Sony HDR-HC3 Camcorder Reviewby Robin Liss and David KenderPublished on Apr 17, 2006 8:00 AM
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Ease of Use (7.0)
Like most Sonys, the HC3 (Review, Specs, $969.99) is a relatively simple camcorder to operate. The Easy button assigns all the image quality control to the camcorder, leaving you free to shoot, and truncates the menu to four options: recording format (SD or HD), beep on/off, clock set, and display guide, which tells you what the information displayed on the screen actually means. The HC1 (Specs, $2295) did not come equipped with the Easy button.
Sony doesn't want to insult serious HD users, so the Easy mode button is smaller than usual.
The fact that the HC1 didn’t include an Easy button while the HC3 does is a clear indication of Sony’s target market: ease-of-use buyers. While the HC3 had external controls and a microphone jack, appealing to prosumers, the HC3 has shed these features for simplicity. In their first truly “consumer” HD camcorder, Sony was appealing to the early adopter who would easily make the jump to HD. A year later, however, more people want HD in their new camcorder purchases. Sony is taking their extensive experience in creating ease-of-use camcorders and combining that with their ability to produce high-end camcorders with gorgeous video. The HC3 is the culmination of those two strengths, and it shows.
Handling (7.5)
Handling is a major factor for any camcorder over $1000. If for no other reason, it shows that the manufacturer is thinking the design through from a user’s perspective rather than rushing out a product in response to a marketing research report. At this price, you want a camcorder that is comfortable to hold, especially for long periods of time, such as baseball games. It should have all the controls you need close at hand or simple to find. A good menu structure is vital; you don’t want to be fumbling through a confusing list of options, then struggling to exit the menu so you can catch a crucial shot.
Given that long list of demands, how does the HC3 hold up? First, the body tips to the left, showing an uneven balance. While the hand strap provides some counterforce, this will tire the hand after a while. The right side of the body does provide solid grip, and, in an unusually considerate design, the bottom of the right side is rubberized where it meets the palm of your hand.
The zoom toggle, mode dial, photo, and record start / stop button are all well placed. Navigation and most of the manual control, as on all Sony consumer camcorders, are controlled through a touch screen LCD. Beginning users, and some long-time Sony users, often defend the touch screen, but we find that we have three main problems: making it difficult to operate the camera from the viewfinder, cutting down on battery life, and picking up dirt and grease. While the control dial mitigates the last problem somewhat, it still depends highly on the touch screen, is too small, and is partially covered by the LCD screen.
Aside from the standard issue Easy button and the controls for turning the display and backlight on or off, the HC3 has one notable external button: the Cam Control jog dial located on the front left of the body. This multi-function control can be used to control focus, exposure, AE shift, and white balance shift. Hugging the side of the dial is a tiny button that turns the dial’s selected function on and off. This dial is very small, which cuts down on some usability, but there is a more detrimental flaw: the dial's function--focus, exposure, etc.--must be selected with the Dial Set control, located deep within the menu.
The body is quite sturdy and looks to have a tougher plastic along the edges of the corners, which should help with impacts. (Don’t try to deny it; everybody drops their camcorders at some point.) Moreover, unlike some camcorders, the body does not squeak when you squeeze it, which is generally an unwelcome harbinger of poor quality.
Portability (7.5)
The HDR-HC3 measures 82 x 78 x 139mm, shorter than the HC1, but is much wider, and weighs 600g with the battery. For a relatively high-performing camcorder, this is still a small body. You could not fit it in a purse or pocket, but you don't have to purchase a large, elaborate bag like you would for a shoulder-mounted HD camcorder. The trade-off for the size is, of course, external controls and additional features.
The built-in lens cap will help keep you from misplacing the standard snap-on cap, but seems to open fairly easily. Consider this if you plan on carrying the camcorder in a cluttered bag. We should also warn you that the LCD panel has a tendency to fly open with a simple yank in the opposite direction.
All in all, we want to emphasize that this camcorder packs a mighty wallop into a small body.
LCD/Viewfinder (6.0)
The Sony HDR-HC3 has both an LCD screen and an electronic color viewfinder. The LCD screen is on the left side of the camcorder body, and can be opened by either the back or bottom edges. The screen measures 2.7 inches diagonally and has a total pixel count of 211,200, providing a clear and clean image quality. However, the touch screen interface means that a film of sweat and grease will build up on the screen's surface, hampering visibility and compounding any existing problems with solarizing. Furthermore, while the touch screen may simplify navigation for those with small fingers, those with larger hands will struggle to engage features which demand fine control, such as spot metering or focus.
An electronic color viewfinder is also present on the HDR-HC3, and is located on the back of the camcorder in the upper-left corner. This viewfinder is aggravatingly set into the body, and will not extend or pivot into a position that actually could make using this feature possible. As it is, poor positioning, uncomfortable hard plastic eyecup, and lack of extendibility make the electronic color viewfinder a monitoring device to use only in the most dire of circumstances. It seems ludicrous to outfit a $1500 camcorder with a non-moving viewfinder that is impossible to use, especially when it’s capable of viewing 16:9 and 4:3 formats. In addition to these problems, manual controls and the menu structure will be inaccessible when shooting with this viewfinder. The only control accessibility will be through the manual button and camera control dial.
Battery Life (11.5)
The camcorder ships with the NP-FP60 battery, which we tested for endurance during continuous shooting. We left the camcorder in Easy mode, shooting in HD, with the LCD open and the electronic image stabilization on. In total, the battery lasted 115 minutes and 1 second (1 hour, 55 minutes, and 1 second).
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