Sony DCR-HC96 First Impressions Camcorder Review

by Matt Culler
Published on Jan 7, 2006 9:00 PM

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


The Front
The front of the DCR-HC96 features the camcorder’s 30mm lens located in the top right corner. To the left of the lens is the camcorder’s built-in flash with the infrared sensor and built-in stereo microphone below. This is a slightly more compact design than last year’s DCR-HC90.

The Right Side
On the right side of the DCR-HC96, the camcorder features a tremendous blank gray space largely covered by the user’s hand during handheld recording. To the right of this space the camcorder features a slender, vertically oriented port cover revealing the camcorder’s LANC and A/V/ S-Video ports. This design reminds me of some of the smaller, lower-end MiniDV Sonys of last year, which is a decent step-up from the design of the DCR-HC90, the DCR-HC96’s predecessor, which felt somewhat cheap and plastic-y.

The Back
The DCR-HC96 features a handsome backside. The most obvious feature is the camcorder’s battery pack, vertically oriented. above this is the camcorder’s color viewfinder, with a slender panel running alongside. This panel is accented by the camcorder’s flash option button, its “charge” LED, and the NightShot activation switch. To the right of the battery pack is an annoyingly small record button, featured on many of Sony’s more compact (and not so compact) models this year. Above this is a handsome mode selector, similar to that of the DCR-SR100. Flipping this guy switches among the camcorder’s tape, card, and playback modes.

The Left Side
The left side of the DCR-HC96 features the camcorders 2.7” widescreen LCD screen, among other features. The LCD panel runs along the bottom area of the camcorder, and there are buttons for Easy mode, battery info/display, and the backlight buttons. Except for the Easy mode, I don’t these functions merit dedicated buttons, but their placement is unobtrusive.

The Top
The top of the DCR-HC96 is pretty barren except for Sony’s custom-sized accessory shoe, located towards the midsection of the camcorder. A silver port cover protects this shoe when it’s not in use, and provides an aesthetically pleasing transition along the smoothed top surface as it tapers towards the rear.







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