With the ever changing world of electronics, it can be hard to keep up with the latest technology. I have never been one who gets the newest item on the market, but there comes a time when you have to take a step up. That's just what I did this Christmas. "Santa" brought me the Sony HandyCam DVD305, and I love it. I admit there is still a lot to learn, but this camera was easy to use right from the start. Imagine opening this gift for Christmas, and then wishing to use it right away. (Fortunately, Santa Pre-Charged the battery for me) when I opened the package, and took the camera out I wanted to use it right away. Setting the camera up was a simple task, I really didn't use the book at all. The menu's were easy to understand, and the added feature of having a touch screen was a big help.
Features
One of the biggest things I loved about this camera, and why I chose it, was the fact that DVD's are the way we all watch movies these days. So why not record on DVD's as well. The Sony DVD305 uses an 8cm DVD. (the small DVD's) The great thing about recording on a DVD is that you have no rewinding to deal with, and when you press record, you are certainly NOT going to overwrite something, therefore nothing important is lost. Not only that but you can transfer your videos to a larger DVD using your computer, OR you can simply finalize your DVD and insert the small DVD into your DVD player. It's very versatile in that respect.
The camera is small and lightweight, (even with the battery attached) and you can record either by using the view finder or a small swivel screen that opens up at the side. It has an added feature that allows you to record in surround sound. It comes with an extra microphone that will record 5.1ch surround sound. Simply slide it on the hot shoe area of your Handycam, and you have Dolby Digital Surround Sound. If you choose not to use it, that's okay too, but you will simply have normal sound that records in 2ch sound. Still not bad, but why not just use the extra feature and make your video's even better?
You can also purchase an external light, for darker situations, this would also fit in the same place, but the problem I for see with this, is that if you are using the extra light, then you probably can't use your surround sound. I do not own the extra light, but am planning on purchasing that. However, the Handycam does allow you to record in dark places. It has a NightShot switch. Of course while messing with the camera I found that this feature works great for DARK areas, maybe not so well for just poorly lit areas. Your videos will appear to be black and white, and believe me the pupils of peoples eyes glow. I've even found out that people with blue eyes have a wider pupil that glows as opposed to those people with brown eyes. Go figure!!!
Another one of the great features that this camera has to offer, is the ability to take still images. Although I can't say much about this, because I have not tried this. The still image quality is only a 1 mega pixel image, and in my opinion that's not worth even taking a picture for. I'm too much of a stickler for taking pictures with nothing less than 5 megapixels. But I have a great
Sony Digital camera, so I don't need the Handycam for that purpose. According to what the book says, you can take these still images and you can make still image slide shows. I haven't tried that yet, but one day I'm sure I will give it a shot just to see how it comes out. For me, personally, I think I'm a little beyond that, I already do such things as that with different program, using the better quality pictures that I take with my regular digital camera. Lets top off all of these cool features with the news that this HandyCam has an anti shake feature. No more are you going to be forced to watch videos that are taken by people who's hands shake. With Sony's digital stabilization technology, those days are long gone!!!
The Screen & Menu's
With the Handycam DVD305, you are able to find scenes quickly, using what is called a Visual Index Screen. As I said before, this camera has a touch screen. When you turn your camera on, or wish to find a specific scene quickly, you simply touch the screen to either scroll through, and if you wish to watch or preview just one section, you touch that square for that scene. You will then be viewing your video from that point on.
You choose whether you want to record in either 16:9 or 4:3 aspect for viewing. In plain English that means that you either get WideScreen or FullScreen. On Christmas day while I was fooling with my camera, I found that if you have your camera set to Full Screen, and then try to watch it on a Widescreen TV, EVERYONE and EVERYTHING is short and fat. LORD HAVE MERCY!!! I have pretty much chosen to record in Widescreen mode at all times. Even if I'm watching the video on a standard TV it's still better to have it in Widescreen and zoom it in once to fill the screen, rather than watching people and items look short and fat. Lucky for me I have been able to test this feature out, and see what happens, and view it on both a widescreen and standard TV. It's great that you are given an option for this. Not all people have a widescreen TV, and not all people have a standard TV anymore. So it's versital, therefore making it more suitable for all users.
As I mentioned before, using the menu's on this little handycam is a snap. The menu's are easy to navigate through, and with the touch screen feature, it's just about as simple as using an iPod. You can adjust everything from the date and time to the format of recording you wish to use, as well as choosing whether you want to use SP, (Standard Play) or LP (Long Play). The original DVD that I recorded was set for SP. I have to say I was NOT impressed, I used up a mini DVD in no time flat. You get about 30 minutes of record time that way. Thankfully I had a mini DVD that was double sided. I was able to flip the DVD over and keep on recording. If you choose LP you can get about an hours worth of recording, but you get a little bit less quality in your recording. I honestly didn't notice a BIG difference in quality thought. You can either use a mini DVD-RW so you can record and then use the same one over again at a later time, or you can record on a regular mini DVD-R.
Downloading your finalized DVD onto your computer is fairly simple, and as long as you have a DVD burning program that you use, making a standard size DVD is easy as well. I found that in order to view your mini DVD either in a regular DVD player or on your computer, you must first FINALIZE it. You CAN view it on your TV before finalizing it, but only by using the hookups that run from your camera to your TV, therefore playing the mini DVD through your camera.
Equipment
Okay, so what exactly does the Sony Handycam DVD305 come with?
AC Adaptor, Power cord, A/V connecting cable, USB Cable, Wireless Remote, Surround Sound Microphone, Lens Cap, and a DVD Cleaning Cloth.
The only things that this camera does not come equipped with is the extra light for low light situations, and a Memory Stick PRO DUO. If you want to take pictures (Still Images) using this video camera you would need to purchase the Pro Duo Memory stick which for a decent one runs around $50. What bothers me most is WHY Sony would make a digital camera with the Night Shot feature, but not include the light for low lighting conditions. Even if you do have to purchase an extra light for it, then why isn't the Dolby Digital Surround Sound feature then able to be used while you are using a light? The problem with that is that both items plug into the same place, therefore you can't use both at once.
Overall this camera is a gem, sure it has areas for improvement, but so do many electronic items on the market today. I believe my husband bought this camera at Best Buy for around $600 give or take. It sure is a major step up from my older Sharp 8mm video camera. When it comes to quality, I don't think anything compares to SONY. Lightweight, small enough to fit in your purse or pocket, and video quality too. You can't go wrong!
