Sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom
Ranking: 9.6 out of 10
Manufacturer: Sony
Model Number: DCR-HC52
Product Code: 027242727427
Price: $249.99 -- get the latest pricing from Amazon
Features:
- 1/6" Advanced HAD CCD Imager, 680K Pixels (Gross)
- 40X Optical / 2000X Digital Zoom
- 2.7" Touch Panel SwivelScreen LCD Display (123K Pixels)
- Professional Quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens
- InfoLITHIUM Battery with AccuPower Meter System
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Description:
The DCR-HC52 miniDV Handycam(R) camcorder is a high quality, versatile, and highly capable device. The Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens and Super SteadyShot(R) image stabilization capture clear, sharp video. Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lenses are designed specifically for compact camcorders, and utilize precision ground optics to maintain the sharpness and contrast found with larger lenses. Powerful 40x optical, 2000x digital zoom brings you close to the action, and the 2.7" touch panel Swivel Screen LCD display puts control of everything at your fingertips. 1/6" Advanced HAD(TM) (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCD with 340K effective pixels provides stunning detail and clarity with exceptional video up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution and still image performance. In addition the Digital Zoom Interpolation means that extreme digital zooming is clearer, with less distortion than previous types of digital zooms. The display rotates up to 270 degrees for multiple viewing angles, as well as provides sharp, detailed images for monitoring or playback. Quickly transfer images from the camcorder to compatible devices equipped with an IEEE1394 interface. When using the Sony InfoLITHIUM Battery, the Stamina(R) Battery Power Management System helps the camcorder prolong battery life for extra long continuous recording times from a single charge. 35mm Equivalent - 36 - 1440mm (4 - 3 Camera Mode), 39 - 1560mm (16 - 9 Camera Mode) Aperture - F1.8 - 4.1 Filter Diameter - 30mm Focal Distance - 1.9 - 76mm Shutter Speed - Auto, 1/60 - 1/4000 (Scene Selection Mode) Minimum Illumination - 11lux (1/60 Shutter Speed) Video Signal System - NTSC color, EIA standards White Balance - Auto, outdoor, indoor, and One Push (Touch Panel) Picture Effects - Mosaic, Solarization, Monotone, Sepia, Neg. Art, and Pastel Dimensions - 2 1/2 x 3 3/8 x 4 5/8 (63x85x115mm) with Battery Weight - 15 ounces (440 grams) with tape and battGet more product details from Amazon
User Reviews -- Add a new review for this Product
Entry Level Handycam
Rating: 5 out of 5
Weight: 10! out of 10
Created: Dec 24, 2008
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First let's correct the Amazon description, this is a 40X optical zoom camera, not 25X as seen on the product itself.
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br /This is a great camera to start out with, the simplicity of Mini DV tapes makes this a good value choice. DVD camcorders in this price range suffer from bad battery life, and disk errors that can render your disks useless. The Mini DV tapes are tried and true.
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br /I use an Apple computer at home and the camera connects to iMovie with no problems using the iLink port on the camera. All you need in most cases is a Firewire 6pin to 4pin cable, and you are good to go.
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br /The video and audio quality are good, and the night vision is fun too. This is not a upper level camera so don't expect several bells and whistles, but it performs great, and has the basic features most people will ever need. The battery life is fair, but that is expected, all camcorder companies want you to buy an extra battery, but at least Sony gives you several options.
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br /With a full charge and a new tape, expect about an hour of record time.
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br /This is a great camera to start out with, the simplicity of Mini DV tapes makes this a good value choice. DVD camcorders in this price range suffer from bad battery life, and disk errors that can render your disks useless. The Mini DV tapes are tried and true.
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br /I use an Apple computer at home and the camera connects to iMovie with no problems using the iLink port on the camera. All you need in most cases is a Firewire 6pin to 4pin cable, and you are good to go.
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br /The video and audio quality are good, and the night vision is fun too. This is not a upper level camera so don't expect several bells and whistles, but it performs great, and has the basic features most people will ever need. The battery life is fair, but that is expected, all camcorder companies want you to buy an extra battery, but at least Sony gives you several options.
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br /With a full charge and a new tape, expect about an hour of record time.
Great camera at an awsome price
Rating: 5 out of 5
Weight: 8.6 out of 10
Created: Dec 24, 2008
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I have been renting a Sony DCR-HC21 from my college for a month or so now. I'm a photographer by trade but I really became interested with editing digital video so I looked around for a camcorder that was a bit above mid range. This is it, it has enough professional functions to make it just right for me. Ability to recored in 16:9 widescreen, touch screen LCD, ability to control exposure, manual and auto focus, 40x optical zoom, and at $234.99 it's an awesome buy.
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br /The one Con I can think of is that the battery provided with the camera is very poor. Only lasts for 115 minutes, which seems nice but in comparison to the NPFH50 that lasts for 3 hours it's poor. Do yourself a favor and buy the NPFH50 Battery for $26 here on amazon.
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br /The other thing that I can't fathom is that none of these minidv camcorders come with the firewire data cable. It seems like including an 8 dollar cable wouldn't be that difficult, Sony afterall bundles the software needed to transfer the video to your PC.
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br /All in all this is the best camcorder for the money, I chose this over the Canon ZR900 and I'm glad that I did. It's well build and has all the features that an amateur or professional would want.
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br /The one Con I can think of is that the battery provided with the camera is very poor. Only lasts for 115 minutes, which seems nice but in comparison to the NPFH50 that lasts for 3 hours it's poor. Do yourself a favor and buy the NPFH50 Battery for $26 here on amazon.
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br /The other thing that I can't fathom is that none of these minidv camcorders come with the firewire data cable. It seems like including an 8 dollar cable wouldn't be that difficult, Sony afterall bundles the software needed to transfer the video to your PC.
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br /All in all this is the best camcorder for the money, I chose this over the Canon ZR900 and I'm glad that I did. It's well build and has all the features that an amateur or professional would want.
EXCELLENT quality for the $
Rating: 5 out of 5
Weight: 6.0 out of 10
Created: Jun 7, 2008
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I tried to buy this camera from Amazon but their server was trashing on 6/6/08 so I dashed over to the local WalMart and picked up one. After spending the last 7 hours going over every feature and nuance, I wish I'd had this camera last week for videoing a great rock band in Illinois... the spot metering feature would have provided me vastly better results than the old Sharp miniDV it replaced! One review of this camera is extremely biased by the buyer's ignorance of technology... firewire is the only way to go for transferring DV to computer, and this feature works flawlessly on this camera. I'm very pleased to have one, and not even sorry to have paid more at WalMart than Amazon's great price! Image quality is excellent!
Nice Camera
Rating: 5 out of 5
Weight: 4.4 out of 10
Created: Jul 11, 2008
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We have had the camera for a month now, and have been extremely happy with it so far.
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br /a) the quality of the images are excellent
br /b) the ease of use is excellent
br /c) the compactness of the camera is excellent
br /d) the battery life is excellent.
br /e) the auto focus and auto exposure has been very good
br /e) The LCD panel is excellent, and is still quite satisfactory in bright light.
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br /The only negative is that the optical view finder is very poor, and too small to use. However, this really has not been an issue at all, since the LCD panel does not seem to be a drain on the battery, and has been usefully visible under all light conditions.
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br /a) the quality of the images are excellent
br /b) the ease of use is excellent
br /c) the compactness of the camera is excellent
br /d) the battery life is excellent.
br /e) the auto focus and auto exposure has been very good
br /e) The LCD panel is excellent, and is still quite satisfactory in bright light.
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br /The only negative is that the optical view finder is very poor, and too small to use. However, this really has not been an issue at all, since the LCD panel does not seem to be a drain on the battery, and has been usefully visible under all light conditions.
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Great Camera
Rating: 4 out of 5
Weight: 3.8 out of 10
Created: Jul 17, 2008
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This camera is very easy to operate, light weight, compact and the features for a small camera a nice. I had an earlier version of this camera and a new feature is the lens cap it slides into a comopartment and does not hang off the camera. Great zoom easy to reach controls. Great camera for the average user to record family vacations.
Great Entry Level camera
Rating: 4 out of 5
Weight: 3.4 out of 10
Created: Nov 28, 2008
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I purchased this camera in mid October 2008, and so far have been very pleased given the low price. I initially wanted more features, but did not want to spend over $250-270 total (with accessories like MiniDV tapes, firewire cable, bag, extra battery). I use it for recording my children's music performances.
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br /Plus:
br /- The video quality is very good. 40x OPTICAL zoom. This was the highest optical zoom I could find in a camera in this price range.
br /- The sound quality is good in the 12 bit mode, and even better in the 16 bit mode.
br /- Easy to use.
br /- Compact.
br /- Intelligent Lithium battery.
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br /Minus:
br /- No MiniDV tape included. You will need to buy some.
br /- NO PASSTHROUGH MODE. This camera cannot accept input from analog sources (like output from an old VHS-C camera or a VCR). If you plan to use this camera to transfer from older analog to digital video, it won't do it.
br /- Battery life is short, 115 minutes according to book, but I get between 90 and 100 minutes. Buy an NP-FH50 and use the battery that came with the camera as a spare.
br /- No USB port. You WILL need firewire inputs on your computer to capture the video. And if you purchase from Circuit City, do not expect the sales people to know this.
br /- No Firewire cable. Factor that in the purchase price. Firewire cables are expensive ($25-$30) IF you buy from a brick and mortar store; expect to pay $8-10 online
br /- No Remote control. So if you want to put the camera on a tripod, you must manually start and stop the recording.
br /- No memory slot. MiniDV only.
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br /Plus:
br /- The video quality is very good. 40x OPTICAL zoom. This was the highest optical zoom I could find in a camera in this price range.
br /- The sound quality is good in the 12 bit mode, and even better in the 16 bit mode.
br /- Easy to use.
br /- Compact.
br /- Intelligent Lithium battery.
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br /Minus:
br /- No MiniDV tape included. You will need to buy some.
br /- NO PASSTHROUGH MODE. This camera cannot accept input from analog sources (like output from an old VHS-C camera or a VCR). If you plan to use this camera to transfer from older analog to digital video, it won't do it.
br /- Battery life is short, 115 minutes according to book, but I get between 90 and 100 minutes. Buy an NP-FH50 and use the battery that came with the camera as a spare.
br /- No USB port. You WILL need firewire inputs on your computer to capture the video. And if you purchase from Circuit City, do not expect the sales people to know this.
br /- No Firewire cable. Factor that in the purchase price. Firewire cables are expensive ($25-$30) IF you buy from a brick and mortar store; expect to pay $8-10 online
br /- No Remote control. So if you want to put the camera on a tripod, you must manually start and stop the recording.
br /- No memory slot. MiniDV only.
Wonderful starter camera
Rating: 5 out of 5
Weight: 3.2 out of 10
Created: Dec 20, 2008
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Although this is a camcorder that doesn't have many features (ie: no external mic input, no headphone input), it works like a charm for those who just want to take decent-quality videos for a great price. The picture isn't all that great, but it's a nice little camera that hasn't let me down yet. It's lightweight and easy to travel with. Even without an external mic input, it picks up sound very well. I use it often, even for a major project I am doing. Get yourself some video-editing software with this camera, a firewire (IEEE 1394 is what I use) to connect it to your computer (make sure your computer has a firewire port, as this camcorder doesn't use a USB cable for hook up), and you're good to go. The best part about this camcorder: Mine didn't require the manufacturer's annoying software that you have to install in order to use the camcorder with your computer!! I love that part. I can upload the videos straight into any software program that supports DV video uploading (like Windows Movie Maker). I have used this camcorder both with Windows XP and Vista. No problems either way. I highly recommend it!
Great gift!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Weight: 3.0 out of 10
Created: Dec 21, 2008
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For ease of use, convenient size and portability, it would be hard to beat this camcorder.
br /This was purchased as a Christmas gift after seeing several sites researching it on the intended recipient's computer. Unfortunately, the day before this one arrived, he bought one himself, so it had to be returned, but we're both quite happy with this item and would recommend it without reservation, especially for a novice user.
br /This was purchased as a Christmas gift after seeing several sites researching it on the intended recipient's computer. Unfortunately, the day before this one arrived, he bought one himself, so it had to be returned, but we're both quite happy with this item and would recommend it without reservation, especially for a novice user.
DEPENDABLE WITH ONE MINUS
Rating: 4 out of 5
Weight: 3.0 out of 10
Created: Aug 20, 2008
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I like almost everything about this camera except one thing. COLOR SATURATION IS LOW. I wonder if it is just MY camera or are the others like this? My previous JVC DV Cam had much better saturated reds and blues than the Sony. The HC52 has good clarity, good stereo built-in sound, with little if any machine-noise. For the great price, I think the extras make the deal.. Like touch screen menus, built-in lens cover, and 40X zoom. The image stabilizer works, albeit mildly. I noticed that the sunrise/sunset mode enriches the colors.. however the focus is fixed for distance only and can't be over-ridden manually in that mode..so, thus far I can't seem to manually get more saturated colors, therefore it loses 1 star.
5 stars
Rating: 5 out of 5
Weight: 2.6 out of 10
Created: May 31, 2008
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The camera works great.
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br /Night shot plus and steady shot IS make difference. Also 40x zoom.
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br /Enjoy it!
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br /Night shot plus and steady shot IS make difference. Also 40x zoom.
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br /Enjoy it!
Sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV
Rating: 5 out of 5
Weight: 2.2 out of 10
Created: Dec 24, 2008
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Item was straw purchase; I purchased it for someone else, a friend who has never chosen to use any form of credit card. But anyway, the camera works flawlessly in it's chosen use, filming skydiving students/customers while mounted on a helmet.
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br / Only a little lack of info on Amazon site, but easily obtainable on Sony site was the lens size/thread pitch so a wide angle lens could be purchased. Overall, no complaints, camera and Amazon worked as expected.
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br / Only a little lack of info on Amazon site, but easily obtainable on Sony site was the lens size/thread pitch so a wide angle lens could be purchased. Overall, no complaints, camera and Amazon worked as expected.
Excellent Condition and good price
Rating: 4 out of 5
Weight: 0.6 out of 10
Created: Aug 24, 2008
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The product details are not mentioned properly but over all product is excellent Condition and good price
Not recognized by computer (Firewire)
Rating: 1 out of 5
Weight: 0.1 out of 10
Created: Oct 16, 2008
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I received this camera as a gift. It works fine to capture video. However, it is not recognized by the computer, so I cannot edit the images.
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br /Yes, I connected it to the computer via Firewire and yes, I used a video capture software (tried IMovie and Final Cut on Mac, Movie Maker on Windows). None of these programs recognized the camera.
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br /The Firewire port seems to be working, since the "DV in" info appears on the camera display when it is connected. However, the computer does not recognize the device ever. It is not possible either to transfer video from the computer to the camera (record).
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br /Since no one else seems to have had this same problem, I believe it should be a defect of my camera. However, it is very frustrating. The camera becomes practically useless, and to fix it would probably cost more than buying a new one anyway.
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br /Yes, I connected it to the computer via Firewire and yes, I used a video capture software (tried IMovie and Final Cut on Mac, Movie Maker on Windows). None of these programs recognized the camera.
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br /The Firewire port seems to be working, since the "DV in" info appears on the camera display when it is connected. However, the computer does not recognize the device ever. It is not possible either to transfer video from the computer to the camera (record).
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br /Since no one else seems to have had this same problem, I believe it should be a defect of my camera. However, it is very frustrating. The camera becomes practically useless, and to fix it would probably cost more than buying a new one anyway.
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Nice camera NO USB
Rating: 1 out of 5
Weight: 0.0 out of 10
Created: Dec 24, 2008
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I bought this camera, comes with Windows Computer edit software, but guess what? I does not have an USB port, I learn that the manual I checked was also for the DCR-HC54 which has USB, but this cam has not. Now I should pay expensive hardware in order to get to see my videos on computer.
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br /I will not recommend this stuf, I whish I could change it!!
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br /I will not recommend this stuf, I whish I could change it!!
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br / :(
NIce Camera, But can not use on computer
Rating: 3 out of 5
Weight: 0.0 out of 10
Created: Jul 28, 2008
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I bought this camera two weeks ago. I like it, but the only draw back is, you cannot connect it to a computer, because there is an ilink port, but there is not usb cord that is compatible with it. If anyone out there has a camera like this, let me know if I am right or wrong about this. Thank You
Sony dcr-hc52
Rating: 1 out of 5
Weight: 0.0 out of 10
Created: Jul 26, 2008
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This camcorder is not compatible with a usb cable so you cannot put video onto the internet. Unfortunetly this is why I bought the camera so I wasted my money.
DOA
Rating: 1 out of 5
Weight: 0.0 out of 10
Created: Apr 7, 2008
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Had to send it back. Arrived but camera would not focus at all. Send it back and bought a Canon Z900, which works fine.