Full features and small size make this a "Handy" cam

Author's Rating:

Pros: MiniDV digital video quality, small size, good features for the price.

Cons: Lousy digital still resolution, no ext Mic jack, Firewire cable or tape included.

The Bottom Line: 
Stands above other "budget" MiniDV camcorders. Full features in small size.

Author's Review
If there's one thing we seem to be obsessed with it's size, or lack thereof, especially when it comes to electronic gadgets. With an upcoming trip to Europe, the last thing I wanted to do was lug around our Sony TRV68 Hi8 Video Camcorder. When I compared it with current cameras, it's like the difference between a Mack truck and a Mini Cooper. Size, speed, features... well, we'll get to all that in a minute. With a quick trip through eBay, I said goodbye to our old Sony, and now I needed to rethink my options. Digital 8, MiniDV, MicroDV, which way to go? Well, if you haven't guessed yet, yes we purchased the Sony MiniDV DCR-HC21 Handycam.

There are so many options, and formats to chose from in the Video recording world, it's important to analyze your options and then decide how much you want to spend. For me, I narrowed it down to either the Sony DCR-H21, 31 or 41. Since I have an excellent 5 Megapixel Canon digital camera, I didn't see the need to bump up to the mid or high range 31 or 41. If however, you want to combine your efforts and have your camera do "double duty", you definitely want to consider the DCR-HC41. It will record a still photo on a Sony memory stick, and give a fairly decent 1 Megapixel image. Please don't kid yourself, even though the DCR-HC21 will record still digital images, it does so on tape, and the resolution is sooooo bad, you'll ask yourself, "Why did I bother"?

Because this model was just released, I was actually considering the previous DCR-HC20. I decided to spend the extra $50 and get the latest and greatest version. There are a couple of upgrades that make this camera worth it.

- Sony has doubled the Optical Zoom from 10x to 20x. Not great, but it does actually pull you closer to your subject without sacrificing resolution by using the digital zoom feature. Any increase in Optical Zoom is always a good thing.
- Another nice addition is found on the LCD screen. Sony has added a "wide" angle/"telephoto" set of control buttons so that you can zoom in and out while photographing with the LCD screen open. Unlike the button on the top of the camera, these buttons seem to zoom the lens at a nice reasonably slow to moderate speed. The other zoom control button is turbocharged. Push it too much one way or the other and your zoom goes directly into "warp speed" with nauseating effects on your viewers.

The camera itself is well designed ergonomically. It fits snugly in your right hand, (sorry all you lefties out there! It is a cold cruel right-handed world), and in a Zen-like way you and the camera become "one". The power on/off switch is easy to reach. It doubles as a "camera" on and "play/edit" selection switch. You access these functions by pulling down on the switch and it jumps back and forth between the two. Pushing up on this switch will turn the camera power off. The power zoom switch is easily reached and operated by your index finger, and the record button is within easy reach of your thumb.

Unfortunately, Sony has "dumbed down" the included battery. It use to pack a fairly decent NP-FP50, but has come up with an NP-FP30. About the size of a 9-volt transistor battery, it holds about 60 - 75 minutes of recording/viewing power. I would suggest purchasing either a set of NP-FP70's or 90's. An NP-FP70 will hold a 250-minute charge for recording and playback, depending on LCD screen use, etc. The 90 is good for up to 9 hours recording time. When purchasing replacement batteries, compare the available mAh, Milliampere hour. This is a measure of the amount of energy you'll get out of your battery. More is always better.

I really like this camera. Technology has improved greatly in the last few years. It's fun to shoot footage, download, and edit on the computer. I wanted a lightweight, high quality image camera that would allow me to download digitally and edit and burn movies onto DVDs. This camera is rock solid, and produces good to excellent images for people who want a "family event" or "tourist trip" type camcorder.

The specifications for this camera have not really changed much from its predecessor, the DCR-HC20. I'm not going to bore you with all these details. You can read some excellent, highly technical reviews on the camera here on Epinions. Since there is little difference between these two models, you'll find this information highly informative. DCR-HC20 Reviews But, here are some other thoughts about the DCR-HC21....

I like the fact that the camera has a "built in" lens cover. Just push the switch up or down to open or close it. No more dangling flimsy lens cover waiting to be caught on something. This is self-contained, always there for you. When you first power up the camera, it tells you to open the lens cover if you have forgotten to do so, nice feature.

On the left side of the camera, above the LCD screen are a set of 3 buttons. Back Light kicks up the LCD screen lamp strength so you can view it in daylight, and it works well. Disp/Batt Info will give you a nifty graph readout on your battery's life. You don't have to turn on the power to see it, just press the button and it gives you on a scale of 0 to 100 the strength of the battery, Recording time left when using the LCD screen, and Recording time when using the viewfinder. It automatically shuts off after 10 seconds. The last button is labeled Easy. This feature is designed for "foolproof" recording. Once activated, the LCD readout buttons become "big" for easy access. The camera goes into an "auto" record mode - truly "point and shoot".

Sony has made some compromises to allow this much power to be squeezed into a small package. They've done this by putting most of your feature selection onto the LCD touch view screen using menus. To access manual programming settings, setup menus, format settings, you step through a series of buttons on your touch sensitive LCD screen. Some people have complained about this, but I find that it has a very intuitive menu setup and is easy to push your selection and get where you need to go.

On the right side you have the cover plate over 4 ports. USB for video streaming, which doesn't work well. This feature is great for using your camera as a "webcam", but not much else. The DV port to send your video in real time into a recorder or PC for editing, an A/V out port to send your video to a vcr or TV, and finally a LANC port. Additionally, the Nightshot Plus selector switch is above these ports.

The LCD screen rotates 270 degrees like most cameras nowadays. I like the ability to pull it out, rotate it, and then push it back into the camera with the view screen facing out. This makes it easier to show your video to friends, and to secretly videotape someone or something at right angles to you.

The camera's Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar coated lens is top notch. Sony went all out with this feature. The Stereo microphones on the front of the camera seem to pickup adequate sound of your subject without too much camera noise, or photographer's voice. Another nice feature is the viewfinder. Although it will get scant use by most owners, it does pull out about 1 inch to get it closer to your eyeball, and it has an optical focus that allows for eye correction. Extracting tapes is a snap. A small switch on the side unlocks the tape access. The right side of the camera swings out, and the tape is ejected straight out the bottom. It is easy to install and remove tapes.

The camera comes with an A/V cable. You will have to purchase a IEEE 1394, or Firewire cable to get your digital video transferred into your PC or other device. You may have to purchase a video capture card with IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port for your computer if it doesn't have one. Most new computers have these, but if yours is lacking you can usually find both a capture card and cable for under $25.

I haven't even loaded the enclosed Sony Picture Package Ver 1.5 software. I've heard that it is lousy. I'm using Ulead's DVD Movie Factory and Video Magic software, which does a great job at capturing video onto our computer and editing it for DVD burning.

The Stabilization Super Steadyshot feature seems to work fairly well. Nightshot Plus allows recording in virtual darkness, and it's somewhat limited to about a 10-foot range. The Cold-shoe is just that, a place to attach a nonlinked device, like an optional lamp. I like the option of shooting in 4:3 standard ratio, or for people like us that have a wide screen TV, you can shoot in 16x9 widescreen format, which is perfect for viewing on widescreen TV.

All in all, this is a great little camcorder. It is attractive, and well built. It comes with the industry standard 90 day parts and labor and 1 year parts warranty. Most owners will find the color acceptable, and the controls well laid out. It is well designed for the beginner, and has enough features to please the even more experienced photo hobbyist. I would definitely recommend this camcorder.