86
Sony Handycam HDR-HC9
$1,099.00
Released February, 2008
The Pros:HDV is a standard format that all video software recognizes. Plenty of manual controls. Good selection of outputs including USB2.0, Firewire, Component, HDMI.
The Cons:Still limited to proprietary Sony accessories.
The Handycam HDR-HC9 is the upgrade to Sony's 2007 miniDV camcorder, the HC7. With this 2008 offering Sony provides minor improvements over the award winning HC7. The camera retains its barrel-shaped form factor that houses the Carl Zeiss lens with 10x optical zoom.
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HDV footage with a resolution of 1440x1080 is recorded onto the miniDV tapes, standard definition DV footage can also be captured through the menu settings. The HC9 retains the same touch-screen menu based interface and offers a host of manual controls from white balance and infinity focus, to peaking functionality and colored outlining.
Specs
- 10x optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens
- 3.2MP CMOS sensor
- up to 1080i video recording
- miniDV tapes for storage
- 2.7" LCD touch screen monitor, 211K pixels
- Internal lens cover mechanism
- Records video with x.v.Color (need a compatible TV to view)
- Data ports: USB2.0, Firewire
- Video ports: Component, S-Video, HDMI
Differences between HC7 and HC9
Body - the HC9 comes in a black color while the HC7 is silver.
Memory stick support - The HC9 supports a memory stick duo capacity of 8GB while the HC7 is limited to 4GB.
USB support - for transferring data the HC9 uses a USB2.0 interface which is significantly faster than the HC7's USB1.1 interface.
User Reviews (4)
Pros & Cons
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3
HDV is a standard format that all video software recognizes
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2
Plenty of manual controls
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2
Good selection of outputs including USB2.0, Firewire, Component, HDMI
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1
Great video capture quality
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1
Internal, automatic lens cover
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1
Better quality compression for MiniDV over solid-state media formats
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0
Black design is better than silver
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0
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2
Still limited to proprietary Sony accessories
Community Reviews
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Comments (1)
Erik:
#sony_handycam_hdr_hc9 I'm going to tentatively cast my vote for the HDR-HC9 over the Canon HV30, because of 1) the better manual controls, and 2) my fantastic experience with my older miniDV Sony camcorder.
If you are a quality nut, and plan on doing any editing with video software, I would say go for the MiniDV format over the solid-state cameras. Sure, the non-linear format with no moving parts is cool, but it comes at the expense of compression quality. Annoying compression artifacts and incorrect color reproduction is a deal-breaker for me. I'll stick with the MiniDV until mfgrs can sort out that mess.
If anyone can point me (and the community) to some sample footage of the HDR-HC9 vs. the Canon HV30, I would be very interested in seeing it.
Feb 7, 08
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