Shoot Review — Sony DCR-DVD300

Sony's new DVD camcorder records video, audio, images, anddata.

Sony's new DCR-DVD300 camcorder records up to 20 minutes ofDV-quality video on small, 3in. DVDs.

There are now more than 100 million households with at least one DVDplayer in the home, according to the Consumer Electronics Association,and the cost of DVD players and recorders has never been lower. Hitachiand Panasonic introduced DVD camcorders early this year, so it was onlya matter of time before Sony joined in the DVD-based camera market.

There are actually three new Sony DVD HandyCam offerings — theDCR-DVD100, DVD200 (both with smaller LCDs), and the DVD300, which isthe camera I evaluated in a wide variety of shooting situations over atwo-week period. One thing is certain — this is not your father'scamcorder.

The DVD300 has a 1/4.7in. advanced HAD imager, a CCD that provides520 lines of resolution in HQ video mode and digital still pictures at1152x864 or 640x480. It records video and stills on DVD-R or DVD-RWdiscs that play back on most standard progressive-scan DVD players,including PC DVD drives. The 3in. discs (called 8cm or DMR30) are evenplayable on PlayStation 2 game consoles. More than 2,000high-resolution stills (at 1MB apiece) or about 20 minutes ofDV-quality video fit on one single-sided DVD.

But is the DVD300 a toy or a tool? Perhaps a bit of both. While Sonytargeted the camera toward the high-end consumer market, it hasfeatures that professionals will appreciate, features that go beyondproviding an easy, quick way to shoot and play back a DVD.

The camera reminds me of my old TR-81 Hi-8mm camcorder. It's smalland has a body made of a hard composite plastic material, and at1.5lbs., it is very lightweight. What has been sacrificed for weight isa feel of robustness. The DVD300 feels delicate, and it'll beinteresting to see if it will stand up to the rigors of daily use overtime. If you have smaller hands, you're in luck because the controls,while conveniently located, were too small for my fat fingers.

The DVD300 has the standard features of Sony's other Handycamproducts — white balance and more than half a dozen auto-exposurelevels. Although I prefer to use filters and plug-ins duringpostproduction, I nevertheless could not find much in the way ofin-camera effects, like posterization. However, the DVD300 has agreat-looking black-and-white or sepia effect. The camera also has anice quick zoom that I used to produce some effects for a music video.The variable-touch zoom speed varies the degree of zoom based on howhard you press the button. Smooth and responsive, I found it a nicetouch.

You can record in three modes: LongPlay mode yields 60 minutes ofVHS-quality video; StandardPlay reaches 30 minutes at Super VHS; andHighQuality mode captures 20 minutes of DV-quality video. In HQ mode,in side-by-side video monitor tests as well as with awaveform/vectorscope, the DVD300 unit compared very favorably to athree-chip DV camera for both live and playback video.

The camcorder records only on empty areas of the disc. Also, as youread this, double-sided 3in. DVD discs (DMR60) are hitting the market.It's amazing how quickly prices are falling overall in the industry,and blank DVD media has followed suit. Right now, you can findsingle-sided DVD-RW discs for less than $2 each, while single-sidedDVD-R discs can sell for less than $1.

The DVD300 also features the new Sony Super SteadyShot, which uses amotion-sensor chip to compensate for camera movement and vibration. Inmy tests and compared to my Sony VX1000, this new “Super”version is indeed better at dealing with rhythmic vibrations like youget shooting from a car or truck.

The camera also has a Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar lens system with a 10Xoptical zoom and 120X digital zoom. Footage shot with the digital zoomengaged, of course, looked digitally zoomed. Overall, the capturedimages and footage looked sharp edge to edge and had good colorsaturation and contrast with little noise or vignetting. One of thecool features is Near or Far focus, which allows quick focustransitions. Another is the Super Night shot, which allows 0 luxshooting in near-dark conditions. On the sound side, the unit capturesDolby Digital audio, and the onboard microphones recordedbetter-than-average sound. But that can be a curse, too, as you'llsee.

Using the camera in low light as I did several times, I found the3.5in. LCD SwivelScreen flip-out monitor to be a godsend. (The DVD200and DVD100 have smaller fold-out screens.) It's one of the sharpestI've seen, which is all the more important because the color viewfinderis small, and its images are noisy. Power comes from the newInfoLithium battery with AccuPower System, which lets you know how manyminutes of power are left. It recharges quickly and has no memoryeffect, so you always get a full charge. I recorded almost two full HQdiscs of video on one battery.

As far as camcorders go, the DVD300 is a little above average. Goodoptics, but I'd like to see what kind of quality you'd get with athree-chip version. Additionally and alarmingly, in a silent room Icould hear, however faintly, the machine's motor. Not good. It can alsosometimes take the camera about 10 to 15 seconds to begin recording.This seems to depend on how full the disc is. But to be sure, there'llbe no instantaneous wildlife recordings here. On the upside, when itdoes come time for playback, there is instant nonlinear access and 16:9support.

In addition to the in-camera special effects, the DVD300 offers somerudimentary in-camera editing and titling. You can create a playlistand rearrange clip playback order as well as add a disc title beforefinalizing the disc for playback. Sony also includes the PixelaImageMixer (1.5) for use with Windows Me, 2000 Professional, or WindowsXP Home/Professional. I used XP. You also need to have DirectX 8.0 orhigher and a driver called WinASPI for writing CDs. The software isvery basic, but it allows you to move and manage files, play back yourDVDs on your computer, and perform basic video editing, adding fadesand more. You can also create an original disc, which is what Sonycalls DVD authoring. There's a basic menu tree, and each clip can beits own DVD chapter. You can also create still slide shows and set themto music. Overall, though, this is not nearly as easy to use as Apple'siDVD.

But in a move that will perplex many, Sony chose to include USB 2.0in and out for uploading and downloading video and stills to and from aPC, not the IEEE 1394 FireWire protocol. After seeing Sony evangelizethe FireWire protocol for years and include it on almost everyprofessional and prosumer product, I was curious why Sony chose not toinclude it on these three new DVD camcorders. Sony claims that asconsumer products, the camcorders enjoy greater compatibility with USB2.0 because more consumers have that input on their computers. Also,since a user ideally can just pop an 8cm DVD disc into a computer'sdrive and pull the files directly, a FireWire input would have beensomewhat redundant.

But I ended up using the S-VHS I/O to transfer my video to DV tape.Unless a disc was finalized, I couldn't get the DVDs to play at all onmy Mac G4 with a SuperDrive DVD player, nor would the camera/disc showup on the 9.2 or OS X desktop. FireWire devices would show up with noproblem. While the choice of USB 2.0 is fine for prosumers, it'stroublesome for pro shops that have already invested inFireWire-enabled devices. This is such a limitation for me that I'vedecided to wait until it is included before purchasing one of theseproducts, despite the obvious portability advantages and high funfactor.

I also find the A/V connecting cable, which Sony supplies, to be anodd choice — an 1/8in. plug on one end and three RCA plugs on theother end for video and L/R audio. Why not provide RCA ports withcomposite video and L/R audio out? The camera also has no Memory Stickor flash memory card slot for still images, which is included on mostsimilar Sony products. Because I've already invested in thesetechnologies via cameras and decks, the first manufacturer to includeFireWire and a flash card port on a DVD camera will get my money.

The above concerns may not be as important considerations for you asthey were for me. Being able to shoot directly to an 8cm DVD disc, popit into just about any progressive-scan DVD player, and play backcrystal-clear video and audio are strong buying points. There's alsodefinitely something to be said for using the DVD300 as a portabledigital data recorder, a sort of portable hard drive or backup device.You can back up PC project files, video and audio clips, images, anddocuments. Each little disc holds 1.4GB of data, which is prettyrespectable. And as a DVD-RW drive, you can erase and add data or thelast recorded clip at will. Nice bonus.

Even with the unit's limitations, burning my first DVD with theDVD300 was a joy. After capturing my show on a DVD disc, I sent itdirectly to an agent in New York who played it on a progressive-scanDVD player. And the video looked better than anything tape-basedbecause there was never any wow or flutter. The DVD discs also willlast for years. To ensure users are able to play their DVDs, many largeretail chains like are including compatible DVD players like the SonyDVP NS415 (MSRP $199) bundled for free with the DCR-DVD300. Verysmart.

Limitations aside, the Sony DCR-DVD300 is an easy-to-use camera thatproduces great-looking and -sounding video, plus crystal-clear stillimages direct to DVD-R discs. If these qualifications meet your needs,then this camera may indeed be your answer to making DVDs on thefly.

Company: Sony Electronics USA
San Diego; (877) 865-7669
www.sony.com/di

Product: DCR-DVD300

Assets: Easy to use; crystal-clear video and audio; recordsdirectly to DVD.

Caveats: Can be a 10 to 15 second delay to start recording;no FireWire support.

Demographic: Shooters looking to record directly to DVD.

Price: $1,299 MSRP