Sony HDR-HC7 First Impressions Review

by Matt Culler
Published on Jan 8, 2007 11:00 PM

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


of Use
This camcorder is relatively easy to use, as most Sonys are. While the touch screen menu system can a dream come true for some, it can be cumbersome and infuriating for others. One of the benefits of a touch screen menu is that it spells everything out for you. Sony also includes buttons on the LCD frame for secondary zoom and record function. The control dial carryover from the HDR-HC3 (Review, Specs, $969.99) definitely makes the touch screen menu easier to deal with, because there’s a way around it. However, it doesn’t help that much. It would have been better to move the backlight button under the LCD screen and to include a focus ring. I know, I'm asking for too much.

Handling
The handling of the Sony HDR-HC7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1128.56) is decent. The camcorder is decently weighted and will fit snuggly into your palm. The strap is bit small for bigger hands, but it will do. My main handling complaints are the zoom toggle and the control dial. Zoom toggle placement has always been high on my list of things to critique in the past, and it’s true here as well. I want to be able, comfortably, to adjust the primary zoom toggle which is easier with an index finger instead of a middle finger.  Unfortunately, in the case of the HDR-HC7,  the photo button lines up with my index finger while the zoom lines up with my middle finger. 

On the bright side, the handling of the zoom toggle is a good one and makes handling a bit better. As far as the multifunction control dial goes, this control is OK in the grand scheme of camcorder controls. It  makes handling the navigation and accessing the camcorder’s touch screen menu system easier. Its assignability to focus, exposure, AE Shift, or white balance also adds a note of customization to a camcorder that otherwise corrals its user.

Menu
The touch screen menu system of the HDR-HC7 may seem Byzantine to some, but it's the space on this camcorder where many things are located. External buttons are kept to a miniumum, but the HC7 is not as minimalistic as the HC5. The HDR-HC7 offers additional external places on the camcorder to outsource some of the controls. As far as touch screen menus go, Sony seems to have that market locked down.  In fact, Sony’s new HD DVD camcorders this year, feature a new, overhauled touch screen menu that is than the old one which is found on the HDR-HC7. It has better colors, but more importantly, there is more space to press buttons and a generally better organization of material. .

LCD and Viewfinder
The HDR-HC7 includes a 16:9 LCD screen with a 2.7 inch diagonal and a 16:9 aspect viewfinder. The sides of the LCD screen and viewfinder are black-barred in standard aspect capture settings. This is a nice viewfinder, unfortunately, it only extends directly backwards instead of bending upwards. Sony’s new DVD camcorders this year feature upward-bending viewfinders which are better for different, more difficult angles.




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