Sony HDR-HC1E High Definition Camcorder Review

The HDR-HC1E records video in the relatively new HDV standard. This format is designed to make the transition to HD as painless as possible for camcorder users. The video is compressed using MPEG-2 at a data rate of 25Mbits/sec – exactly the same as the DV recorded by most current digital camcorders. This means that identical tapes can be used. HDV is also designed to be captured to PC via FireWire. All you need is software support and you can use the same cabling and PC connection for video acquisition.

The HDR-HC1E is too expensive to appeal to even the top end of mainstream camcorder users. But, then again, if you fancy shooting HD right now, the only other options are at least twice the price. The cost benefits of the CMOS technology also lead us to guess that we won’t be seeing any HDV camcorders at this price point from other CCD-only manufacturers for a little while. Considering the price isn’t far off a decent three-CCD semi-professional model, the HDR-HC1E’s price is actually quite amazing. And the video it shoots is absolutely stunning.

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