Quick Camcorder Reviews : Sony DCR-DVD505

The ClearVID CMOS sensor claims to have a number of benefits, including titling pixels 45 degrees to improve picture quality and boosting the number of pixels in green, the color that conveys the most detail to the human eye. In bright light, the DVD505 produced a picture with excellent color and without the DVD403's saturation. Surprisingly, it had some issues with curved and horizontal lines. Intense stair-stepping was visible, a problem that did not occur with such severity in similarly priced DVD camcorders.

Low light performance was decent, but not as good as the top MiniDV camcorder, the DCR-HC96. This camcorder has the same size chip, 1/3”, but the HC96 uses a CCD instead of a CMOS. Particularly at low light levels, the DVD505 produced a good deal of noise.

Handling and ease of use are pretty much the same as in all Sony camcorders – even someone with absolutely no experience would be able to pick this up and begin shooting within minutes. The same cannot be said about most manufacturers. For one thing, Sony puts a big Easy button on most of their camcorders, which puts the entire system into auto mode. Furthermore, the auto controls on the DVD505 are very good.

Manual controls on the DVD505, by comparison, are not great. Interaction with the controls is possible through a touch screen LCD, a system we tend to disparage, preferring joysticks. In the 505’s defense, the LCD is a whopping 3.5 inches, much larger than the average 2.7 inch LCD. The DVD505 offers control over focus, exposure (in EV steps), and white balance. There is no shutter speed or gain control. Like most Sonys, this camcorder does have a few quasi-manual controls like Spot Meter and Spot Focus, which allow you to touch anywhere on the screen and have the camcorder automatically adjust focus or exposure to the chosen subject.

The DVD505 can capture JPEG stills to MemoryStick Duo and MemoryStick PRO Duo cards, in sizes up to 2304 x 1728 (4MP), in 4:3 and 2304 x 1296 (3MP) in 16:9 aspect ratio. While stills were not quite as strong as the video, they were extremely sharp and showed excellent color. Of course, so far, no camcorder can compete with a dedicated point and shoot machine, and thus still capabilities is not a reason for purchasing any model.

Other features on the DVD505 include Smooth Slow Record, which allows you to record 3 seconds of video 4x slower than normal. It works well. There is also a proprietary-fit hot accessory shoe, which accepts only Sony products. Finally, Sony has advertised 5.1 channel Dolby Surround Sound capability on the DVD505. We don’t dispute that this is true to the letter, but preliminary testing indicates that there is little difference between the DVD505's audio and standard sound. Don’t expect theatre-quality Dolby.

Sony doubtless intended the DVD505 to be the best DVD camcorder on the market. However, its top competition, the Panasonic VDR-D300, offers far more manual controls, slightly better performance, and a mic input. That is a tough combination to beat. The DVD505 would have a lot going for it, but  the high compression that DVD footage must undergo (the data rate of a DVD camcorder is more than twice as slow as MiniDV) is a significant negative. $1100 is also a high price for a camcorder with so few manual controls. We have to side with the VDR-D300 in this battle, but strongly recommend that you go to your locally-owned camera shop and give both camcorders a try.

Sony DCR-DVD505 THE BOTTOM LINE Rating: 215.73

Likes

-Easy Mode for beginning shooters -Still image resolution sizes -Improved overall color accuracy -Immense 3.5 inch LCD makes touchscreen navigation actually feasible

Dislikes

-High compression rates for DVD format mean worse video quality -Loss of sharpness compared to its predecessor -Minimal manual control options will limit advanced users -Exporting and editing footage is a nightmare for the beginner

Panasonic PV-GS500 Rating:	Panasonic VDR-D300 Rating: 214.88	Sony DCR-DVD 403 Rating: 210.65	HItachi DZ-GX 3300A Rating:	Sony DCR-DVD 405 Rating: 207.59
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
-Manual control over gain  -Manual control over shutter speed  -Non-touchscreen menu navigation and manual control  -Lower price  -Better image quality due to MiniDV format  -Easier exportation onto PC  -External focus ring  -12x optical zoom control  -Optical image stabilizer  -SD memory card format  -Microphone input -Longer recording times per media unit	-Lower price  -Better video color accuracy and reproduction -Better resolution results -SD memory card format -Cold accessory shoe allows for more universal applications -Non touchscreen interface -Microphone Input -Optical image stabilization	-Lower current street price  -Better video performance	-Microphone input -SD memory card for still image capture -Much lower price range at $799 -Hot shoes for optional accessories	-Lower price at around $900  -Better resolution scores with sharper images
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
-Electronic color viewfinder  -Manual control over exposure, focus, and white balance settings  -Still image capabilities	-MPEG2 compression  -Manual focus  -DVD format  - Exposure control -Manual shutter speed control  -Manual control over gain levels  -Manual white balance  -Still image capture  -10x optical zoom	- Manual control over focus -Active Interface Proprietary hot shoe  -DVD format  -No manual control overs shutter speed or gain levels  -Manual exposure scale  -MPEG2 compression for video footage  -Ease of use  -Manual white balance  -Proprietary Sony brand memory cards  -Thumbnail structure for footage in playback mode  -Electronic color viewfinder -Analog to digital pass through -Electronic Image Stabilization	-MPEG2 compression  -Built in flash for still images  -Analog to digital pass through  -DVD format  -Manual focus  -Manually controllable white balance elvels  -10x optical zoom range  -DVD+RW -Electronic color viewfinder  -Manual exposure	-Proprietary hot shoe interface through the AI -10x optical zoom lens  -Pivoting electronic color viewfinder will not be functional when LCD is closed  -Touch screen interface for manual controls and menus  -Slot for memory stick (proprietary media only)  -DVD camcorder  -Quad in-camcorder mic set-up  -Centrally positioned in-camcorder flash  -Comparable image quality even with the CCD rather than CMOS sensor  -MPEG2 compression levels  -Manual control over focus, exposure, and white balance -Electronic image stabilization
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
-Fewer audio options and stereo rather than quad recording  -Flash placement on the side of the lens  -More complicated structure for beginning users	-In camcorder flash placement  -Stereo rather than quad mic setup  -2.7 inch LCD screen  -Joystick has some design handicaps  -No wide angle, 39 degree field of view	-In-camcorder flash on the side of the lens  -Much smaller LCD makes touchscreen interface problematic  -Smaller wide angle field of view  -Viewfinder merely extends and does not pivot -Video resolution suffered with this model	-Placement of controls in the LCD cavity and external incoherence may make this camcorder less approachable for the beginner  -2.7 inch LCD screen	-Touchscreen interface is harder to engage with this smaller LCD screen  -Still image performance