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Home > Consumer Camcorders > Camcorder Reviews > Sony Camcorders > Sony MiniDV Camcorders > Quick Review Camcorders : Sony DCR-HC30
Published on October 13, 2004
Sony's DCR-HC30 was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2004. It includes a smaller CCD than its predecessor, the DCR-TRV19, which seems to reflect a trend in the industry toward optimized space without the expected loss of low light and video performance quality. The 1/6-inch CCD on the DCR-HC30, as opposed to the DCR-TRV19's and DCR-TRV22's quarter-inch chip, produces decent video performance. This, coupled with nice automatic features and Sony's new spot metering and spot focusing, makes the DCR-HC30 a nice point-and-shoot camcorder.
The DCR-HC30 sports a 10x optical zoom and a digitally-effected 120x digital zoom. This joins Sony's pathetic ranks this year as the lowest in the zoom category. Luckily, the zoom toggle, and by extension the zoom speeds and variance, are easily controlled and offer much versatility.
The DCR-HC30's manual focus is controlled via the touch screen menu system. In automatic mode, the DCR-HC30 struggles with focal distances while moving or in low light. This is relatively acceptable with cheaper camcorders.
While there are no numerical designations for manual exposure adjustment, the DCR-HC30 offers 24 steps of adjustment, all accessed through the touch menu. There is no manual shutter speed or gain adjustment on the DCR-HC30. The camcorder does includes the standard Sony white balance options of indoor, outdoor, automatic, and a "one-push" manual setting that acquires "true white" from a specific object, card, or atmosphere.
The DCR-HC30 takes JPEG stills at 640x480 to Memory Stick Duo.
Low light performance for the DCR-HC30 was in accordance with Sony's predictions that, even with the chip size reduction from the DCR-TRV19 and DCR-TRV22, good low light quality was maintained on the DCR-HC30. Low light performance on camcorders with one chip is usually pretty bad, and the DCR-HC30 is no exception to this rule. What is amazing that Sony actually states in the product manual that the minimum recording light level is 5 lux. Let me assure you that, at 5 lux, you would be hard-pressed not only be able to use the captured footage, but to even recognize the image. All in all, the DCR-HC30 does outperform the Canon ZR series, and does a pretty good job, considering its specifications.
While the DCR-HC30 offers the option to record at both 16- and 12-bit audio (with the optional addition of an extra track), the camcorder's external mic port is, oddly, as far from the cold accessory shoe (on the top rear) as possible, located on the front of the body next to the included mic.
This camcorder is small and easy to hold, with excellent button placement. The only big flaw in its handling is with the touch screen menu, as it forces the user to dig around for things that, if located externally, could be accessed without disrupting the recording process.
The DCR-HC30 has a lot of ports, which is great. They include an S-Video in and out, FireWire, A/V in and out, a DC in, and a USB port. A LANC jack is also available. These ports are located on the front right side of the camcorder body, and allow for analog-to-digital passthrough.
Features of the DCR-HC30 include Super NightShot Plus, which is just super. It comes with Sony's proprietary editing software, and includes a digitally manipulated 16:9 "wide screen" mode.
The DCR-HC30 is a good camcorder for the point-and-shooter who wants to stay in a moderate price range. It includes some cool options like spot metering and spot focus and, if you can stand the touch screen, a few manual controls. The port selection is nice, and the body is a stylish Sony nugget, waiting to extract the beauty and grace of third-grader birthday parties.
Quick Review Camcorders : Sony DCR-HC30
by Matt CullerPublished on October 13, 2004
Sony's DCR-HC30 was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2004. It includes a smaller CCD than its predecessor, the DCR-TRV19, which seems to reflect a trend in the industry toward optimized space without the expected loss of low light and video performance quality. The 1/6-inch CCD on the DCR-HC30, as opposed to the DCR-TRV19's and DCR-TRV22's quarter-inch chip, produces decent video performance. This, coupled with nice automatic features and Sony's new spot metering and spot focusing, makes the DCR-HC30 a nice point-and-shoot camcorder.
Automatic amenities on the DCR-HC30 include the aforementioned options of Spot Metering and Spot Focusing, allowing users to focus or adjust the exposure to a particular area of the image by touching the corresponding area on the camcorder's touch screen. The DCR-HC30 also includes an Easy mode function -- convenience is king.
Just as the touch screen menu on many of this year's Sony camcorders sometimes yields attractive and useful functions like spot metering and spot focusing, these menus also bury much of a camcorder's manual control within a Byzantine matrix of options both difficult and cumbersome to navigate, especially if your fingers are those giant stubby ones I keep seeing in strip malls and fast-food chains.
The DCR-HC30 sports a 10x optical zoom and a digitally-effected 120x digital zoom. This joins Sony's pathetic ranks this year as the lowest in the zoom category. Luckily, the zoom toggle, and by extension the zoom speeds and variance, are easily controlled and offer much versatility.
The DCR-HC30's manual focus is controlled via the touch screen menu system. In automatic mode, the DCR-HC30 struggles with focal distances while moving or in low light. This is relatively acceptable with cheaper camcorders.
While there are no numerical designations for manual exposure adjustment, the DCR-HC30 offers 24 steps of adjustment, all accessed through the touch menu. There is no manual shutter speed or gain adjustment on the DCR-HC30. The camcorder does includes the standard Sony white balance options of indoor, outdoor, automatic, and a "one-push" manual setting that acquires "true white" from a specific object, card, or atmosphere.
The DCR-HC30 takes JPEG stills at 640x480 to Memory Stick Duo.
Low light performance for the DCR-HC30 was in accordance with Sony's predictions that, even with the chip size reduction from the DCR-TRV19 and DCR-TRV22, good low light quality was maintained on the DCR-HC30. Low light performance on camcorders with one chip is usually pretty bad, and the DCR-HC30 is no exception to this rule. What is amazing that Sony actually states in the product manual that the minimum recording light level is 5 lux. Let me assure you that, at 5 lux, you would be hard-pressed not only be able to use the captured footage, but to even recognize the image. All in all, the DCR-HC30 does outperform the Canon ZR series, and does a pretty good job, considering its specifications.
While the DCR-HC30 offers the option to record at both 16- and 12-bit audio (with the optional addition of an extra track), the camcorder's external mic port is, oddly, as far from the cold accessory shoe (on the top rear) as possible, located on the front of the body next to the included mic.
This camcorder is small and easy to hold, with excellent button placement. The only big flaw in its handling is with the touch screen menu, as it forces the user to dig around for things that, if located externally, could be accessed without disrupting the recording process.
The DCR-HC30 has a lot of ports, which is great. They include an S-Video in and out, FireWire, A/V in and out, a DC in, and a USB port. A LANC jack is also available. These ports are located on the front right side of the camcorder body, and allow for analog-to-digital passthrough.
Features of the DCR-HC30 include Super NightShot Plus, which is just super. It comes with Sony's proprietary editing software, and includes a digitally manipulated 16:9 "wide screen" mode.
The DCR-HC30 is a good camcorder for the point-and-shooter who wants to stay in a moderate price range. It includes some cool options like spot metering and spot focus and, if you can stand the touch screen, a few manual controls. The port selection is nice, and the body is a stylish Sony nugget, waiting to extract the beauty and grace of third-grader birthday parties.
| Sony DCR-HC30 - THE BOTTOM LINE
Rating: 94.70 |
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| Likes |
| - Analog to Digital passthrough
- Memory Stick media - Low light performance |
| Dislikes |
| - Still resolution
- CCD size - No headphone jack - Mediocre manual control |
Sony DCR-HC30 Compared to the...
| Canon
Elura 60 Rating: 95.80 |
Canon
Optura 40 Rating: 108.55 |
JVC
GR-D93 Rating: 92.22 |
Panasonic
PV-GS120 Rating: 108.35 |
Sony
DCR-HC20 Rating: 93.05 |
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| Better | Better | Better | Better | Better |
| - 1/4.5 inch CCD, 1.33 MP
- 14x optical, 280x digital zoom - Low light performance - Still resolution of 1280x960 - Selectable focal points -Manual Control |
- CCD size (1/3.4")
- Effective pixel count (1.23V, 2P) - Focal length (4.8-67.2mm) - Focus ring - Still photo resolution (1632x1224) - Headphone jack - Hot accessory shoe - Audio level control - Zooms |
- 1/4 inch CCD (1.33MP)
- 700x digital zoom - 44x playback zoom - Low light performance - Video performance - Still resolution 1600 x 1200 - Manual Control |
- 3 CCD camcorder (1/6 inch, 460K pixels each)
- 700x digital zoom - Manual Control - Low light performance - Headphone jack - Still resolution of 1280x960 |
None |
| Equal | Equal | Equal | Equal | Equal |
| - Cold accessory shoe
- Ports (minus mic) |
- Optical and digital zoom
- Still media - Mic input - Video performance |
- Ports
- Still media - 10x optical zoom - No headphone |
- Ports
- Headphone jack - 10x optical zoom - Cold accessory |
- CCD specs
- Zoom specs - Manual Control - Mic input, no headphone |
| Worse | Worse | Worse | Worse | Worse |
| - No mic input
- Low light peformance, Video performance |
- Low light peformance | - Manual Control
- No mic input |
None | - No Memory Stick
- No analog to digital passthrough - Ports - Low light peformance |
