Quick Review Camcorder : Sony DCR-HC90

You’ll find a 1/3” CCD inside the DCR-HC90, capable of 3.31 MP (2.05 for video). You’re not going to find the quality of some comparably-priced 3 CCD camcorders, such as the Panasonic PV-GS150 or the “matchbook” style Sony DCR-PC1000, but the DCR-HC90 performs quite well. It offers shooting modes for both standard 4:3 aspect and widescreen. It also has a 10x optical zoom and 120x digital zoom, a bit of a disappointment considering the price.

The widescreen shooting mode is bolstered by Sony’s decision to include widescreen LCDs on several of their models this year,such as the 2.7” one on the DCR-HC90. Here you’ll find an easy-to-use touch screen menu. As with most Sonys, the manual controls are limited. This omission is offset by stellar automatic controls, so if you don’t like to fiddle with the buttons, this might be all right. For the serious hobbyist, we typically recommend other brands like Panasonic. Otherwise, you may find yourself slogging through the navigation every time you want to adjust the exposure. Of course, users can always fall back on Easy mode with the push of a button and let the DCR-HC90 take the wheel.

The DCR-HC90 includes a handful of tricks and gimmicks. TeleMacro allows you to zoom in and hold on small objects to record them in all their minute detail. Zebra patterning will lay stripes across overexposed areas. Guideframes (pictured below) places tic-tac-toe type lines across the LCD to aid in visual composition.

The DCR-HC90’s shining moment comes during low light performance. While the colors are not particularly vibrant, the color differentiation remains sharp and crisp. In fact, the picture at 60 lux (a rather low amount of light) looked strikingly similar to picture at 3000 lux (about daylight). The blue noise problem that plagued last year’s DCR-HC85 and some of this year’s models has been eliminated.

Stills can be captured onto a MemoryStick Duo in both 4:3 and widescreen at four different resolution settings. As with the video performance, the colors are crisp as an autumn eve, though wanting of brilliance.

Other cameras to consider in this price range include the Panasonic’s PV-GS250 or the Canon Optura 60. Both will give you better manual control, but the DCR-HC90 outperforms them both in low light. The Sony DCR-PC1000 comes with a host of gimmicks and a price tag over a hundred dollars heavier, with only slightly better gains in picture quality.

Sony DCR-HC90 THE BOTTOM LINE.... Rating: 209.08

Likes

-Ease of use -LCD -Low light -Other Features

Dislikes

-Design -Handling -Audio -Manual Control -Still Capability

Sony DCR-HC90 Compared to the...

Sony DCR-PC1000 Rating:215.38	Panasonic PV-GS400 Rating:134.50	Panasonic PV-GS250 Rating:224.99	Panasonic PV-GS150 Rating:220.69	Canon Optura 60 Rating:208.75
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
-Navigational Tool -Video Performance -Low light -Imager Specs -Automatic Controls -Manual Controls -Ease of use / Handling -Still Capability	-Manual Control -Video performance -Navigational system -Imager Specs -Audio -Handling -Still Capability -Optical zoom specs	-Manual Control -Imager Specs -Audio -Video Performance -Optical Image Stabilization -Focus ring	-Manual Control -Imager Specs -Video Performance -Handling	-Manual Controls -Video Performance -Zoom Specs -Audio -Handling -Ports -Optical Image Stabilization
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
-Zoom specs -LCD -Audio -Portability -Ports -Built in Flash -Super SteadyShot	None	-Still Features -Optical Zoom Specs	-Optical zoom specs	-Video Performance -Ease of Use -Portability
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
-Low light -Playback options	-LCD -Automatic Control -Low Light -No Built-in Flash	-LCD -Low light -Automatic Control -Ease of Use	-LCD -Low light performance -Ease of Use -Still Feature -Audio -Portability -Automatic Control	-LCD -Low light -Automatic Control -Still Capability