Sony HDR-HC3 Camcorder Reviewby Robin Liss and David KenderPublished on Apr 17, 2006 8:00 AM
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Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (8.0)
The Sony HDR-HC3 has automatic controls of the same high caliber found on all Sony camcorders. Located on the left side of the lens barrel is the Easy mode button, which will put the camcorder in “idiot-proof” mode. This may feel a bit reductive to experienced users; even the text on the LCD screen gets bigger, as if you need help reading. Nevertheless, users who have no interest in performing more than point and shoot operations will appreciate the alacrity with which Sony handles exposure and focus controls.
There are some additional controls that we consider “automatic.” Spot Meter and Spot Focus make an appearance, as on most Sony models. These simple controls allow you to point to a subject in the touch screen LCD that you wish to focus or get a better exposure reading on. It’s not an exact science, but the controls can work well if the subject is large enough.
The HC3 also offers limited control of picture sharpness and color saturation (called Color Levels in the menu). Both can be found in the menu and are presented as sliding scales, with a minus sign on one side and a plus sign on the other, which can move up and down in 8 subtle increments.A sharpness increase of +4 does not make the picture resemble one run through Photoshop’s sharpening tool 15 times, (or even 4 times). Likewise, saturation controls create an aesthetic, slightly different from full auto, without making it look like an effect. A picture run through the sharpness filter appears in the Video Performance section above.
An AE shift, which can be controlled in the menu or with the Cam Control dial, is a simple exposure adjustment. It has the same -/+ 8 increment-scale as sharpness and saturation.
Overall Manual Control (5.5)
In designing the HDR-HC3, Sony clearly went back to the drawing board on manual controls… and erased it. Last year’s HC1 offered manual shutter speed from 1/4 to 1/10000 and a decent focus / zoom ring. This year, the shutter speed has been dropped entirely, as has the ring control. In its place, Sony has designed a tiny Cam Control jog dial. This dial, which measures about 3/8ths of an inch wide, is rather awkward to handle. While the zoom ring allowed the user to traverse the full range of the control in one deft movement, the Cam Control dial allows only small nudges that jump from increment to increment.
The Cam Control dial in close up (not actual size).
This control cannot compare to the combo dial on the Panasonic GS400. Likewise, the Sony A1 has a ring control for focus and zoom, and offers manual gain, which the HC3 does not.
Many people have attacked the HC3 for being a “dumbed down” version of the A1, and there is some validity to that statement. Certainly, features were stripped away. But, by continuing production of the A1, Sony is offering a clear choice between cameras aimed at consumers and those aimed at professionals. Buyers have options, albeit with a $700 price difference.
Zoom (7.0)
The Sony HDR-HC3 features a zoom toggle on the top of the camcorder body towards the back. The index finger of the right hand is supposed to control the lever, though the tip of my finger overshot this control by half to three-quarters of an inch. While quick zoom speeds were definitely responsive when activated, it was difficult to produce slower, more controlled transitions. A secondary zoom control option, on the frame of the opened LCD screen, produces steady and clean zoom movement: this control features two slightly raised buttons and allows the user to adjust the camcorder focus toward either the wide-angle or telephoto lens of the zoom spectrum. However, the LCD buttons are at a fixed speed and cannot be adjusted.
The two zoom controls, one on top of the body and one on the LCD panel.
Zoom Power/Ratio (10.0)
The Sony HDR-HC3 features 10x optical zoom, with the ability to engage digital zoom with maximum levels of either 20x or 80x. It’s too bad that Sony couldn’t include a higher power zoom, but it’s likely because the camcorder is so compact that it's difficult to put a large zoom lens in the body. Users can set digital zoom in the camera set menu, but image degradation increases at higher zoom ratings. This becomes worse and more noticeable when videos are viewed on HD televisions; you really shouldn't use the HC3's digital zoom feature at all.
Focus (8.0)
Focus control is on the second page of the P-menu touch screen structure and allows users to toggle between auto and manual mode and to set the focus using plus or minus buttons. In a different menu, users can also change the control dial so that it adjusts focus. While touch screen interfaces can lead to simple, speedy, and effective menu navigation, they're inadequate controllers for focal levels. If you feel that focus is unquestionably what you’re going to control the most, which is probably true for many consumers, you can set the dial and have a very nice focus control. Sony also gives distance readings during manual focus control, which are very helpful.
The absence of the HC1's Extended Focus feature, which appeared as an external button and produced a jump to a zoom of about 4x, is a hard loss for the HC3. Focus is crucial on HD camcorders, as every focal flaw becomes more pronounced, and the Extended Focus feature allowed the user to get a tight focus on the subject. To make up for this, in part, the HC3 has a higher resolution LCD than the HC1 and A1.
Exposure (Aperture) (4.0)
Access to exposure is in the exposure sub-menu on the first page of the P-menu touch screen interface. The exposure submenu displays a black frame with label, + / - buttons for controlling exposure levels, auto and manual buttons for switching between shooting modes, and a return button. All of these on-screen buttons are opaque overlays which obscure a large portion of the LCD screen in the same fashion as do other manual controls, such as focus. Once the manual exposure button is pressed, a sliding scale without numerical markers appears across the center of the screen, covering even more of the LCD with overlays. This scale has 24 exposure steps that can be accessed by pressing either the + or – buttons, and changes to exposure levels result in immediate changes to the image, something not found on the budget priced and problem-plagued Sanyo Xacti HD1. Like manual focus, exposure levels can be set externally by switching the camera control ring to manual exposure.
Shutter Speed (0.0)
Unfortunately, the Shutter Speed can only be controlled through preset slow modes or full automatic. If manual controls are important to your shooting style, camcorders by manufacturers like Canon or Panasonic may be better options. This is one of our consistent major disappointments with Sony. The HC1 allowed manual control of the shutter speed and they intentionally removed it. What’s the harm in putting it on?
White Balance (9.0)
White balance is manually controllable when shooting with the Sony HDR-HC3, via a white balance sub-menu in the P-menu structure. This menu displays five opaque button overlays which allow the user to switch between auto, outdoor, indoor, and "one push," the Sony setting for manual white balance. Although the buttons hampered LCD viewing, it was possible to make adjustments as needed, and the control was simple to activate.
In addition to the White Balance mode setting, there is a White Balance Shift sub-menu listed on the same page. The WB Shift menu displays a horizontal scale which alters the levels of the red and blue channels when recording. When shifting towards a lower WB level, the image will adopt a bluish tone, while shifting to the higher side of the continuum will result in a reddened image. This control is simple to use, and even beginners should find it useful when making more subtle changes to white balance.
Gain (0.0)
The Sony HDR-HC3 has no manual gain control, which, while not surprising considering Sony’s appeal in the auto-mode market, is disappointing when considering the $1500 price tag and the presence of a gain control on even the lowest priced SD camcorders by Panasonic.
Other Manual Control (0.0)
There are no other manual control options available when shooting with the Sony HDR-HC3.
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