3 Megapixel Image - 2 Megapixel Video - 10x Optical Zoom - 120x Digital Zoom - Electronic IS - MPN: DCRDVD505
Strengths: Extra large LCD screen, good video & stills, compatible with multiple DVD formats
Weakness: Costly
Works well in bright & low light. Extra Video or Flash light recommended for better video quality. Extra battery & memory stick will also be useful. Great product to capture baby video and pictures.
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TopStrengths: Superb optics, large LCD, easy to use.
Weakness: Proprietary I/O, inconsistent feature set over multiple formats.
If you are looking for a DVD-based camcorder, this is currently (August 2006) one of your best bets. It features Zeiss optics, a huge and brilliant LCD screen, and easy to follow touchscreen menus. All of these make it very easy to shoot high quality footage.
My main problem with this camera is that it features an annoying, Sony proprietary av in/out socket. This makes it hard to find cables for connecting it to other devices, and Sony's documentation is very flaky in terms of what it allows you to do exactly. After buying a proprietary Sony cable (mini av to component video + S-video), I discovered I couldn't digitally record from my older mini-DV camcorder. Analog to digital maybe possible with special adapter, but I haven't tried that yet.
My other problem is with DVD cameras in general: there are several different formats of writable DVDs (this one supports DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW), and each of them has a different feature set (can/cannot rewrite, can/cannot edit recorded footage etc.). They also differ in the level of compatibility with other devices. Nevertheless, if you decided that the DVD format suits your needs, this camera will help you make the most out of it.
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TopStrengths: Large LCD, 4.0 Megapixel still image recording
Weakness: Nothing precisely
Handy,Plays directly to most home DVD players.It has a CMOS sensor.It supports 5.1ch Surround recording to make the home movies amazing.I love the wide LCD 3.5 screen.Capable of dual recording(Video and 3.0 MP still images).Has an inbuilt flash to ease recording in low light.Can also be treated as DVD recorder for recording directly from our VCR,TV programs.Worth for the money.
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TopStrengths: Good quality and records at great speed one of the best sensors easy to operate
Weakness: Little bit bulker and night vision recording was not that great
Bought this for recording engagement video. The video came out great has used sony camcorders before this is definately one of the best out there in market. The video quality is sharp and color quality is great just like professional video. Great features and very easy to use. Great camcorder over all
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TopStrengths: Compact, easy to use, still image functions.
Weakness: Haven't found any yet.
I have owned an JVC 8mm and a JVC miniDv and hands down Sony DVD is the way to go. It is very easy to use with the touch screen menus being very intuitive. The unit is fairly light weight and easy to store. Still photos are as easy as pressing the button and can be saved on the DVD or a memory stick duo.
I highly recommend this camcorder for the advanced movie maker or the beginner. It is awesome!
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TopStrengths: Large screen, great video, good still capability, touch screen control well structured, can use +RW and -RW
Weakness: Bulky, pricey, short battery life, some operations buried deep in menu control
This is an excellent camcorder. Great video quality and low light capability. Night shot is a little gimmicky but works when you have no light at all. The touchscreen works exceptionally well (I know some people don't like it...).
When I travel, I also use it as a still replacement so that I do not have to bring a camera. Picture quality is good, but battery becomes a problem. 90 minute is simply too short. And it's a little too bulky to carry around.
I believe it is the best DVD camcorder you can buy today. The large screen alone is worth the additional $150 above 405--3.5" feels so much bigger than 2.7"! Highly recommended.
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TopStrengths: 3.00 MP, with CMOS sensor improoves the battery life with less utilisation of power, too good in taking movie in bright lights
Weakness: compared to CCD, less clarity pictures in dark light
Have nice movie capturing experience, too good to have 4MP while capturing photos, price is little high even though with CMOS sensor. Its really godd, but when compared with DCR-DVD405 in comparison to price iam biased.
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TopStrengths: large screen, small overall size, built-in lens cap, direct-to-dvd recording, supports multiple dvd types, color view finder
Weakness: button layout is sometimes less than ideal, supplied video editing software has limited capabilities
The Sony DVD505 is an excellent camcorder that packs a large amount of features into an amazingly small package. I'm especially excited about the current Sony offer for a wireless microphone with the purchase of this model. I also really like the integrated zoom and start/stop controls on the display screen.
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TopStrengths: nice camera
Weakness: none
Even though this is my first camera, i can say that its functions are well satisfactory beyond my expections. Touch large screen is another avantage. Extra battery is highly recommended
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The DVD camcorder has grown by bounds in the last few years, and few have been so highly anticipated as the DCR-DVD505 from Sony. This was their premiere camcorder at CES, and barring the upcoming HDR-HC3, it has more new technology and hype than any other model in their consumer line. Most of the excitement stems from the 1/3” ClearVID CMOS sensor, a similar sensor to the one found on the...
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Sony Handycam Dcr-dvd505 receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS score of 3.22 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #6 DVD camcorder of all time. The overall rating represents an intelligent balance of features, value as a function of price to features, and a summary of reviews from a variety of sources. The TopTen REVIEWS' formula gives a picture of important consumer features, market value, and a product's...
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Sony's new line of DVD-recording camcorders is sleeker and easier to use than before. The DCR-DVD505 is a bit longer, but trimmer overall than last year's models. It won't fit into a pants pocket, but it fits nicely into a coat or purse. We quickly noticed the lack of cluttered buttons around a generous 3.5" widescreen LCD. The new design moves the onboard flash from the side to above the lens to...
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Sony DCR-DVD505
Strengths: The large 3.5" LCD touch screen, the 2.1 MP CMOS Sensor, surround sound audio, the Super NightShot Infrared System for night recording.
Weakness: The Sony memory stick for still photo and the 10x zoom len.
I received the Sony DVD505 for around 3 weeks now. I purchased for video of my new born baby. My first DVD created was a DVD-R disc. The video was awsome. It was clear and the audio was superb, picking up all the baby noise. The low light feature is execellent during night time video. The Sony memory stick slot is a waste as I already am using SD card for my digital camera. Also, the 10X zoom len is great, but Sony should have at least a 20X zoom for this pricy camcorder. This 10X len has been around for a longtime, with the release of the first Sony DVD camcorder.
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