Sony HandyCam DCR-HC96

The DCR-HC96 is a well designed camera in my opinion. The base unit takes stress off the camera connections and allows the battery to charge while in the docking station. During this time the camera can do other chores. While in the docking station the camera is controlled from the computer including data transfer.

The zoom function is ok and the variable speed zoom is great if you have a well trained control finger. Once you learn how to hold the camera it handles ok. There is zooming on the touch display but I don use it.

The mechanical stabilization is a good idea. It works.

The touch display is a remarkable way to control the camera. I love it. I have heard complaints about the manual features being too complicated. I disagree. There is simply a lot of control if you want it. The manual features can be put in or taken out of the immediate menu selection and used as needed. I agree with other users that the “Easy” automatic mode is the optimum way to take pictures if you don’t have special needs.

The camera takes great stills even though I did not buy it for stills. After getting a memory stick I found it too tempting to use a function that works so well. The built in flash is adequate.

The camera can transfer data via USB or Firewire. I would think Firewire would only be faster than USB but apparently you don't get the full transfer unless you use Firewire. I used Firewire and transferred the video to computer and then to DVD. My final product was great on a 57 inch Sony rear projection TV. My TV is good, but not good enough, to see any better resolution with professional DVD movies. The picture quality of the DCR-HC96 is great.

There is a line, audio and S-video output on the base station and on the camera via a proprietary cable. The supplied cable does not have S-Video. You must pay another $40 to buy a proprietary cable for S-video. This is the one fault I find with Sony. They have gone too far to sell proprietary accessories. The DCR-HC96 should come with a cable that has the S-video connector on it.

The DCR-HC96 focuses all the way down to the UV filter I put on the lens. The wide angle is lacking in my opinion. I often find myself wanting a wider view. There are wide angle lenses but they cost too much.

I did not intend to buy the plug-in (HVL-HL1) 3 watt light for the camera but accidentally left it on my Internet shopping list. The built in infrared light works ok at night but not nearly as well as the 3 watt accessory light. The light goes on and off automatically as needed. On wide angle shots it does not cover the edges of the picture.

The wireless microphone (HVL-HL1) is a real piece of work. It is Bluetooth and runs on AAA batteries. Sony did not use proprietary batteries in the wireless microphone. Can you believe that? I tested it out at about 60 feet and it works perfect. I am impressed.

Those plug-in devices such as the wireless mic and the 3 watt light are not cheap accessories. There is a 16 pin connector that connects the accessories to the camera and the quality and design are on the same level as the camera.

Other features I needed were:
Analog To Digital Conversion with Pass-Through
4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios
Video Actual: 2057K Pixels
Still Actual: 3048K Pixels
Automatic lens protection shutter

Based on all I could find, the DCR-HC96 has the best quality signal (in this price range) to be delivered to a computer for video editing. I wanted maximum quality and editing functions to be delivered to a DVD for watching on a home theater system. The DV tape is my first choice. While this is true it will not be true for long. CD camcorders have a place on the market but will be taken over by hard drive cameras. The hard drive cameras will be replaced by larger replaceable memory sticks. I’d give DV camcorders about two more years and they will fade off the market. The DV camcorder will hang in there for a while because of picture quality, recording length and the format it delivers to your computer for editing. Digital all the way to the computer means you loose nothing using a firewire connection.

The camera manual clearly says Sony NP-FP70 battery will fit but this is not true. I bought 2 from Amazon and they did not work. Purchase the Sony NP-FP71. The NP-FP50 is ok and it comes with the camera. The NP-FP90 might be ok but I suspect it would make the camera difficult to hold and the eyepiece would be out of reach.

Try to avoid blank spots on the tape if you want a continuous transfer of data to your computer. Don’t remove the tape and reinstall it. Finish all recording on a tape before ejecting it. If you do eject make sure you get the starting point lined up properly.

Movie making software is difficult. I tried a few applications and they tend to have faults of one kind or another. Most applications are far from intuitive. The supplied software will take the signal from the DV tape to the computer but then it is limited to computer input video. Most DVD players need a movie with VOB files. I have been successful with Roxio 7 and Roxio 8 but it take a bit of getting used to. You need to be computer literate and familiarize yourself with the Roxio language. I believe Nero 7 will work but have not tried it. Ulead software looks promising but I ended up with the wrong aspect ratio for my TV. I have not seriously evaluated Ulead.

Finding the best prices can be difficult.
I got my batteries at http://www.nwvdirect.com/ http://www.newworldvideodirect.com/
The ECM-HW1 wireless mic came from http://www.etronics.com
The camera came from http://www2.butterflyphoto.com They want you to buy accessories so they can make a profit.
A few items came from Amazon.
The cables can be purchased on line but I let my local stores have few sales since I used their store items for a reference. I found no local retail stores selling the DCR-HC96 camera. It is similar in size to the DCR-HC36 and DCR-HC46.
I got an exceptional deal on an AC/DC battery charger on Amazon for $14.47. This is a must have for anyone doing a lot of shooting. TechPower Premium Battery Charger for Sony DCR-HC96 Camcorder.

You can download the PDF manual from Sony and familiarize yourself with it before buying. The manual is ok.

Other than the cable without S-Video I find no significant faults. The DCR-HC96 camera is an amazing piece of equipment.