Sony releases a quality and affordable high definition camcorder with the HDR-HC1.  This camcorder provides crisp image and gives good performance in many conditions.  With a price range below $2,000, the HDR-HC1 can compete with other HDV personal video devices in its category.  

The HDR-HC1 offers a single 4:3 aspect ratio CMOS chip.  This chip measures 1/3-inch with 1.49 effective megapixels in 4:3 MiniDV video mode and 1.98 effective megapixels in 16:9 HDV video mode.  Unlike the HDR-HC1, Sony’s second most expensive HDV camcorder (the HDR-FX1) features three native 16:9 CCDs, each 1/3-inch in diagonal with a gross megapixels of 1.12.

Due to the primary color filter and CMOS sensor of the HDR-HC1, there are low amounts of noise, and the colors are very distinct in bright light levels.  The camcorder performs as well as the more expensive and advanced HDR-FX1.  Though the HDR-FX1 performs better in low light conditions, there’s a loss of crispness in bright light.  In comparison to Panasonic AG-DVC30, both the AG-DVC30 and the HDR-HC1 maintain their color saturation quality and produce great video.

In HDV recording mode, HDR-HC1 won’t disappoint you in achieving a resolution nearly triple to most MiniDV camcorders.  When most camcorders produce video resolution that is significantly lower than what the manufacturers is going to report, the HDR-HC1 offers three times better.  It shows that the HDR-HC1, as well as HDV, produces crisper resolution than DV.

In low light levels, the HDR-HC1 performs below par.  The HDR-HC1 suffers a small increase in noise in a slightly dimmer lighting setting.  It loses some vibrancy yet maintains a crisp and balanced image.  This is where the HDR-FX1 performs better than the HDR-HC1.  It doesn’t show much noise and displays better colors.

In comparison to the equally priced Canon GL2, the HDR-HC1 not only maintains its crispness but also its nicely balanced spectrum.  The Canon GL2 doesn’t show vibrant greens and yellows at the expense of crispness.  Sometimes, the GL2 proves much brighter than Sony and with equal noise.  Meanwhile, The AG-DVC30 is very similar to HDR-HC1, though the HDR-HC1 wins out in crispness.  Another Panasonic camcorder, the DVX100, equals the HDR-HC1’s crispness and makes less noise with more color information.

In low light shooting, the HDR-HC1 may not fare well with its competitors, but it will satisfy the needs of most consumers.  It can still produce a good and respectable output in low light.  This camcorder is competing with other more expensive consumer camcorders that are not HDV capable.  Most camcorders are second and third DV generation using CCD technology thus their low light performance reaches the maximum.  The HDR-HC1 uses the first generation CMOS technology, which is a brand new imaging chip technology.

The HDR-HC1 features a pop-up flash with a dedicated button on the left side of the lens barrel.  This flash can be set to high, normal or low.  The HDR-HC1 consists of a burst shot mode that can record 3 to 25 images consecutively in 25-second interval.  The camcorder is PictBridge compatible, so that you can connect it directly to a PictBridge compatible printer for printing without using a computer.

The HDR-HC1 uses widescreen and 4:3 modes when recording DV.  It also offers a widescreen capturing option.  It records stills to Memory Stick Duo at up to 1920 x 1440 resolutions depending on the mode used.  The memory card is proprietary to Sony.  You can capture stills at Fine or Standard quality modes.  The Sony DCR-PC1000, also a CMOS chip camcorder, has similar still options to the HDR-HC1, however the HDR-HC1 have better still images in many ways.

Like the HDR-HC1’s video performance, its stills are crisp and clear.  The distinctiveness of the color in these stills is comparable.  Comparing the results from stills taken by the DCR-PC1000, you can clearly see the strengths of the HDR-HC1.  There’s no washing of yellows into greens or blues into violets like what you can see on the DCR-PC1000.  The only drawback of the HDR-HC1’s still performance is the camcorder’s grayscale.

The HDR-HC1 records to MiniDV tapes.  This may not be too popular anymore but major benefits are that the tapes are cheap, readily available and compact.  All tape formats are susceptible to dropout problems.  This happens when a frame doesn’t record due to a scratch or defect of the tape.  That frame will display as black.  With MiniDV and many other formats, dropouts are not a main problem since one lost frame when recording in 30 frames per second is unnoticeable to the human eye.  Consequently, if you use a higher-grade tape, it will reduce the possibility of dropout.  Sony also made a special MiniDV tape specially designed for HDV shooting at twice the price for standard MiniDV tapes.  Shooting special events aren’t worth the hassle of dropouts so be sure to buy higher-grade tapes.

When you’re into video editing, you’ll find limited software that supports the HDV format.  If you are able to edit your HDV video, it will take a computer, an HDV deck or an HDV camcorder to play it back as HD video.  Another problem is that there are limited HDV compatible accessories that are affordable.  You need a powerful computer with fast RAM technology and huge disk storage plus a HD monitor to be able to enjoy the accurate representation of the footage. 

The HDR-HC1 does not come with an Easy mode.  However, it’s not a big loss to the consumer because it’s already easy to use.  There’s an auto lock switch below the LCD screen.  This switch controls the exposure, shutter speed, white balance and other features.  Buttons for exposure and zoom are easily accessible.  Another plus for this camcorder is the focus ring.  Its touch screen can be convenient but the amount of information crammed into its 2.7-inch LCD screen can be a disadvantage to most users.  The LCD has three buttons on it for recording, zoom in and zoom out.  The widescreen LCD has a resolution of about 0.123 megapixels. 
 
The camcorder can record up to a maximum of one hour in a fully charged battery.  For an uninterrupted recording, it is advisable to upgrade to a larger capacity battery pack.  In terms of portability, the HDR-HC1 is the smallest HD camcorder at under 1-3/4 lbs with tape and battery.  Though it won’t fit in your pocket, it will only take up a small bag making it perfect for travel and vacation trips.

Technical Specifications