not bad for a weenie one.... (Sony Handycam DCR-PC3)

Member Name: badlad

Product:	Sony Handycam DCR-PC3
Date:	08/10/00 (513 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: decent pics, versatile stills abilities, some worthwhile special effects

Disadvantages: everyone will want a go....

We've been using the sony p23 for just over six months now, filming everything from watersports to the odd dodgy flick and we remain impressed with the overall quality of the thing. It feels built to last and the only quibbles are minor.
It certainly won't replace your stills camera though, although images saved to the on-board memory stick in fine mode are okay, but even better if you reduce them to two-thirds the original size. Unless you want top-notch stills though, the beauty of the sony is that you only need take one camera with you. When you get home, simply pop selected images onto the memory stick and cart them over to the pc for a bit of editing. This process of catching stills can make for wonderfully random and expressive pics if chosen carefully....
On the video side of things there is little to fault. Footage taken in decent light is impressive and the wealth of trick-play modes, not to mention the capture ability, make for a pleasant little performer, images retaining large amounts of sparkle when dubbed onto VHS only serving to re-inforce the PC3's impeccable picture resolution. You do need good light though, a recent trip to the Canaries in bright sunshine served up quite remarkable images.
Niggles? Well, the machine can be a little slow to 'boot-up', taking its time to load tape and such, and it noisy in doing so as well. Also, unless you experiment, there are problems holding the thing, unless you have strange shaped hands. Apparently the proper way of holding these little marvels is to put your thumb on the back, and your three main fingers at the front, however doing this can result in the focus emitter being obscured so be careful now...

Summary: