If you love transportable and light in weight, this is it. Additionally, it is one of the easiest camcorders you will find out there, making it excellent for the beginner. We love shooting footage on vacation and although the digital camera is good, this is excellent. Crisp, clean, excellent video and sound, and ideal for those who don't really know what they are doing. Performance Image quality is excellent, and sound/audio doesn't falter either. It is perfect for quick or slow paced shooting, and works well in any lighting conditions. Battery Life It will go for 8 to 10 hours on a single charge; if you need short footage, about 30 minutes charge will get you 10 to 20 minutes of recording use. Durability It is light, it is easy to transport, and a rugged body makes it ideal for shooting under any conditions. Ease of Use You really can't mess up with this camera. I am by no means great at video or photo shooting, but with this device, even I can shoot high quality videos. Design A bit large, and extremely pricey, but the lightweight design makes it easy to transport. The simple flip screen also allows you to see what you are recording, as you are recording, allowing you to modify or change settings, lighting, and focus as needed.

Afaria23

Undisclosed

I love Sony Brand products so I was not at all surprised that this particular Handycam Camcorder turned out to be just the thing I needed to get me amped up again. First of all - it's small - the perfect size in fact for recording comical moments on family vacations and Holidays and, it's very easy to take along when traveling. Although the box it came in was pretty small from what I am used to - it packed a lot into it. It's complete with a handstrap, rechargable battery pack, adapter, power cord, av output, software and more. The instruction manual is a must so if you purchase used, make sure it's included. The camcorder is not very tricky, my nine year old can operate it! The overall picture quality is excellent, the price though, is not. The camcorder has back lighting capability so even darker images or environments can be recorded with greater ease. Also, the digital zoom works really great, I've been able to capture an increased amount of quality still images - by utilizing the zoom function. What's best about this model is that it can play back discs in your dvd player or a play station 2 or 3 so it does offer some flexibility. So far it appears durable but I did invest in an extended warranty just in case.

jamesco

USA

I am very technology challenged and I was able to figure this camcorder out very easily and quickly. We bought it mainly to record our kids as the grow and I also use it for my son's soccer games. It is small and not heavy so holding up for a longer time is not difficult at all. Zooms in so you can record closes up and it is very clear when you zoom in. Picks up even quiet talking so be careful if you don't want certain things recorded. Can also take still pictures if you put in a memory card, still pictures don't come out that good though from my experience. Very easy to format dvd's and to finalize them so you can view them on any computer or using a dvd player. Performance Great camcorder, records smoothly and clearly. Battery Life Battery stays charged for quite a long time with no use, a few days with frequent use. It does charge quickly though. Durability Has held up well being tossed into my bag for soccer and with the kids playing with it. Ease of Use I never even read the manual and figured it out with ease. Design It fits in my hand nicely and is pretty light weight. I have no problems holding it up for a long time while recording stuff.

willowjen

USA

I got this camcorder when I had my son, so I could record special holidays and events that we do as a family, and to have videos of my son as he grows up. The recording quality on this camcorder is awesome, and the sound is great as well! It is very easy to use, as when I got it, I started using it right away without having to read any instructions. You can also take pictures with it, but you do have to have a memory stick for that. The pictures are amazing as well, if you choose to use that option. It is small enough that I can easily carry it in my diaper bag/purse or in one of the smaller pockets in our backpack. I am very happy with this product, and would highly recommend it to anyone. Performance Excellent performance and video quality, and it has great picture quality if you use it to take still pictures as well (you just have to buy the memory stick to take still photo shots). Battery Life it has a very good battery life. I can use mine for 3 or 4 days, before I have to charge it. Ease of Use It is very easy to use, whether you are a beginner or expert with camcorders.

screspo921

USA

I received the Sony Handycam as a gift when I was in High School. It was a high quality, easy to use, and long lasting camcorder. This has a LCD touch screen which make it really simple to use. Even my parents were able to use this camcorder without much trouble. It shoots great quality video, even in poor lighting. You can either use a DVD or a memory stick to store the videos. This makes it easy to share your videos with other people. My only problem with the device was the horrible battery life. If that could have been improved upon, it would be a PERFECT camcorder. I highly recommend this camcorder. It is so simple to use and shoots great quality video. Performance Good quality videos in any type of lighting. Battery Life The battery life is pretty terrible on this camcorder. Durability I had this camcorder for 4 years before it broke in a moving accident. I never had any problems with it the entire time I had it. Ease of Use This is great for non-techy people because of the simple controls and the touch screen.

evlmidget

Undisclosed

When I was pregnant with my first son, I received the Sony Handycam Camcorder as a baby shower gift. I was thrilled to receive this as a gift as I had heard many good things about this camcorder. My husband used this camcorder to record my son's birth and we used it numerous times over the next couple of years to record the early years of our son's life. I loved going back and watching the footage. This camcorder is easy to hook up to your television. The only "issue" I have with this camcorder to trying to download the videos to my personal computer. I found that it was virtually impossible to try to transfer the videos from the small tapes to a computer. I tried many different software applications and methods of transferring these videos but was not successful. While this camcorder takes quality footage, you will likely be frustrated if you try to download your footage to a computer. Ease of Use The camcorder itself is easy to use. Downloading the footage to a computer is a problem.

bedazzler350

USA

We recently broke our camcorder and unfortunately were not able to find the same one in time for my kids birthday and I wanted good footage of them, not from my cell phone. So I went out the evening before and went looking for a good new camcorder. I seen the sony handyman camcorder and was asking a lot of questions about it and decided to buy it. It was a little pricey compared to the others, but I trust a lot of their products so I figured it would be good. It's a little complicated to use and the battery life isn't super, but it's worth it. When I used it, not only did it work perfectly, but the audio on it was unbelievable. Even with all the background noise, I could hear my kids laughing and talking. It was so great. I played it back on my television, and the video came out crystal clear. I'm extremely happy I purchased this and for the results I get out of it and how durable it is, it's definitely worth the price. I would definitely recommend,

mrshunkler417

USA

A quality piece of equipment that is a great addition to your media collecting experience. It has a variety of features that make your recordings seem very professional and also very easy to use. And the price is so reasonable you'll use it always. Performance It puts out high quality video with little to no blur for really clear images. Battery Life I think that anyone who has a camcorder will agree that there never seems to be enough battery life, but this model is pretty good and will shoot longer than the JVC we had before it. Durability We let our children use it it (at times) seems like it is indestructable. It has survived 3 children and still going. Ease of Use Itt is easy to use once you get over the instruction booklet which can be a little intimidating, but once you get the hang of it you will be very pleased. It is just being familiar with use. Design The simple controls and the features make it capable of high quality videos. The ability for vivid close ups and steady shots make it fantasticly easy to use in reducing blurry pictures with clear images. And it is able to record directly to a variety of media.

NANCYLBRENT

USA

The Sony Handycam Camcorder is my first video camera to own. I love everything about taking videos on it, but the software and transferring videos part still has me baffled. It is extremely lightweight and easy to use. I love the option of flipping the viewer toward or away from myself. It's so simple and easy to turn off and on quickly. The standby setting is great as well. The hand strap has been super useful in ensuring that we don't drop it, especially during some epic water balloon fights. This camcorder captures sound really well, and the images are crystal clear. Durability It's been bumped around quite a bit and has withstood it all. Ease of Use It is so easy to switch on and off. I didn't rate it higher because the video transferring process is a bit confusing to me. Design Very comfortable to use. This camcorder basically fits within the palm of your hand. The strap goes over your knuckles for an extra measure of stability and security.

lhudd

USA

Sony has been in the handycam business for a long time, and this is a really good and dependable product. It is easy to use with the wide viewing screen, and the quality that you get of recordings is good. It's use is intuitive and it is easy to set up out of the box. The battery life is good also, about 2 to 2.5 hours per charge.

teacherguy

USA