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Editor's Choice

Sony DCR-PC101

REVIEW DATE:  11.05.02

  • Product: Sony DCR-PC101
  • Price: $1,100 street
  • Company Info: Sony Electronics Inc., www.sonystyle.com

    • Ratings

    EditorExcellent

    ReaderGood

    Rate This Product

    Sony DCR-PC101

    Enlarge

    Sony has started to concentrate more on its new ultra-tiny MicroMV format, but the company hasn't lost sight of what makes a great MiniDV camcorder. At 1.4 pounds, the Sony DCR-PC101 is stockier than the Canon Elura 40MC, but it takes other cams to school with its innovative LCD touch screen. Playback and adjusting settings can be done with a fingernail.

    With the aid of its Carl Zeiss lens, the DCR-PC101 created movies that were nothing short of stunning, and a new Color Slow Shutter mode means your nighttime footage doesn't have to look like a military training video. Although the spec sheet claims 1.0-megapixel resolution for stills, the effective resolution is actually 690,000 pixels. But the quality of the photos and MPEG movies recorded to the included 8MB Memory Stick was on a par with the output of higher-res cams. You can even hook up the DCR-PC101 as a streaming Webcam for videoconferencing via USB.

    Apart from a right side that's slightly overcrowded with buttons, the DCR-PC101 is one dandy cam.

     MEMBER RATINGS Rate it Yourself 

    DerekThomas
    Member rating: 
    February 21, 2004
    The previous post is very wrong. All six computers I have connected my PC-101 to have uploaded and downloaded from tape (firewire) and the memory stick (USB) just fine. The intelligent shoe is great, mic is good (but Sony ECM-MS908C is much better), add'l lenses are handy (especially the 0.6x which makes indoor shooting much better and more natural), the included battery will always outlast a tape and the huge aftermarket battery can record 6-8 tapes, the touchscreen is just incredibly useful as it eliminates many buttons and needless scolling through options, and the USB-Webcam functionality works great. After buying and selling other cams, this one is a keeper. There are only four minor weaknesses, in my view. First, no built-in flash. However, the Sony flashes work great, except the HVL-FH1100 which drastically overexposes every shot (buy they HVL-FDH4, instead). Second, the low-light still pictures are just too grainy to be pleasing (although in good light the pictures a great). Third, the saturation and warmth of the colors is very noticeably less attractive than the Canon offerings. When using the Sony alone it is no problem, really, since you have nothing else to compare. However, when editing multiple video streams together from other cams of the same subject from different angles, the 101 video is just very dull compared to other cams to the extent that you avoid mixing in video from other cams. Fourth, the quality of the sound from the internal mic has less sparkle than similar Canon cams. However, these weaknesses do not detract from the fact that this is a very versatile, very portable cam. It just works well every time, connects every time to the computer without a hitch, and is a great all-around video/still cam.

    johndive
    Member rating: 
    April 6, 2003
    Sony's DCR-PC101 is not user friendly when it comes to exporting dv or .avis from the computer back to the camcorder. Personally, I've only tried to export dv and .avis to the camcorder using Ulead Video Studio 5, Roxio VideoWave, and Pinnacle Studio 8, but I have read about dozens of other failures using all sorts of computers, firewires, and software. I don't believe that the DCR-PC101 will accept any output from a computer. Its included Pixela software certainly doesn't allow for export. How can any camcorder that can't import from a computer be considered good let alone excellent?
     
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