Product Description

The Sony DCR-HC42E is an extremely compact megapixel DV Handycam with Memory Stick Duo, Handycam Station, DV In, Zeiss lens, Touch Screen LCD and true 16: 9 widescreen mode.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34425 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Sony
• Model: DCRHC42
• Dimensions: 2.20" h x 3.50" w x 5.20" l,
• Display size: 2.7

Features

• 1/5.5-inch advanced HAD CCD imager with 1-megapixel still image capability
• MiniDV recording format offers up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution
• 12x optical zoom with SteadyShot image stabilization
• 2.7-inch touch-panel SwivelScreen LCD
• Super NightShot Plus Infrared System captures natural-looking video in low light

From the Manufacturer
Capture and transfer video images quickly and easily with Sony's DCR-HC42 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder. Its professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens captures brilliant images with lifelike color and tones, and the Advanced HAD CCD imager provides stunning detail and clarity. The Progressive Shutter System supplies digital still images with excellent definition and sharpness.

The DCR-HC42 makes transferring data a cinch via the included Handycam Station docking device. Now you can easily connect to television for viewing and to a USB-compatible PC for editing and sharing digital images and video. Memory Stick Duo media compatibility makes it simple for you to take your images with you wherever you go.

1.0-Megapixel (Gross) Advanced HAD CCD Imager 1/5.5-inch Advanced HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCD with 690K (effective) pixels provides stunning detail and clarity with exceptional video (up to 520 lines of horizontal resolution) and still image performance. The megapixel technology enhances your digital videos and digital still photography performance.	2.7-inch-wide Touch Panel SwivelScreen LCD Display makes it easy to frame both standard and widescreen shots.
MiniDV Recording Offers up to 520 lines of horizontal resolution, three times the color bandwidth and a significantly higher signal/noise ratio, to provide spectacular video performance.
12x Optical/480x Digital Zoom The optical zoom helps to bring the action close up from far away. Digital Zoom Interpolation means that extreme digital zooming is clearer, with less distortion than with previous types of digital zooms.	Professional-Quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens Carl Zeiss lenses have an advanced optical multilayer coating that offers less glare and flare with increased contrast. This results in vivid image brilliance, true-to-life color saturation, and perfect renditions of subtle tones.
2.7-Inch-Wide Touch Panel SwivelScreen LCD Display (123K Pixels) Provides excellent viewing clarity for both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect with improved resolution. The high-resolution 123K-pixel LCD screen rotates up to 270 degrees for multiple viewing angles, providing sharp, detailed images for monitoring or playback.	Analog To Digital Conversion with Pass-Through Convert and/or record any analog NTSC video source to digital video via the analog inputs. Analog NTSC video can also be passed in real time through the digital Handycam Camcorder directly into a PC via the i.LINK interface for easy PC editing of your analog footage.
Super SteadyShot Picture-Stabilization System Picture-stabilization system that uses motion sensors to detect and compensate for camera shake without compromising picture quality, as some other digital stabilization systems do.	Progressive Shutter System A mechanical shutter system that provides progressive scan performance while using an interlaced scanning system. Digital still images will be sharp and clear with excellent definition.
i.LINK DV Interface A digital high-speed bidirectional interface provides audio/video communication between two compatible devices. This connection allows for pure digital transfer between devices equipped with an IEEE1394 interface, such as camcorders, digital VTRs, capture cards, and PCs.	InfoLithium Battery with AccuPower Meter System Charge the battery at anytime--unlike NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries, Sony's rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are not subjected to a life-shortening "memory effect". Sony's exclusive AccuPower meter displays the battery time remaining in minutes, either in the viewfinder or on the LCD screen.
Picture Package Software Easily organize still images and video, and turn them into stunning music videos using the supplied software.	Stamina Battery Power-Management System Using the optional NP-FP90 InfoLithium Battery, the DCR-HC42 can continuously record for up to eight hours on a single full charge, providing extra-long battery life.
The included Handycam Station makes connecting your camera to a TV or computer a snap.	Handycam Station The supplied Handycam Station provides quick and easy connections to a TV for viewing or to a PC for editing and sharing video. Just placing the camcorder on the Handycam Station instantly makes the connections. No need to search for cables or wires when charging or playing back.
	USB Streaming Stay connected to family and friends by broadcasting live video with audio over the Internet using the USB interface. You can even play back your favorite recorded scene on the camcorder's tape. It's like having your own video-conferencing system.
Tele Macro Function Useful for shooting close-up shots without having the camcorder cast a shadow on the subject. Images shot in the Tele Macro Mode will have the subject properly focused with the background unfocused so that the subject stands out.	Active Interface Shoe Provides a location directly on the camcorder on which to add optional accessories while providing power and two-way communication to those accessories.
Program AE (Auto Exposure) Modes Program AE modes make recording easy even when filming in challenging situations. Choose from Portrait, Beach & Ski, Sports Lesson, Landscape, Spotlight, and Sunset & Moon modes.	Digital Still Memory Mode with Memory Stick Duo Media Capture still images at 1,152 x 864 resolution directly onto Memory Stick Duo Media for easy transfer to PCs for e-mailing, printing, or sharing with other compatible Memory Stick devices.
Super NightShot Plus Infrared System With Sony's Super NightShot Infrared System you can capture natural-looking video, even when shooting in low light. Record subjects up to 20 feet away using the built-in infrared system, but without the overall monochrome color common with earlier low-light recording systems.
Battery Information At the touch of a button, battery information is displayed on the LCD screen when charging or when the camcorder is turned off. The display will show how much the battery is charged in 10% increments and the recordable time left when using the LCD screen or in the viewfinder.	Easy Handycam Button Using a camcorder can be intimidating for some people, so with a press of the Easy Handycam button, most of the advanced features of the camcorder are "locked out," leaving only the buttons essential for recording operational.
Manual Focus Allows the user to manually adjust the focus of the camcorder using the touch panel. Manual focusing also allows the user to control the focus in difficult situations in which either the environment or the subject does not allow the camcorder's autofocus to perform optimally, such as when shooting through a window or in a crowded environment.	Picture Effects Get creative when recording or playing back your videos with Sony's Picture Effect Modes. Effects available in Camera mode: Negative Art, Sepia, Monotone, Solarize, Pastel, and Mosaic. Effects available in Playback mode: Negative Art, Sepia, Monotone, and Solarize.

Customer Reviews

Widescreen
By many measures Sony DCR-HC42 isn't the best camcorder in its class, but it strikes a good balance for many intended buyers. For instance, similarly priced Panasonic camcorder records more vibrant images. Canon's similarly priced camcorder performs better under lower lighting situation. But it has few nice features that separate DCR-HC42 from these camcorders, particularly if you like widescreen composition.

Let's examine its pros and cons.

Pros:
- Excellent form factor, among the smallest and lightest camcorders in its price range.
- Excellent DV Widescreen support, including great widescreen LCD.
- Long battery life (nearly 2 hours in continuous shooting with LCD backlight turned off, about an hour in demanding situations). Optional batteries offer longer battery life.
- Included docking station makes it easier to connect to computer or TV.
- Very good outdoor performance.
- Automatic settings work well.
- Built-in lens cover.

Cons:
- Optical zoom is only 12X, which is inexcusable considering lower-end DCR-HC32 goes up to 20X.
- Proprietary accessory shoes for attaching accessories such as microphones and light. These accessories aren't cheap.
- No headphones jack for monitoring audio recording.
- Sensitive microphone may pick up button clicks (best to turn off the button click "beep" sound).
- Not so good low light performance.
- Most functions require you to access touch screen LCD.
- Touch screen menu system can be complicated to use.
- So-so digital camera image stills quality.

Compared to lower-end DCR-HC32, DCR-HC42 adds many features in an attempt to justify higher cost, including DV Widescreen, widescreen LCD (LCD backlight can be turned off to conserve power), color viewfinder, noticeably superior CCD for better image quality, accessory shoe that powers external microphone and lighting attachments, and higher resolution megapixel still camera. If widescreen does not interest you, DCR-HC32 may be a better buy.

DCR-HC42's most obvious gimmick is widescreen. If you have HDTV set, this is the low-end camcorder for you. As of now, Sony is the only big name manufacturer that includes widescreen LCD, which while not necessary to capture DV Widescreen, helps the experience immensely. Many camcorders with conventional 4x3 LCD do in fact record DV Widescreen as well as standard DV but LCD will have either black bars on top and bottom or worse, squeezed to accommodate wider images onto narrower frame. It is worth noting that while DV Widescreen increases horizontal resolution, it does so at the expense of vertical resolution. DCR-HC42 has real-life DV resolution of about 400x300 and DV Widescreen resolution of about 450x250. But this is still better than "fake" widescreen DV camcorders such as DCR-HC32, which records widescreen composition onto 4x3 frames, which decreases vertical resolution without increasing horizontal resolution.

Taking DCR-HC42 out of the box, I was surprised how small and light the camcorder was. My previous camcorder was bulky Hi8 model, and while I have played with many MiniDV camcorders at the store, its size still surprised me a bit. Recording a long footage without the use of tripod, I appreciated every ounce that DCR-HC42 sheds from heavier models.

Recording indoor in lazy afternoon, I was disappointed by recorded footage at first. But tinkering with the camcorder taught me a trick that cleans up noisy low-light images immensely - the back light feature. This feature is designed to brighten up the subject set against brightly lit background (e.g., a person standing before sunrise) but significantly cleans up noise under indoor situation as well. Some footage takes on much smoother appearance with this feature turned on (helped further by using other features).

One of my biggest pet peeves is touch screen menu system. While personalized menu feature helps immensely (in which you can assign up to 28 frequently accessed features available within few clicks), I much prefer using physical buttons. Features such as tweaking exposure, adjusting focus, selecting automatic exposure, and adjusting white balance require using touch screen menu system. Thankfully, very frequently used features, such as enabling fully automatic mode (called "EASY" mode), previously discussed back light feature, and zoom are physical controls.

The main reason to choose MiniDV over other formats (e.g., DVD, MicroMV), is because the format is computer friendly. Using light weight compression algorithm (similar to MJPEG), DV format offers minimal digital artifacts and is highly suitable for linear editing. Before connecting the camcorder to computer, invest in FireWire (also known as i.Link or IEEE 1394) cable. This cable, along with FireWire connector on your computer, is necessary to edit DV footage on your computer with zero loss in quality. Windows XP includes Windows Movie Maker 2 which is good video editing software and works well with DCR-HC42. Sony includes video editing software, too, but it is pretty limited with many usability issues. If you are using Windows XP, stick with Windows Movie Maker. Macintosh users have even better tool at their disposal, iMovie HD, part of iLife `05. iMovie HD supports DV Widescreen, which lets you work with widescreen footage directly. Using this software, I was able to cut fairly well edited home movie.

All in all, DCR-HC42 is a good camcorder for point and shoot crowd, and particularly appealing to those with widescreen TV set. Its touch screen menu system may detract some buyers, but the Easy mode works pretty well for "set and forget it" crowd. More advanced users will have to put up with touch screen menu, but it wasn't so bad once I got use to it. If you record lots of footage under low light situation, this isn't the best camcorder for you. DCR-HC42 shines under bright outdoor.

great camcorder, but bit over priced
I bought this camcorder about a month ago and have used it for recording nearly 4 hours of video so far.

Things that I like most about this camcoreder are
1) Image stability
2) Image Quality (Both Video and Still)
3) widescreen mode (40' angle for widescreen capture)
you loose tiny bit of resolution in wide screen still images
4) handling and portability
all the manual conttols are well arranged
smaller size allows easy portability
5) Battery life (I got almost 1hr 30 mins each time)
6) Touch Screen Menu (I wonder why some found it difficult)
7) Ease of use
8) Docking station
9) Still Image modes
exposure bracketing (three photos taken at various exposure)
normal burst mode (three photos taken consecutively)
10) LCD/viewfinder (2.7" Widescreen LCD screen)
it doesn't solarize like others when viewed from an angle
both LCD screen and viewfinder in color and 123K resolution

Areas where this camcorder lags behind
1) Low light performance
2) Scan rate (it should be 24P)
3) Optical zoom (It offers only 12x optical zoom)
while DCR HC32/21 offers 20X optical zoom

Overall
This camcorder is good for
1) Point and shoot users
2) Techno freaks
3) Outdoor video
4) Indoor video with decent lights
5) If you own a SONY laptop (ease of capturing movies and image)

Recommended Accessories
1) Tripod (set it up and operate camera from far using remote)
2) External flash (Very useful, can be attached on top)
3) Additional battery
If you want to capture more than 1 hr video w/o recharging
If using external flash

Excellent audio-video quality and ease of use
This is one of the best camcorders in the market today and I would definitely recommend it to anyone planning to buy a Mini-DV camcorder

Positive factors:
- Very small and easy to hold with one hand. Can be easily attached even to a mini-tripod with ease.
- Excellent widescreen video and hi-fi audio. Your videos finally get that "Hollywood" feel when you shoot movies in 16:9 ratio (widescreen format). Even if you don't have a widescreen TV currently, you will very soon have one as more and more people are buying them. So its better to buy this camcorder and shoot in 16:9 format to enjoy your movies later in widescreen format.
- Includes widescreen rotatable LCD so what you see is what you get when you shoot in 16:9 ratio (widescreen format)
- Good battery life. One extra battery is enough. You can easily manage a day's worth of shooting with two batteries before recharging them again
- Includes docking station making it easier to connect to computer or TV. If you have a good computer with a firewire port, please buy a firewire cable to connect the camcorder to your computer. You can download your movie in excellent clarity in .avi format and edit it as required
- Make sure to change the audio setting to 16 bit (instead of the default 12 bit) for very good hi-fi audio
- Touchscreen menu system is great. You don't have to search for any buttons as they are all available in the touchscreen menu itself.
- 12X optical zoom is more than sufficient for ordinary home videos. Anything more produces more "shaking" and would necessiate the use of a tripod. When you shoot without a tripod, 12X is the best zoom you can achieve without worrying about shaky videos
- 1 MP widescreen still photo. You can use this feature if you forgot to bring your digital camera. The photo clarity is not good so please don't expect great shots. Since the photo is in 16:9 format, you can take panoramic photos and cover more people in group shots
- Nightshot: Cool feature that records using infrared light. Useful for shooting at night as you can record a video even in 100% darkness
- Color widescreen viewfinder - Very useful when you are running down on batteries and need to use the viewfinder. The color widescreen viewfinder gives an excellent picture and is as good as the LCD in clarity

Negative factors:
- Outdoor videos especially in bright sunlight are overexposed. So please adjust the white balance when shooting outdoors. Add the white-balance menu to your shortcuts so that you can easily access it and return to default once you start shooting indoors
- Sensitive microphone may pick up button clicks (best to turn off the button click "beep" sound).

Notes:
- Use a fresh cassette after recording 2 or 3 times on the same cassette. The head tends to get dirty if you re-record on the same cassette more than 3 times
- You can edit movies in Windowx XP using Windows Movie Maker, but beware it does not support 16:9 ratio video. Hence your videos look ugly as you shot them in 16:9 but Movie Maker converted it to 4:3. Invest in Pinnacle Software version 9 or 10 for better movie editing capabilities. Pinnacle is the only software, I am aware of, that preserves teh 16:9 ratio. Even Roxio could not allow 16:9 format.
- You can also invest in wide-angle lens as it gives excellent coverage