Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Mar 17, 2006 10:00 AM 
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The Front (8.0)
The most prominent feature on the front of the Sony DCR-DVD505 (Review, Specs, $664) is certainly the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens that juts out from the rounded body of the camcorder by about 7/8 of an inch. When measured with a 35mm equivalency, the DCR-DVD505 has a focal depth of 42.8 mm to 495 mm in 16:9 camera mode, 45 mm to 450 mm in 4:3 camera mode, 40.6 mm to 406 mm in 16:9 memory mode, and 37 mm to 370 mm in 4:3 memory mode. The filter diameter for this Sony model is 30 mm in width and the lens of the camcorder has an automatic lens cover that closes when the DVD505 is not in use. Directly above the lens of the camcorder is the in-camera flash that is well positioned to provide even lighting of subjects when capturing still images due to its central position. Beneath the lens of the camcorder on the sloping surface of the DVD505 are the remote sensor and recording lamp.
When facing the front face of the camcorder, the wrist strap eyelet is connected to the lower left corner of the camcorder body adjacent to the edge of the DVD hatch on the right side. This eyelet swivels and rotates so that when users open the DVD compartment, the right-hand strap can be moved out of the way more easily than if this eyelet were stationary. A better solution would be to make the DVD compartment top-loading and eliminate the user having to deal with the strap at all.
The Right Side (7.25)
The DVD compartment of the Sony DCR-DVD505 forms a curved front edge to the right side which is echoed around to the top and bottom of the camcorder. The DVD compartment is the primary feature of the right side and is opened via an access switch located on the curve between the top and front face. The compartment has a hinge near the back edge of the camcorder. Opening this feature will be difficult due to the placement of the right hand wrist strap, which spans the face of the right side at a slight diagonal. This perfectly blocks the door of the compartment unless users adjust the strap. The right-hand strap does have a very comfortable pad which accommodates the back of the hand and is adjustable with simple Velcro elements. The Handycam DVD R/RW insignias are prominently emblazoned in the center of the right side.
The Back (6.5)
The back of the Sony DCR-DVD505 has the electronic color viewfinder positioned in the upper left corner. This viewfinder is surrounded by an unforgiving light gray plastic eyepiece. It can be rotated upwards to a forty-five degree position that allows this feature to be used even with the battery pack positioned directly beneath. The dioptric adjustment control is located on the underside of the eyepiece and is large enough to adjust without aggravation. The MemoryStick Duo Pro slot is directly beneath the eyepiece, so accessing it requires that the user rotate the eyepiece upwards. This slot has a protective cover that is flipped open via a tab, and once opened, the cover moves cleanly out of the way to allow for easy insertion and retrieval of memory cards. The DVD505 battery is located directly beneath the viewfinder and the memory stick slot and can be removed by pressing a switch on the base of the camcorder body.
The on/off mode switch is positioned in the upper right corner on the back face and has a polished metallic finish that stands out from the rest of the camcorder. The switch has a small green button positioned in a cutaway on its top that must be pressed inward before modes and power can be altered. This green button is intended to work as a safety feature so that accidental mode changes are avoided during rushed shooting or when the camcorder is off and in transport. Beneath the mode switch are two small LEDs with corresponding icons which inform users as to whether the camcorder is in video or still image mode. To the left of these LEDs is the flash button which has its own corresponding orange LED to indicate flash state. Beneath the flash charge indicator is the rec. start stop for shooting video footage.
The Left Side (9.5)
The left side of the Sony DCR-DVD505 features a 3.5-inch LCD screen with a total pixel count of 211, 200 pixels. The LCD screen opens when users pull on some tabs located on the back edge of the screen. This locking mechanism is sure to keep the LCD closed when traveling. Directly beneath the screen are three controls on the frame of the LCD. These extra controls allow for left hand access to rec. start/stop as well as zoom manipulation via wide angle and telephoto buttons. The zoom controls aren’t all that sensitive and should only be used when shooting in positions that prohibit access to the zoom lever on the top of the camcorder.
A number of important features are in the LCD cavity. Starting in the center of the DVD505, the user will find the in-camera playback speaker with a series of controls located directly to its front. Starting from the top, these buttons allow access to Easy mode, wide select and display/battery information. These buttons are well labeled with text descriptions that should be easy to read unless viewed in poor lighting. The USB port is located beneath the in-camera speaker and to the rear of the display/battery info button.
Beneath the USB port, and directly below the bottom edge of the LCD on the body of the camcorder, is a port cover that can be opened via tabs located on the top and bottom of the cover. This cover opens easily and is attached to the body of the DVD505 via two hinges on its back edge. The ports protected by this cover are remote, A/V composite, and DC in. Directly in front of these ports is the play/edit button, with the backlight button located beneath the front edge of the LCD for making adjustments to LCD brightness.
The Top (7.75)
On the top of the Sony DCR-DVD505, directly in front of the viewfinder barrels pivot point, is the NightShot on/off switch. Forward of this is the Active Interface shoe, which accepts proprietary Sony accessories such as video lights, flashes and microphones. The four-channel audio recording setup is located directly in front of the Active Interface shoe; this is unfortunately close to the often moving and thus noise-causing right hand fingers. The access switch for opening the DVD compartment is located to the right of the in-camera microphone. The zoom level is located at the back of the camcorder body on the right side in a position that my index finger usually overshot by about 3/4 of an inch. This can be fixed if users shift their grip, but this is never comfortable or helpful to accurate control. The photo button is positioned behind the zoom toggle at the back edge of the camcorder.