Sony DCR-DVD101 Camcorder Review

Video Performance (6.5)
The Sony DCR-DVD101 has a 1/6-inch CCD with 340K effective pixels situated behind a 25mm Carl Zeiss lens with 10x optical zoom and 120x digital. With the Sony DCR-DVD101 and Sony DCR-DVD201, Sony has reduced the size of the CCD from last year's models. (The DVD100 and DVD200 were equipped with 1/4-inch and 1/4.7-inch CCDs, respectively.) Regardless, the DVD101 performs well at 3000 lux and other daylight equivalent light settings. The problem with some camcorders is that at daylight-equivalent light settings, the colors tend to wash out and their true vibrancy is not maintained. This is somewhat the case with the Sony DCR-DVD101 at 3000 lux. The green in the spectrum in particular shows washing, but overall the rest of the colors on the color chart appear to hold their own.

The DCR-DVD101 is different than Mini DV and Digital8 camcorders because it records video to optical discs, and to do so the camcorder must compress the video into an MPEG2 signal. The result is that there is less information in a Digital8 signal than there is in a Mini DV signal. Although casual users might not be able to notice the difference, the DCR-DVD101 lacks the dynamic range of a normal camcorder. Otherwise, Sony has the MPEG2 compression down.

The Front (5.0)
The front of the Sony DCR-DVD101 is almost identical to the front of its younger sibling, Sony's DCR-DVD201. The front can be divided into two distinct longitudinal halves. On the top of the right side is the lens, which is stacked on the IR receiver. Below the IR receiver is a port cover, which displays the model name, that can be lifted to reveal an audio/video output and a microphone input. Below this panel is the built-in stereo microphone. As on the DCR-DVD201, the section of the DVD mechanism located on the front of the camera protrudes slightly from the other frontal components, which helps prevent fingers from blocking the microphone.

The Right Side (6.0)
The right side of the Sony DCR-DVD101 is dominated by the DVD mechanism. The mechanism opens automatically through use of a slider located on the top side above the mechanism, and is closed manually. In the upper left corner of the right side resides the DC input jack, which is covered by a piece of soft plastic. Below this jack is the mode dial, which switches between VCR, recording, and still modes. The power button is set in the center of the mode dial. Immediately below the mode dial and slightly to the left, the record button juts off towards the back of the camera, providing easy access for the thumb if the camera is handheld. The strap is relatively large, considering the compact size of the camera, and runs along the bottom of the right side.

The Back (6.5)
The back of the Sony DCR-DVD101 is dominated by the battery slot. Above the battery slot to the right is the LANC, or remote jack, which is covered by a piece of soft plastic. To the left of the LANC jack is the viewfinder, which can be angled at 45 degrees or at 90 degrees and can be slid back and forth about two inches. Below the viewfinder, near the upper left corner of the battery slot, is the USB port, covered by soft plastic. The mode dial and record button are also accessible from the back side of the camera, conveniently near the thumb if the camcorder is handheld.

The Left Side (8.0)
The left side of the camcorder is dominated by its barrel lens along the top and by its 2.5-inch, 123K pixel, hybrid LCD screen on the bottom. Along the bottom of the lens (towards the middle of the left side of the camera) reside three buttons. These control, from left to right: display/battery info, back light, and visual index. To the left of the visual index button is a four-way directional pad which functions as a button as well as a navigational tool when operating the camcorder's many menus. This directional pad has been moved from being hidden beneath the LCD, as in last year's models, to an external position. Opening the LCD reveals the camcorder's licensing information as well as a number of hidden buttons, which include those necessary for playback or VCR mode; for adjusting the focus, exposure, and fader; accessing the setup menus; and finalizing and editing discs for playback in conventional DVD players and computers. Also, a small speaker is located to the left of the button matrix beneath the LCD screen.

The Top (6.5) The top of the Sony DCR-DVD101 contains the upper panels of the lens and viewfinder and the upper edge of the DVD mechanism. Along the top of the barrel towards the front of the lens is the NightShot slider, which is opposite the Super Nightshot Plus (or Super NS) button, located atop the DVD mechanism. Immediately in front of the Super NS button is the slide which opens the DVD mechanism. To the right of the viewfinder, attached to the DVD mechanism, are the zoom toggle and the photo still button. An intelligent accessory shoe is located towards the middle of the top, on the left side, directly in front of the viewfinder. An accessory may be attached once the viewfinder is pulled back past the angling position to allow the shoe to be removed. This process can be cumbersome; however, the compact size of the camcorder would be sacrificed for a more convenient option.

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (6.5)
The DCR-DVD101 has many of the same automatic features as other Sony camcorders. While the lack of a touch-screen LCD prevents a spot focus or spot metering option, automatic settings exist for exposure, focus, white balance, and shutter speed. It's slightly ironic that Sony didn't include the spot metering or spot foucs touch screen features or the Easy Handycam feature on the DVD101. This camcorder's core feature, the DVD recording, is an ease of use feature, and their core audience on the camcorder is users who want ease of use. It creates a mixed product by not including the ease of use features which the Mini DV camcorders include.

Automatic adjustments to exposure and shutter speed are relatively seamless. The Sony DCR-DVD101's automatic focus performed decently with low time adjustment period at the widest focal length; however, at 10x, as per normal, time adjustment periods increased substantially. Automatic white balancing adjustments can be slow; however, this lack of speed affords the camcorder the necessary subtlety to make footage believable.

AE settings of Spotlight, Portrait, Sports, Beach & Ski, Sunset Moon, and Landscape are available to users for more specific environments. These settings are accurate and are a good bench mark for exposure settings in extremely varying conditions, and while there are no 'true' manual shutter speed (or AE) controls, these presets provide some limits and windows of performance for the camcorder.

Overall Manual Control (4.0)
The manual control options of the Sony DCR-DVD101 are unique in that a four-way directional pad located above the LCD controls the manual picture functions, with separate buttons for focus and exposure. Traditional alphanumeric descriptions of exposure, shutter speed, and focal length settings are ignored in favor of horizontal +/- meters, pictures of people or mountains or hands, or semi-manual options like ''Beach & Ski'' or ''Sports.'' Sony's notoriously byzantine menu system is accessed by pressing the ''setup'' button located beneath the LCD, which subsequently displays the menu. Shutter speed, white balance, digital zoom, picture effect, and other options can be found within. The Sony DCR-DVD101 unfortunately lacks spot focusing and spot metering options, which require touch-screen LCDs. It's also unfortunate, but consistent with Sony's products, that in order to fiddle with many of the manual settings, the LCD must be opened to access hidden buttons.

Zoom (7.5)
The Sony DCR-DVD101 offers a disappointing but typical 10x optical zoom and digital zoom options at both 20x and 120x. The zoom toggle is, like everything about this camcorder, very small, which can be a hindrance to variant speed zooms and general zoom speed. The small size of the Sony DCR-DVD101 as a whole makes the zoom toggle relatively out of the way for a large hand. The optical zoom works well with smooth focal adjustments. Consistent with earlier Sony models and other camcorders in general, the digital zoom is of poor quality when compared with the response and image quality of the optical zoom.

Focus (5.0)
The manual focus of the DCR-DVD101 is controlled by an on/off button beneath the LCD and by the directional pad. Upon pressing the ''focus'' button, a picture of a hand appears on the LCD, indicating manual focus mode. The focus can then be adjusted by the directional pad, moving from a picture of mountains (focus on far objects) to a picture of a person (focus on close-up objects). As the directional pad is small and hard to maneuver, the manual focus process could be a lot more fluid if the DCR-DVD101 included a focus-ring instead, or if the ''focus'' button weren't hidden beneath the LCD.

Exposure (Aperture) (4.5)
The Sony DCR-DVD101's exposure can be adjusted manually by pressing the exposure button that is hidden under the LCD. This takes the camcorder out of automatic mode and presents, in the upper left corner of the LCD, a +/- meter which can be adjusted with the directional pad. Unfortunately like the manual focus option, toggling between manual and automatic exposure requires opening the LCD to access hidden buttons. Also, like other Sony camcorders, manual exposure adjustments are governed by a +/- meter instead of numerical F-stops (closing of the iris); while this may be easier for a novice to decipher, it makes exposure adjustment more of a guessing game than an exact science.

Shutter Speed (0.0)
The DCR-DVD101 includes no manual shutter speed control.

White Balance (6.5)
The Sony DCR-DVD101 is equipped to configure white balance automatically as well as manually. In automatic, the Sony DCR-DVD101 does its best to assess the color temperature of the dominant light source and make adjustments accordingly. The color shift from indoor to outdoor is barely noticeable.

Manually, white balance can be set so that users might more accurately define what in the scene is truly white. For manual adjustments, the white balance menu can be located within the Manual Set menu, accessed by pressing the Setup button beneath the LCD. This menu offers automatic settings for outdoor and indoor lighting, in which the camcorder assumes dominant color temperatures of average outdoor and indoor lighting respectively, and options for Auto (the default automatic setting) and Hold (the manual setting). If the Hold setting is selected, the Sony DCR-DVD101 will adjust its white balance to its immediate surroundings (or a white card held in front of it), and will not adjust when placed in vastly different environs.

Gain (0.0)
The Sony DCR-DVD101 has no manual Gain controls.

Still Performance (5.0)
The DCR-DVD101 captures JPEG stills at 640 x 480. Quality settings of Fine (approx. 5100 pictures), and Standard (approx. 8100 pictures) are available on the DCR-DVD101. These options can be found in the Camera Set menu, accessed by pushing the Setup button under the LCD. White Balance, manual exposure, focus, and all shutter speed (AE) presets except sports are available in still mode. Stills are recorded directly onto the disc, rather than to a memory card or tape, requiring a separate still photo mode in order to enable switching between video and still recording on the disc. In order to shoot photo stills, the mode dial must be placed in photo still mode. (Go figure.) Pictures are recorded to disc by depressing the photo button (located behind the zoom toggle) slightly, waiting for a green light in the viewfinder or LCD while focal adjustments are made, and then fully depressing the photo button. A major benefit of the DCR-DVD101 over other competing camcorders which record stills to memory sticks is the sheer huge number of stills which the camcorder can record to DVDs.

The Sony DCR-DVD101 can be connected to the computer through its USB port, which allows playback of footage and stills with the included ImageMixer software. Using the USB port, the Sony DCR-DVD101 can import video to the computer without finalizing the disc itself. (In order to play the disc by itself in a conventional DVD player, it must be finalized on the camcorder.) Unfortunately, ImageMixer is at once incredibly cumbersome and terribly basic; its options are few and, relative to the camcorder's convenience, hard to access. Footage and stills may be viewed, but not much else. There is an editing feature which allows the splicing and cutting of footage, but exporting as mpeg or jpeg is difficult.

VCR Mode (8.0)
The Sony DCR-DVD101 offers previews of all digital photo stills and playback of video before disc finalization. This is great because disc finalization time and actual footage exist at a 1:1 ratio (30 minutes of video: 30 minutes of finalization time). The playback mode (VCR mode) is accessible by switching the mode dial to the play button icon. This presents a blue screen for playback using buttons that are, sadly, hidden beneath the LCD. Pressing the video index button presents a convenient menu featuring thumbnails of all digital photos and video segments, with date and time of capture. There is also a slide show application accessible by pressing the setup button.

The camcorder has a nice visual index option for file playback selection. The visual index option displays file thumbnails for every still or video clip which you have. You can then use the direcional pad to select which one to playback. It's a great tool for navigating the file based system of recording on DVD discs.

Low-Light Performance (2.6)
Low-light performance is a weak area for any one-chip camcorder, and with the Sony DCR-DVD101 the story is no different. At 3000 lux, the Sony DCR-DVD101 performs well, with crisp delineated colors and almost no grain. At 60 lux, colors aren't as crisp, with some washing in the green area of the spectrum. Conversely, the Sony DCR-DVD101 is particularly strong in blues, and while this may be a hindrance at 3000 lux, at 60 lux, blues shone with unnatural vibrance. There is a tremendous increase in grain at 60 lux, which is probably due to the DVD101's tiny CCD. At 15 lux, the DCR-DVD101 performs horribly; the colors are incredibly dull and the grain is notably worse than at 60 lux. There is almost a total absence of color representation, and the whole color chart is awash with brownish gray overtones. Don't plan on taking good low light footage with the Sony DCR-DVD101.

LCD / Viewfinder (7.5)
The Sony DCR-DVD101 is equipped with a 2.5 in. color LCD screen (123K pixels). The screen rotates 270º and does not solarize the image when viewed from an angle, a testament to Sony's consistent, excellent LCD quality. The LCD operates under Sony's new hybrid technology which helps prevent washout under bright sunlight. The camcorder's viewfinder has a color 123K pixel display; it is small (like the rest of the camera), not terribly mobile, and lacks a cushiony eyepiece.

Audio (6.0)
The Sony DCR-DVD101 supports 12-bit and 16-bit audio recording. Its stereo microphone is located on the front of the camcorder. On a machine this small, lanky fingers are likely to cover and muffle it. It's handy that the DVD mechanism protrudes in such a way as to provide a preventative perch for said fingers. Above the stereo microphone is a mic-in jack and audio input/output jack. There is no headphone jack, but there is an accessory shoe on the top of the lens barrel for accessories such as an external microphone. The lack of a headphone jack is a problem, but I'd rather it be missing a headphone jack than a microphone in jack.

Handling (6.0)
The Sony DCR-DVD101 is as tiny as the Sony DCR-DVD201, which is to say, very tiny - ''twenty-nine percent smaller than last year's models'' as the manual plainly states. This size reduction decreases the camcorder's weight substantially and provides for easy gripping; indeed, the DVD mechanism actually helps with the handling. However, because it is so small, the Sony DCR-DVD101can be difficult to keep still. In general, the camcorder is not as bulky as last years models and the handling overall is improved.

Where you are going to run into problems is with regards to manual control. The button setup is atrocious, with important high-use buttons like exposure and focus placed under the LCD screen and unimportant buttons such as Backlight and Display/Battery Information placed on the exterior. The zoom toggle is small and somewhat inconvenient for a large hand.

Ports (6.0)
The DC in is located on the right side above the mode dial, which is a relatively inconvenient spot, especially for recording while plugged into a power source, as the plug gets in the way of the hand holding the camcorder. The USB port is located just below and slightly to the left of the viewfinder, and is not able to provide live streaming, which is a disappointment. The remote jack is located to the right of the viewfinder, and a mic input jack and an audio/video input/output can be found on the front of the camcorder, under a protective panel. Also, there is a cold accessory shoe located on top of the machine.

Other Features (6.0)
Night Shot Plus Nightshot Plus is a convenient viewing mechanism that uses infrared light to illuminate extremely dark places. Super Nightshot Plus is an amplified version of Nightshot Plus, but has to lower the shutter speed to capture more light. Color Slow Shutter is basically Super Nightshot Plus in color; it still has low shutter speed.

Picture Effects The Sony DCR-DVD101 also contains variety of picture effects, available in the manual set menu. They include Sepia, Black & White, Pastel, and Mosaic. A number of digital effects are also provided, including Old Movie and Illumination.

16:9 widescreen mode The Sony DCR-DVD101 supports a digitally manipulated 16:9 ''cinema'' mode. For real 16:9 aspect ratio, you'll have to get a bigger lens.

Analog-to-Digital Pass Through The Sony DCR-DVD101 is equipped for analog-to-digital pass through for converting analog video to DVDs.

Battery Information This feature allows you to see the remaining battery time of the camcorder with the click of one button.

Image Stabilization The DCR-DVD201 includes Sony's electronic image stabilization, however you should not depend on it too much. You're going to need a tripod.

Comparisons
There are several camcorders in a comparable price range to the Sony DCR-DVD101: the Canon Elura 70, the JVC GR-D93, and the Panasonic VDR-M50.

VDR-M50 Panasonic's entry level DVD camcorder, the VDR-M50, has a 1/6-inch CCD with 340k effective pixels. The M50 has an 18x optical zoom and 500x digital zoom, which is much more zoom power than the Sony DCR-DVD101 at 10x optical and 120x digital. The M50 records fewer stills to disc than the DVD101; however, it also has the capability of recording stills to memory card, which the DVD101 does not have. The M50 is also slightly bigger than the DVD101, which may help with the steadying of shots.

Elura 70 Canon's higher end MiniDV camcorder, the Elura 70, has a larger CCD imager than the DCR-DVD101, measuring 1/4.7-inch capturing 690K effective pixels to the DVD101's 1/6 and 340K. Additionally, the Elura 70 has 18x optical and 360x digital zoom capabilities. The Elura has plenty of manual control (white balance, exposure, shutter speed, etc.) - everything except gain - and extremely varied still capabilities. The Elura records stills to a memory card, as opposed to the DVD101's recording to a DVD; mpeg movies can also be saved to this card. Canons are notoriously poor in low-light performance, however the Elura 70 outplays the DVD101 in terms of manual control, zoom, CCD size, and still capacity.

GR-D93 JVC's higher-end Mini DV camcorder, the GR-D93, has 1/4-inch CCD with a 1.3 Megapixel capacity, which is notably better than the DVD101's 1/6-inch, 340K CCD. The GR-D93 also performs remarkably well in low light when contrasted with the DVD101 and the Elura 70, which features a bigger CCD. The GR-D93 features a 10x optical zoom with 700x digital and comparable shutter speed options to the DVD101. The GR-D93 has a maximum still resolution of 1600 x 1200 which is significantly better than the DVD101's 640 x 480.

DCR-DVD201 Compared to Sony's subsequent DVD camcorder, the DCR-DVD201, the DCR-DVD101 has fewer options and a smaller CCD at 1/6-inch with 340K (DVD201's is 1/5-inch with 690K). Additionally, the DVD201 offers a higher resolution for still images (although they are still recorded to disc instead of card) with the option of burst photography, which takes multiple stills on an interval of 0.6 seconds at multiple exposures if selected. On the Sony DCR-DVD201, the angle to view stills is wider than the angle to view movies; on the DVD101, these angles are identical. The DCR-DVD201 also costs nearly $200 more.

Who's it For
Point-and-Shooters (6.0)
A decent camcorder for the point-and-shoot crowd as well as the gadget types, the Sony DCR-DVD101 is a very gimmicky camcorder. It is marketed for both convenience as well as cutting-edge technology and provides both.
Budget Consumers (3.0)
The Sony DCR-DVD101 is not for budget consumers. For the same price, very high quality and versatile Mini DV cameras are available with comparable, if not better, image quality.
Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid (5.0)
The Sony DCR-DVD101 is a decent hybrid due to the sheer amount of still photos available. However, since both photos and video are recorded onto disc, the amount of photos taken detracts from video space, of which there is generally only 20-60 minutes depending on quality settings. The Sony DCR-DVD101 doesn't offer as many still features as the Sony DCR-DVD201 either. For the money, still capabilities shouldn't be the deciding factor in this situation.
Gadget Freaks (6.0)
Definitely a gadget freak machine. The DCR-DVD101 offers the gimmick of all gimmicks: recording straight to DVD. It's also tiny, like its CCD.
Manual Control Freaks (3.0)
Manual control freaks don't have much to laugh hysterically about on this one. Like on many Sony camcorders, the manual controls of the Sony DCR-DVD101, if they exist, are altered for convenient eyeballing and hidden beneath the LCD, which is inconvenient. Needless to say, these machines are designed to stay in ''auto.''
Pros/ Serious Hobbyists (2.0)
For the price, the DCR-DVD101 isn't a good buy for the serious hobbyist, unless a small convenient camera is needed as a backup. This camcorder might be well used by a filmmaker who wanted to storyboard his or her film in video before filming; the discs are pricy compared to Mini DV tape, but so is film, and the convenience of recordable DVD might be useful for fast playback from conventional equipment. Additionally, pros shouldn't plan on using their high end software for editing as the format is not supported.

Conclusion
The Sony DCR-DVD101 is very much a gimmick camcorder, and is marketed as such to people who sacrifice quality for convenience. It certainly serves a purpose of ease of use. If you don't want to edit, don't want manual control, and don't worry about an amazing image this is a great camcorder for you. If you just want a camcorder where you can point, shoot, and then watch your video by putting it into a DVD player, this is a good camcorder. The benefit of this camcorder is that playback is easy. The Sony DCR-DVD101 is lightweight, small, and records directly to DVDs, which can be finalized in the camcorder to be played on conventional DVD players. Substantially better performance can be obtained at an incredibly lower price if the buyer is willing to record onto Mini DV tape.

The Sony DCR-DVD101 handles fine. It's very small, which makes carrying easy, although shaking can be a problem. The buttons could be more convenient, but this adjustment would probably sacrifice the camcorder's size. Also, seeing as this machine is marketed at the point-and-shoot crowd, most of its few manual functions and menu options probably won't be used frequently anyway.

Sony DCR-DVD101 buyers are buying for ease of playback, which is fine, but it basically comes down to price. At the Sony DCR-DVD101's price range, there are many camcorders that offer infinitely better video performance and sacrifice the recordable DVD option. Also, it should be noted that if purchased for the recordable DVD option, the buyer can look forward to a maximum recording time of probably 40 minutes per disc. The number of stills the Sony DCR-DVD101 can take is impressive; however, with only 340K pixels for still photography, a high-end digital camera would probably be a better bet.