Sony DCR-PC1000 Camcorder Review by Robin Liss Published on Apr 14, 2005 7:00 AM

Matt Culler contributed to this article.

Sony's DCR-PC1000 has great potential. It uses three new CMOS sensors, never before seen in a consumer grade camcorder, and they've managed to squeeze some pretty impressive performance out of the first CMOS camcorder. The DCR-PC1000 was theoretically designed with prosumer users in mind, and it follows in the steps of a great camcorder, the DCR-PC350 (Review, Specs, $899). However, its closed architectural design, reminiscent of so many past Sony products, dooms it to a small group of users who want an attractive camcorder with little actual functionality. Sadly, Sony's continued insistence on making a product which only works with other Sony products results in a camcorder that presents the user with very few choices or flexibility, especially when compared to models by other manufacturers. The band-aid improvements that the Sony engineers have made--adding manual controls to their existing utilitarian ease of use control system in the hopes of creating a $1,300 prosumer camcorder--are in vain.

Video Performance (8.25)
The DCR-PC1000 is the first consumer camcorder to include CMOS chips for producing its video image, instead of the typical CCD system. On top of that, it includes 3 CMOS chips, specifically 3 1/6 inch chips with 790K pixels total, 690K for stills, and 670K for video. Of course, as we've seen with 3 chip CCD systems, we expect 3 chip systems to result in better video quality because they allow more information to enter the camcorder before the image is converted into a digital signal.

The fact that Sony is selling a 3 chip camcorder at $1,300 is a big deal. Over the past two year, Panasonic has seen huge successes with its mid- and upper-range 3 CCD camcorders because they deliver superior video quality over 1 CCD systems. Before the affordable Panasonic 3 CCD systems, 3 chip technology was confined to only the most expensive professional models, which usually cost upwards of $2,000. Sony's introduction of a competing 3 chip camcorder says a lot about the popularity the technology has among consumers. Furthermore, JVC recently introduced two 3 CCD camcorders of their own, each priced around $1,500. The 3 chip market is getting hot and competitive, which spells better quality across the board for consumers.

CMOS chips, while existing in dedicated digital cameras for a while now, are only now being introduced into camcorder technology (read an article on CMOS technology in the DCR-PC1000). In the discussion of the many differences between CCDs and CMOS chips, CMOS has a reputation of offering inferior image quality with more noise and less efficiency. We were a bit skeptical of Sony's claims that they'd developed technology to eliminate the typical noise problems of CMOS chips, but it seems they did.

The DCR-PC1000’s images at both bright and low light levels are quite good. The DCR-PC1000 is under-saturated a bit when compared to the Sony DCR-PC350 and the Panasonic PV-GS400 (Review, Specs, $1099). The colors are very crisp and generally very accurate. There really is no noticeable smear between colors, a feature of CMOS chips. I'm quite happy with the video performance of the DCR-PC1000 and I think much of that can be credited to the 3 chip system - 3 chips are certainly better than one, whether they are CMOS or CCD.

Video Resolution (10.4)
In order to test for the Sony DCR-PC1000's true video resolution, stills from video footage of a resolution chart were taken in both 4:3 mode and Wide modes and exported to Imatest Imaging Software. In 4:3 mode, the camcorder gave us approximately 389.6 lines of horizontal resolution at its best, with 267.4 lines of vertical resolution, yielding a true resolution of approximately 104,179.04. In Wide mode, this model provided 474.9 lines of horizontal resolution at its best, with 242.3 lines of vertical resolution, generating a real resolution of 115,068 pixels at its best.

The Front ( 8.0 )
The front of the DCR-PC1000 has an odd design, like the entire camcorder. A cross between a matchbook camcorder and a small handgun, the DCR-PC1000 sits in the user’s hand like a pistol, its handgrip resting vertically in the user’s fist, while the short, “stub-noise” lens barrel protrudes over half an inch towards the captured subject. The front has no features other than the camcorder’s unique color scheme of dark glossy gray and muted metallic silver.

It really is a good looking camcorder; the lens barrel’s protrusion is wrapped in slightly-brushed silver. The camcorder’s built-in flash is unassumingly located on the upper ridge of the lens barrel and does not ruin the camcorder’s symmetry as its placement does on many other camcorders. There is a motorized built-in lens cover, though unlike the Sony HC series, there is no manual control over it. The lens cover motor assembly is located around the lens which gives the camcorder a slightly thick border around the lens itself. Turning the camcorder off or putting it in VCR mode makes the camcorder automatically close the lens, and putting it in a mode causes the lens to open up. It's incredibly slick and also very practical because you'll never have to worry about loosing a lens cover.

If the particular DCR-PC1000 we tested wasn't the property of Sony, I would have taken a saw to the metal strip, taken it off myself, and drilled a nice microphone jack right in the front with an 1/8 in. drill bit. I'm sorry, but the metal strip on the front of the DCR-PC1000 reeks like a Bang and Olufsen product - all beauty and no substance. I really think Sony could have put at least a microphone, and probably a headphone jack right in the place now hidden by the metal strip, but I guess that according to Sony prosumer users don't want any choices in external microphones.

The Right Side ( 4.0 )
The right side of the DCR-PC1000 is similar to that of many matchbook-style camcorders as is handgrip area. Sony put the battery slot on the right side, which is great for hiding it, but horrible for camcorder usage because it means that the battery for the DCR-PC1000 is in a non-expandable area. That is, the very slim battery slides into a compartment which has a door that closes behind it. This means that you can't use an extra large battery on the DCR-PC1000. You're stuck using the included battery or buying another battery of the same size. The included battery lasts for only about an hour and a half, which is a terribly small amount of time if it's the largest battery you can get. By placing the battery here, once again Sony has given us a model with a "closed architecture" battery system. I always recommend you purchase the largest battery possible for your camcorder. Sony's NP-FP90 does offer 2 and a half hours of battery life which is a small improvement. It's not the same as an 11 hour battery which are available for some of the MiniDV camcorders, but it's an improvement over the 1 and a half with the included battery. While I think it's really foolish that Sony closed the battery system, you certainly should upgrade to the larger battery and at least slightly remedy the situation.

On the top of the camcorder's right side are the photo button and zoom toggle, towards the front of the camcorder within reach of the user’s index finger. Behind these buttons is a hard plastic cover which snaps off to reveal the U-shaped A/V connector and a Control-L jack. When I saw the control-L jack, I couldn't help but think "Why in the world did Sony put a Control-L jack on the DCR-PC1000 instead of a microphone input?" While I think that Control-L / LANC jacks are very important, I think you would be hard pressed to find any camcorder enthusiast who feels they are more important than a microphone in jack. It's horrible planning on Sony's part.

The Left Side ( 7.0 )
The glossy dark gray and silver left side of the DCR-PC1000 houses two very distinctive features of the camcorder, namely its 16:9 aspect LCD screen, and its new manual control dial which can be used to provide quick access to one designated manual control. There are no controls underneath the LCD screen as the camcorder has a touch screen menu system.

The manual control dial is broken into two parts which lay in the front of a bright silver strip along the camcorder's lens barrel. The first part is a very smooth jog dial. The turning action of the jog dial seems incredibly fluid to me and doesn't exhibit the clicks I remember from jog dials on Sony's camcorders before the touch screen LCD plague infected the entire line. Behind the jog dial is a silver button which is used to turn on manual control of whatever function the jog dial is currently controlling.

It's abundantly clear that the jog dial is Sony's attempt to copy Panasonic's hybrid focus ring on their PV-GS400. The PV-GS400's focus ring can control focus, zoom, shutter speed, aperture and gain. While the DCR-PC1000's new dial is a neat attempt, it doesn't have the proper feel of the PV-GS400's dial. Your fingers tend to fall around the ring, not behind and to the side of it, which is where they would need to fall to properly adjust the new dial. Additionally, the dial is really small. With Panasonic's hybrid ring, you can adjust it from any angle around the camcorder's lens because it is a lens ring. But the Sony dial must be adjusted by your left hand, which will typically be occupied with holding the camcorder by its LCD screen, not placed in a position to adjust the new dial. One good feature of the mode dial is that if you press the button down for 2 seconds the mode selector will appear on the LCD screen, but you still need to touch the LCD screen to adjust it.

The Back ( 6.0 )
The back of the DCR-PC1000 is its main control center, aside from the camcorder’s touch screen menu system. The back features the camcorder’s primary record button, on/off and mode switch, the tape-mechanism open switch, and a cluster of buttons which includes buttons for the display change/battery info, the back light, toggle between flash options, and access to the camcorder’s Easy mode. Above all of this is the camcorder’s electronic viewfinder with a MemoryStick Duo PRO slot directly below it. The viewfinder doesn't stick out or rotate up at all, making it difficult to view your video through the viewfinder. Also, somewhat hidden towards the bottom of the camcorder on the back, is the DC input port.

The buttons on the back of the DCR-PC1000 are well placed, and you can easily hit them with your thumb when holding the camcorder in your right hand. I have pretty small hands and I had no problem reaching all the buttons. The record button seems to be a bit sensitive. There were many times when I accidentally hit it. It has a "cheap" feel to it, and I wish that it gave a bit more resistance before "clicking in" because I fear that people are going to accidentally hit the record button quite often.

The Top ( 5.5 )
The top of the DCR-PC1000 features the camcorder’s stereo microphone as well as a hot accessory shoe. The microphone is placed on the top of the camcorder which unfortunately means it will likely do a better job of picking up the noise of jet planes flying overhead than the subjects that you're recording. Normally, I'd just say buy an external microphone - but you can't really do that with the DCR-PC1000.

The shoe is covered with a unique port cover and is in itself the newer, non-standard, more slender shoe seen on many of this year’s Sonys. It is incompatible with non-Sony products, but it can accommodate Sony’s new surround sound microphone. It's a really limiting accessory shoe and I dislike that Sony decided to close off a standard that has been around for decades and force consumers into their proprietary products. Sony says that they changed the shoe standard for smaller camcorders, however, when you look at the top of the camcorder of the DCR-PC1000 there is plenty of room for the standard shoe.

The battery, microphone, and accessory jack make this a closed standards camcorder. I can picture Sony camcorder execs scheming like Dr. Evil and cackling about how their new closed standard camcorders will force consumers to buy more Sony accessories and increase their bottom line. I know that Sony has a terrible corporate culture of closed standards and proprietary products (Memory Stick, MiniDisc, Digital8, MicroMV, Betamax, no MP3 support), which they even admitted was part of the reason they've totally failed against the iPod. I just wish it didn't affect a camcorder like the DCR-PC1000 which otherwise has so much potential!

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (9.0)
Automatic controls on this Sony are excellent. Automatic adjustments to focus, exposure, and white balance are all extremely quick and accurate. We’ve come to expect this from all Sony camcorders, and with the DCR-PC1000 there is no exception.

Automatic settings for focus, exposure, and white balance are all available within the camcorder’s touch screen menu system. Also available in this menu system are options for Program AE (Auto Exposure) presets, which place windows on the activity of automatic exposure adjustment. They include: Spotlight, Portrait, Beach&Ski, Sunset&moon, and Landscape.

The camcorder includes an Auto Shutter feature which is usually set to On as a default; it electronically adjusts the shutter in bright light environments. The mode dial also allows for nice adjustment of the auto exposure mode. Similar to the features on Canon camcorders, the DCR-PC1000 has an AE shift mode which either increases or decreases the brightness of whatever AE mode the camcorder is in. This adjustment to the AE mode is a great moderated automatic control to help build a bridge between full auto and full manual control.

Sony has included its Spot Metering and Spot Focusing functions which allow the user to pick the precise spot on the image upon which he or she would like the camcorder to manually adjust. When selected either function presents a white box that covers most of the screen. The user can touch anywhere in the box to make adjustments. These features really take advantage of Sony’s touch screen menu system; most camcorders force the user to pick from three designated points of adjustment. This system allows you to pick from more points, by touching.

Lastly, Sony's Easy Handycam feature will throw the camcorder into full auto mode with the touch of a button. I like this because it makes it simple for users to go right into point-and-shoot mode.

Overall Manual Control (5.0)
For a 3 chip camcorder the DCR-PC1000 doesn’t offer enough manual control. Like most Sonys its manual exposure is an aggregate value as opposed to two independently controlled values, one for iris and one for shutter. There is no control of manual shutter speed or independent aperture speed. To be honest, in all the years of reviewing Sony camcorders we don't exactly know what "exposure control" really does. I've always believed it's a combination of shutter speed and aperture speed, but it's a suspiciously vague control.

There is no way to get extremely slow shutter speeds, and on top of that nearly every manual control is accessed using the touch screen menu. This makes adjustment not only tedious and cumbersome to access, but it also requires the user to tap the camcorder during adjustment, which can affect stability during recording. You've heard me (or anyone from the CamcorderInfo.com team) complain about the touch screen in every Sony review over the past few years, and those complains don't change here. While Sony is attempting to put a band-aid on the situation with the mode dial, it only provides supplemental relief. The dial still must interact with the touch screen and it still doesn't give you the information which competing camcorders from Panasonic do.

That said, compared to other Sonys the DCR-PC1000 offers many more manual control options than usual. AE shift and white balance shift features are available, as is zebra patterning and a histogram. White balance shift is neat, but I'd much rather take good old manual shutter speed and aperture control, which has been on imaging devices since, well, there were imaging devices.

It's clear that Sony understands that the DCR-PC1000 is going to appeal to prosumers. You can tell that they're trying to give more manual control, but they've just had those ease of use blinders on for too long. The option for histogram is great and interesting, but it's slightly ironic that you get a histogram and no lens opening readings. It's also great that the camcorder gives you color and sharpness control as well as numerical readings during focal adjustments, but they don't replace shutter speed and aperture control.

Zoom Control (6.0)
The optical zoom on the DCR-PC1000 can be controlled in two ways. There are buttons for zoom control on the margin of the camcorder’s LCD screen, and I really like these. They make sense on a matchbox-style camcorder like the DCR-PC1000 because one of the most natural ways of holding the camcorder is with one hand on the LCD screen. They are also helpful when you consider how much of the camcorders' control is centralized in the LCD screen.

Unfortunately, the camcorder’s primary zoom toggle, located on the upper right side within reach of the user’s index finger, is harder to use than nearly all zoom toggles on lower-end Sony camcorders. The matchbook nature of this camcorder seems to have forced Sony to put a matchbook-esque toggle on it, and frankly, it’s not too good. On top of its generally hard to control design, when operated, the toggle shows no numerical value on the LCD screen to indicate zoom ratio. It's difficult to get a variable speed zoom and hold it with the zoom control.

Focus (5.0)
Manual focus can be accessed and adjusted through the camcorder’s touch screen menu system. Focus can also be assigned to the model dial, located on the left side of the camcorder, for more convenient access. Either way, numerical values are shown on the LCD screen which is nice and has only been seen previously on high-end Sony camcorders. While the dial isn't a viable substitute for a focus ring, it is certainly a big improvement, especially as this is a 3 chip camcorder. I am incredibly impressed with the fluid nature of the dial; I just wish that they had put a full ring on the camcorder instead of a tiny dial.

Another really good control feature that the DCR-PC1000 offers is an expanded focus feature. When selected in the touch screen menu system, this feature implements a 2x enlargement of the LCD image during manual focus adjustment (either using the dial or touch screen menu) making it easier to pinpoint focus. This feature was taken from Sony's first consumer high definition camcorder, the HDR-FX1, where the high resolution of HD demands an incredibly crisp focus.

When compared to Panasonic's PV-GS400, I really have to go with the camcorder with the focus ring. I think it was foolish of Sony to abandon the focus ring which was on the DCR-PC1000's predecessor, the DCR-PC350. While I love the idea of a hybrid mode dial, Sony should have followed the PV-GS400's lead with a hybrid ring. If they had been able to achieve the same fluid motion for the entire ring that is found with the dial it would have even improved upon the PV-GS400's hybrid ring.

Exposure (Aperture) (5.0)
Like focus manual exposure can be accessed either through the touch screen menu or by designating the dial for its control. The DCR-PC1000 offers 24 steps of exposure control. Unfortunately, unlike focus, no numerical values are shown during exposure adjustment. I really like that Sony gave us exposure control through a dial, allowing us to (partially) avoid the touch screen which makes manual adjustment so difficult. It's a huge improvement over the control offered on the DCR-PC350 and all other Sony camcorders on the market.

Shutter Speed (0.0)
The Sony DCR-PC1000 does not offer manual control over shutter speed, and this is really beginning to confuse me. Sony has offered obscure manual control such as white balance shift, sharpness and color shift, which while nice, are certainly not needed as much as manual control over shutter speed. Shutter speed is such a basic control, now offered on models up and down the lines of Sony's competitors, but Sony insists on only offering it on their most expensive models. In my opinion, it's a huge mistake.

White Balance (8.0)
Standard white balance options of indoor, outdoor, one push, and auto are available, though buried in the DCR-PC1000’s touch screen menu system. Indoor and outdoor options are presets which put limits on the auto function’s performance. I really wish there were a dedicated button for white balance. Sony has also put white balance shift on the DCR-PC1000.

Gain (0.0)
There are no manual gain adjustments available on the DCR-PC1000. It's really too bad, especially considering how much the noise kicks in under low light - it would be better if Sony gave users manual control.

Other Manual Control (5.0)
Sharpness can be controlled within the touch screen menu, and it is controlled by tapping a cursor across the screen. Color intensity can be similarly adjusted by using the Camera Color function. Color intensity adjusts the saturation of the colors on the camcorder. Zebra patterning is available at IRE levels of 70 and 100 to highlight overexposed areas of the screen. The DCR-PC1000 also offers a histogram for giving the user exposure information which can be used in conjunction with the exposure control. Lastly the camcorder includes a color shift feature, which adjusts the hue of the camcorders colors.

Ease of Use (9.0)
While the DCR-PC1000’s touch screen menu system makes things relatively hard and cumbersome to access, the camcorder does have some physical traits to aid in ease of use. Sony never disappoints in the ease of use category, but I just wonder if people spending this much on a camcorder when there are such great models available for $500 - $700 are really looking for a point-and-shoot model.

The first thing which makes the DCR-PC1000 easy to use is the touch screen in general. The touch screen means that you don't need to hunt around menus and understand buttons. Large well-labeled buttons make adjusting features certainly "easy" for the individual who doesn't want to adjust them frequently.

The Spot Metering and Spot Focus features add to the ease of use category for the DCR-PC1000. They are great ways for the user to adjust the camcorder without fully having to understand manual control. Added to the "Easy Handycam" button, they help make a very simple point-and-shoot camcorder. But again, I question how much the users of the DCR-PC1000 are really looking for a point-and-shoot model.

Still Features (9.0)
The DCR-PC1000 features a relative wealth of still photo features. It captures stills to MemoryStick Duo PRO at resolutions of 640 x 480, 1600 x 1200, and 1920 x 1440. Stills can be taken in widescreen mode at a resolution of 1920 x 1080. Stills can also be captured in two burst modes: normal (three sequential photos are taken) and exposure bracketing (one “normal” photo is bracketed by two photos of lesser and greater exposure offsets). MPEGs can be captured at 320 x 240 and 160 x 112.

All manual controls available during video capture are available for still capture, including a histogram function and zebra patterning. An expand focus function, explained in the above focus section, is a very cool addition to focus control, and is only available when capturing still images. The histogram is a very cool looking feature, though its definitely not as advanced as those on digital cameras. There are three flash settings (low, normal, and high) and a red-eye reduction setting. All of these options are available within the camcorder’s touch screen menu system.

Still Resolution (7.21)
Using the Imatest Imaging Software, we were able to test the still resolution of the DCR-PC1000. The DCR-PC1000 captures stills on a MemoryStick Duo at 640 x 480, 1600 x 1200, and 1920 x 1440 in 4:3 mode with widescreen stills at 1920 x 1080. In 4:3 mode, this model produced 721,917.9075 pixels (0.721 MP), at its best. The .721 megapixel number is quite good for a camcorder. We're usually lucky to find models advertising 1 or 2 megapixels that produce an effective resolution greater than a few hundred thousand pixels.

Still Performance (8.0)
The actual quality of the still image captured on the DCR-PC1000 is pretty good. It is very crisp, and quality is consistent over all the available resolutions. The colors on the DCR-PC1000 are accurate and clear. They don't exhibit any of the odd noise and distortions that we usually see out of a camcorder. When combined with the impressive resolution results, these produce a great overall still image quality for the DCR-PC1000. This actually isn't so surprising because, unlike CCD censors, CMOS censors are capable of easier switch hitting between video and stills, producing quality images in both areas. What's the most impressive about the CMOS chips is that they have virtually no color smear, a video problem that is usually amplified with stills. The DCR-PC1000 is a great hybrid camcorder, possibly the best I've seen.

Low Light Performance (5.0)
As the first camcorder to use the CMOS sensor, the DCR-PC1000 is quite unique. For this reason we were very interested to see how it would perform under low light. If it could give other 3 CCD camcorders a run for their money, then the ripples its emergence will create would be more unsettling.

The camcorder is equipped with three 1/6 inch CMOS sensors, each containing 670K effective pixels for video, and 690K for stills. These specs are roughly comparable with Panasonic’s PV-GS150 (Specs, $449.95) and PV-GS250 (Review, Specs, $1299.99), two relatively less expensive 3 CCD camcorders. The PV-GS400, available now for $1,399, which is only slightly more than the DCR-PC1000’s recommended price, does have better specifications with three 1/4.7 inch CCDs with 1.07 MP (770K for video, 990K for stills). Performance in low light for the DCR-PC1000 follows according to this hierarchy, though performance-wise there is a big gap between the DCR-PC1000 and the PV-GS150 and PV-GS250.

We tested the DCR-PC1000 at low light levels of 60 lux, 30 lux, and 15 lux. 60 lux is about the equivalent of a slightly dim indoor environment with 30 and 15 lux significantly darker, though not beyond the camcorder’s projected potential.

At 60 lux, the DCR-PC1000 showed a decent image. While noise was apparent, it did not exceed levels seen on the Sony DCR-PC350. The image is significantly darker than that produced by the PV-GS400. Sony has decided to make the image significantly darker to reduce the amount of excessive grain; it's a good move, though we would certainly prefer a bright image that is also grain free.

The DCR-PC1000 begins to show problems in the 15 lux chart. The grain really kicks in and the DCR-PC1000 shows its weakness. Here when you compare it to the GS400 and the PC350, the DCR-PC1000 shows much more grain. But the grain is very fine and manageable, and it isn't as obvious as it is on low-end entry level camcorders.

The low light performance on the DCR-PC1000 is interesting. It's pretty strong at 60 lux and seems to only fall off at 15 lux. It seems to me that Sony tried hard to make it perform in moderately dark levels. Because of this, I think most consumers will be satisfied with the low light performance of the DCR-PC1000, and you shouldn't worry about CMOS creating a big noisy picture.

While you will get better low light performance out of existing high-end CCD models such as the PV-GS400 and the DCR-PC350, the DCR-PC1000 isn't terrible. There is more noise, as we would expect from the first CMOS camcorder. I am very impressed with the relatively low level of noise produced by the DCR-PC1000; it's low enough that it can hold its own against $700 and $800 CCD models, and good enough to get a passing grade. It might not get high honors, but I think that we should be a bit gentle in our assessment. After all, this is a big step --the first attempt at low light performing CMOS chips.

Zoom Power/Ratio (10.0)
The DCR-PC1000 has a zoom ratio of 10x. This is kind of disappointing considering the surge of large zooms we've seen lately.

Wide Angle (8.8)
At its widest point in standard 4:3 mode, the DCR-PC1000 has a field of vision of approximately 44 degrees. In widescreen mode, this field of vision remains the same. This is odd, considering most camcorders produce a wider field of vision in this mode as more information is available on the sides of the image. However, during still capture, the width of the DCR-PC-1000's widescreen stills remains the same as it does in 4:3 mode, while their height decreases from their 4:3 counterparts (1920 x 1440 to 1920 x 1080). Switching from widescreen to 4:3 reveals the same field of vision horizontally, while information is cropped from the top and bottom of the image (called a zoom and crop). This is the reason for the angle discrepancies. The wide angle isn't terribly impressive, and a degree measure in the early 50s would make me much happier.

4:3 On-Camcorder Visualization

Widescreen On-Camcorder Visualization

VCR Mode (6.0)
The third mode available on the DCR-PC1000, aside from Camcorder and Memory modes, is the Playedit mode. When selected this mode produces a row of slender “virtual” buttons on the lower end of the LCD screen. These buttons offer standard playback options of rewind, fast forward, and play, as well a button to toggle between tape and memory playback. The touch screen menu offers variant speed playback and an audio mix option which allows the user to select the balance between front and rear stereo. Card formatting options are available as well as PictBridge setup, which allows for files to printed directly on PictBridge printers. I generally don't mind using the touch screen for VCR playback as it doesn't inhibit camcorder usage as much as the touch screen does when shooting.

LCD/Viewfinder (9.0)
One of the main upgrades on this year’s upper-end Sony camcorder is their wider 2.7 inch LCD screens. The DCR-PC1000 includes such an LCDs, and it includes a wide select button on the screen’s margin for easy toggling between widescreen and 4:3 modes. Sony is making a strong statement by placing a natively widescreen LCD on the camcorder. Like Sony LCD screens of yore this one does not solarize when viewed from an angle, a problem that nearly all other manufacturers’ camcorders suffer from.

The LCD screen is quite sharp and crisp and its touch functions are very responsive. Sony also has placed a record, zoom in, zoom out, and wide screen mode toggle button on the margin of the LCD screen. It makes operating the camcorder through the touch screen much more enjoyable, as your hands aren't constantly dancing around the camcorder's body to find the most commonly used buttons.

The electronic viewfinder can also achieve both widescreen and 4:3 aspects. It produces a good image, however its fixed position and lack of rotating ability make shooting through the viewfinder quite awkward. Combined with the loose record button, the lack of an extendible viewfinder makes operating the camcorder through its viewfinder quite difficult.

Audio (4.0)
The DCR-PC1000 records 12 bit and 16 bit audio to its MiniDV tapes. The DCR-PC1000’s extra-slender intelligent accessory shoe can accommodate a 4 Channel Surround Sound microphone (ECM-HQP1). Also available is a Wide Stereo mode, which records two channel stereo sound with added intensity. During playback audio can be manipulated using the audio mix feature, which allows for the balance between the front and rear levels to be shifted. The Multi-Sound function allows the user to select whether to play audio back using devices with dual sound or stereo sound. The user can choose playback in stereo mode (both main and sub, left and right), 1 (main, left only), or 2 (sub or right only).

The problem with the audio on the DCR-PC1000 is that Sony accessory microphones are the only external microphones that will work with the camcorder. With this year's camcorders, Sony made the foolish mistake of closing off the models to third party accessories by adopting a proprietary accessory shoe and not putting a microphone input on any model under $1,500. It creates a camcorder that uses a "closed standard" for audio, which horribly limits your choices. But the fact is, with any matchbox camcorder you're going to get terrible audio. The camcorder is so small that there really isn't anywhere good to place an on-camera microphone. If you're concerned with the quality of your audio (which you should be) you should get an external microphone. There are some excellent wireless microphones as well as wired microphones designed specifically for small camcorders on the market. However, this closed standard means the only way you can improve your audio quality is by improving Sony's bottom line.

It's a huge, selfish, and fatal mistake on Sony's part. When you compare a closed proprietary microphone input system (which has never been forced on consumers before this year's Sonys) to the options of the competition, the more versatile camcorder will always win hands-down if you value audio quality. Panasonic's PV-GS400, which sells for the same price as the Sony, includes a microphone in jack as well as a headphone out jack. Add to that a hot shoe which supports third party accessories and an included external microphone, and you can see how Panasonic's respect of users' needs for audio quality stands in stark contrast to Sony's ignorance of it.

When I learned of the lack of a microphone input on the DCR-PC1000 I sent a flurry of emails to everyone I knew at Sony with the subject "say it ain't so." The lack of a microphone input is the biggest disappointment of this camcorder season. I think I might be able to accept the closed architecture of the battery if Sony only would enable consumers to use an external microphone aside from their poor quality proprietary ones.

Handling (7.0)
Handling on the DCR-PC1000 is comfortable for a matchbox camcorder. Sony has quite effectively shrunk the body from the DCR-PC350 to improve upon its impressive handling. Your fingers nicely wrap around the body to get a good grip. The strap is quite comfortable, though I wish the bottom portion had a leather part to make holding the pistol-grip camcorder more comfortable.

Button placement is generally good, with your thumb easily hitting the buttons located in the back of the DCR-PC1000. The LCD buttons make it easy to hold the camcorder with two hands with one hand holding the LCD screen. The zoom control leaves something to be desired, but the mode dial is better than a touch screen only control. In general, the DCR-PC1000 handles quite well for a matchbox style camcorder.

Portability (6.0)
For a 3 chip camcorder, the DCR-PC1000 is very compact and portable. You aren't going to find this video quality in a camcorder this small anywhere. On the other hand, for a portable matchbook camcorder, it is perhaps the most clunky of the genre. The camcorder measures 2.25 inches thick, over 4.5 inches tall, and over 4 inches deep. This is indeed bigger than both the DCR-PC350 and the Optura 500 (Specs, $1199). That said, the DCR-PC1000 is still very portable, though you’ll need to pack the docking station for connectivity purposes if you are going to travel a lot. If you're looking for portability and quality, the DCR-PC1000 is a great choice.

Battery Life (8.6)
The DCR-PC1000 has a strange, extremely slender battery pack (Sony’s NP-FA50). It is an InfoLithium battery pack. The battery slips into a slot towards the bottom of the camcorder’s right side. A fully charged battery can record for 86 minutes and 17 seconds (1 hr. 26 min. 17 sec.) with the LCD open and without zooming. The included battery life is incredibly important because of the non-expandable nature of the DCR-PC1000's battery design.

Compression (8.0)
The Sony DCR-PC1000 uses standard DV compression to MiniDV tape. MiniDV compression is certainly the standard of video quality against which all other compression formats are judged.

Media (8.0)
The DCR-PC1000 has the ability to record video to 6.35mm MiniDV tape in both SP and LP modes. Stills can be recorded to MemoryStick Duo PRO.

Editing (8.0)
Video footage recorded to MiniDV tape can be edited very easily using any of the many available editing software suites, most notably Avid and Final Cut Pro, though many manufactures include rudimentary editing software with their products.

Widescreen/16:9 Mode (8.0)
The widescreen function of the DCR-PC1000 can be selected using the button on the LCD’s margin. On the widescreen LCD, black bars appear on the left and right of the image when it is in 4:3 mode. In widescreen mode, these bands disappear, and the sides of the image slide over to fill the entire LCD. This mode is what I understand to be the zoom and crop widescreen option. The horizontal angle of vision remains the same from 4:3 to widescreen mode, while the vertical angle becomes smaller. What this means is that when you frame an image in 4:3 mode, and then switch to widescreen mode, the top and bottom of the image will be cropped off. Another way of look at it: during still capture, the width of widescreen stills remains the same from 4:3 mode, while their height decreases from their 4:3 counterparts (1920 x 1440 to 1920 x 1080). This is considered the best way to get a widescreen aspect short of a native widescreen mode.

4:3 Standard Aspect

Widescreen image squeezed into
4:3 frame for editing

Scan Rates/24P (5.0)
The DCR-PC1000 has the same fake 24P mode as the DCR-PC350. The fake 24P tries to give a cinematic 24P effect, but it really just produces jittery video. We also discovered a 30P mode which looks much better, but apparently there is some confusion on whether this is a supported feature or we discovered something we shouldn't have.

Ports (6.0)
The DCR-PC1000 features very few ports and jacks and only the minimum that's required. It includes a DC input port, a proprietary hot accessory shoe which supports a very limited number of accessories, a LANC jack, and an A/V input/output located on the camcorder. All other ports including FireWire and USB are located on the docking station, as well as a secondary DC input and A/V input/output. There is no dedicated microphone port and no headphone jack. I really can't imagine who at Sony is crazy enough to think that a Control-L/LANC jack is more important than a microphone in jack.

Other Features (6.5)
Non-Expandable Battery-- This isn't really a feature so much as it is a horribly limiting constraint. In an effort to make the camcorder cute and small (I guess this camcorder is rockin' the Consumer Electronics night life) they decided to limit the batteries to only an hour and a half. Days are 24 hours long. You do the math.

Backlight-- This feature brightens the image slightly, as in a backlit situation. It is indicated by the sun icon. It is accessed by pressing the navigational button underneath the LCD screen.

Image Stabilization-- The DCR-PC1000 offers electronic image stabilization (SteadyShot), which can be toggled on and off within the camcorder’s menu system.

Flash-- The DCR-PC1000 includes a flash with options for red-eye reduction, as well as adjustments for flash levels.

Expanded Focus-- A really cool feature, expanded focus, available during still capture, zooms in on the image during focal adjustment to allow for more accuracy.

Tele Macro-- This feature basically zooms to the camcorder’s fullest telephoto, allowing for the capture of close objects (approximately 19.75” away).

Picture Control-- Adjustments to sharpness and color can be controlled using the camcorder’s touch screen menu system.

Guide Frames-- Guide frames are available within the touch screen menu.

Comparisons
Panasonic PV-GS400
Panasonic's PV-GS400 is one of the best consumer camcorders ever built. It offers great manual control, a great picture and good still performance. When compared to the DCR-PC1000, the only things which the DCR-PC1000 does better than the PV-GS400 is still performance, as well as general portability and design attractiveness. If you want good video, with good low light and great manual control with the options to expand your camcorder with microphones, batteries, and other accessories you should pick the PV-GS400. I really can't justify purchasing the DCR-PC1000 over the PV-GS400 unless you are strictly looking for a point and shoot camcorder with little versatility.

Sony DCR-PC350
The DCR-PC1000 replaces the DCR-PC350, and they certainly made some mistakes in the move. Taking the focus ring off, removing the microphone in jack, and switching to a non expandable battery changed the DCR-PC350 to a pretty terrible camcorder on the DCR-PC1000. While both camcorders do a great job of serving the ease of use group, Sony managed to further alienate users with some knowledge of video who want some advanced features with the move from the PC350 to the PC1000.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters
The DCR-PC1000 is a point-and-shoot camcorder in that it offers excellent automatic controls, mediocre manual control, and inhabits a matchbook, handheld frame. On the other hand, the camcorder does offer a lot of secondary options which make the camcorder seem a bit too complicated for a point-and-shooter. These include the histogram, guide frames, all kinds of picture effects, etc.

Budget Consumers
Not for the budget conscious.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid
The DCR-PC1000 does take relatively large still photos and they are incredibly crisp and good-looking for a camcorder. Add to it a number of still options and the DCR-PC1000 is one of the best hybrid still / video camcorders we've seen.

Gadget Freak
The DCR-PC1000, as the first CMOS chip camcorder and the first 3 chip matchbook camcorder, is a good gadget freak machine. It also offers a bunch of gimmicks which may appeal to those who have some extra cash to throw around.

Manual Control Freaks
While many of the most important manual controls–iris and shutter speed–are lacking on the DCR-PC1000, the camcorder does offer some controls that other camcorders never seem to offer–sharpness, color control, histogram, and dial control with expanded focus.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists
Maybe, but this camcorder is more for the gadget seekers.

Conclusion
Despite this pretty negative review, in one way, Sony should be incredibly happy with the DCR-PC1000. With this camcorder, CMOS chips have definitely proved themselves. We were very skeptical when Sony announced the first CMOS chip this past January, but it appears like they've managed to squeeze some impressive performance out of the chips. The video performance is excellent, the low light performance is respectable, and the still performance is comparatively some of the best we've seen out of a camcorder.

That being said, Sony has further pigeon-holed their camcorder line for the consumer who wants point and shoot ease of use and nothing more. Taking off the microphone input and closing the battery compartment were mistakes. Sony has stripped all advanced features from their camcorder line, and then suddenly realized that people spending $1,300 on a camcorder are likely to want some manual control and some options. The resulting camcorder, the DCR-PC1000, is horribly confused as to whose market it is to appeal and looks like a sad and unsuccessful attempt to make a prosumer camcorder. Instead of building off their consumer platform with a few manual control upgrades, Sony should have tried to squeeze the great manual control of the DCR-VX2100 (Review, Specs, $1980) and the HDR-FX1 into a small form factor, like Panasonic did with the PV-GS400.

I really can't recommend the DCR-PC1000, except for that tiny sliver of consumers who have a lot of money to spend on their camcorder, yet want something that's incredibly simple to use, produces good video, while at the same time won't let you do much more. The DCR-PC1000 might also be attractive to those consumers who want good stills and good video but, again, don't care about manual control. If you're looking for a good manual control camcorder with advanced features that will let you push your video to its best quality, don't buy the DCR-PC1000.