do you think one should buy one now, not like it will be obsolete anytime soon, or do they have plans on bringing out MPEG4 models on this stuff or I am just thinking 2-3 years ahead of myself?

Scott

 

[riffjim4069]

I have been looking at the Sony HDV HDR-HC1 the past couple months...ok, I've been drooling over it, but I just can't justify the cost...especially since I purchased a new Sony Cam 2 years ago and I could really use a new digital camera. I've decided to purchase a Nikon D-50 SLR camera kit (around $1000) and wait or year or so for prices to fall [hopefully] under $1000.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear everything is working well with your Sony HD camcorder!!!

 

[sampatterson]

Yep, it is a chunk of change. Since my 4 year old camcorder died it was perfect timing!

I don't know when they will do Mpeg-4 on these, if it will be next years model or the year after. It probably can't be more than 2 years away, so really I guess you have to justify the investment. In two years the cameras may be 1080p (full 1920x1080 60 frames a second) with mpeg-4 recording in the same amount of space.

 

[toto]

Being a dealer, the HC1 has a major downside. Supply, we were out from mid August until last week. It is one super little pup! A major advantage of the camera is the digital still capability, not for the same reason as with most video cameras. In photographic terms stills from a video tape, recorded in DV, are 640X480. This translates to a wallet size picture, larger images work fine on the net or TV, but result in grainy poor quality prints. We have had hundreds of people, over the years get stills from video. You can't imagine the importance of the events these folks wanted to capture on a 4X6 or larger. It is the only memory these folks had. The HDV image from tape is of good enough quality to make a greater 4x6, 5x7 or even a good 8x10.
If you have a family and an HDTV or are thinking of an HDTV, put this camera on the top of your wish list. If you don't have an HDTV, remember you can record the image in HDV and output it to 480i and tranfer it to DVD, saving the original for stills and future use.

 

[who_the]

The HC1 is awesome. I have it with a 1.6x wide angle adapter, and the quality is simply stunning. Could be better in low light, and isn't quite a pro model, but the image stabilization and HD quality have me very happy with this purchase.

 

[riffjim4069]

Are there any online sites that stream video taken with an HD1?

 

[toto]

On comment on the HDV format. Part of the standards call for mini dv tape MPEG2 recording at 1080i or 720p and backward compatability to DV format. I'm not an engineer and am not quite sure how MPEG4 would work on a magnetic tape. Anyone have answers?