Sony DCR-DVD205 Camcorder Reviewby Matt CullerPublished on Aug 17, 2006 5:00 AM
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Still Features (5.75)
With the same still features as last year’s DCR-DVD203 (Review, Specs, $587.65), the DCR-DVD205 (Review, Specs, $384.99) captures stills at a resolution of 1152 x 864 (1MP). This is roughly comparable to MiniDV camcorders priced about a hundred dollars less, and can’t really compare with the still resolutions on Canon’s new DVD camcorders. Also, the DCR-DVD205 only records stills to DVD discs, which is a terrible disadvantage, especially in a model aimed for convenience. Having to go through a bit of a hassle to get those stills off the disc and on to your computer isn’t fun. It would be much better to pop out an SD card or memory stick and shove it into your computer. This is an advantage found on many Canons, including their least expensive models.
Compared to Panasonic’s offerings at this price range, the DCR-DVD205 offers a better resolution due to a larger imager; however, the Panasonic does offer a SD card slot for storage (I don’t know how much good it will do at 640 x 480 though). Compared to the cheaper Sony DVD105 (Review, Specs, $399.95), the DCR-DVD205 features a larger resolution and that’s it. The still performance, as on any low-end DVD camcorder, is bad, and there is absolutely no reason to either buy this camcorder for its still capabilities or to replace a digital camera.
The DCR-DVD205 also ships with a self-timer that can be operated in still and video modes and offers up to ten seconds delay before capturing data. All of the same manual and automatic controls that are found in video mode are also available in still mode: exposure, focus, Spot Meter, Spot Focus, etc.
Still Resolution (2.9)
The DCR-HC205’s stills were tested for their resolution by shooting a standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. In all, the DVD205 managed an approximate resolution of 294470.67.
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Still Resolution |
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Sony DCR-DVD205 |
2.9 |
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1.3 |
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Sony DCR-DVD203 |
1.9 |
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3.2 |
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Still Performance (3.75)
The Sony DCR-DVD205 has poor low light performance. Color balance is completely off-kilter, seemingly split into a blue / yellow duotone. This is only a slight exaggeration. The yellow tones dominates the entire spectrum from orange to green; then blue dominates the red to blue-green. There is also blue noise in the image, which we saw in the video, as well. The noise is distracting, but the image is virtually shot from the beginning, so it doesn’t matter too much.
The DVD203, by contrast, is perhaps the most saturated image we’ve ever seen. Most of the colors look as though the color chart was made from neon, except for the yellow, which we can only liken to looking directly into the sun. Infants should be warned before exposure to these stills, lest it permanently affect their vision. As much as it pains us, we have to favor the DVD205 in this contest.
The DVD105, this year’s entry-level DVD camcorder is far from exemplary, but the color balance is more even. Maxing out at 640 x 480, noise and poor sharpness overwhelm a lot of the fine detail. At least the DVD205 manages to retain some of that detail, which is preferable, despite the deplorable color.
The Canon DC10 produced stills that were washed out, but much more balanced in its colors than the DVD205. There was far less noise, and absolutely no blue noise. The stills appeared sharper, which was natural considering the larger size (1280 x 960 versus 1152 x 864). Even so, the Canon appeared disproportionately sharper than the DVD205.
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Still Performance |
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Sony DCR-DVD205 |
3.75 |
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Sony DCR-DVD105 |
3.25 |
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Sony DCR-DVD203 |
3.75 |
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Canon DC10 |
7.5 |
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