By Terry Sullivan
I once read an art history book about the public's reaction to Leonardo Da Vinci's mural The Last Supper. Painted in 1495, the image had such a realistic sense of space and intensity of detail that after viewing it, no one wanted to "settle" for the status quo anymore. Da Vinci had raised the bar for rendering realistic images. I was reminded of this when I first studied, on an HDTV monitor, the hi-def video footage I captured with the Sony HDR-HC3 HDV 1080i Handycam camcorder ($1,499.95 direct). The quality of the video blew standard definition footage out of the water. Simply put, the HC3 sets a new standard in the consumer camcorder arena.
I'm not saying the camera itself is a masterpiece. But overall, Sony has improved on its first HD consumer camcorder, the HDR-HC1 HDV 1080i Handycam Camcorder, by making the HC3 more portable and more affordable (by $500).
When you pick up this miniDV camcorder, you'll be surprised that it's nearly the size of some of the higher-end DVD camcorders, such as Sony's DVD505. Even so, at 3.3 by 3.1 by 5.5 inches and 19 ounces (with tape and battery), the camera is easy to hold and carry around.
* Digital Camcorder Guide
* Listen to Terry talk about the Sony HDR-HC3 HDV Handycam on Gearlog Radio (MP3)
* Sony HDR-HC1 HDV 1080i Handycam Camcorder
* Sony Cyber-shot DSC N1
* Sony DCR-DVD505
Like the HC1, the HC3 features a 10X optical zoom and a widescreen 2.7-inch touch-sensitive LCD. What Sony dropped on this camcorder is the manual focus ring found on the HC1. In its place, they've added an effective Cam Control Dial and a manual button near the front of the camera, just in front of where the LCD swivels out. You can change the settings (in the menus) so that you can control not only the focus with this little dial, but elements such as exposure and white balance. Still, I prefer the more precise control I got with the focus ring.
In both real-world and lab tests, the HC3's video footage, when viewed on either an HDTV or a computer monitor, offered exceptionally clear details and the subtlest of textures. I loved how in the footage of my kids playing around and jumping in a pool on a bright, sunny summer day, the camcorder accurately rendered all the vibrant colors on my daughter's bathing suit, the thinnest strands of my son's spiky hair, and the tiniest droplets of water splashing up after a dive. It also produced stunning results when I pointed the camera at the sky, where the sun had just been covered by a dark cloud. An extreme lighting situation such as this can often produce badly exposed video, but the HC3 caught it all. I was quite impressed with both the speed and quality of Sony's auto exposure.
The HC3 also adjusted well in low-light scenarios. When I stood in a dim interior and pointed the camcorder at both it and a bright exterior (moving back and forth between the two environments), the HC3 kept pace by quickly adjusting both the exposure and the focus. The ensuing indoor footage was a tad grainy, but the details were all clear and sharp, which surprised me, since there is only one sensor in the camera. (Three-sensor cameras are generally better at capturing low-light settings.)
The HC3 stores video footage on a miniDV tape in 1080i (when set to its highest quality setting), which films at roughly 60 interlaced fields per second, or about 30 frames per second. (See a demonstration of how camcorders capture video differently). You can set the camera to record at standard-definition video, but I suggest always using the highest HDV quality setting and then "downconverting" when burning a standard-definition DVD.
The HC3 comes equipped with many of the usual Sony features, and they performed well. For example, the Nightshot mode performed admirably, letting me capture smooth, nonstreaky video, although it is nearly monochrome, like all night-shot modes. I also had fun using the Smooth Slow Record mode that was introduced on the DVD505, which lets you film in real time and play back the footage in slow motion (without sound).
In my lab tests, I found the camera had an impressive 700 average lines of resolution—although this is not quite as high as the HC1's 750 lines of resolution. Still, it clearly surpassed the 300-to-400 range of other camcorders. The bootup time was less impressive, as it took more than 8 seconds to start.
In my still-camera tests, the HC3 had mediocre performance and displayed significant shutter lag, which is not unusual for a camcorder. The HC3 can capture 4-megapixel still images, but I wasn't impressed with their quality. The Canon DC40 DVD camcorder, which also captures 4MP stills, did a better job in both my flash and daylight test shots, and its images were sharper and had more vibrant color that those of the HC3. That's mainly because the CMOS sensor on the HC3 captures only 2.1MP worth of data and then interpolates it up to a 4MP image.
Also, I found that Sony didn't do much to remedy some of the gripes I had with the HC1. For starters, it didn't include any software in the box, which is peculiar, as Sony's Vegas 6 video editor lets you capture and edit high-definition files. Why not include a "lite" version of Vegas 6? Sony also didn't change the menu structure. I think it would do well to emulate the successful menus it has built into the Cyber-shot DSC N1 digital still camera.
Although the HC3 represents a big jump for those in the consumer camcorder market, it's not what I would consider a prosumer or professional camcorder, even for someone who might want to shoot a wedding or a special event. My main concern is that the camera has limited external controls, such as a manual focus ring. And because there is no external mic jack on the HC3, there's no way to improve your audio quality by adding an external microphone. That's crucial. (I should note that the HC3 did, in my tests, work with Sony's ECM-HW1, the recently introduced Bluetooth wireless microphone that fits into the camcorder's intelligent shoe. But again, this is targeted at consumers—the mic is not a professional-quality device). So for college students or filmmakers on limited budget, the HC1 might be a better buy.
Despite these minor gripes, I think the Sony HDR-HC3 HDV 1080i Handycam, like its predecessor, the HC1, stands alone as our Editors' Choice for a HD consumer camcorder. Simply put, its incredible video quality has no equal.
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