Sony DCR-DVD105 DVD Handycam Camcorder with 20x Optical Zoom

Average customer rating: 3.5

Great starter camera
Fair camera, rotten data handling
Still figuring it out
No back-up system
Great camera

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Oprah's Favorite Things 2006

Sony DCR-DVD105 DVD Handycam Camcorder with 20x Optical Zoom

Manufacturer: Sony
Product Group: Photography
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B000E0G00K
2006-02-20

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Product Description

Capture digital video and still images simply on DVD with the Sony DCR-DVD105 DVD Handycam(R) camcorder. Enhance your personal videos by adding professional looking fader effects, and get creative with Sony's Picture Effect Modes. For those who find operating a camcorder difficult, Sony makes it easy -- the Easy Handycam(R) Button leaves only the buttons essential for recording operational. SteadyShot Picture Stabilization Professional Quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens Aperture - f1.8 - f3.1 Touch Panel Exposure Focal Distance - 2.3 - 46mm Shutter Speeds - Auto, 1/4-1/4000 sec. (AE Mode) Program AE (Auto Exposure) Modes - Beach and Ski, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Sports Lesson, and Sunset and Moon Compatible with DVD-R, -RW and +RW White Balance Modes - Auto, Indoor, One-push, Outdoor Picture Effects - Monotone, Mosaic, Pastel, and Sepia Fader Effects - Black, Overlap, White and Wipe Onboard battery information (displayed on LCD) Touch-panel Manual Focus Easy Handycam(R) Button Optional S-Video out Built-in microphone InfoLithium Battery with AccuPower(TM) Meter System Battery Life - Continuous recording for up to 8 hours on a single full charge Dimensions - 2-1/5 x 3-7/15 x 5-1/13 (56 x 88 129 mm) Weight - 1 lb. 1 oz. (470g) with disc and battery

Customer Reviews:

Great starter camera.......2007-06-08

Sony sent me this camcorder for free for playing the Wheel Watchers Club daily giveaway. For a free Handycam, you can't do much better than this.

I have good news and bad news for those who are purchasing this camera.

First, the bad news... My biggest gripe about this camera is that the microphone picks up the recording head of the DVD laser. So when you're watching the DVD on your TV it sounds like a woodpecker in the background, like another reviewer mentioned. I'm using Memorex DVD+RW's so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. The camera complains about the non-Sony discs, but at least they work. It didn't include a recordable CD so the first thing I did was go to Best Buy and pick up a 10-pack of mini Memorex DVDs for $20. But on the bright side, the batteries were included.

Now for the good news. Everything else about this little camcorder is pretty nice. If you're expecting great picture quality, look elsewhere. Even in high quality recording mode you only get 20 minutes of 640x480i recording that is slightly better than VHS quality.

Editing the video is possible, but you first have to use a program like DVD Shrink to rip the video to your hard drive. Then you can open the MPEG2 video in any common video editing software. It's possible to connect the A/V output to most modern capture devices and directly capture to your hard drive. This is how I am doing extended video recordings, using my laptop and a USB capture device, completely bypassing the DVD recorder.

If you are looking for a small, light, portable camcorder that is easy to use, the Handycam DCR-DVD105 is great. The battery life is great, the touch screen is a snap to use, and the Carl Zeiss lens does a decent job at color reproduction. It's a shame that the DVD laser makes so much noise though.

Thanks Sony for the free little Handycam. Now send me more free stuff!!! To those of you who aren't in the Wheel Watchers Club, STAY OUT, so my odds of winning free stuff stay high.

Fair camera, rotten data handling.......2007-05-17

I originally bought this camcorder because I liked the idea of mini-DVD storage and I liked my old analog Sony camcorder. It is not the same Sony.

First of all, the camera is terrible at focusing on anything closer than 10' away...if the target is moving, forget about it. Second, you get a message on the screen if you dare use a non-Sony mini-DVD disk. Third, I bought a 'compatable' Energizer battery and it will not charge it. Why must Sony try and wring every nickel out of its customers?

My biggest beef is the way they try and disguise the fact that you CAN edit the image using non-Sony software, but it took me a couple of hours of surfing and another hour of experimentation to find out how. You can format the disk one of two ways, and you need to use VR formatting to get to the program. Do NOT finalize the disk first, or you will never be able to access it.

Sony then disguises the fact that one of the files in an mpeg by simply changing the extension...so change it back. Then you can bring it into any editor that has an mpeg codec. Hey Sony, am I giving away your trade secrets? Well, take me to court!!!

Still figuring it out.......2007-05-07

I love the camera itself. The only problem I am having is putting it on a dvd. I have a machine that I can hook the camera up to the tv and dub it straight to a dvd only can't figure out how to do it, but I will.

No back-up system.......2007-02-22

This camera was easy to use and it was light and had decent quality picture and audio, however, I was unable to make copies for back-up or to share with family members. I took it back and bought a mini-DV camcorder as I was told it was easier to make copies. This has yet to be tested.

Great camera.......2007-01-18

This camera is great! Really user friendly and takes great quality videos. The lcd screen is a touch screen which makes it simple to play back videos and work the camera. Anyone looking for a small camera thats easy to work...this is the one!!

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