Sony DCR-HC48 First Impressions Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Feb 1, 2007 12:00 PM
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Other Features
Fader - The HC48 includes a familiar suite of in-camera fade effects that are engaged via the menu before video recording commences. After a fade-in has been selected, pressing the record button will fade into recording mode. Fade-out effects are set while the camcorder is recording, requiring you to navigate to the desired fade-out using the touch screen. As you might imagine, browsing the menu while recording will jostle the camcorder – and your perfectly framed shot. While this is a nifty feature, you’ll have much greater control over fades added to video in post using NLE software. The fades available include white, black, mosaic and monotone. Overlap, wipe, and dot fader are available only as transitions between shots as fade-in options.
Electronic Image Stabilization - The Sony DCR-HC48 features Sony’s Super SteadyShot Picture Stabilization System, a proprietary flavor of electronic image stabilization (EIS). EIS systems are very good at reducing the effects of hand shake on a video image, but they do this at a cost. By using a portion of the image as a digital buffer zone, they reduce the resolution of the recorded image. Though the resolution loss will be imperceptible to many users – and may be preferable to a nausea-inducing and shaky image – there are better OIS options available on Sony’s high-end camcorders (as well as all of Panasonic’s consumer camcorders for 2007.) OIS, or optical image stabilization, systems also stabilize the image but do so optically without the resolution loss associated with EIS systems.
Digital Effects/Picture Effects - Digital effects, like fader effects, are applied in-camera, and include include Flash Motion, Luminance, Old Movie, Slow Shutter, Still, and Trail. Picture effects include Monotone, Mosaic, Negative Art, Pastel, Sepia, and Solarization
Super NightShot Plus Infrared System - Super NightShot Plus is an infrared night shooting mode that makes use of the infrared beam below the lens to gather image information in zero lux environments. This feature uses an invisible infrared lamp to illuminate nearby objects and allows the camcorder to capture grainy monotone images akin to the video gathered by military night vision goggles. It’s a gimmicky feature that only Sony consumer camcorders have, and it’s a great party trick for teenagers if nothing more.
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