A world of wonder in digital camcorders

Author's Rating:

Pros: High quality zoom, great lens, battery, everything anyone could need

Cons: A bit expensive, but will pay off in the end.

The Bottom Line: 
To sum it up, the camera offers a variety of features and has definitely made all the little events worth remembering. A clear must have.

Author's Review
When I began to investigate camcorders, I began to feel overwhelmed. After talking to a variety of friends, I soon discovered the world of digital camcorders. Much to my chargrin, I was still left with a variety to choose from. The first step was to determine a brand that I wanted, and I chose Sony, which has proven reliable and carries a strong and reliable brand/product name.

When I began to research the cameras, I came about the MiniDV Handycam; Camcorder (DCR-PC350). After looking into the product, I realized it had more than I could ever need now, and would be perfect as technology changes well into the future.

The first aspect that drew my attention to the camera was its sleek metallic design, easy swivel screen, and compactness. As I looked into the product, I learned how truly powerful and compact it really was. The DCR-PC350 uses the technology of MiniDV's, which are smaller than the size of your hand. Each of the MiniDV's are easy to use, and slowly being adopted by the higher quality cameras, meaning they will likely be futher adopted in the future. The MiniDV is only part of the story for sony's Handycam. When combined with the Carl Zeiss® Vario-Sonnar® T* 10x optical lens (one of the highest/highest quality lens available), the picture literally comes alive. This extraordinary digital video offers flawless picture time after time.

While the camera offers astounding videos, it even offers the ability to capture still pictures (i.e. a digital camera within a camera). The camera offers 3.0 Megapixel photographs, which is astounding for everyday needs.

Other features that I found to be worth mentioning are the 2.5" Swivel Screen, LCD with touch panel capabilities, a feature called NightShot, which offers video capable of using low-light image capturing techniques, and an image stabilization program to help smooth video recordings.

Now on to other essentials. As I have used the camera for extended periods of time, I needed the longer battery capacity. After continued use and recharging, the Handycam has proved to have an extended battery life, which is great for family events. Not only that, but after a long day with the family, it is easy to transfer the video and pictures to my tv screen, computer, or printer. This is easily done through S-video and USB cables, which are almost standard on all appliances.

Finally on to a few last features. One of my favorite features of the Handycam is the zoom features. The 10X Optical/120X Digital Zoom offers the capability of zooming in 10x that of normal sight, without losing any picture quality. After 10x magnification, the picture quality will resemble that of VHS as it can reach a 120x Digital Zoom. While the camera offers the 120x Digital Zoom, I have never found the need to use it, and have loved the 10x optical capability.

To sum it up, the camera offers a variety of features and has definitely made all the little events worth remembering.