Sony DCR-DVD108 DVD Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony DCR-DVD108 DVD Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom
Digital camera Review: Average performer
Summary: 3 Stars
This was not as easy to operate as I had hoped. Finalization was sometimes difficult to manoeuver. Some good features, but on the whole, I would rate it just average.Digital camera Review: Hard to use
Summary: 1 Stars
Takes nice pictures but it is a pain to get from the camera into a computer where you can actually edit the footage. I have had nothing but trouble when it comes to this step, usually because the computer will not recognize the disc, and will not pull up the file when it is connected to the camera direcly. Overall I like Sony equipment but I don't think this is a great product, and I would not recommend it.
Why would you sell a camera that won't load it's information into a computer ? I am running Vista on my newest computer (like we have a choice?)and still have an XP computer so I am going to try that to see if it works any better.
Digital camera Review: Great Quality & Easy to Use
Summary: 5 Stars
We bought the Sony DVD108 just before the birth of our 2nd child. Since we didn't have a lot of time to get familiar with it, we were looking for something that was easy to use right out of the box. I also have relatively high expectations for quality and performance and so far, this camcorder has exceeded on all accounts.
We charged the battery, popped in a DVD+RW and started recording after the camera recognized & formatted the media. You can pick either 3:4 (old TV's) or 16:9 (Widescreen TV's) aspect ratios. The touch screen/menu operation of the camera is very intuitive and I've yet to find a real need to reference the instruction manual. Honestly, this camera is VERY easy to use and even has an "easy" button that you can press to put it in "idiot proof" mode that does all the thinking for you.
The 40x optical zoom is more than adequate for just about every situation ... any closer and you can't hold the image steady enough to get good footage. We've only used the highest quality record setting and have been very impressed with the clarity of the video. I would liken them to DVD quality and far better than an ordinary TV broadcast.
The mini DVD format is very convenient, although it should be said that each DVD only holds about 24 min of footage at the highest quality setting. This is really not a problem because the disks are inexpensive and the RW format allows you to reuse them over and over again. You have the option to pop them right into your DVD player where all your individual clips are organized in a menu for easy viewing. To edit your files, you'll want to use your computer. The software provided with the camera is actually very good for basic editing and archiving video files so that you can reuse the DVD, if they are RW format.
Digital camera Review: Great camcorder for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
So far, this has proven to be a good buy. The image stabilization worked even better than I expected and I have not had any issues in low light conditions despite there being no built-in light. If you want to record long sessions, you may want to pre-format your mini-DVDs or spring for a media card because it takes several minutes to swap out unformatted media. My only serious complaint is inconvenient battery charging. The only way to charge the battery without buying an overpriced charger is to plug the included charger directly into the camcorder. The location of the plug is very bad. I'll probably break either the plug or the socket if I don't spring for the external charger.Digital camera Review: Sony the best in camcoders
Summary: 5 Stars
I am very satify with the performance of this camcoder...it has a really good picture quality... and very easy to use.