Reviews for Sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom

Sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom by Sony

Sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom Our Price: $599.99
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital camera reviews of Sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom

Digital camera Review: Camcorder death
Summary: 1 Stars

I purchased this camcorder a year ago and used it less than 10 hours. I ejected a cassette and now the compartment won't close. The camcorder is also flashing a C:32:11 error code. Its dead!

Sony's customer service suggests removing the battery or dc cable and resetting the camera which didn't work. A web search of the error code turned up a huge amount of comments and solutions on this issue including banging the bottom of the camcorder with a hammer. Since the camcorder didn't work I tried the hammer solution...it still doesn't work! I can't find anyone in my area to repair it and Sony wants $200 to repair (if they can) it.

I choose to replace the DCR-HC52 with a Sony flash camcorder which has fewer moving parts, uses memory cards instead of cassettes and uses all of the accessories I've already purchased.


Digital camera Review: Cannot find firewire.....
Summary: 3 Stars

My biggest complaint is that I cannot find a firewire to purchase so I can view the recordings on my computer. I even looked for it on Samsung's website store and got nowhere. Watching my granddaughter on the little screen attached to the camera is the pits. I will not purchase another Samsung camcorder.

Digital camera Review: Cannot transfer video to a PC
Summary: 2 Stars

I own 4 different Sony camcorders. I bought this one because all of the others stopped having the ability to transfer video to a PC using the IEEE 1394 firewire (iLink) cable. Right outta the box, this one is not recognized by 3 different PCs, all having firewire ports, all having WinXP, tried with a variety of 4-pin to 6-pin cables. I'm done with SONY. The reason I kept purchasing SONY was to transfer SONY video. I used a Samsung camera to transfer video but the codecs caused choppy video. My camcorders are all $300 and below in cost. If you search the Internet forums you'll see that SONY has serious problems with their firewire ports. Another SONY for my useless collection.

Digital camera Review: DEPENDABLE WITH ONE MINUS
Summary: 4 Stars

I like almost everything about this camera except one thing. COLOR SATURATION IS LOW. I wonder if it is just MY camera or are the others like this? My previous JVC DV Cam had much better saturated reds and blues than the Sony. The HC52 has good clarity, good stereo built-in sound, with little if any machine-noise. For the great price, I think the extras make the deal.. Like touch screen menus, built-in lens cover, and 40X zoom. The image stabilizer works, albeit mildly. I noticed that the sunrise/sunset mode enriches the colors.. however the focus is fixed for distance only and can't be over-ridden manually in that mode..so, thus far I can't seem to manually get more saturated colors, therefore it loses 1 star.

Digital camera Review: DO NOT BUY
Summary: 1 Stars

This is the most awful camera ever! It is not worth the money, it is hard to use, horrible video quality, horrid mic, just get something with a memory card. I am not from a enemy brand or something, just hate this camera. It is really hard to use with a computer, the tiny DVDs it uses are not nearly as nice as it sounds, as it is easier to just plug it in anyway. You can't get addons just don't get this camera, unless you are a little kid who doesn't care about video quality, sound quality or the ability to edit.
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