Sony DCR-DVD508 Camcorder Reviewby Michael PerlmanPublished on Sep 27, 2007 4:20 PM
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Ease of Use (8.0)
Well, it’s a Sony, and you know what that means—EASY. The DCR-DVD508 (Review, Specs, $0.00) is no different from any of its siblings and cousins. Easy mode places the camcorder in full autopilot. Menus and options dwindle and buttons grow in size. All the shooter has to do is hit record once to begin recording and once more to stop. Easy mode can be accessed via the Easy button located along the outer ridge of the LCD cavity or within the menu.
Even when you’re not in Easy mode, the DCR-DVD508 is easy to navigate. The DCR-DVD508 utilizes the latest generation of Sony menus. Buttons are laid out in a neat and organized fashion. There is also a Help feature, characterized by a “?” box. When the “?” box is pressed, every selected menu option is accompanied by a small informative screen, explaining what each feature does. You are then asked whether you would like to apply the selection or not by selecting “Yes” or “No.” Sony will be the first to grab your hand and lead you through the daunting path of home movie-making.
On the other hand, making manual adjustments with any Sony is a royal pain because of that confounded touch screen. It’s bad enough that the LCD screen attains a smudgy haze, clouding everything you view, but the buttons are too small for an adult finger. Also, we found ourselves tapping the button multiple times to get a result. Note to Sony: a 2.7-inch wide LCD screen and the average consumer’s hand do not fare well together. We still mourn the loss of the whopping 3.5-inch screen found on the HDR-UX1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $729.95) and SR1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99), in addition to MiniDV giants of yore. Panasonic and Canon offer superior manual control adjustment with rear-mounted joysticks.
While we’re at the barbeque, let’s grill the DVD format for a bit. The DCR-DVD508 can get a maximum 20 minutes out of one disc in the highest quality. For a full day’s worth of shooting, you’ll need to invest in a decent pack of discs. In addition, DVDs require formatting and finalizing—a process that can take up to 10 minutes at times. MiniDV/HDV tapes hold up 60 minutes in SP and do not have to be formatted. HDD camcorders require no external media and can store absurd amounts of footage in the highest quality. Also, if you drop or scratch a DVD, the footage is lost. Yes, DVD is the most annoying media out there.
Handling (6.75)
DVD camcorders typically feel large in hand—there’s no way around it. Manufacturers have to account for a big old disc hatch. When poorly integrated into the design, this can really put a damper on the right side’s grip. Take the Panasonic HDC-DX1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99), for example. Architecturally, that AVCHD behemoth is flawed in so many ways—one of which is an obscenely large disc hatch that towers over the left side of the camcorder. The tape hatch can come in handy, however, when well-integrated. Canon generally keeps its DVD camcorders slim and petite, relying on the disc hatch as the sole means of grip. The DC50 (Review, Specs, $649.99) is one of the smallest top of the line standard definition DVD camcorders on the market.
The DCR-DVD508 falls between the gargantuan structuring of a Panasonic and the smaller Canons. It’s not too big and not too small. The DCR-DVD508 flaunts enough bulk to keep the camcorder steady during recording, yet it will not make your arm fall asleep during a long shoot. On top of that, the DCR-DVD508 is solidly built, utilizing rugged plastic and metal. The Canon DC50 is just a two-tone plastic dome with a deplorable viewfinder and flimsy port covers. Within this price range, Sony delivers the best construction.
When you first slip your hand into the DCR-DVD508, you’ll notice how ergonomically sound the camcorder feels. The fingers tend to gravitate toward the top ridge of the tall disc hatch. This camcorder is so broad that most pinkies will not even make it over to the top-mounted microphone, which will save you in the sound department.
Sony also chose to outfit the DCR-DVD508 with a viewfinder that flips up at a 45-degree angle. Oh, joyous day! How often do you see this anymore? Though it does not telescope out or offer an eye-soothing rubber cover, it’s better than the DC50’s snub nose stump of a plastic afterthought. The Panasonic VDR-D310 (Specs, $499)’s viewfinder simply extends out and that’s it. Sony holds the title here.
One area in which the Canon DC50 and Panasonic VDR-310 excel over the DCR-DVD508 is manual control and menu interface. Both camcorders’ implementation of rear-mounted joysticks allow one-handed camcorder operation with rapid, accurate adjustment and navigation. The DCR-DVD508’s touch screen LCD is a major inhibitor for the advanced videographer. Not only will the screen smudge, but you’ll experience large doses of vexation while attempting to tap tiny buttons on a tiny screen. Last year’s DCR-DVD505 (Review, Specs, $664) featured an enormous 3.5-inch LCD screen, which definitely helps the cause.
Menu (6.5)
Aside from the HDR-HC7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1128.56), Sony is equipping all of its high-end consumer camcorders with the esteemed “Home” menu, first introduced in mid-2006. The Home menu echoes ease of use from miles away with its tabbed structure and touch screen navigation. In addition, the Home menu is the only menu we’ve found to offer soothing, mystical sounds. It’s not perfect, however. Our main gripe with the Home menu is that when you make a selection or press the “Back” button, you’re not sent back to the previous screen, but exited from the menu altogether. This is time consuming and will make manual control adjustment even more frustrating.
The menu structure is divided into two parts, the Camera menu and the Home menu. First, we’ll look at the Home menu, which contains most of the administrative functions and features you do not necessarily need close at hand.
| Home Menu | |
| Camera | Movie, Photo, Smooth Slow Record |
| View Images | Visual Index, Playlist |
| Others | Delete, Edit, Playlist Edit, Print, Computer |
| Manage Disc/Memory | Finalize, Disc Select Guide, Disc Format, Memory Stick Format, Unfinalize, Disc Info |
| Settings | Movie Settings, Photo Settings, View Images Set, Sound/Display Set, Output Settings, Clock/Language, General Set (Demo Mode, Calibration, A.Shut Off, Remote Control) |
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An overview of the Home Menu |
The Movie Settings submenu in the Home menu |
To select the Home menu, press the Home button in the upper left corner. A screen appears containing five tabs lined along the bottom. A “?” button sits in the upper right corner. When pressed, menu selections are accompanied by a small descriptive box with the option to execute via “Yes” and “No” buttons. The “X,” or “Return,” button is located in the top left corner.
| Camera Menu | |
| Camera 1 | Focus, Spot Focus, Tele Macro |
| Camera 2 | Exposure, Spot Meter, Scene Selection (Auto, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Candle, Sunrise & Sunset, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Beach, Snow) |
| Camera 3 | White Balance (Auto, Outdoor, Indoor, One Push, Manual), Color Slow Shutter, Super NightShot |
| Camera 4 | Fader, Digital Effect (Old Movie), Picture Effect (Sepia, Black and White, Pastel) |
| Camera 5 | Record Mode, Microphone Level |
The Camera Menu
The Camera menu is accessed by pressing the Camera button in the lower right corner. This is the menu you’ll use for picture quality issues; exposure, color, and shutter controls are located here. The interface is structured like the Home menu.
In Photo mode, the Home menu is identical, but the Camera menu is slightly different. There are only four tabs—the first three are manual controls and the last tab contains Image Size, Quality, and Self-Timer settings.
Portability (5.0)
Picture an HDR-HC7 with a DVD disc hatch. That’s pretty much what the DCR-DVD508 amounts to in terms of size. It measures 70 x 87 x 145mm (2 7/8 x 3 1/2 x 5 5/8-inches) with a weight of 590 grams (1 pound, 4 ounces). You’ll need a medium-sized camera bag with plenty of DVD discs. A backup battery is always a good idea, as well. If you plan on taking advantage of the DCR-DVD508’s 6.1-megapixel still image recording function, you’ll also want a high-capacity Memory Stick Duo or PRO Duo card. Beginning to see a financial trail here? Yes, DVD camcorders are expensive. HDD camcorders do not require tapes or discs, and images can be recorded directly to the hard drive. '
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LCD and Viewfinder (8.5)
The DCR-DVD508 is equipped with a 2.7-inch LCD screen with a pixel count of 211,200. The LCD flips out 90 degrees from the camcorder’s body and rotates up to 270 degrees. The screen itself displays a crisp image, similar to most Sonys within its price range. Along the LCD panel, you’ll find a row of controls consisting of Record Start/Stop, Zoom Out, Zoom In, and Home. As stated earlier, touch screens are great for speed, but when it comes to exercising certain manual controls, particularly focus, the touch screen falls flat. Last year’s DCR-DVD505 featured a massive 3.5-inch LCD screen, which made it far easier to navigate through the menu and make selections. What’s the deal, Sony?
A rarity amongst consumer camcorders these days, the DCR-DVD508 features an electronic viewfinder (EVF) that extends upward. The viewfinder is constructed solely of plastic and does not extend outward, but we’ll take what we can get in this day and age. The dioptric adjuster is located on the bottom ridge of the eyecup.
Battery Life (10.1)
The Sony DCR-DVD508 ships with the NP-FH60 battery, which juts out from the camcorder's rear profile by about one inch. We like the fact that the battery is rear-mounted and the viewfinder pivots up. Both allow for fatter, extended-life batteries.
Upon the announcement of the DCR-DVD508, Sony advertised the incredibly long life spans of its batteries - up to 5 hours. We're not sure what settings they were using to optimize the power consumption, because our tests showed the battery falling far short. We shot continuously in Auto mode with the LCD panel open. No buttons were pushed while shooting. When the disc needed changing, we removed the battery and used the DC power. In total, the battery lasted for 101 minutes and 31 seconds (1 hour, 41 minutes, and 31 seconds). This is, in fact, merely average compared to the competing camcorders, and hardly five hours.
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