So I checked out the new DCR-DVD301 that Sony released to see what's with it. After a complete inspection, the only difference there is from the DVD301 to the
DCR-DVD201 is one more inch on the LCD screen, which also slightly increases the bulk and weight. And it can also be used as an external DVD burner (can possibly be used w/o the proprietary software that it comes with, but maybe not). That's it.
That's the only difference, everything else quality-wise, hardware-wise, and menu-wise is the same. So what does it mean for Sony DVD camcorder customers? Well the DVD301 comes in at the $999 price, which pushes the DVD201 and DVD101 each down $100 in price. I find this a plus for the DVD201 since it's not bad of a unit, and becomes even better if it's less expensive. Personally, I don't find it worthwhile at all to pay $100 for another inch on an LCD screen, which would also drain the battery faster. But there are people who would appreciate it and spend that extra amount. Those with eyesight problems usually benefit from a larger screen since it makes it easier for them to see what they're recording, and that they rarely use the viewfinder anyway. So unless you've eyesight problems, or you're someone who likes things big, likes to spend more, a technophile, or anyone along those lines, you're probably going to pass up on the DVD301 and maybe check out the less expensive DVD201. While the camcorder-as-a-dvd-burner thing sounds kind of interesting, I wouldn't want to use a $1000 camcorder to do the job of a $60 internal drive. I'd rather burn out the inexpensive equipment to create DVDs and use the expensive camcorder to camcord. Besides, what's the real point to burn information on the mini DVD? Anyway, I still say avoid the DVD101 since it's way too expensive for the dismal color quality and reproduction, get the DVD201 since it's great for the price and quality, and possibly weigh choosing the DVD301 if you really need that larger screen and DVD burning capabilities. Here's the information on the DVD301.
Customers of mine coming in to browse the camcorders often linger around the mini DVD camcorders a little longer than the mini DV. I think it's the curiosity, since the price usually steers them away to something monetarily comfortable. But there are some who come in, learn about mini DVD camcorders, like it, and then buy it. Most of the time it is indeed a Sony (their choices right now are Sony, Panasonic, and Hitachi) even though Sony is a bit more expensive than the other manufacturers. I'm not quite sure what it is. Maybe it's because the Sony models look sleek and refined? Maybe it's because the Hitachi and Panasonic look SO IDENTICAL to each other that people wonder which is the cheap imitation of the other one? Maybe it's because that people get a warm, fuzzy, secure feeling with Sony's name? Regardless of the bottom-line feature/quality comparisons among all of them, I
rarely sell anything Hitachi or Panasonic when it concerns the mini DVD format camcorders. This was more than evident during Christmas 2003 where all local Circuit City stores ran out of the Sony mini DVD camcorders about 2 weeks before X-Mas eve. We offered Panasonic and Hitachi models to those customers who politely (slightly disappointed too) refused and said they would try to find it elsewhere. It would be another 3 weeks after X-Mas that we received any new inventory (of a soon-to-be-replaced-with-the-new-line) of the Sony mini DVD camcorders. We still had over 35 (total, combined) units of Hitachi and Panasonic mini DVD camcorders. I think maybe 3 or 4 sold during the shopping bonanza. Everybody wanted a Sony unit, and I wouldn't be surprised if this X-Mas season turns into a repeat of the last.
So why pay more to get a mini DVD camcorder instead of a mini DV camcorder? They make it easy to transfer video without the need for additional software/hardware to retain video quality. Whereas the mini DV format requires a firewire connection to a computer to transfer the video, the mini DVD format requires only a DVD drive (DVD-R/RW/ROM preferred for erasing and rewriting discs). Since transferring the data is done by direct copying there is no need for a supplement to retain video quality. With the mini DV format video will lose some quality as it passes through the firewire cable, and not everyone has (or wants to buy or even learn to use) the software/hardware to keep it perfect. The mini DV provides some better recording quality since the compression for the MPEG2 format on the mini DVD camcorders reduces the quality, but most people's eyes glaze over when that is brought up. People interested in cutting, editing, then reburning their videos lean toward the mini DVD format. Those who don't care about that and just want to view tapes through the TV don't usually buy the mini DVD format. The mini DVD-RW is the most compatible rewritable format to play in DVD players hooked up to your TV so people like the idea of recording and (almost) immediately playing it in their DVD player.
The number one drawback of the mini DVD format is that you get only 30 minutes of recording time per disc, compared to the 60 minutes by the mini DV. And just like any other DVD drive, disc insertion/removal requires a spin up/down before being able to access the disc. With the mini DV, you can eject a tape, pop in a fresh one, and be recording again in a matter of seconds. With the mini DVD format there is a slightly longer wait for the disc to spin-down before switching to a new one, followed by the spin-up time before being able to start recording. The disc must be finalized before being put into a DVD player (non PC) for viewing purposes, which also adds a lot more time before being able to switch discs if you're intent on finalizing right away. Each minute of video taken is a minute for finalization time (so a full 30 minute disc would require 30 minutes to finalize). Depending on how the camcorder is going to be used, this is either a small deal or a big nuisance. But it is good to know that the mini DVD discs work like a hard drive in the sense that the camcorder will seek out free recording space so you cannot record over other video previously taken. So what's the deal with the Sony DCR-DVD301?
Ease of Use
Unlike the HC series camcorders, the DVD models don't have a touch-screen LCD. Instead we come back to the familiar feel of dealing with buttons and a 4-way hat-switch located on the LCD side of the camcorder. The three buttons on the LCD side of the camcorder (not covered by the LCD) are
Back Light, which makes the LCD screen brighter/darker,
Batt Info which shows how much battery power you have remaining, and
Visual Index which has thumbnails of each picture and video segment (with date and time too). The LCD screen itself has the backlight button and a record button on the left-hand side for easy operation while using the LCD while recording. The buttons hidden under the LCD screen are the manual/automatic adjustments, setup menu, and playback buttons for VCR mode. Some people wish there was the touch-screen LCD, and there are others who don't like the touch-screen and are glad it has buttons instead. Even with the number of buttons, Sony still supports the easy point-and-shoot for those who just want to record on a mini DVD. Sony may not have the best menu navigation, but they're no harder than any other brand (and in some cases are easier too) to use.
Quality
Image: The DVD301 sports a 1/5" HAD CCD which was designed to give better image quality with less fuzziness. It has less CCD since the unit is smaller than the previous version, but it's advanced as to retain the quality. Combined with the Carl Zeiss Lens, the colors in recorded video are vibrant and full. The DVD301 has the same video and picture resolution as the DVD201 (690k video/1000k still). The new infared nightshot mode of the Sony camcorders has been changed from the green-hue to something that has less shutter speed to record more colors in the video. Even though the Super Nightshot Plus Infared technology works well enough, the less light available will increase the video noise and make it a bit grainier. Under normal light conditions, a 3CCD camcorder (such as Panasonic) will outperform the Sony, though I have heard that 3CCD recordings can create muddy edges on the video from too much information. Even in some cases a 3CCD camcorder can perform just as well as the Sony camcorders with the Nightshot. Many people have the misconception that Sony has the best low-light capabilities on all of their camcorders. I think that Sony has the best "Nightshot Mode", but by far not the best "Low-Light Recording" which often get confused as the same thing.
The quality of the stills are decent for emailing or posting to the web and not ideal for printing. There is no separate card slot to save pictures to, but it's not that necessary since it's easy to transfer the pictures due to the DVD format. The DVD301 can do burst-mode shooting as well as bracketing mode for the still pictures.
Zoom: Big miss here. While other manufacturers (Canon, JVC) are upping the optical and digital zoom on their camcorders, Sony has stuck with the 10x optical 120x digital for theirs. While this is okay for small events (parties, in-home stuff, recording the protestors across the street) it's definitely not going to work for those who need to zoom in close up (like soccer-moms in the stands taping their kid playing in the game). If the zoom factor isn't an issue, then you'll appreciate Sony's accurate zoom control. One advantage with less zoom is better image stability, especially coupled with Sony's good image stabilization. But either way, it would have been nice to have much more zoom than what is provided, especially for a camcorder in this price bracket.
Sound: It's almost as good/bad as the zoom, mostly for stuff close up. People who are trying to record something further away and want to capture the sound well will have to get a mic (either plugged into the microphone port or inserted into the accessory shoe on top) instead of using what's built into the camcorder itself. The Sony camcorder itself runs quite smooth so even if you're recording something while there is not much sound present you're not going to get any motor noise in the background of the video itself. This is sometimes overlooked until it comes to the point when it actually happens, and a few models from other manufacturers aren't as good as Sony when it comes to internal motor noise. Based on the trend of customers coming in to my work and making purchases, most of these people aren't worried too much about the distance of the sound nor zoom since they're doing close-up recording anyway.
Manual Controls
Sony makes starter camcorders, so you're working with mostly automatic controls. Those wanting a more professional feel or quality should pick a Canon or Panasonic in the mini DV format, which offer more manual controls. But the controls that Sony offers are important ones and are easy enough to use too. Since Sony's DVD camcorders lack the touch-screen LCD, the handy
Spot Metering and
Spot Focus (found on the HC series camcorders) aren't available. A shame since those features worked quite well too. Instead the settings are found in the menus and can be adjusted with the hat-switch. The adjustments are represented by a bar with + and - on the ends which are very easy to understand. People who appreciate actual measurements for focus and exposure might be disappointed with this method that feels like a "best guess" type of situation when determining the optimal settings. The camcorder has all the familiar environment presets (landscape, portrait, sports, etc) and the collection of picture effects to choose from as well.
Hardware
Screen: The 3.5" Hybrid color LCD has that familiar Sony quality. The images in the LCD screen are consistently sharp, even when being used outdoors. The screen neatly folds out and can rotate 180 degrees so you can effectively record yourself. One interesting thing I noticed with the Sony camcorders is that the LCD screen can rotate about 60 degrees or so before the image flips. Explanation: The camera is pointing at you and you are viewing yourself in the LCD screen. As you rotate the screen backward, you can still see your image right-side up until the screen is about 30 degrees from the horizontal, when it will flip the image upside-down. Turn the camera around so it is pointing away from you and the image will be right-side up from that perspective. The
other manufacturers don't have as wide a rotation before flipping the image! I tried with Panasonic, Hitachi, JVC, and (I think) Canon. With those manufacturers I can rotate the screen only about 20-25 degrees before the image flips. This can be very important if you're trying to record something at an odd angle and need to rotate the screen appropriately (like if you're short and trying to get over someone else's head). It's something that people don't really think about until comes the time when they try and find out that early image-flipping creates a nuisance. Sony gets a plus for their screen.
Viewfinder: It's color and has a wide range of motion. It can be pulled out close to an inch, and then flipped upwards to become perpendicular with the camcorder. The range of motion was quite lacking in the lower HC series camcorders so it's good that they left it in the DVD format ones.
Overall
The unit itself is about a third smaller and lighter than the previous model and comfortable enough to fit in hands and cases. It's something that you can easily take with you anywhere without the inconvenience of size. Notable features of the DCR-DVD301 are: Analog-to-Digital Passthrough, Nightshot Plus (Super and Slow Color Shutter too), intelligent (hot) accessory shoe, 16:9 aspect ratio, and burst-shot and bracketing digital-still options. The ports that the DVD301 has available are: S-video/A/V, USB, Microphone, LANC, and a headphone jack. They're neatly tucked away from sight, but easily accessible. Unlike the HC camcorders, the included software bundle is pretty basic and easily replaceable with shelved, name-brand video-editing software (Pinnacle).
The Sony DCR-DVD301 is great for people new to camcorders or new to camcorders of the digital age and are looking for a mini DVD camcorder with a large screen. Otherwise for the cost, it's hard to seriously justify the Sony brand to those who want more, better, or professional out of a camcorder. Exceptions would be people stuck on the Sony brand or Sony's LCD screens, though a plus with the Sony brand is that the DVD-RW format doesn't need to be finalized to be able to transfer the information to a computer. The DVD-RW format is also more compatible with non-PC DVD players. Compared to the Hitachi and Panasonic mini DVD camcorders available, the Sony DVD301 has less resolution, but much more pixels for the recorded video. For around the same price, or less, Hitachi and Panasonic appear that they would give more accurate color reproduction though take a big hit for the size of the video. But they also cost a little less. But they also look like clones of each other so we're left to wonder who is copying who. On the other hand, Sony mini DVD camcorders definitely stand out with their unique design both physical and functional. Stepping down to the DCR-DVD201 reduces the size of the LCD screen by an inch. Stepping down to the
DCR-DVD101 will get you a smaller CCD, less resolution, less pixels, as well as losing some other minor features. I definitely
recommend against purchasing the DVD101. Even though it's less, Hitachi and Panasonic offer better quality for even less which makes the DVD101 horrible for value. It's best to stick with the DVD201. If you're itching to get one of your own right now right away, see if you can hold out for a great deal. Those who are patient and shop smart will pay a price better suited for the quality of the camera (meaning Sony is overpriced).
