Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony DCRDVD300 MiniDVD Handycam Camcorder with 3.5" LCD and Digital Still Capability

the DCR-DVD300 sits atop the recently released line of miniDVD camcorders from sony. other models in this line are the DCR-DVD200 and DCR-DVD100. the main difference the three camcorders in this line are LCD size and CCD resolution:
- DCR-DVD300: 3.5" LCD, 1MP CCD
- DCR-DVD200: 2.5" LCD, 1MP CCD
- DCR-DVD100: 2.5" LCD, 640K CCD

pros:
- records dolby digital stereo.
- carl zeiss lens.
- 10x optical zoom.
- video quality almost at par with miniDV camcorders (at slower recording modes).
- Super SteadyShot image stabilization system - and sony's system really helps.
- three low light shooting modes: Nightshot, Super Nightshot, and Color Slow Shutter.
- big, 3.5" LCD display.
- great connectivity options: firewire, USB 2.0, S-video, headphone, mic input, etc.
- USB 2.0 support for fast downloads.
- the convenience of DVD navigation - simply select the scene and you're there!
- supports analog-to-digital conversion.
- hot accessory shoe with lots of optional accessories.

cons:
- expensive - as with most sony products, you pay a premium, plus you pay for DVD convergence.
- average low light performance.
- no memory stick support; if you want to take a still picture, it is saved on the DVD.
- mic picks up DVD spinning noise in quiet environments.
- finalizing a DVD takes upwards of 10 minutes, and it can be a confusing process.
- don't expect much from the still images recorded, even at 1MP resolution.
- no pop-up flash for taking stills and no built in video light but you can get a flash/video combo light for less than a hundred bucks.
- no manual focus ring.
- getting video into editing software (e.g. Final Cut Pro) is harder than it should be.
- not Mac friendly.
- poor battery life with included battery so add $$ to your budget to buy a higher capacity spare.
- compared to current release camcorders, this is a pretty big one at 3.1 x 3.8 x 5.6" weighing 1 lb 9 oz.

this is a nice, solid effort by sony and i give them points for dvd convergence. however, in my opinion, the DCR-DVD300 is too big and not easy to use. it's expensive for the feature set but the alternative to this dvd camcorder (a miniDV tape camcorder and DVD recorder combo) is even more expensive. i already have a dvd recorder so for me, a smaller and easier to use miniDV camcorder makes more sense. if this is your situation as well, i would recommend a panasonic gs-70 or sony's pc-105, both miniDV camcorders. otherwise, if you want a finalized DVD straight out of your camcorder, consider the DCR-DVD300.

a final note. if you have decided you want to record directly to a DVD, which camcorder should you buy? DCR-DVD300 or DCR-DVD200 or DCR-DVD100? only one hundred bucks separate these three camcorders (street price). for me, a hundred bucks is worth it to get the 1MP CCD and the big 3.5" LCD.

i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.

I just received my camcorder, so my experience is brief. A more detailed review will follow later.But since there are no good reviews comparing the camcorders on the market I wanted to share my opinion.

All 3 makers have a lot in common; but I chose the Sony over the Hitachi and Panasonic for a few reasons. The Sony had better resolution available for both movie and still mode vs the Panasonic. (I doubt I'll use the still much since it is only 1 megapixel). Sony, has infrared and can do night imaging. The others don't. Panasonic and Hitachi use DVD-Ram instead of DVD-RW. My Denon DVD player will play back DVD-RW and not DVD-RAM. Check your player for compatibility. This is a big deal!! I can pop a DVD-RW directly out of my camcorder and play it in my DVD player. With DVD Ram you have to download it to your computer and then burn a copy onto DVD-R before you could play it. Finally, the Sony had a 3" display, is designed to be compatible with its other cameras in its ability to use accessories universally, felt more solid, and in my opinion has a better reputation.

The layout is similar to their digital cameras and only takes minutes to learn how to use. It has 3 recording modes DVD-R and on DVD-RW (Video and VR) mode. VR mode allows you to do basic in camera editing: (saving the still images as a movie file, erasing, rearranging,dividing) Otherwise, you edit on your computer. You can use the player to burn edited copies & dub old video cassettes. You can fade, overlap, and wipe when doing your intro and exits; quickly review images and delete the last one recorded. It has a plethora of digital effects: sepia, B&W, pastel, mosaic, luminace and old movie effects. It has auto and manual set white balance,auto and manual exposure and focus controls. The dial is a little awkward.

It has 10X optical and 120 digital zoom. Digital zoom is usually poor quality, so the fact that Hitachi and panasonic were 240x digital zoom made no difference to me.

Weak Points: Buy a larger battery. The one included doesn't have enough juice. No case included.

I paid $830 at digitalmegastore.com vs $1099 retail

Sony's DCR-DVD300 is my first digital camcorder. After using a JVC VHS-C camcorder for 8+ years, I did a lot of research, which I highly recommend, and finally decided to purchase the DVD300. But since it was a brand new model, it was very hard to find reviews about it. The few that I found revealed concerns about noise, vibration, editing and the complexity of menu functions. I'll talk about these in a minute but first let me state that the reason why one chooses a DVD camcorder instead of a MiniDV (tape), is that the first offers tremendous advantages over the latter in terms of managing your videos. I should also note that I'm not a professional video maker: all we do is home video to capture life's good moments. Finally, this is going to be more of an operational review, rather than discussing the camcorder's technical features. For these, please refer to the other reviews. That said, here we go:

1 - Noise and vibration: a lot has been said about this "noisy" camcorder and, in fact, the microphone captures the motor noise. But, unless you want to capture the "sound of silence", it won't bother you at all. The same about vibration: while holding the camcorder, you actually feel the DVD spinning. But again, it's not an inconvenience - and this "vibration" does not interfere in any way with the DVD300 operation

2 - Menu: if you feel comfortable changing options on your cell phone or programming your VCR or TV, then you should be OK with the camcorder's menu. You navigate using arrows (up, down, left, right) and a key - exactly like on your VCR's remote control. Of course, like any new electronic device, it takes a couple of days to get used and memorize the functions.

3 - DVD specifics: recording your video on DVD is totally different from recording it on a tape. A new video clip (or file) is created every time you press the record button. The DVD media allows you to select the exact scene you want to see, without having to watch the ones before it (or using fast forward). Two types of DVDs can be used with the DVD300 camcorder: DVD-R and DVD-RW. The latter can be recorded multiple times like a tape, and allows in-camera editing, while the first don't. Once RW discs are full, they have to be finalized prior to be played in another device than the camcorder; this operation takes 9 minutes. To re-use a DVD-RW it needs to be re-formatted. When finalizing or formatting, the camcorder MUST not be shaken. In some of the reviews that I read, there were some concerns about how reliable a DVD driver, a very precise piece of electronic hardware, would be after a couple of years in a portable device. Since I did not have an answer for this, I decided to play safe and bought a 3-year warranty with the camcorder - just in case...

4 - Editing: the biggest advantage that DVD camcorders have over tape ones it's how easy is to edit your videos, even IN the camera, if you don't have the patience to work with an editing software. The in-camera editing, although not rocket science, demands some patience and understanding of some functions that can be easily learned. If you don't want to edit at all, that's fine; just finalize your DVD-RW (DVD-Rs don't need to be finalized, nor can be edited) and play it on your computer or DVD player (assuming it is compatible with the format, as most are). Two recording modes are offered for DVD-RWs - VIDEO and VR. The latter is the one that allows in-camera editing, but has some restrictions. For example, I wasn't able to copy a disc recorded in VR mode using the provided software. Additionally, VR mode may not be compatible with most DVD players. If you want to go one step ahead and edit your videos in your home computer using the provided software, loading a DVD to the computer is much faster than loading a tape - it takes about a minute to have all the clips (30 min) available for editing. Pixela Imagexxx, the editing software provided by Sony, is very basic and limited, but it will give you nice edited home videos. If you want to fly higher and give your videos a professional looking, look for a more sophisticated editing tool, starting at $100.

5 - Conclusion: this is a great camcorder, even for those who are not very interested in editing their videos. Being able to get a recorded DVD directly to the DVD player is a bonus, something that cannot be done with a MiniDV camcorder. The videos' quality is very good, although the still pictures are not. This was actually my only disappointment with the DCR-DVD300.

Most (if not all) the other reviews discuss the pros and cons of the camera. I'll quckly agree with them, and get it over: Great camera, excellent quality movies, needs a bigger battery (but then, doesn't EVERYTHING?). Love the camera's features.

I use a Gateway laptop, with Winders XP Pro (SP2). I had a problem when following the instructions in the manual: everytime I loaded the drivers, ALL (and I *DO* mean *ALL*!!!) of my drivers for EVERY device (including video card, hard drive, audio card, etc) DISAPPEARED! Gone. Nadda. Zip. History!

If I tried to install the software that came with the camera, it wouldn't recognize that the camera was hooked-up. Bummer!

I called Sony's Lack-of-Techincal Support. I went through all three levels of support, ending-up with an "engineer." The second level said "Yeah, the camera won't work over USB 1.1" He then sent me to the third level (the "engineer") who told me that the second level was in error: the problem is that the camera won't work with USB 2.0 on Winders XP! Guess Sony doesn't really know which one it does or does not work with.

Said engineer had me do several more advanced things with my operating system (by the way, I teach computer programming, and been a-workin' with 'em since 1973). Among other things, he asked me to "delete everything in your startup folder." To which I replied, "Uh, how about I move 'em to another folder. I'll need 'em back." To which he says, "Nah! Don't worry about 'em... you don't need 'em anyway!" When I pointed-out he had NO idea what was in my startup folder, he insisted I "don't need whatever is there." Of course, the software I teach for a living DOES need what it installs there, but Mr. Expert didn't know that, and didn't WANT to know!

After an hour of talking with people at Sony, the "engineer" decides it's not Sony's problem: the problem must be with Gateway. Call Gateway!

My Solution:

After the "engineer" hung-up on me, he WOULD have left a normal household user in such a state that no drivers would have been loaded on every system start or reboot. So, after I returned my operating system to normal, I started looking for another solution: I didn't want to return the camera.

Winders XP recognizes the camera in either USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 as an external hard drive device... but Sony's software still won't talk to it. Even the third-level support guy told me NOT to install the drivers that come with the camera if using Winders XP... and I agree (at least, on my machine)!

I can use InterVideo's DVD Copy to convert the MPEG 4 videos to MPEG 2. Then, I can use SonicFoundry Vegas Video (oddly, now owned by Sony!) to edit my videos. I'm certain *you* could use any video editor of your choice (e.g. Ulead or InterVideo or whoever).

Side note: for those of you using DVD XCopy to, uh, "back-up" your commerically-made, non-rented, non-borrowed, copyrighted DVD's: installing ANYTHING from InterVideo will probably break your DVD XCopy! (InterVideo is supported my the Movie Industry people, so I'm told). You have been warned. But since "backing-up" copyrighted video isn't something I do... it doesn't matter to me.

The camera is a darn nice camera. The video's are great. It beats converting VHS (or other format) conventional video to digital (you lose a lot in the process).

Buy it. Love it. Forget their technical support: you're probably "on your own."

Loved the convenience of Direct DVD-R/RW conversion. It stores 60 minutes of great video quality even in LP Format. Also, It gives very good night shots as well. It can store thousands of 1MP stills right on DVD. It came with ImageMixer Software. Just Install the Drivers and software on PC. It detected the Camcorder via USB Port and stored the Videos in MPEG format on computer. Visual Index feature to view stills and videos from camcorder/TV works great.

Cons: It comes with just 1 hr battery. And the 3 inch DVD-R/RW are still costly.