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Sony DCR-DVD403 3MP DVD Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom |
My only desire for the camera would be greater control of the zoom. It is easy to zoom in and out fast, but a slow, smooth zoom takes a gentle touch on the zoom lever.
This is my 3rd SONY handycam, and I am seriously pissed at this dumb move. I use Windows XP Service Service Pack 2. I see others had some problem with this camera.
Do not buy it if you plan on editing videos.
I was just about to break the cover off when I read one review that stated that this automatic cover is VERY SENSITIVE (too sensitive if you ask me) TO DUST. So before breaking out the plyers or calling Sony (which I understand is useless and pricey) I decided to just pry open the cover and blow into this area to "clean out" and particles that might be in there. I honestly thought that this would not work but after 4 puffs I turned the camera on and THE CRAZY THING OPENED!!!
I do not know how long it will continue to work nor do I know if this "quick fix" will work again but I thought that I would put this out there for anyone to try BEFORE dropping even more cash into the camera or trashing it altogether.
I sure hope that this helps and more so I hope that it will continue to fix the problem when it arises.
Sony really needs to get their act together in regards to this. I mean uncovering a lens is a small function and they cannot get that right? Come on Sony, step it up!
The in camera editting features are not going to make up for a real editting tool like iMovie. Sony has next to no support for this camera either. Before you buy, goto Sony's site and check out their support.
All that said, I like the camera. If you don't plan on editting you videos, it's awesome, and doubles nicely as a still camera too.
When I used Sony discs, playing them on DVD players was not a problem at all, but when I used discs of Memorex, the camcorder recorded them fine, but they did not play well in any DVD player. The discs just stuck every few seconds. So after this I bought only sony discs.
I gave it only 4 stars for the lack of software compatibility to be able to copy the video files that get created from this camcorder to directly burn it to a larger DVD disc.
Ofcourse I spent extra 100 bucks (as far I remember) and bought 3 year insurance plan along with the camcorder just to stay on the safer side after reading some of the other user's reviews.
You have to read the manual to get the most out of this machine. Just by changing a few settings I have been able to go from recording the bright sunshine to recording the Moon passing in front of the Pleadies. (Yes, this camera is very good for Astronomy) My next project is to hook it up to a telescope and shoot through the tube.
I highly recommend this product.
P.S. Buy an extra battery. You won't regret it!
Only negative is that it tend to give red eyes, when using the flash on still pictures, when there is insufficient background light and the software that comes with the package is pretty poor if you want to do something serious with your movies/pictures.
No other complaints, works great.
Other drawback is that for outdoor shooting 5.1 audio captures too much wind noise.
I am very unhappy with Sony quality in recent products I bought. I "WAS" a Sony fan but no more. I have a 2 year old Mini-DV Camecorder in which the Mini-DV does not come out. You pay BIG bucks for very poor quality.
Stay away from Sony products...there are other better products for half the price
This is, quite simply, the best camcorder I've ever owned, on many levels.
First of all, I really love recording directly to a DVD. It eliminates the middle step of using a tape that then has to be transferred to disc. That eliminates one group of media storage, and also eliminates the loss of quality involved in dubbing from tape to disc. Further, the DVD format records in digital mode, so the quality of the picture and sound is virtually High Def; orders of magnitude better than the analogue mode of VHS of whatever format (my last two camcorders were VHS-C). On top of that, every copy of the original disc is of the same superb quality, as the original is in digital format. It just doesn't get any better. Better yet, as soon as you've finished taping you can finalize the disc in-camera and just slap it into virtually any DVD player and watch it immediately, eliminating the need of some formats for connecting your camcorder to the TV.
If you're recording irreplaceable material, like home movies, the archival quality of discs far surpasses that of tape in test results on longevity.
The Zeiss lens gives you an amazing picture, virtually pro level, and the 5.1 surround sound matches the quality of the picture.
The picture stabilization system eliminates the "jittery" look of most home movies.
Its touch-screen operation is very intuitive, and a joy to use.
Its Night Shot infra red capability is simply amazing (though the one drawback to that mode is the greenish cast of the picture -- it's like I'm shooting an episode of "Cops"). However, you can still mount an external light source to the hot shoe if you wish to retain natural colors (and squints from your subjects). LOL
You can even record in wide-screen mode, to capture that movie-theater experience if you play your movies on newer TVs with that format capability.
It is very small and light, extraordinarily easy to carry and manipulate. The controls are all logically placed, and very easy to use.
I can't recommend this camera highly enough. The best non-pro videocam I've ever seen. I love it!
This is a PS added on 19 Feb: after reading the other reviews, in which a lot of the reviewers outlined problems they had with their camcorders, especially in view of the short 3 month original warranty, I went to Sony's website and found they have a variety of extended warranties available. You can extend your warranty within the first 60 days of your purchase (and this is a factory Sony warranty, folks), and in my case I opted for a 3 year parts and labor which includes accidental damage; it only cost $110 -- which I consider a heck of a deal. They have shorter term and no accidental damage policies available for even less; the 2 year plan was about $47 dollars.
Something to think about. Talk about eliminating the worry factor.
Camera Strengths:
* fast startup -- just a second or so from 'off' to 'record'
* remarkably good color, brightness and contrast, even under low light and other marginal viewing conditions -- its magic!
* even when moving the camera or when shooting in a moving car I never noticed any 'skips' or 'drop-outs' -- very reliable
* good battery life ... can record several full DVDs w/LCD viewer using one NP-FP71 (hi-capacity battery)
* remarkably easy to use and effective optical zoom -- once you get the hang of it, zooming is both smooth and silent
* i am a DCR novice but there's few shots I can't shoot well in the camer's "EASY" (full auto) mode -- again, magic!
* if what you have shot is 'good enough' As-Is, then the camera's built-in 'Finalize' function creates a DVD that can be played in any DVD player & the auto-menu feature works fine.
* the camera itself w/the 'RCA' cable is an effective DVD player (small DVDs only), or plays un-'finalized' video ... the included remote is small and convenient
* the included PC software to download the video clips (as MPG files) to your PC seems is pretty easy to use and works fine
* the included PC software to edit your video clips -- to remove undesired portions of your video clips -- has a slick GUI and seems to work fine. It outputs new (smaller) MPG files
Camera Challenges:
* nit: the disk cover occaisionally 'snags' on the velcro strap handle -- when the cover is open the camera does not sit well on even flat surfaces and puts a stress on the LCD monitor
* nit: the unnecessary multi-second "SONY disc recommended" message each time you boot the camera is ANNOYING. *sigh*
* MAJOR: their bundled ImageMixer EasyStep DVD software is -- simply stated -- terrible! Problems include:
1) when the software encounters errors it often exits! you get NO error message and it simply shuts the window. what's up with _that_? I submit that in today's technology that's criminally negligent software behavior
2) the software sometimes pukes on large clips (>100MB each) ... what's up with that? (100MB is NOT large for video)
3) sometimes -- for no reason I could discover -- the software pukes while building the DVD image. *whatever*
4) even when it works, the software does NOT allow you to define the order your clips appear on the DVD, and it has a severely limited menu building capability. *sigh*
5) the software ONLY allows you to create DVDs using the camera itself, which means are stuck creating little DVDs that are only about 30 minutes long. In other words, even if you have your own DVD burner you can't write to that. *sigh*
Unless you are creating only short, simple DVDs don't waste your time trying to use ImageMixer EasyStep DVD. I whole-heartedly thank N. Bennett -- see review #10 for this camera -- who suggested using the included Sony software to download and edit the MPG clips (which I do), then use TMPGEnc DVD Author 1.6 to author a DVD image using the MPG files as input. That software gives you full control over the order of the clips and how the DVD menu is structured. That was all I was looking for (i.e., it doesn't do video editing, a whole other story). As the final step I use Nero Express to burn the DVD (works great), but likely any DVD burning tool can be used to write your file system-based DVD 'image' onto blank (full-size) DVDs.
Bottom Line: The Sony DCR-DVD403 is a terrific camera -- I highly recommend it. But plan on using alternative software to author and burn your DVD's. I would have given Sony 5 stars overall but held one star back because of their simply terrible bundled DVD authoring software.
What's worse, if you go to www.imagemixer.com, you wouldn't even know the EasyStepDVD product exists. For that matter, search Google, and you wouldn't know it existed.
Needless to say, I'm a bit disappointed. I'm going to have to buy Pinnacle Studio or something in order to edit these DVDs.
After more research I was reluctant to by another Sony handycam, but ended up getting a Sony DVD403 because of all the great reviews. I am so glad I did. This camera is soo easy to use. I was able to pull it out of the box, set the date and time and start recording great quality videos. I love the touch screen menu. The 3.0MP still photos seem to be really good also (although the flash is bright, so I usually turn it off).
I bought the DVD-RW mini discs and am able to finalize the disc, pop into the dvd player to watch, then unfinalize and record more video to it. Then copy to a regular DVD+R disc when full (this saves $ since regular dvds are cheaper than the mini dvds), and it only takes a few minutes.
I have also been able to hook it up to the VCR and record my old family video cassettes to a DVD.
So if you are trying to decide between this camera and Sony's cheaper DVD92 model, I would definitely pay the extra $ and get this camcorder. It's well worth it with all the extras it has on it! I got mine online for $698.
This camcorder has excellent picture quality(even in low light - colors and quality are good), records in 5.1 dolby surround, widescreen format, flash for still photos, USB for use with PC, remote control, automatic lens cover (no cap to click on/off), and more. I also like that it automatically creates a thumbnail menu of each video clip taken, as well as a slideshow of the still photos taken when you finalize the dvd (no more rewinding to get to that certain spot you're looking for). I would definitely buy this again!
On price... Amazon was by far the best when you consider free shipping and no sales tax, I saved about $200.
I-Link... Be careful, the Amazon description (at my review time) is still showing the camera supports i-Link (aka firewire) allowing pass-through of analog input to your computer and high speed file transfers. Not true. The option is available on some of the other Sony digital camcorders but not this one. I informed Amazon to correct the description about a week ago. I was a bit disapointed, since I was considering using the camcorder to digitize my old 8mm tape library direct to my pc. You can record an analog signal (say from old camcorder) to the camcoder's DVD, but that is a 30-min (capacity of DVD) at a time process and presumably would be considerable wear-and-tear.
File transfers to PC... I can echo some of the other reviews that I have experienced one problem so far on a file transfer from camcorder to pc with the Picture Package software. I tried to transfer a 25 min video - the transfer started then died about 25% of the way through. I'm trying to file an alternative to Picture Package.
Wind is a fairly important problem, there is no help on cancellation of this. It will make your voice un-usable in this cases.
Practical in the sense that you can make copies of the small DVDs
I am a "real novice" at making videos, but this camcorder made a great recording. I had an old JVC camcorder and there is no comparision to the quality! This camcorder was easy for me to learn to use and didn't take more than a few minutes to get started recording. The touchscreen was great to use. I had no problems transferring the video to my home dvd recorder and computer. The remote is very handy during the transfer process. I transferred this to a new Windows XP machine. The included editing software is fun to use and was easy to install. I need to add that I am very tech literate, so what I may consider very easy, may not seem easy for someone else.
The battery charges (after the first time) in a couple of hours and does last for the advertised 120 minutes. The amount of time left for the battery and the recording time are accurate.
The issues I've had are:
The time and date remain on the screen for the entire recording, I can't find how to get them to come on a short time and then disappear.
Each Mini DVD RW only holds 30 min of video and it takes at least 20 seconds to eject the Mini DVD and insert another one. When you press the button to eject, it gives you a message that it needs to be finalized to play in another player and has to read the dvd. This process takes about 10 seconds longer if you have to format the new mini dvd after you insert it. This time doesn't count trying to get the hand strap out of the way to get the camcorder open and get the new mini dvd inserted. This doesn't seem like a long time, but it is an eternity when you miss a minute or 2 of recording your child dancing! So you have to plan ahead, have several Mini DVD RW's formatted and numbered, stop recording and change during a break in the action.
I use the mini RW'S and transfer them to dvd, so I can use the mini ones again. The mini dvds are pricey.
Over all, I've found this to be a great camcorder for the video novice, like me, who may need to record in low light situations. I am very pleased with the purchase of the camcorder and it meets the needs that I have!
I did not load the sony software, because of all the bad press. I use Roxio Easy Media Creator 7.5 and am having no trouble at all loading and editing the software. I did make one mistake at my daughter's birthday party when I tried recording in "VR" instead of "VIDEO" mode. I had a lot of trouble modifying and even playing the DVD on a DVD player.
I record almost exclusively with DVD-RW's as they are easy to load on the hard drive and then reformat. This will save a lot of money and I no longer have to worry about wearing out the heads of the miniDV recorders.
I absolutely love the ease of use and the picture quality is exceptional for a camera that I only paid $700 for. I purchased an extended MACK warranty that offered damage protection. I feel pretty set for the next three years.
I have no regrets and would definitely purchase again.
But... reason for 2 stars:
1. Poor image quality in other than perfectly lit scenes (say in-door evening events vs. beach in full summer sun)
2. Sony claims to be able to get good image even in low light situations. True, but to the cost of losing color spectrum and fading the image sharpness.
3. Editing software is downright childish. No use for someone willing to do more than point-shoot and play.
4. Advice for more advanced users: file can be imported and edited in advanced editing software. I use Pinnacle Studio 10 Media suite and it works pretty nice. However, in this way the original 5.1 sound is lost and if you still want a 5.1 DVD, Pinnacle will do that for you but the sound will never have the same natural quality as the original.
5. Noticed same problem as the guy returning from Alaska. With one little adjustment: camera goes out of focus even if recording from a tripod a semi-static scene (say a choir) for more than 5 minutes.
6. Lack of any wind cancellation system is petty for a 1 grant camera. I also own a Panasonic VHS-C and a Panasonic mini-DV and their wind cancellation is outstanding. Lack of this function seriously spoils the otherwise exceptional sound system and renders it unusable without sound post-processing, for recording in the middle of the nature.
7. Even though direct DVD recording compensates for lack of fire-wire port, one would have been nice, even instead the completely useless USB 2.0. IEEE1394 is the only port most processing applications accept for digital capture.
8. Lack of a S-video port is another goof for a DVD recording camera.
Bottom line: if you already got one, try getting used to it and you may need to invest extr-money in purchasing video editing software to make for the camera's shortcomings. If you didn't, don't spend the money on it. This technology is still in its infancy and there's lot of room for improvement.
For a few minutes extra work you can put your files on your computer and then, when you have enough files to make it worth while, create a new "big DVD." Then you can just reformat your little disk and keep using it in your camera to take more video.
To do this,you must have a DVD drive on your computer. If you don't have one, invest a few bucks in getting an external one.
Also, be sure you record in DVD-RW Video (not VR) mode.
1. First use Picture Package (comes with the camera) to copy/convert the video from your little camcorder DVD-RW disk onto your hard drive in the form of individual .mpg files (You can do this by connecting your camera to your computer via the USP port, or, much more easily, just put the mini disk from the camera right into your DVD drive. )
2. Reformat your mini camcorder disk (which erases all the images) and keep on recording more video.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 until you have enough .mpg files on your hard drive to fill a large DVD.
4. Get a piece of software called TIMPGEnc DVD Author 1.6. You can get a free 30 day trial at http://www.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/guide.html
3. Using the Author 1.6 software, first convert all the .mpg files you select into DVD files (which will be stored on your hard drive), then, put a new (big) DVD in your DVD drive and, with one more click, burn the DVD files from your hard drive onto your DVD.
Took me only a few minutes of fooling around with the software to figure out how to do this. (And I'm no computer wizard.)
Now if there was an easy way to stream this stuff over the net, it'd be as useful as my still camera!
1. The choice between Mini-DV format and DVD media cameras: I decided on the latter, since I have an old 8mm camcorder, and one of the primary reasons I dont take footage anymore is the hassle I had to go through each time to transfer onto videocassettes or DVDs. Supposedly, this was a much faster process if I would be able to write directly to the 1.4GB DVDs, and then all I'd have to do would be to compose them onto bigger ones. Hence, I decided against mini-DV camcorders.
2. Once I decided on this type of format, then the rest of my choice was easy. At the time I bought my camcorder (~ Oct 2005), this was still by far the best DVD format camcorder available. Great quality video, 5.1 surround sound, exceptional in low light and took great stills. I was tempted by the Canon DC20, in that it was so much smaller and neater. However, since it was so new on the market, there were hardly any reviews and I was worried that it would just be a slightly better version of their DC10 (which seems to have significant picture quality issues).
Having gone with the DCR-DVD403, I have one big complaint: With the Sony software, there is no simple way to transfer over to a full size DVD. You can edit your files to some extent, but can only burn them back to another mini DVD in your camcorder, not to your DVD burner. Sure your DVD burner comes with software, but this only allows you to do Disc copies, i.e. put the entire contents of your 1.4GB Camcorder DVD onto a regular 4.7GB one... A waste of space. Even though I knew upfront that these camcorders were not very good for editing, I for sure thought there'd be a real easy way to put the contents of three mini-DVDs onto a regular DVD with a basic menu giving you a choice of which of the three you want to see at any point in time. Isn't this one of the big reasons why DVDs are better than videocassettes? As it turns out, I have to go buy Video editing software and any sort of file compilation (i.e.to compile ten 30 second clips into 1 large clip with/without editing, takes a very long time unless you have a super, super fast computer). Why again did I not go with a Mini-DV camcorder, I have to ask myself?? (see point 1).
I bought this to record my daughter's 4th birthday party and it did a fantastic job. The widescreen recording format rocks, audio is good and picture is unbelievably clear. I am comparing this to a 4 yr old JVC mini DV recorder. The DVDs are easy to use with great start-up (my wife can use no problem :-)).
I also love being able to pop the DVDs into the DVD player instead of attaching the camera to the TV.
When I don't want to mess around at all with the computer I just use the mini-DVD-R disks, finalize them, and pop them right into my DVD player when I want to watch them.
Besides the ease of use with my computer, the best things about this camera are:
The 3 megapixel camera results in fantastic MPEG videos and also great still images (saved in the mini-DVD disks as JPG files.) I can finally stop carrying both a camcorder AND digital camera because the DCR-DVD403's still images give me the image size and resolution that I want and the camera even has a flash for still images.
VR mode with the mini-DVD-RW disks let's me "on-the-fly" delete scenes I don't want. I couldn't do that with my mini-DV tape camcorder.
The viewfinder is great when I am recording something in very bright light (like at the beach) and I don't want to struggle with the LCD display. Just don't forget to extend the viewfinder when you use it or else the battery presses against your cheek too much. Also, you have to close the LCD for the viewfinder to turn on.
16x9 mode let's me create "movie-style" videos. I tested these on my friend's widescreen plasma TV and they fill up the whole screen without stretching and they look awesome on the huge TV screen!
The included Video-IN cable lets me connect my old camcorder to the new one to transfer my mini-DV tapes to mini-DVD. This is so much easier than using the computer and a capture card.
The sound is fantastic, especially when I heard it on my friends surround sound system while watching the videos on his plasma TV.
Low light shots are very good.
Accessories I plan on buying soon:
A charger that let's me charge my batteries outside of the camera.
Telescoping microphone for even more professional audio.
Wide angle lens adapter and various lens filters.
Sony also offers a video light that attaches to the top of the camera. The low light capabilities of the camera are great by itself but it will be nice to have greater control of lighting. The HVL-HFL1 video light also has a more powerful still image flash than the one that is on the camera.
However if you need customer service you are in deep trouble. My camcorder developed a problem after about 45 days - and it was my fault. I sent it out to their service center in CT. They could not fix it and sent it back as I had sent it to them. Nothing gained - nothing lost.
I called customer service and they assured me the Sony service center in Laredo TX could fix it. Nope. They could make it inoperable - could not fix it - and REFUSED to return it in the same condition I sent it to them. It was working when I sent it to them with just an annoying problem.
The folks I had called at Sony service now refused to help after they convinced me to send it to TX! By the way, the nicest thing about Sony is their warm computerized voice directing you to the department you need. After that it goes straight down. Incredible hold times- but when you get a human you will get lots of "sorrys" and "I apologize",and "oks" and "very well" but - zilch on help- unless you want to spend $800+ for a fixed camcorder.
Tried to contact a supervisor and was put on hold for a long, long time - and then got transferred to a voice mail. Tried again and I waited, and waited, and waited and waited.
The supervisor with whom I spoke reinforced the Peter Principle very well.
Sony service is about the worst customer service I have ever encountered - and I am older than TV.
Bottom line - I sent them this camcorder with a little problem and they returned it dead.
No amount of reasoning could persuade them to return my camcorder in the same condition I sent it to them. As great as this camera is - the customer service is just as poor.
The 403 is nice, but the miniDVD is too limited, specially if you want to edit a lot of video after shooting it like I do. No 1394 port was disappointing.
It's a good camera strictly for simple home movies and not much else. Well built, good features, but mpeg2 is just not as good as miniDV output...
Do your research before jumping into this one. Oh, getting -RW media is not all that easy either... A lot of places don't carry it and it's a tad expensive...
In any case, it works very well although I must say that, because of the price, you might want to try some alternatives like buying a DV camcorder and a combo DVD-RW/VHS recorder. Both cost less than this camcorder and have more funcionality together because you can record on both DVD and VHS from other sources like TV or satellite and you can have more capacity than the mini-DVD's used by this cam.
With DVD403 it is now a very simple step. once you finalise the mini disc, just have to transfer the files to your computer and burn them to a DVD. very good picture quality.
DVD403 also has an Easy Mode. with the press of a button, you are ready to use your camcorder. i only had to refer to the owners manual when it was time to finalise the disc.
take note though, the control for zooming in and out is very sensitive, takes a bit getting used to. there is a tendency to zoom in (or out) too quickly.
If you are looking for easy to use, practical and good quality camcorder, this camcorder is the answer.
The video quality is the best I've seen on digital video. The only problem there is that the video quality during a playback depends on the DVD player. My DVD player on computer shows the video shot with this camera with poor quality when the camera moves, the standalone DVD player pauses between different segments. But the best quality is when played from the camera itself. So, maybe it's worth to try Sony DVD player.
I chose the DVD-403 because I wanted to make DVD's, but I didn't want to be left with an outdated camcorder a few years down the road. I have recorded a dozen DVD's since I purchased it, and I'm THRILLED with the quality of every minute of footage. I get to enjoy my memories in high-definition with sharp 5.1-channel sound.
The camcorder is a pleasure to carry around. It is small, quiet, and lightweight. The touch-screen is my favorite feature. I like to play back my favorite clips for friends. The menus make it really easy to navigate to the right chapter on the DVD. Playback is fun to watch since the screen is so large and the volume can be adjusted to be very loud.
I haven't connected my DVD-403 to a computer yet. I'm excited to archive my footage. I plan to use the analog-video inputs on the camcorder to transfer my old VHS-C camcorder footage through the DVD-403 to my computer. This thing does it all!
Pros: Easy to use / Easy to finalize
Nice still pictures
Lightweight and compact
Great night shots
Movies look and sound great on my 57" wide screen HD tv
Easy to use LCD touch screen
Easy to switch between modes
Cons: Wind noise in background
Viewfinder won't tilt up
No memory slot
Bottom line is that I wanted a great DVD camcorder/camera and I found it. Could it be improved - absolutely but for whats out there now in the DVD format you can't get any better. I have made a half dozen DVD's already and the kids just love popping them into the DVD player and watching them over and over again.
Sony high quality product, the best sony camcorder.
Recommended.
Let me shed some light on the negative aspects of this camera. The only problems I have noticed are:
1) You will get just 20 minutes of recording on high quality videos.
2) If you move the camera too fast you will notice some jerks in the picture.
3) Doesn't have a built-in flash but it does have infrared capability. the quality of picture in infrared mode wont be that good.
4) Media is expansive and is hardly available in the market.
Now the positive aspects of this camera are:
1) Brilliant picture quality
2) Amazing sound quality
3) built-in hot-shoe
4) CDs can be finalized easily. All the functions are easy.
5) It's very compact camera.
6) Hybrid screen eliminates the need of buttons.
To read more information about this camera I would suggest you to visit Sony's website.
Fortunately, the unit was within Sony's short 90 day warranty, so I followed the Sony procedure for repair, which includes filling out a form on their web site. I was instructed to send my unit to Laredo, Texas. I called to find out repairs take 10 to 15 days (that is business days: 2-3 weeks), and that I must pay for shipping to Laredo, but that Sony will pay for return shipping. The email I received after submitting the repair form said that Sony had negotiated a shipping discount with the UPS Store.
I went to a UPS Store, where I was told that people come in all the time with these Sony failed products with 'discounted' shipping, but they had no idea how to discount my shipping- they have no mechanism to do so without a work order number, which was not provided by Sony. So I ended up spending $32 for three day (insured) shipping to Laredo, TX.
I bought this camera to shoot my first child's early life, and now I'm waiting for repair and round-trip shipping that will take approx. a month, and it has cost me $32.
Sad, I called Sony customer support, was pleasant to the rep, describing that I was disappointed and wanted faster repair. I was passed to a 'supervisor', waited 19 minutes to talk to her, and was told there was nothing they could do to speed repairs, pay for my shipping, or help me in any way.
My lesson: Be very careful before purchasing this unit, or anything else from Sony. I was very careful with it, stored the camera safely, and have a gear-grinding, unit killing failure. And the 'legendary Sony quality' gone bad is backed by a short warranty period and terrible repair policy.
I hope you can find another manufacturer with a better quality unit, longer warranty, and better in-warranty repair.
It really isn't hard, but it isn't very friendly either. If you are a no hassles Mac owner, you might want to skip these DVD camcorders.
The only thing that is not compatible with the MAC is probably the included S/W which is pretty useless for for most purporses. I like the whole idea of not having to wire the camera to the PC to access the recorded content (which is the case with MiniDV camcorders).
I have a 3 year old Sony camera, which I use in 1.2 megapixel that take very clear pictures.
I printed pictures in the same size took with both cameras, and the 1.2 megapixel, are excellent, bright and clear. The 3.2 megapixel stills from the DVD-403 are darker, and with no clarity.
Before his deployment he brouught it in to work and told of all the features and how AWESOME it was,
I had been thinking of purchasing a Sony DVD camcorder for some time, but it was a little spendy,
with a wedding coming up, my own I told my soon to be wife, we should go ahead and make the investment it is what we have been wanting and it is a Sony (we are both fans of Sony products) so we did.
When it arrived I opened the box plugged it in the wall, then the camera, the charger is built into the camera and I started recording my wife, the dogs, the cats, the bird, the iguana and anything else I could find within minutes we we're watching it on our DVD player in 5.1 surround sound.
The picture quality is amazing! and the 5.1 surrround sound is supreme! This model is very easy to use, I or my wife have yet to sit down to read the manuel thats how easy it is to use and the flip out monitor is crystal clear not to mention interactive the only drawback for me is the 10x zoom, but for 10x it does a good job on getting close-up, I would have liked 20x or more!!
I would also like to comment SP is the best quality of picture you will get 30 mins recording time (you can get a lot recorded in 30 mins) and LP is a little grainy but okay with 60 mins recording time.
Oh and the wedding recorded beautifully!
Pros: The list goes on, but here are the TOP 5
1) 3 MP CCD...!!! - And a 3.2 MP digital still camera with FLASH
2) 5.1 Surround sound recording - This rocks - (First I have ever heard about such a thing in camcorders.. was blown away)
3) Touch Screen - No messy buttons, very clean interface
5) Good battery life - Get the FP90 for an increased battery life
5) Clarity/Quality - is incomparable in this price range
Cons: (I am just being picky here, but Sony could improve this to make it the BEST)
1) Disc loading mechanism is a little difficult with the strap coming in the way
2) A memory stick slot could have been useful, though not necessary
3) A viewfinder that can tilt
4) It weighs a little over 1 lb with the battery, could be a little lighter
5) Price of DVD+/-RW discs
If you are contemplating b/w DVD203 and DVD403, go with the 403, you wont be disappointed ..!!!!
I was waiting for a DVD camcorder with least problems and good quality and finally
decided to buy Sony's DCR DVD 403 after reading reviews and information from
various web sites. Though it is not the perfect one, I am satisfied with the overall
quality and ease of use.
Video quality is very good if you are shooting outdoors and in High Quality (HQ) mode.
It's almost near to what you see on professional DVDs. Indoors, where light is low,
video is not as good as it is outdoors, it's somewhat grainy. Though I think I have
explore features of this camcorder to get good indoor video quality. Because the shooting
time in HQ mode is approximately 15 min. on a MiniDVD, you should use DVD-RW (You can
reuse DVD-RW after copying your video to a regular DVD or to your computer) and should carry
4-5 of them if you are going out. You can playback the DVD-RW without finalizing on your
TV or Computer by connecting the camera to the TV or Computer.
Also I had no problem in playing a finalized DVD-RW on my computer.
Overall creating a DVD is very easy on this camcorder, which was one of the main reason
I bought it.
Battery life is also good, I was able to shoot around 45 min. of video with lots of playback.
Of course the battery is new. So don't give-in to the scare tactics of the store salesman to
sell you additional battery.
Still-picture quality is very good and with the build in flash, there is no problem in taking
pictures in dark.
Overall this is a good camcorder for those who wants portability and quality (outdoors) of a DVD
and ease of use.
The bad: Video editing choices are terrible; didn't realize that mini-dvd's have limited choices due to their format. I couldn't use any of the three editing software I had purchased, and was limited to some pretty lame software that came with the camera. After a week of fairly intense use, I'm returning this one, but was impressed enough to be purchasing Sony's HC90 in its place.
Lastly, I didn't trust that the little plastic on-off/navigation switch would last a year.
We got both in the DCR-DVD 403 and after 60 shots are concluding that the 3MP Camera works very well. No other DVD cam corder in the sub $1500 price range comes close on resolution. And compared with other 3MP digital cameras, you'll be hard pressed to find a 10X optical zoom.
3 other mega pros:
1. It fires up quickly and is dang easy to use.
2. Video quality is very, very good.
3. The cool features like the 5.1 surround sound, night mode and touch screen are all very functional... and not just poorly spliced add-ons
The minor cons:
Little niggles... very little niggles...
-My first shots have colours looking a little to the blue spectrum, easily corrected with a post processing however.
-The power/mode switch/button...perhaps flimsy and am not convinced that's going to be a long life item... but have warranty
The lumpy battery hanging off the back dont fit with the overall form, colour and aesthetics (and generally in the shops I went to, you only the cam with the power adapter attached so its bit of a surprise.)
DVD "Finishing" has to be done before playing the DVD so you can't just plunk out the little disc half way through use and plop it in the home DVD player (like I told the other stakeholder in the purchase). Still if you want to do interim viewing... just use the play back mode on the 403... "Finishing" itself is just a few prods on the touch screen anyway.
Requests... would like to have seen an AtoD feature like the (3 CCD equipped) panasonics... transfering them old VCR tapes to DVD would have been cool. You cant have it all I guess.
But the professional and the amateur reviews you can read are pretty much on the money, for my money.
Dang good cam-corder.
Well done Sony.
Few would say that this is just my opinion, but believe me it is a fact. I went to the various stores and tried various handycams of different manufacturers and found that Sony DCR-DVD403 is the best among all keeping the money factor also in the mind.
Few good features:
- Easy to configure
- Has 3MP camera that provides you awesome pics
- Built-in flash
- Easy to handle and switching up the video/camera mode
- Light weight
- 10X zoom provides you the flexibility to take long distance snaps with much clarity
I am using it and the outcome is awesome !.
I'm sure that I can find some third party software out there that will enable me to convert the video, but right now I am EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED with this product- Sony's website offers virtually no support for those of us outside the PC world. Thanks for nothing, Sony.
However, I read a few good reviews about this one and since I buy mostly Sony products, I took the plunge.
Fact is, this thing is awesome. It's lightweight, easy to control and takes terrific pictures. I do mean pictures, too. It's got a 3 MP camera that's a snap to take pics with, though, you do have to be careful that you've stopped moving.
The camera has a built-in flash, which was lacking from an older model camcorder I had that allowed me to take stills. Timing seems perfect as well. (I've had the camera now for several months.) Also, changing back and forth between video and still mode is literally a flick of the thumb.
The camera itself holds up extremely well. I'd read previously that minor movements will completely hose up DVD recordings, but not on this thing. I was moving all over the place as I recorded the interior of a house I was looking at, and it adjusted extremely well to differing light conditions as well as to bouncy movement.
The settings for the camera are very easy to configure. The video screen is a touch screen and a lot of the confusing dials and buttons are removed from previous models of Sony recorders.
I purchase my DVD media on ebay for about a dollar a DVD (that's the RW's, btw, so I can reuse them. I'd recommend getting single sided ones, so that you can label the DVD. Found that out the hard way after buying 50 dual sided DVD's. At that cheap a cost, it's not worth it for the inconvience of not being able to label the disks.)
Oh, and though they warn you not to jiggle the camera during formatting or writing the disk, it's not THAT screwy. I was in a moving car, as well as jostled a bed that the camera was sitting on, and neither disk was ruined. So, I'd take the warning seriously, but no need to consider your media at that much risk.
THe only annoying thing is that Sony flashes a warning every time you start up the camera with a non Sony DVD in the recorder. Grrr.
Overall: Easy to use, fantastic zoom, very speedy startup, very fast recording, easy to retrieve both video and pictures from the DVD - I expect to be able to use this for 4+ years as I did my last Sony video recorder.
Video: The DVD403 has generally lifelike picture quality, but not quite as great as a 3 CCD model. The motion video seems to be derived from the 3 MP still sensor, so it's better than your average CCD video camera. HQ mode is better than miniDV but makes a disc last only 20 minutes. Also, the touchscreen is the only way to change settings, which is a little awkward.
Audio: Amazing! True 5.1 surround sound is recorded from a ring of microphones on the top of the unit. When played back on a stereo TV with headphones, the moment is reproduced exactly as you remembered. I haven't tried it on a surround receiver. The only drawback here is there are no 1/8" jacks of any sort, only a hotshoe for a fixed microphone on top of the camera.
Connectivity: Well, the software is buggy and restrictive and requires a USB 2.0 card. The most versatile formatting mode is VR on DVD-RW discs, allowing deletion of individual scenes. However, VR mode is only supported by a few DVD players and can be captured to PC by very few editing programs.
Overall, this camera captures life with great fidelity just as a roll of Kodachrome did in the 1950's. However, also like a slide, it's hard to do much with it after you've created the recording.
I was initially pleasantly surprised by the small size of the Camcorder and its simple interface. I was also impressed by both video picture (3.3 mega pixel CCD) and sound quality. The DVD is a real plus for me as I use DVD+RW, and these are both re-recordable and recognizable by my laptop (Sony Vaio), so I have no compatibility complaints. Overall, I rate the Sony DCR-DVD403 very highly for those who want a quality point-and-shoot camcorder that is easy to carry around.
Would someone please respond who owns this camera/camcorder?
You have to however really watch for it to notice the drops (since it only drops one frame now and then). This appears as a sudden jump of a moving object as opposed to a smooth movement.
Just to rule out the possibility of bad media or the player I tried different media as well as another DVD player with the same results.
I hope this is only a problem with my unit, I'm going to try and exchange it for another one. Those of you that already have the camera please check your videos again carefully to see if you notice any sudden jumps and post your results.
Other than this problem the camera is great but for a camera at this price point dropping frames is unacceptable.
One other thing I have to mention about this camer is its awesome multi channel audio. I recorded some scenes outdoors with kids playing and birds chirping all around, then I played it back at home with 5.1 channel speakers and it sounded like I was back outdoors!. The surround effect was simply incredible.
UPDATE: I tried the videos with a Sony DVD player and I stopped seeing the dropped frames. So, there could be compatibility issues with DVD players (the other players I used were one from Apex and another from Samsung).
I received the camcorder last night and was anxious to get some test footage of my daughter before she went to bed. To save time, I skipped reading the directions and went straight to fiddling with the camera. With absolutely no difficulty or direction I was able to snap on the battery pack, plug the camera to AC power, pop in a disc, and begin recording my daughter's silly bed time antics.
Now it was time to play it in the DVD player. A freind had told me that you need to "finalize" the disc before you can play it in a DVD player. So, after a moment of hunting in the setup menu I found and selected the "finalize" option. A little whirring and a grave warning not to vibrate the camera, and a few minutes later the disc was done.
I placed the disc in the DVD player still believing this was too good to be true, but there it was. My daughter giggling and singing in 16:9 aspect ratio on my big TV, with no wires and no need to boot up my computer. Within 30 minutes of pulling the camera out of the box I was playing a freshly recorded movie without having to glance at the manual. I can't say enough about the ease of use.
And, the quality is top notch. I'm no expert but I have an older Sony Mini-DV and I've been exposed to home movies made on a number of different cameras. The picture quality on this one is as good or better than any video camera I've ever seen. But it was the sound quality that shocked me.
As I sat watching my daughter sing on camera I heard her singing in front of me. Then, I was startled to hear the sounds of my wife and I laughing and coaxing her comming from the surround speakers behind me. That's right, this thing records in Dolby 5.1 surround sound!
So far, I've only recorded two discs worth of material, and I haven't even gotten into exploring the more advanced features of the camera, but it does everything I want it to do. Incredible ease of use. High quality digital picture and sound. The only drawback I see is the $5-$8 price tag per blank disc. But as one reviewer mentioned you can transfer your movie to a much cheaper full size CD-R using a DVD recorder or your computer. Then you can reuse the same $8 mini disc over and over again.
Either way, it's a small price to pay for such a convenient and high quality product.
This is the first miniDVD camcorder that has worked it out in terms of ease of use, reliability, and picture quality. Sure, in 2-5 years we will all be using blu-ray digital cameras that will hold 2 hours of HD video on 1 disk, making the paltry 21 minutes of high quality video (1 hour on low quality setting or 30 minutes on normal quality)seem quaint, but until then this one is it.
UPDATE-- I've have the camera a couple of weeks now. I'm feeling better about the bundled software--it turns out a lot of the bugs that I initially experienced using the software were due to codec issues and not the software itself. I actually find the software, although basic in it's features, pretty useful and stable. For those who want to edit their videos more extensively, Windows Movie Maker is free from Microsoft and handles the MPEG2 video format used by this camera very well.
The camera itself is a joy to use. I have found that 21 minutes of high quality video per disc is not as restrictive as I once thought-- having the power to edit my videos (ie cut out the garbage)makes that 21 minutes go a long way. And the media itself is not expensive-- I just bought 20 miniDVD-Rs online for $20.
Overall, a great choice--it gives me the option to burn my video right away and watch it on my DVD player at home, or if I feel like it I can download it to my computer and edit it and then burn it and watch it. Either way, a winner.
After enjoying this beauty for almost a year I had to put it in storage for a year because of lens cap. Thanks for the trik on an online review by some one, it worked for me like a cham. This is what I did..
Bought a compressed air dust cleaner (we normally use this to clean the computer key board to clean dust) for 5 bucks at Office Depot with small pipe attached in front of it. Kept the pipe in the lense cover and blew it for 5-6 times. I switched on the camera no use. I tried couple of times again. Magic... My camera lens cover finally opened. It worked, after 1 year the lens cover opened.
It's been 5 months and the camera is working fine. If the lens cover jams again I am going to repeat the same trik.
So please don't waste your money by sending it back to Sony for repair.
I had seen this issue for this product in many web sites. Please pass this trick to others so they don't waste their money.
Enjoy,
Dayakar.
Don't rely on Sony. I used to be a big fan of sony. I purchased Sony DCR-DVD403 3MP DVD Handycam a year back for $999.00 and now the lense (automatic) doesn't open. I called Sony and they said it will cost $311.00. I asked is there any warranty that once you repair it wouldn't happen again. They said NO. I thought rather speding $311 on this better go for a new MINI DV. what a waste. I had seen so many reviews lately with similar issue on SONY products. So pl do some research and think before you buy.
Below was the review that I gave as my first impression. But this is only if my lense cover opens. Now the camcorder is in my store room.
I bought this camcorder about a month back. I finished recording my first DVD and the quality of the picture is awesome. This is my first camcorder and I am already in love with it. I have SONY DSC-T1 with 5 MP and now this camcorder has builin flash with 3.1 MP I am rarely using my DSC-T1 for taking pictures. I would say it is worth the cost. I suggest you buy it and you won't be dissappointed.
Decided to go with it, and I must say it is one fantastic camcorder, quality is great, low light is not that bad either. Built in flash for stills work great and quality still quality is great also. I have no need for my digital camera anymore. Is convenient to store both video and stills on the same dvd.
Havent used the software for editing yet, from the reviews ive read it isnt that great, but dont expect to to do that much editing. Finalizing the dvd creates an own dvd menu, again great feature.
Touch screen is A+, 16:9 recording works well. 5.1 surround sound is great add on. Battery life on packaged battery gives good recording time.
I was skeptical of the only 30 min recording time on SP mode on the camera. mini dv's offer 60 min, but after recording a couple of dvd, you really don't realize how long 30 minutes is. SHould be ample for a standard home video. There is a setting at LP mode for 60 minutes, haven;t tried it yet, but will. My guess is that I won't notice a big difference.
Overall my opinion is that if your the average user, wants great quality footage easy to use, this camcorder is for u. I personally cant tell the difference between a 3ccd camera. It is pricey, but i think sony has set a new standard in DVD camcorders.
And then I was browsing for a replacement for the M50, and I saw the priliminary reports for the 403, no reviews were present but the specifications were very promising, about 10 times the resolution for the M50 and 3 times the resolution of the best DVD camcorder out there, flash for stills, cool lens, dolby digital sound, together with the small size and the convenience of the DVD camcorders. I saw that all the issues that were held against Sony DVD camcorders in reviews were addressed in this one. So, I decided to buy it, and I LOVE IT. Everything that I wanted in a camcorder is there, great colors, great sound, great resolution, great picutre on a 52 inch TV, great stills, the flash makes them come to life and the resolution is very good, comparable quality to the stills produced by my Canon S410, and you can record stills and videos on the same DVD, and watch both on your DVD player. And it is sooo easy to use, I finished my first DVD-R before even I went through 1/4 of the catalogue, buttons are intuitive and convenient. I agree with the previous reviewer about the finger prints on the screen from using it to make adjustments, but when the screen is on you do not see them at all. And imagine how proud I was about my purchase infront of my husband and kids, when I was able to pop the finalized DVD into our DVD player few minutes after I just finished recording.
I was researching DVD camcorders for few months before I bought this one, and the bottom line is, if money is not an issue for you, then consider this one, if you compare the specifications, this camcorder is in a category of it's own compared to any other DVD camcorder out there. I am in love with it, and I have been shopping for accessories for it already. It is worth every penny I paid.
After I read reviews by S. George and got other website's preliminary information, I decided that is time for me to get one. I used it to record my daughter's Piano Recital and found its picture of true DVD5 quality. The recording is sharp and crisp. I would suggest setting mic to low instead of high, if possible, to reduce hissing noise. But in general, the hissing noise is very low and acceptable. There are a lot of finger prints on the LCD display because I have to set special effects using its softkey on screen.
A 21 minutes of recording(in High Quality mode)is enough for any event. Sonystyle.com mentions that DVD player have problem recognizing recorded 16:9 format in DVD+RW and will display as 4:3 format instead. For that reason, I used DVD-R and DVD-RW exclusively in my camcording.
It's startup time is fast except when using non-Sony mini-DVD. It displays "WARNING" when non-Sony mini-DVD is used. It lasts for 2 seconds that blocks the view of picture on screen. There is no such warning when use Sony mini-DVD! Give me a break! We cannot affort to buy Sony products all the time!
To sum up, I highly recommend this product to people with good video & sound quality in mind.
Happy camcording...
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Updated May 10, 2005.......check out www.camcorderinfo.com, its review is a very detail. Hope it helps.
Video quality is outstanding; I'm recording everything in 16:9 with the highest quality possible (the camcorder records in low, medium and high quality yielding 1 hour, 30 minutes or 20 minutes of recording time per dvd) and surround sound. The camera picture quality is good but not exceptional.
I've heard of horrible startup times in previous DVD camcorders and am happy to say that after you turn this on you only have to wait a few seconds to start recording. With DVD media, you do need to format the disc one time, which takes about 20 seconds, but that is a one time cost. You also need to finalize DVD-R or DVD-RW media (you don't need to finalize DVD+RW). The cool thing with DVD-RW is that you can unfinalize it and keep recording.
There are a few things on this camcorder that really stand out:
- Super quick startup
- When you take pictures they are stored on the DVD instead of a memory stick. You can record video and pictures on the same DVD.
- The night shot mode is really cool, let's you see in the dark
- The touch screen is really cool, much better than having a million buttons on the camcorder.
- 16:9 support and 5.1 surround sound is really cool.