Sony Announces DCR-PC105, Replacing the DCR-PC101

by News Editor
Published on May 5, 2003 12:00 AM



Sony has announced the $1,000 MiniDV DCR-PC105, vertical, 'matchbox' style camcorder. The DCR-PC105 adds a hybrid 2.5 in. touchscreen LCD, a pop-up flash, the battery info button, and a smaller body size. The new camcorder includes a 10x optical, 120x digital zoom. The DCR-PC105 also includes a Megapixel CCD, and support for Sony's new larger Memory Sticks. In additon, The DCR-PC105 features an improved 16:9 widescreen shooting capability.

The DCR-PC105 has already been announced in Germany and in Japan. For a quick rundown of the feature set, the DCR-PC105 includes a 1/4.7 in. 1,070K Megapixel CCD, with 690K effective pixels for video and 1,000K effective pixels for stills. The picture resolution is rated at 520 lines by Sony. The camcorder includes a manual focus ring with a small bar to make adjustment easier - a nice feature. The zoom however seems to be controlled by a very tiny button (pictured on the left), however because this picture is from a preproduction model we are not positive if it is the actual zoom control on the PC105. The other picture functions - exposure and white balance are controlled through the touch screen LCD. The camcorder also includes the Spot Metering and Spot Focus features which allow you to adjust the exposure or the focus of the camcorder by touching on the area of the screen that you want the picture function to be adjusted to.

The DCR-PC105 includes a Intelligent Accessory Shoe (meaning you can power and control certain supported accessories which are attached to the shoe). The DCR-PC105 also includes Super SteadyShot picture stabilization, an intelligent pop up flash, the battery info feature, USB streaming, and click to DVD compatibility. The DCR-PC105 includes a Firewire in / out jack, a USB terminal, a headphone out jack and a microphone in jack. Sony rates the LUX rating at 7. The DCR-PC105 includes both the NightShot and Color Slow Shutter nighttime shooting modes. Other features are 14 Bit DXP A/D Conversion, AE Bracketing, Burst Mode (the ability to record multiple stills in quick succession), Digital Program Editing, Index Titling, Interval/Frame Recording, PIM (Print Image Matching), Playback Zoom, Print Mark, and a Progressive Shutter System (for digital stills). The DCR-PC105 also includes Analog to Digital pass through capability which allows the camcorder to convert video from an analog source to a digital one on the fly. The camcorder also has a small leather piece which folds down to help in stabilizing the camcorder.

The camcorder can record 1,152 x 864 resolution stills to Memory Sticks via the Memory Stick slot. The camcorder includes an 8 MB Memory Stick. The camcorder can also record MPEG-EX MPEG movies of unlimited length (only limited by the size of the Memory Stick). A major addition to the camcorder over the DCR-PC101 is the inclusion of a pop-up flash for stills.

A very under documented feature of the Sony DCR-TRV80 (announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2003) was improved wide screen ability. Instead of just letter boxing and putting black bars on the top and bottom of the picture, Sony is utilizing the larger CCD. Sony has included this new feature on the DCR-PC105. Sony National Training Manager Chris Margaitis explained the technology ''We are actually utilizing more of the CCD than what we have been able to do in the past. Where the 16:9 mode comes in, the camcorder now instead of recording a square image we're widening that to 16:9 using more pixels. As a result optical image stabilization is reduced, however in this mode you are more than likely going to be recording on a tripod of some sort. It's not really letterboxed - it's just letter boxed in the LCD. On playback on an 16:9 aspect ratio television it looks normal, however on a 4:3 aspect ratio television in looks squeezed.'' This mode utilizes more pixels than previous methods of shooting in widescreen. It is likely to be received very well by the independent film community, a users group who often looks for the widescreen aspect ratio of movies, compared to the 4:3 aspect ratio of normal television pictures.

The data provided so far on the 2.5 in. touch screen LCD screen seems quite impressive. The LCD includes 211K pixels, a large number. Sony's highest end consumer model, the DCR-VX2000 includes around 200K (yet sells for over $2,000) and their highest end model introduced in 2003, the DCR-TRV80 includes a 180K pixel LCD. If all these pixels are effective and bright, the camcorder will presumably include the best LCD screen of all the Sony consumer MiniDV models - the MicroMV DCR-IP220 includes a 211K pixel LCD screen. Sony is calling the LCD screen on the DCR-PC105 a 'hybrid' LCD. Sony states that the LCD is a combination of a transmissive and reflective LCD, allowing it perform both indoors and outdoors - most LCDs work terrible in outdoor conditions, Sony press materials states ''Images will be visible in the LCD even in the most challenging outdoor lighting conditions.'' At the present time, the only other Sony camcorders that include the Hybrid LCD are the MicroMV models.

The Click to DVD compatibility allows you to automatically make DVDs with certain supported Sony VAIO computers which include a DVD burner and the Click to DVD software. When hooked up to a compatible VIAO computer, you can burn your tape to a DVD by just pressing the "Burn to DVD" button on the camcorder.

The DCR-PC105 weighs just one pound. The dimensions are 2 in. x 4 1/8 in. x 3 7/8 in. The camcorder will be available in June for $1,000.