Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Mar 17, 2006 10:00 AM
|
|||||||||||||
Widescreen/16:9 Mode (6.0)
Despite the great imager, the huge LCD, the easily accessible widescreen mode button, the DCR-DVD505 (Review, Specs, $664) does not offer true widescreen. That is to say, the wide angle is 50 degrees in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. While 50 degrees is very wide for 4:3, no significant shift in the wide angle, as well a loss on information on the top and bottom of the frame when switching to 16:9, indicates that this is not true widescreen. Yes, it will put a picture with the correct ratio in your widescreen TV, but you’ll actually have less information in the picture than you would in 4:3.
Scan Rates/24P (0.0)
There are no scan rates other than the native 29.97 interlaced fps.
Other Features (5.0)
Active Interface Shoe - The Active Interface shoe is a hot shoe that is unfortunately proprietary and will necessitate that users only purchase Sony accessories for use with this feature. The Active Interface shoe will accept, among other things, a shotgun mic, high-fidelity stereo mic, and a surround sound mic which will all provide additional and superior audio options than just the in-camera four-channel setup. These microphones can be purchased for between $69.99 and $149.99 on the Sony website. It’s too bad that Sony insists on having proprietary shoes that restrict the audiophile to these rudimentary offerings, rather than constructed a shoe that is compatible with products from a manufacturer like Sennheiser. This proprietary shoe also accepts four video lights for infrared and standard lighting. Finally, the DVD505 can also accept an autonomous external flash unit for $149.99.
Color Slow Shutter - The color slow shutter option is different than the smooth slow record mode explained below. This feature should be engaged in low light situations when slower shutter speeds will allow greater levels of detail to be recorded. The color slow shutter option is positioned within the P-menu structure. Note that this feature did have focal struggles, which more advanced users can overcome by using the manual focus.
Smooth Slow Record - The smooth slow record mode can be entered through the P-menu. The smooth slow shutter feature is intended to be used with fast-moving subjects filmed at, say, sporting events or speed knitting competitions. The smooth slow record mode captures a 3 second video file and records it as a surprisingly smooth (as promised) 12 second clip.
Electronic Image Stabilization - While image stabilization of any kind is better than none at all, it is unfortunate that Sony decided not to equip this $1000 camcorder with optical image stabilization. Instead, the DVD505 offers the lower quality and lower cost electronic image stabilization.
Battery Info - The battery info display can be opened by turning the power switch to off and pressing the Disp/Info button on the left side of the camcorder body. When this action is complete, a battery info screen will be displayed for approximately seven seconds with information pertaining to battery life left if shooting with either the LCD or the viewfinder.