Comments on: Sony DCR-HC21 http://vubui.com/blog/2005/02/08/sony-dcr-hc21/ Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:06:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Vu Bui http://vubui.com/blog/2005/02/08/sony-dcr-hc21/#comment-11 Vu Bui Sat, 19 Mar 2005 14:38:35 +0000 http://vubui.com/blog/?p=52#comment-11 I love the HC21. For the money I haven't seen anything I would like more. It takes decent video for its size, and the audio is workable for simple things like vlogging or home movies... etc. You can also use it as a webcam through the supplied USB cable. Even though the whole unit is tiny, it still fits quite well in the hand, and the tiny zoom rocker works much better than you might think just by looking at it. Night shot mode comes in very handy on camping and backpacking trips and the like, which is one of the main reasons I chose it over any of the Canon ZRs. <br/><br/>The only thing I really wish it had was a mic input. It would be great to have more flexibility with audio... but this camera wasn't really designed for that kind of flexibility. It was made mostly as a point and shoot, and in that respect it does great. I picked up the Sony wide angle adapter and the second longest lasting battery for it, the NP-FP70, which I chose for its size. With the viewfinder extended fully it comes flush with the battery... the FP90 would protrude even further than the viewfinder and would make it much less useful. Oh, and the built in sliding lens cap is awesome... this will be the first camcorder that I won't be losing the lens cap for.<br/><br/>The only other feature you might miss (or not, since this is your first foray into digital video) would be analog to digital passthrough, but I have that on my VX2100 and will have it on the deck I buy, so it's not a concern for me.<br/><br/>Good luck in your choice, and let me know if you have any more questions!<br/><br/>Vu I love the HC21. For the money I haven’t seen anything I would like more. It takes decent video for its size, and the audio is workable for simple things like vlogging or home movies… etc. You can also use it as a webcam through the supplied USB cable. Even though the whole unit is tiny, it still fits quite well in the hand, and the tiny zoom rocker works much better than you might think just by looking at it. Night shot mode comes in very handy on camping and backpacking trips and the like, which is one of the main reasons I chose it over any of the Canon ZRs.

The only thing I really wish it had was a mic input. It would be great to have more flexibility with audio… but this camera wasn’t really designed for that kind of flexibility. It was made mostly as a point and shoot, and in that respect it does great. I picked up the Sony wide angle adapter and the second longest lasting battery for it, the NP-FP70, which I chose for its size. With the viewfinder extended fully it comes flush with the battery… the FP90 would protrude even further than the viewfinder and would make it much less useful. Oh, and the built in sliding lens cap is awesome… this will be the first camcorder that I won’t be losing the lens cap for.

The only other feature you might miss (or not, since this is your first foray into digital video) would be analog to digital passthrough, but I have that on my VX2100 and will have it on the deck I buy, so it’s not a concern for me.

Good luck in your choice, and let me know if you have any more questions!

Vu

]]> By: Anonymous http://vubui.com/blog/2005/02/08/sony-dcr-hc21/#comment-10 Anonymous Sat, 19 Mar 2005 13:46:08 +0000 http://vubui.com/blog/?p=52#comment-10 So how have you liked the HC21? I'm looking into digital video for the first time. I've been looking at the HC21. After shooting the Chinese New Year (I'm assuming it was on HC21) how have you liked it. Any reason not to purchase it or do you recommend another entry level camera?<br/><br/>Rob So how have you liked the HC21? I’m looking into digital video for the first time. I’ve been looking at the HC21. After shooting the Chinese New Year (I’m assuming it was on HC21) how have you liked it. Any reason not to purchase it or do you recommend another entry level camera?

Rob

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