Sony Handycam DCR-PC9 Mini DV Camcorder

The Sony DCR-PC9 is Sony's latest and smallest MiniDV camcorder to date and they've done a pretty good job of it.

Most people buy camcorders for one thing, recording videos. And boy does this camera excel at it, the quality of video is just astounding, with rich, vibrant colors. Hook it up to a digital tv and the video quality looks even better than that of a dvd!! The specifications state that the PC-9 can capture a resolution of up to 520 horizontal lines. The DCR-PC9 records video on it's own miniDV tape, that can record 60mins in SP mode for the highest resolution or 90mins in LP mode at a slightly reduced quality. Sound is good as well, with the occassional wind noise which can be elimanted by buying an external microphone that replaces the tiny one on the front of the camera.

One of the best features of the PC9 is it's touch screen LCD, this is a boon for digital video cameras and the end of fumbling with cameras looking for the right button. It provides all accessible options through user friendly interface and all you got to do is touch the screen. But a word of caution, the LCD is not always visibile in bright sunlight, and even more importantly using the LCD drains precious battery life. Luckily Sony has kept the most basic buttons such as zoom, focus, record, etc.. on the camera itself. But due to some imaginable reason the designers of Sony have comitted a big blunder. The placement of these buttons is so awkward, that it defies logic. I spent 40 days with the PC-9 and still didn't master the exact positions of the button. and believe me, it can be pretty frustrating!!

Another advantage this camcorder has over others, is it's size, in it's one of the smallest if not the smallest digital camcorder in the world. i could get it to fit in my coat pocket! Small but not defintely not ugly, the PC9 is quite stylish and will capture it's fair share of glances from passerbys! :-) But there is a downside to it's small size, namely the battery. To keep the weight and dimensions of the PC9 down, the capacity of the battery had to be minimized. Without the LCD panel the battery is rated to around 90mins but using the LCD that whittles down to around 50 mins. On average i found out that in normal use i could get around 45-60mins. Many people would say why not get a larger battery? because by getting a larger battery you are effectively negating the size of the camera, by making it bulkier. a better option is to get an extra standard size battery.

One truly disappointing aspect of the camera is it's still image quality. dont rely on the PC-9 for your pictures unless all you want to do with them is use them for emailing or posting on websites. Even at it's highest resolution the image quality is average at best. Luckly the PC-9 also lets you take pictures on the miniDV tape itself with image quality being marginally better.

All in all, the Sony DCR-PC9 is a great camcorder, that's extremely user friendly, provides excellent video quality and is very portable.