Sony Handycam DCR-DVD308 Camcorder
- Recording System: NTSC
- Recording Media: DVD
- Optical Zoom: 25x
- Weight: 1 lb.
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Great value, beginner's DVD recorder
Pros
Easy to use both camera and accompanying software
Cons
In-camera editing is VERY limited
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If you have never had a DVD recorder--buy this one. It is easy to use and can do just about anything you could want.
I bought this camcorder so that I could easily put the video onto DVD's to send to friends and family. It records onto a mini-disc that you can take out of the recorder and play in a DVD player right away. You can use any of the dvd formats (DVD+/-R and +/-RW) I have never used a camcorder before, so when I say that it is really simple to use, I mean it. There are lots of options available to those who have more skill, but it is easy enough for anyone to use. You put in a mini-disc. Turn on the camera and press the record button. Then when you are done recording you press it again. You can view all of the shots you have taken in "thumbnail" version. You can replay them in the camera. It has a back-light for recording in low-light.
The camera is relatively small. It is about 2-3X the size of my current digital camera. I think it weighs about a pound.
I have found that the focus sometimes shifts around. For example, if you are recording 2 children playing, you have to make sure you keep one child in the spotlight and not try to keep the camera "focused" on the space in between or it will get fuzzy for brief periods as it switches the focus. Not necessarily a camera problem, but still something I don't like.
The battery usually last for about 90 minutes. Which is plenty of time to record to mini-discs since they usually only hold about 30 minutes of video. However, if you "just have to" re-watch everything you shoot, you might have to re-charge in the middle of a disc.
The biggest drawback to this camera is the in-camera editing capabilities. Unless you are using a -RW, you can only delete the very last scene you shot in camera. However, it comes with the software and proper cords to download to your computer and edit away to your heart's content. And then you can re-format the mini-disc and use it over and over again.
The software comes with a very easy to understand "how-to" manual for everything you could ever want to do. I am not technologically very smart, but since purchasing this camera a few months ago, I have made DVD's, posted videos online, and emailed videos. I think that the simplicity of the software is very understated.
This is a great buy for someone who is looking for their first camcorder and wants to live in our technological world. Even if you don't want to be technologically savvy, you can just record on to the mini-discs and play on your DVD player, as the camcorder will allow you to format the DVD for playing in other devices before ejecting. You even get to choose the menu-screen!
The camera is relatively small. It is about 2-3X the size of my current digital camera. I think it weighs about a pound.
I have found that the focus sometimes shifts around. For example, if you are recording 2 children playing, you have to make sure you keep one child in the spotlight and not try to keep the camera "focused" on the space in between or it will get fuzzy for brief periods as it switches the focus. Not necessarily a camera problem, but still something I don't like.
The battery usually last for about 90 minutes. Which is plenty of time to record to mini-discs since they usually only hold about 30 minutes of video. However, if you "just have to" re-watch everything you shoot, you might have to re-charge in the middle of a disc.
The biggest drawback to this camera is the in-camera editing capabilities. Unless you are using a -RW, you can only delete the very last scene you shot in camera. However, it comes with the software and proper cords to download to your computer and edit away to your heart's content. And then you can re-format the mini-disc and use it over and over again.
The software comes with a very easy to understand "how-to" manual for everything you could ever want to do. I am not technologically very smart, but since purchasing this camera a few months ago, I have made DVD's, posted videos online, and emailed videos. I think that the simplicity of the software is very understated.
This is a great buy for someone who is looking for their first camcorder and wants to live in our technological world. Even if you don't want to be technologically savvy, you can just record on to the mini-discs and play on your DVD player, as the camcorder will allow you to format the DVD for playing in other devices before ejecting. You even get to choose the menu-screen!
