Quick Review Camcorders : Sony DCR-PC350

The DCR-PC350 includes a 1/3-inch CCD with 3.31 MP gross, 2.048 MP for video, and 3.04 MP for stills. Indeed, the DCR-PC350 takes relatively impressive stills at 2,016 x 1512 (better than the DCR-HC1000), though this should never be the sole reason to buy any camcorder.

The DCR-PC350 includes a 10x optical zoom and a measly 120x digital zoom. Digital zooms (digital pixel enlargement) aside, the optical zoom of this camcorder is pretty mediocre, though this seems to be a trend on Sony’s this year -- the DCR-HC100 shares the same middling specs.

Manual control on the DCR-PC350 is a mixed bag. While the camcorder features a focus ring, most other manual controls are accessed through the camcorder’s touch screen menu, which is tedious and often disruptive during live shooting. On top of that, the DCR-PC350 features no true shutter speed adjustment. Any adjustment to the shutter is subsumed within the exposure manual control, a combination of both iris and shutter adjustment.

Ports on the DCR-PC350 are plentiful. They include a microphone input as well as a hot accessory shoe, and are topped off with the usual FireWire, S-video in/out, A/V in/out, and USB. There is a pop-up flash and a slot for Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo.

There are some digital effects/digital manipulations on the DCR-PC350 that might make it worth your while. These include not only a decent 16:9 mode, but also Sony’s Cineframe 24 effect. Meant to simulate the 24P of film (or even the fake 24P of the XL2 or the HDR-FX1), the Cineframe 24 mutes and dulls the colors and drops some frames, resulting in a very choppy image. (Yet this is what 24P is supposed to do.) Bottom line: this effect adds an extreme 24P chop. It should be used as a gimmick only. Good for the kids on Halloween; watch Johnny chop Jimmy Freddy-Krueger-style on the silver screen. Oh, wait; that’s my living room.

The spot metering and spot focusing on the DCR-PC350 work to offset the inconvenience of the touch screen menu system with regard to manual control. These functions allow the user to touch anywhere on the screen to adjust exposure (metering) or focus specifically. While these functions present more problems than they solve on more tripod-oriented camcorders, on the DCR-PC350 they serve as a nice addition for the handheld camcorder user and take his or her mind off the camcorder’s general manual control problems.

This is a great camcorder for the point-and-shoot user, and probably the best matchbook this year. Good job.

Sony DCR-PC350 Compared to the...