3 Megapixel Image - 2.1 Megapixel Video - 10x Optical Zoom - 120x Digital Zoom - 16 MB Memory Stick Duo Included - Firewire - MPN: DCRHC90
Strengths: Great image quality for both video and photo taking. True Widescreen. True 30P recording. Top cassette loading. New improved and slimmer Info Lithium batteries. Perfect size and shape.
Weakness: No manual shutter. Manual Focus and manual exposure only through Menu selection; a bit awkward to use. No uncompressed mode for photo. No earphone connector. A bit pricey.
Under the hood this Sony Camcorder is basically an improved version of the DCR-PC350 at a better price although some stores are liquidating the PC350 at about 100$ cheaper than the HC90. If you read the excellent DVSpot review of the PC350 you will have a very good decription of the HC90 since it is inside the same beast; same optics, same specifications, same functions. But Sony did improve a lot on some aspects:
- The camera shape and casing has been completely redesigned; it is a bit bigger than the matchbook shape of the PC350 but it is smaller than the traditional steadier horizontal shape. This in between shape is perfect for those who while wanting a good grip also want a compact camcorder. The buttons are all at the right places, particularly the proportional zoom lever at the tip of your index or thumb, depending if you are handling the camera by the bottom or top . But unfortunately Sony dropped the great electronic manual focus ring found on the PC350; on the HC90 the only way to do manual focus is with a menu selection. On the plus side, the lens cap is not needed anymore; there is now an automatic shutter in front of the lens.
- Sony also included a widescreen LCD which is perfect if you shoot mostly 16:9 ratio like me.
- On the PC350 many users complained of camera noises because the microphone used to be on top of the camera. If your hand rested on top it would create some hum or catch the motor noise. On the HC90 the stereo microphone is where it should; at the front, below the lens.
- Another welcome improvement; gone the dock, now you will find the USB and Firewire (iLink) connectors on the camera as well as the power supply and Sony's audio-visual connectors. But unfortunately, the audio- video cable included with the camera does not have an SVHS plug; another accessory to buy from Sony.
- The new A-type InfoLithium batteries are now much slimmer and lighter than the bulky P-Type. The battery slides into an easy to access compartment inside the camera. I found that the stock battery is good for about 60 minutes of SP recording. The battery also provided reliable info of remaining charge. Recharging with the provided charger-cable was also quick. I also bought a higher capacity battery which provides about 150 minutes of recording time. Unfortunately you will not be able to use bigger batteries since you are limited by the internal space of the battery compartment. Unfortunately, you cannot recharge batteries outside the camera with the provided charger. Still, another accessory to get from Sony.
- If you do not want to carry a camcorder and also a Digital camera on your trips, this camera provides a 3 megapixel quality (2016 X 1512), adequate for up to 8 X 10 prints. The excellent Zeiss optics provides crisp and colorful photos rivaling pictures taken with 5 megapixel camera with cheap optics. I would have liked Sony includes an uncompressed photo mode; you only get two JPEG compression modes (fine and standard).
- What really stands out on this camera is its almost pro qualities; TRUE Widescreen and 30P (progressive) recording which yield the best possible image quality for a consumer grade MiniDV camera. (There is unfortunately no 24P recording; only a fake gimmiky 24 FPS ). Sound was also quite good considering an all automatic camera microphone. The camera motor is also very quiet. Finally, I had no problems to digitize the video and audio into programs like Final Cut Pro and Avid XPress Pro.
All in all, I did a lot of research before I bought the Sony DCR-HC90; it is undoubtedly one of the best consumer MiniDV on the market today. I highly recommend it.
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TopStrengths: Very light weight and very easy to hold. The picture comes out very clean and crisp.
Weakness: Menu selects took some time to get used to. You have select the menu on the lcd by touch screen.
I found that this new unit is definately a lot better than the previous big and bulky camcorder units from SONY in the past.
I compared the SONY DCR-HC1000 and SONY DCR-PC350 and found that this unit is the best price, function per value. Sure the DCR-HC1000 can zoom at 12X optical and has a slightly better low light performance it's around $1500. I didn't like the DCR-PC350 due to the lack of the firewire port.
This one has a 1/3" CCD (size matters) which enables it to perform better in low light than also the lower price camcorders.
However, the optional zoom lacks compared to previous SONY camcorders. Trade-offs, you know.
Low light performace is average.
Check it out and see for yourself.
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TopStrengths: Good video quality, clear LCD, good stabilizer, small size, easy to use.
Weakness: low batter life time, viewfinder is fixed, memory stick is alway expensive.
I would recommend this one, it can beat any canon and JVC camcorders in this price range. It has better night shot function than PV-GS 250. But it is an one ccd product, so the outdoor color is the weaknesses compare with 250, but it's enough for me.
58% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
TopStrengths: It is very compact, almost too small. The images on video and photo both are very sharp. Very easy to use for the first timer. Remote control is cute.
Weakness: Took a while to figure out how to connect to the computer and TV. Sony has very specific steps to follow but this one did not list out very clearly. Have to call friends who used Sony DV before.
Hard to find one with both Comcorder and Photo with this kind of good quality in the market. Size and features are great! Use touch panel for all the setups, eliminates lots of buttons. My 11 years old daughter started within minutes. I also added a memory card for the photos. However, in order to make it to connect to the PC for editing, we have to call both hardware and software tech support. We finally made it to connect by calling someone who used Sony before. The tricks are some setups on the camcorder itself. Everything is working now!
54% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
TopStrengths: Easy of use, 16x9, touch screen menus, quality video, automatic lens cover, size, internal battery
Weakness: price, battery life
This camera has taken some pretty serious knocks from one of the camcorder review sites. I think this is a terrrible disservice to Sony and consumers. I'm no photographer, but I've had three SLR film cameras, two digital cameras, and three camcorders. Though pricey, this is still an excellent camera for the price. I debated long and hard between this camera and the Panosonic GS150. In the end, image stabilization in widescreen mode, the 16x9 LCD and recording, and low-light superiority swung me to Sony -- despite the considerable price difference. I know I made the right decision. The touch screen menus are a dreanm -- so easy. The video resolution is superb and the colors extremely true. My only complaint might be a slight bias to underexposure, but then again that just might be my LCD TV which seems to display everything rather dark.
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Topmay i know how your sony DCR-HC 90 is working right now.as i'm going to buy a camcorder & confused btw DCR-HC42 & this one. i read user reviews for both but in DCR-HC 42 many people faced a prob. of gray bars on video .do u have any idea??is HC-90 works only with DVD's not CD's.if yr HC 90 is working properly then plz. let me know.thnx
Strengths: Excellent low light performance, great color on video output, takes decent photos, 16x9 as well as 4x3 output, small size, battery is internal, widescreen lcd for shooting and playback.
Weakness: Expensive replacment battery, One CCD, Humming sound on playback.
The Sony HC90 is a standout at this pricepoint. I almost purchased a Panasonic GS400 but thought twice when i saw panasonic wanted almost double the price of my HC90. You will love the low light performance of the camera. Best I have ever seen. The lack of manual controls was a downer, but the automatic operation of the camera yeilds great results.
I also liked the true 16x9 mode of the HC90. I love the size of the camera and the colors were outstanding. The widescreen lcd is excellent. It is the touchscreen variety that controls most of the cameras functions. All in all I found the Sony HC90 had the most bang for the buck at this pricepoint.
52% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
TopStrengths: Defenatly one of the best cameras out there, picture clarity, design, ease of use
Weakness: battery life, need better options on the camera,
I purchased this camera for my wife, to take videos of kids, surprisingly enough it only took her couple of minutes to get comfortable with it, and off she went. This is a great camera for family and small occasions, small, durable (so far it was dropped 2 times and still works fine). Picture is great, so is sound, small memory card included but capable of holding a few short movies and about 20 pics, Overall, for the price its a decent product I have checked worse items for more money, this is small easy to hide camera, my 5 yr old son is able to use it too.
50% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
TopStrengths: Excellent low light/indoor video, great Mac compatibility with i-Movie, compact, sleek design.
Weakness: None so far.
I just recently bought this camcorder after trying the Canon Elura 90 and the Sony DCR-DVD103. It blows both of these out of the water. I was looking for mainly a good quality indoor /low light video (I have a brand new baby and new I was going to do alot of filming indoors and in low light - the Canon Eluras/Opturas are horrible in low light) and I finally found it. I'm also happy that it's compatible with my Mac iMovie. I haven't had the camcorder that long so I haven't found any weaknesses but it fits exactly what I was looking for. The price isn't bad either compared to other similar camcorders.
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TopStrengths: Small, awesome 3.1 MP built in digital camera, touch screen LCD screen menu is a plus, great video quality.
Weakness: Still a bit heavy, retail price is steep
The Sony DCR-HC90 is a great camcorder with a built in 3.1 MP camera. I only had it for couple of days but loving it already. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a high end camcorder. The retail is a bit steep but buying it online is the way to go. I bought mine on dbuys.com and it arrive in 3 days!
48% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
TopStrengths: Excellent video quality. Good battery life. Many functions.
Weakness: To plug-in the cables drives me crazy - USB and DV. Be prepared to spend a lot of extra money for things like S-Video cable, memory, battery, protection lens The provided software is very basic/
Display - good
The display is good to see even in bright sunlight. It could be finer.
View Finder - average
Okay to see but could be finer. Videos against the sun get a problem since there is not this rubber thing what connects directly to your eye. A further problem is that you cannot switch on both - display screen and view finder at the same time. So if you want to use the menu you will not see anything in the view finder and the other way round. BUT here is a tiny statement in the Operationg Guide that you can turn around the display and put it back to the camera. Then you can press some buttons of the menue since both are active then - but only then. Since you do not feel the buttons you have to position your fingers carefully. In any case it does not replace real buttons.
Automatic lens cover ???
Some see it as a great feature. I do not see it like this. In any case you should use a protection lens. But then you get a problem. Since this lens is in front of the automatic lens cover. So you are worse of than with a camera with lens cover - since you cannot cover this protection lens at all. So for me this is more a problem...than a solution. I am busy cleaning the protection lens...
Menue - very good
I like the programable menue on the touch screen very much. The camera has too many functions to handle it in an other way. But of course - not so good for ladies with long fingernails...or the camera then. And some real buttons are really missing...
Battery Life - good
The battery life is good. But expect a high price if you want to buy another one.
Video Quality - very good
The video quality of the camera is excellent. If you want to take night shots it is perfect. Some shots are almost too bright - it sees more than you. For other cameras they recommend to use a light source if you have problems at night. It is a joke - want to illuminate a road or what? So if you have a lot of late night activity or it gets dark in your country pretty early - this camera is for you.
Photo Quality - quite good for a video camera
The photo quality is quite good. There are some problems with fast moving objects because of the slow shutter speed. But this causes a problem only sometimes. The flash is very good. Be prepared to buy extra memory. With the memory delivered you end up with around 10 pictures at the highest quality - the only you should use. And be prepared to pay a lot for it compared to other memory types.
Sound Quality - average
I am disappointed by the sound quality. If you have a band in front of you playing a bit louder than you will have a problem. The sound will get distorted and in addition to this the sound itself will be very average. You cannot hear the motor but you might hear the zoom lever if you are not careful. External microphone? No problem - if you move a lot of dollars to Sony - no plug... There is also no plug for an ear phone. But the camera has a build in speaker what is for me quite okay or even better if you want to invite other people watching the video on the camera display.
Zoom - good
The zoom works quite well. The zoom button is a nightmare. It is very hard for me to find the right speed - it is too easy to move. In addition to this you have to be very careful since the button makes a lot of noise when you switch it completely to a side or let it jump back to neutral. But you can use the zoom buttons at the display. They work quite well but only at a set speed.
Focus - average
In low light it has sometimes problems to focus. There is no button for a manual focus or for a fix of the focus. You have to use the menue - what takes time if you for instance just detected a firework. It might/will be over until then...
Steady Shot - good
There is no external button to switch on/off the steady shot. Only in the menue you can do it. Hard to understand why Sony puts such a useless button like Easy Mode outside and had no space for such an important switch. It would be a great idea if the camera had lets say 3 external buttons that you can program... But in any case it worked quite well and if you move the camera I had only sometimes problems were it wanted to hold the picture. But perhaps I have to find the right speed...and mostly it worked.
Connections - very bad
I hate it so much in the meantime to plug in the cables for USB AND DV. USB you need for photos and DVD for DV movies. You cannot use both at the same time. So I am really tired already from changing the cables all the time. In addition to this the plugs are tiny and so hard to use. Why not a solution like for many digital cameras???
If you have an S-Video camera and want to use this camera for capture be prepared to pay a huge price for this tiny additional feature. You have almost the same cable delivered with the camera - but without the S-Video plug. The capture itself works quite well - has pass through and/or record.
Other things
You have to switch from video mode to picture mode and back to off. You cannot switch back from picture mode to video mode. This nerves me a lot since I use the picture mode a lot since the pictures are really great. But forget the AVI movies the the picture mode creates. But for this you have the real video mode - so not a problem at all
Conclusion
Despite some shortcomings a great camera with great video and picture quality. Nightshots - perfect. Daylight very good. Sharpness you can adjust in the menue. Downside here that you do not have different settings for pictures and video.
The most negative for me is the cable chaos and some missing buttons for focus fix and steady shot on/off. On the other hand the camera has endless features. The programable menue is one of the best of them to handle all the functions. With some programable real buttons this would be perfect.
Add some money for the Sony add-ons. They are really special - in respect of the price. Butits a Sony...
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TopStrengths: Widescreen is favorite. Easy operation, good price.
Weakness: A little difficult to understand the menu select. The software for the video view installed to my notebook does not work properly.
In summary, it is a economical and good camcorder. The video are of good image quality. The photo is comparable to that from the digital camera. It is easy to connect to TV and computer and works properly. However, the user manual is only a little helpful. Many functions were found after I have used it for a long time.
48% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
TopStrengths: Pictures and vedio is very sharp and nice.
Weakness: Battery does only last 30 minutes or so.
Overall, I am happy with the product. I did have a little hard time transferring pictures from camcoder to my PC. The direction in the user guide is not much help. It did not have details on the camoder's menu. Their are so many choices in the camcoder menu and I could not find any documentation or explanation concerning the choices.
42% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
TopStrengths: Very small with fast response time. The battery life seems pretty decent out of the box. The ability to capture 16:9 via firewire for playback on the bigscreen is great!
Weakness: The little doors covering the firewire port and AC jack seem like they may break off someday, but maybe they won't.
I bought this camera to shoot video that will be of high enough quality and in true 16:9 aspect ratio to look decent on the big 46 inch widescreen TV we have. True, it is not high-def, but the picture quality is great, the true widescreen makes it better than broadcast analog TV over cable, and the small size makes it very portable. We also intend to transfer the video to DVD so the firewire capability is a must. I only wish they had bundled their good DVD software (Vegas?) with it. I am using Nero though, and it seems to work fine. I intend to convert to PAL so we can send DVD home movies to relatives in Europe as well (this you can do in Nero so hopefully it will look good). I looked for a week or two at camcorders and narrowed it down to Sony or Canon. I bought the Sony because it is true 16:9 (so is the Canon) but also has excellent low-light capability and I think we will be shooting inside much of the time. I also am a medium format camera user, so I was also attracted by the Carl Zeiss lens system. It is an expensive camera, but it made sense to spend a little more to get low light quality, more megapixels, and a Zeiss lens.
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TopStrengths: Small, lightweight, fantastic images, superb low light performance.
Weakness: Sony "betamax" accessories - won't work on other cameras. (Intelligent accessory shoe, memory stick pro duo.) Electronic stability works marginally.
The camera works wonderfully. Easily fits in your hand. Low light performance is fantastic! Great images and very clear pictures. Still shots are marginal as most still shots are on video cameras. The unit is wonderful as it is small enough to take along easily and the video is great. The image stabilization works marginally. A tripod really helps. Not thrilled with using Sony's proprietary formats. Do not work on any other brands of cameras. On the plus side, they do have a lot of support for the accessories so they are relatively easy to get if you don't mind getting locked into one vendor's products.
38% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
TopStrengths: Camcorder and 3MP digital camrea in one device, easy to operate with one hand.
Weakness: The 16MB Memory Stick is a joke and Sony should double it's battery run time.
Great picture and video quality, easy to operate, widescreen LCD with outstanding back light (once you get used to its touch screen control, you may find it make sense to replace a lot of switches/buttons with it), not to mention its supreme low light performance in its class. However, I think Sony should be more generous about what to bundle with this higher price/value product. As to the Price, I bought mine online and its a couple of hundred less than retail. Some accessories for you to think about: 2X or wideangle lenses, or a battery (NP-FA70) with a longer run time. I am glad I had these with me on my vacation.
33% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
TopStrengths: 1/3 CCD, 5.1 surround sound system,2.7 LCD
Weakness: Video quality is not that good but ok compare to other dvd camcorder
Great and compact camera.Tried indoor and outdoor videos.Video quality is good but not great .Video quality is good compare to other dvd camcorders.
The 5.1 dolby surround system is awesome.I like the sound system very much.They other 2 reviewers dont know why didnt mention the surrond system.
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Sony Handycam DCR-HC90 receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS score of 2.93 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #45 MiniDV 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...
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The Sony DCR-HC90 is Sony's most expensive horizontal, single-chip, MiniDV camera this year, a complete redesign from last year’s DCR-HC85. The improvements have been more than cosmetic, too, with the DCR-HC90 testing better in video performance and low light. Don’t be surprised that these improvements have bumped up the cost slightly.
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The DCR-HC90, Sony’s most expensive horizontal, single-chip, MiniDV camcorder this year, is available for around US $750. It shows a completely redesigned and unique configuration to other Sony camcorders, continuing a trend that Sony started with the DCR-HC1000 last year and manifested in some of their models this year, such as the DCR-PC55 and their DVD camcorder line. While the DCR-HC90 does...
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HC-90 Disappointment in Video
Strengths: 3mp digitals, ease of use, compactness
Weakness: sony reports 2050k video, but after multiple tests I found it to be no better than my 690k video from an hc-40
If you want the latest bells and whistles, and are satisfied with no additional video quality than the hc-40 or hc-42, go ahead and buy it. I'm holding out for a newer version with a noticeable improvement in video resolution. This I found after conducting a dozen tests, in different lighting conditions with both the hc-40 and hc-90.
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