Sony DCR-DVD405 Camcorder Review

by James Murray
Published on Mar 30, 2006 11:00 AM

 
Intro Performance
Format
 Tour
Auto / Manual Controls Still Features
Handling and Use Audio / Playback / Connectivity
Other Features Comparisons / Conclusion
Specs/Ratings


Compression (5.0)
When shooting with the Sony DCR-DVD405, video footage is compressed using an MPEG-2 format that can be burned to DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW. The camcorder has three separate image quality levels which will apply greater or lesser amounts of compression when recording and are located within the Standard Set submenu of the overall administrative menu. The settings for image quality allow High Quality (HQ), Slow Play (SP) or Long Play (LP) to be selected. The High Quality setting has a maximum data transfer rate of 8.5 Mbps. This transfer rate is drastically inferior when compared to MiniDV cassettes’ transfer rate of 25 Mbps. This transfer rate discrepancy is what continues to allow the MiniDV format to produce superior video quality.

Audio compression for the Sony DCR-DVD405 is accomplished with the Dolby Digital 2.0/5.1 Creator when shooting. The in-camera microphones can record 4 mono channels of audio, which are then compressed and recorded as a 5.1 surround sound file. For more on this “surround sound” feature, refer to the “audio” section earlier in the review.

The still images recorded by the Sony DCR-DVD405 can be recorded either to MemoryStick or DVD. Possible still image resolutions for this camcorder allow images to be recorded in the following sizes; 2016 x 1512 (3.0 MP), 1600 x 1200 (1.9 MP), 640 x 480 (VGA) and 2016 x 1134 (2.3 MP). All resolutions are recorded as JPEG files in either Fine or Standard.

Media (5.0)
The Sony DCR-DVD405 can record to 8cm DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW formats as well as to Sony MemoryStick Duo PRO format. Still images and video can be recorded to both formats when shooting with this camcorder. These formats both have a maximum recording capacity of 20 minutes of video when shooting in HQ mode. The recording time can be extended by recording with higher compression rates of LP or SP, although image quality will be drastically compromised, and results will be far from the quality which is standard with even the lowest quality MiniDV camcorders. When shooting with these heightened compression levels, the DCR-DVD405 can record 30 minutes (SP) and 60 minutes (LP) of video footage.

When shooting with a DVD-R format, the disc can only be recorded to once and users will not have the freedom to delete scenes immediately or during playback. This 1.4GB 8cm disc can record in both 16:9 and 4:3 formats and will supply a rudimentary DVD menu upon finalization of the disc.

If the DVD-RW format has been chosen, the user can shoot in either Video or VR modes, switched between by entering the format submenu within the P-menu structure. The video mode allows users to record in the format that is recognized by nearly all playback devices. But video mode only permits the user to delete the most recently captured image and provides no other editing options. If the VR format is selected, the camcorder will provide access to in-camera editing tools. However, the disc will only be playable once finalized by playback devices that are capable of supporting the VR mode. Neither mode is capable of supporting playback on other devices without finalization, and when shooting in VR mode the camcorder will not record the DVD menu available in Video mode.

The DVD+RW is the final DVD format that is compatible with the DCR-DVD405, and this format, unlike DVD-RW and DVD-R, cannot record both 4:3 and 16:9 format images to the same disc. Also, this format does not provide in-camera editing or extensive deletion options. The DVD+RW format does create a menu structure when the disc is finalized, and the format can be played back on DVD devices regardless of finalization status.

Still images can be recorded to all DVD formats as well as to MemoryStick Duo PRO or MemoryStick Duo, the proprietary memory format of Sony. The maximum memory capacity for the MemoryStick Duo PRO that is compliant with this camcorder is 2 GB.

Editing (3.0)
Editing options for the Sony DCR-DVD405 are limited. This doesn’t really come as a big surprise, considering the auto-friendly format of the DVD405. The DCR-DVD405 comes with an included PicturePackage Ver.1.8.1 that allows users to copy still and video images from DVD or MemoryStick to PC, copy footage from DVD to Video CD, Music Video/Slideshow producer and Automatic Music Video Producer, lets users save stills on a CD-R.

The music video and slide show creator are expectedly kitsch and chock full of schmaltzy audio clips. This plethora of regrettable options is sure to leave the budding video editor queasy and desperately searching for a copy of Final Cut.

If you want to capture and transfer DVD footage onto a computer and this simple and rarely functioning program has overstayed its welcome, it is possible to transfer footage through a number of DVD ripping programs currently available online for download. These options work with far greater consistency and success than PicturePackage Ver.1.8.1 and allow users to take this DVD footage from its MPEG-2 format into a number of formats that are usable in more serious editing programs like Avid, Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro HD.

It is too bad that the software bundled with DVD camcorders continues to be so limiting. It’s still plagued with problems, including the loss of audio during video transfer (a problem found on both the 405 and 505 by Sony). One of the advertised advantages of the DVD format is that unlike MiniDV cassettes, the transfer of footage from DVD to PC is not a real-time process, so that the time spent capturing and importing footage is theoretically reduced in comparison to real-time tape transfer. Unfortunately, neither the DVD405 nor DVD505 has the requisite user-friendly traits to enable transfer to be that simple.





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