When I was first looking for a new video camera to make my films on, I wasnt even looking at MiniDV. I was actually looking at the $3,000.000 Canon professional DV camera. After hours of searching online, I finally found a video camera that I didnt even expect to buy. The DCR HC90. And, man, am I glad that I bought it! I was really looking for something sleek and professional, with exceptional quality. So I knew that I had to go with Sony. I read previous reviews for this camera, and I was wondering how such amazing quality could come out of something so small. And I didnt even totally realize how small the camera was until I recieved it. I have relatively large hands and the camera is the size of my palm! The camera has a very durable and sleek look to it. If this were a cell phone, it would be like Motorolla's RAZR v3 phone. It is so tiny and compact! The supersteady shot is AMAZING! I was thinking I was going to need a dolly for the set of my new movie, but it turns out that I didnt need one, because the steady shot is so perfect, it naturally looks like I'm panning and dollying. IT'S SO PERFECT! The LCD screen gives off ABSOLUTELY CRYSTAL CLEAR PICTURE! And its in TRUE 1.85:1 Widescreen! Which is very helpful for me, considering I am making professional films to send out to big time festivals. The special lens, which does auto focus for you, is absolutely INCREDIBLE! When I hooked my camera up to my TV (which isnt even a hi-def tv), I was blown away with how crystal clear the picture was, and how perfect the focus was. When I was watching the video footage I filmed for my new feature, my friends walked in, and asked me what DVD I was watching because the quality is so unbelievably perfect! All of the features are listed on the camera's LCD touch screen, which impressed many of my cast and crew on the set of my film. (I reccomend a screen protector, just because you are going to constantly touch the screen.) The touch screen is 100% perfect with no flaws! It even has little cartoons that show you what the camera will do! Absolutely stunning! I also bought the compatible 4 channel wide stereo microphone. THE AUDIO IS CRYSTAL CLEAR! YOU COULD LITERALLY HEAR A PIN DROP! The compatiblity between the microphone and camera is exceptional! The camera lets you choose what type of audio you want to record, and records it in its original, pristine condition. It sounds EXACTLY like if you were back at your filming location. And looks exactly like you ARE THERE!
This camera does EXTREMELY well with computer hookups for digital editing. My previous camera lost alot of quality in the camera to computer transfer, and with the HC90, I dont lose one speck of color, or one beat of sound! ITS ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! THIS CAMERA IS A MUST BUY FOR ANYONE LOOKING FOR A HIGH QUALITY, EXTREMEMLY EASY TO USE, AND REWARDING VIDEO CAMERA! My new film actually looks like it was filmed on 35mm, and it is impressing many people when I pull out the camera, they are blown away with the exceptional quality of this little camera!
WORTH EVERY PENNY!

I picked this little gem up at the Sony store less than a month ago. They had all their camcorder models lined up on the shelf and the HC90 stood out like a Beauty Queen on a Catwalk. The overall design is an aesthetic masterpiece and fits ever-so perfectly in the palm of one's hand. It is super light weight and you can carry it around effortlessly for hours (it is compact enough to fit in your trouser pocket). All the basic controls are easily accessible to thumb and fingers, and it couldn't be easier to operate.
This is my first camcorder so I was under the impression that I would have some intensive study of the included manual ahead of me. I was mistaken. All I had to do was skim the first few pages and I was off and running (albeit in Easy Mode).
I have read some critical reviews of Sony camcorders bemoaning their compatibility with third party components, such as PC's. Nothing further could be from the truth! I own a Mac Powerbook. I took a few snaps in Picture Mode and the USB cable loaded them seamlessly into iPhoto. I picked up a cheap 4 to 6 pin Firewire cable at RadioShack, connected the device to my Powerbook and iMovie instantly downloaded the widescreen video footage without any prompting. And it was the same ease of operation in connecting it to my TV, my VCR and my DVD player. I can honestly say that I have never encountered a piece of high technology that operated with such ease and joyful simplicity. I have already shot hours of video without further consulting of the manual and the included software disc remains in its sealed envelope. This little gem seems almost organic in its construction and operation.
At 3.3 MP, the still photos are quite excellent and the panoramic option is a real cool feature. The video is superb. I live out in the forest and I can only describe the image quality as true to life. The built in microphone is excellent. When I reviewed some footage shot out in the swamp it was as though the bull frogs were singing right in my living room! The only drawback is that it amplifies anything stronger than a light breeze, but I found that this can be minimized by closing the LCD display and taking advantage of the camcorders sleek exterior design.
The battery life can also prove irksome if you like extended shootings.But for a modest investment you can purchase a battery with twice the life.
Do I like my new DCR-HC90 Camcorder? No! I absolutely LOVE it!!! It is so portable and easy to use that you can just take it everywhere without even thinking about it, and it attracts looks of admiration and envy wherever it goes.
The one I bought was the last one in stock. The salesman whom attended to me said the model was selling like hot cakes, and even though it was the priciest item on display, they were literaly flying off the shelves into the eager hands of happy customers. It is easy to see why.I have a Canon G6, a fine device in its own right. Since I acquired my HC90, it is more or less collecting cobwebs in a forgotten corner of my cabin.

I did quite a bit of homework before purchasing the HC-90. I wanted High quality DV in a 16:9 format. I own a 42" Sony LCD HDTV and I wanted sharp, high quality performance.

Other factors for me: Solid build (exterior), and good quality parts (interior). Firewire, size, ease of use, MiniDv, and price.

Things that I got but didn't expect:

size- When the package arrived, I was surprised at the size of the box it came in. It is small. When I opened the box, I was even more surprised at the size of the camera. I was expecting something compact but this little camera is small. I own a JVC MiniDV camera and it is about twice the size and 4 times as heavy. I wanted a small camera but thought that I would have to sacrifice some functionality for size. Well, I didn't. I don't think that I would want a smaller camera or it would start becoming difficult to push the correct buttons without looking around the camera first.

Still shots- I have read some comments that this camera doesn't take quality still pictures. I didn't buy it for that but this camera takes really nice photographs and in 16:9 format so it is just like having a wide angle lens. If you email your images or make DVD slide shows, this camera can take some quality shots. I have email some of the pictures to family and I had to resize them all to make them a lot smaller in dimension and subsequently, the images became sharper and details stood out. The flash works just as well as any other still digital camera I have owned. More than adequate for emailing or sharing on the web. I will be leaving my Olympus still camera behind on family outings because the HC-90 can take its place.

Motor function- I was simply amazed at the motor and function of the motorized parts in this camera. This thing is fast. Really fast. My JVC is a 3 year old piece of clunky crap compared to the HC-90. When you are playing back a movie and want to scan forward quickly, there is no waiting around for it to change gears, it does it instantly. The push button LCD is very responsive and the camera will take commands without clunking and whining. It rewinds very quickly. It sounds solid and it performs. I am most pleased with this surprise.

Things I expected (the good)

The video quality- So far it has been awesome. As I said earlier, I own a 42" Sony Widescreen and to see the entire screen filled with video is a delight for me. The colors are rich and the details are fine enough to satisfy me. The camera seems to handle 16:9 perfectly. My wife was astonished at the quality when she first saw it. I used the camera in low light mainly. Dimly lit rooms with lamps. The steady shot works great, giving a flowing look to video when you are walking around. The colors remained bright in low lit areas and in the sun, colors are rich. I messed around with some of the features and they all look good. My wife is a point and shoot person and I taught her to push the easy mode button and she was off. No teaching her how to use it. Common sense is all you need.

Dumping DV to my MAC G4 PowerBook- I plugged it in via firewire, IMovie picked up the camera instantly and I began dumping DV as well as editing. That was all there was to it. I haven't even looked at the software that Sony sent. IMovie also recognized the 16:9 ratio and set up my project accordingly. Quick Time and the Sorenson 3 codec had to be fed the aspect ratio manually. I have to figure out pixel sizes with a calculator. I plugged in the USB cable to the camera and my MAC and the MAC mounted the volume and imported my images flawlessly. I also did the same with my WINXP PC. Just plugged in the USB cable and Voila. It showed up as a new drive in My Computer.

I also used the HC90 for ICHAT on my MAC laptop. The guy on the other end said he got great video from me. The chat session was between Hawaii and Ireland.

Build Quality - Awesome. There is NO creaking (like my JVC). The camera is ergonomically great for my hands and my wife also agrees. All of the buttons are in the right place. The touch panel LCD is wonderful for me. It is solid and I don't worry about it ripping off when opening it and when you close it, it makes a satisfying thud like it was meant to be slammed shut in a hurry. The top loading of the tapes is great. No need to lay the camera on its side or anything like that. I can change the tape while the camera is plugged in to fire wire and the power simultaneously. The camera is very light but built very, very well. I am totally pleased with the build quality. It feels like a Sony. The zoom button is light or easy to manipulate but it can either zoom slowly or very quickly. It is quite sensitive and took a little getting used to. My old JVC felt like it was going to crumble in my hand and the mechanisms seemed so fragile but this camera feels like it can be handled with less apprehension.

Things that could be an issue but not as of yet.

The pry open plastic doors for cable plug in access - To charge the battery, you have to pry open one of the plastic covers to access the inputs. I can understand that these covers protect the jacks from dirt, etc. Some have said that they may easily become detached in the future. I beg to differ. My JVC has the same type of protective covers and I have not broken them off in 3 years. I was always prying on them because I am always plugging firewire, etc in to the ports. They never broke and most likely never will. I think the hinge is that annoying plasic that never breaks no matter how much you flex it. The more you use the covers, the more plyable they becaome and easier to access. The sony covers are good quality and I doubt these will ever be an issue. It is somewhat inconvienient to charge the camera because you have to open the cover first. The stand alone chargers are not that expensive and I purchased a spare battery so it might be worth getting the charger.

Memory Stick Pro - I spent a bunch of money for a Memory stick original for my Sony Still camera and it will not work in this DV Camcorder. The little one that they sent in not adequate. Looks like I will have to buy another one soon. I wish I did not.

Lens cover - This camera has a shutter that opens when you turn the power on so that you don't have to fiddle with lens covers. I absolutely love this feature but, dirt, sand, crap can collect in that area even though the lens will be protected. There are threads there for lenses and filters. There should have been a plain glass lens there to occupy and protect that area from the elements. I will most likely get a cheap filter to screw in there and protect the fine threads.

All in all, I love this little camera and I am sure that my family will enjoy it for years to come. Between this, my 12" MAC PowerBook, my 42" Sony HDTV, and living in Hawaii, I think I have what I need for ample amounts of fun.

I haven't put the camera through its paces, yet but so far so good.

There is almost nothing I can say in the negative about this camera. While I will acknoledge that the auto-focus is a little "tardy" as pointed out by many other reviewers out there, it's not going to make me want something different...unless it's full HDTV capablity. But that comes at a much higher cost, although new models are appearing at more attractive price points.

I really love the 16:9 capablity and that was one of the prime reasons I bought this camera. Picture quality is excellent and all the controls I use feel comfortable and accessable to my hand. This is a small device with big capablity!

Amazon's price was also the best going and delivery via their partner was fast with appropriate packaging.

The cam is great for users who don't want to fidget with manual controls. Better in low light than any other MiniDV cam I tried, and great color reproduction, although a bit saturated. No tape noise, Optura 60 is very close and probably a bit better in the daylight, but can't even come close in low light.
What I didn't appreciate is Amazon.com selling me this camcorder for $807, and saying it will take 2-3 weeks to ship. Later I receive an email that said it would be another 2-3 weeks. I went on the site to see if that's the case and they had them in stock, but at a jacked up price of $830. I did call them and got them to immediately send me the camera at the price I paid for it. So I got it cheaper and only had to wait 4 days to have it shipped, but all b/c I was anal enough to investigate. That's a poor selling technique I didn't expect from Amazon.

This is the fourth camcorder I've owned, and it's definitely the best. I couldn't believe how small and light it was when I first took it out of the box. Other features I like:
> Wide screen recording looks great on wide screen and regular size TVs
>Touch-screen controls are much easier to use than buttons while recording
>Long battery life
>Great still pictures -- I don't need to carry a separate digital camera
>Video is sharp, bright, and the colors are vivid

Bought my Sony HC90 a month ago and am very pleased with it; purchased it primarily for the lower light capacity, which the HC90 does provide...excellent vidio in dim in-house light, and in good light. The "Easy" mode is great for both taking and viewing. I have not done much with the manual controls, but there are ample. Takes good still picts as well. Very compact and easy to use one handed. I looked at many others locally, but ordered the HC90 unseen; glad I did. Steve in ME.

There is currently a known issue with many of the Sony Camcorders. This is being called the "black screen of death".

What happens is that the camera works great for 1-2 years then the CCD goes out like a light. The camera will not take video again.

Sony is evasive if not downright deceitful about this issue when you call tech support. The fact is Sony does not stand behind their product. If this happens to you, Sony will not own the defect and you will be out hundreds of dollars.

There is a lengthy thread on CNET on this issue. Search for Sony black screen.

Wishing you luck in the purchase of your (not Sony) video camera,
Scott

The DCR-HC90 is a fantastic little camcorder that performs well in all types of settings. It might be the best consumer camcorder for recording in low/dim light. For more information, photos and clips, visit my website:
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Was upgrading from an old Sony Trv-130 hi-8 digital camcorder. What a difference in every aspect. From size to options to exposure there is no comparison. What almost looked dull pale reddish, bordering on black and white and full of high grain from my old 130 now comes out crisp, colorful with no real visible grain from the HC90. Unfortunately as with any camera this camera will perform the best in adequate light. My problem with my trv-130 was that I do mostly shooting indoors and pro lighting setups on a whim are unrealistic for me so I have to make do with 100 watt bulbs and they do the trick with this camera. Awesome color, and crisp detail and I really love
the true widescreen and progressive modes. They give my videos a unique film like look to them. Other than that you will love this cameras low light capability which was the clincher for me in getting this unit. That all the features combined make it a must buy.

Tons of features, love the touch screen! Easy to use in "Easy Mode" Superior picture quality. Typical Sony stuff, ya gotta love it!

I checked the 3CCD from Panasonic and the Canon camcorders. In that price range this is the best I found (if you have the extra money, the new HDV camcorder from Sony might be your best bet!).

IMPORTANT:The CCD issues referred in other user comments are REAL (although I don't know if it will also apply to this new model). It actually happened on my previous Sony. I purchased a 5 years warranty from Sony for my DCR-HC90. 5 years is a good product life so I will take the risk of CCD failure after that period and ENJOY this GREAT product until then!

Great features are: small but feels solid, 3 megapixel pictures (impressive quality for camcorder), incredible low light performance, nice touch screen, great features. Battery life is actually not too bad from original battery but you might need an extra.

What I did not like: CANNOT take full size pictures in camera mode (only in memory mode), limited zoom compared to most new camcorders and lots of required extra (SVideo cable, ILink cable, video light, decent size memory stick, extended warranty). I am still giving this a 5-stars overall.

after six months of use it's one of the best handycam i ever tried, you just need to get an extra battery and of course a screen protector.

Like other reviewers, I researched this purchase carefully and was very pleased with the overall performance of this combination video/still camera. Video quality is great.

Some issues - buttons are designed for holding the camera eyepiece to the eye. The secondary controls on the screen are ok, but otherwise it is awkward to use the camera at waist level. Still camera focus is slow and unreliable. Stills can take "forever" to snap - especially #2, 3.

Finally, the camera has completely shut down on me twice in 6 months and I am sending it back again for service - just before the holidays when I would really like to have it. This unreliability is unacceptable.

I shopped around for a while before I bought this camera. I checked out many reviews and I have to say, I'm VERY happy with this camera. I wanted something that worked in low light. This was the most important feature I was looking for. I had a Canon video camera, and I now have very few videos of my daughter growing up because if there wasn't enough light it would make interference on the tape. This camera works very well with normal indoor lighting. You don't have to turn on extra lights. (It also has nightvision which works in very low light)

The only complaints I have are 1) the battery doesn't last more than an hour - but I don't video that long anyway 2) the memory stick doesn't hold many pictures - but I'm spoiled with my digital camera holding lots.

In general, I would highly recommend this camera. You can download the video to you PC really easily and burn it to DVD.

Oh, and in some reviews it mentions that the zoom is hard to use. I don't find that to be true at all. It is sensitive, but not hard to use.

As an owner of the Sony DCR-HC30 model DV Handicam, I want to warn everyone about my horrible experience with this product line. Design and feature-wise, these Handicams are great. The problem is, they are built like junk.

From the day I opened my box, I got a message that told me that the heads were dirty and needed to be cleaned. In retrospect, I should have returned it for a replacement then and there. But being a basically optimistic guy, I decided it just got dirty in transit, and I got a head cleaner and cleaned the heads. It worked fine for about 30 days - just about the amount of time in Sony's crappy labor warranty. And from that point forward, I have gotten dirty head messages constantly, which at first could be `cleaned away,' but now, even when the message is gone, problems persist.

I often get bars across the screen during playback, and I have already determined that I have lost many a precious memory of my infant children. Sony's solution to this situation is their standard "flat rate" repair program, truly a bargain for $250 or so - more than half what I paid for the camera in the first place.

And Sony wonders why their brand value has all but disappeared? They are just another electronics brand now, and one with sub-par quality and service at that. Guess I'll be buying Samsungs or Canons next time around.

Are you listening, Sony?

I purchased this camera in May of 2005 and LOVED it. Quality is great, size is great. No complaints whatsoever. Then suddenly in early December the lense cap had problems opening and closing. Nothing was done to the camera to cause this. I took pristine care of it. The problems continued for a few weeks and then last week, it stopped opening for good. I went through Sony's website and found out it is going to cost me a minimum of $129 plus tax to get it fixed. That is an absolute disgrace for a 9 month onld product that cost me $800 at the time. I will never purchase another Sony electronics product.

This is one of the best camcorders in the market today and I would definitely recommend it to anyone planning to buy a Mini-DV camcorder

Positive factors:
- Very small and easy to hold with one hand. Can be easily attached even to a mini-tripod with ease.
- Excellent widescreen video and hi-fi audio. Your videos finally get that "Hollywood" feel when you shoot movies in 16:9 ratio (widescreen format). Even if you don't have a widescreen TV currently, you will very soon have one as more and more people are buying them. So its better to buy this camcorder and shoot in 16:9 format to enjoy your movies later in widescreen format.
- Includes widescreen rotatable LCD so what you see is what you get when you shoot in 16:9 ratio (widescreen format)
- Good battery life. One extra battery is enough. You can easily manage a day's worth of shooting with two batteries before recharging them again
- Includes docking station making it easier to connect to computer or TV. If you have a good computer with a firewire port, please buy a firewire cable to connect the camcorder to your computer. You can download your movie in excellent clarity in .avi format and edit it as required
- Make sure to change the audio setting to 16 bit (instead of the default 12 bit) for very good hi-fi audio
- Touchscreen menu system is great. You don't have to search for any buttons as they are all available in the touchscreen menu itself.
- 10X optical zoom is more than sufficient for ordinary home videos. Anything more produces more "shaking" and would necessiate the use of a tripod. When you shoot without a tripod, 10X is the best zoom you can achieve without worrying about shaky videos
- Widescreen still photo. The photo clarity is OK not too good. So please don't expect great shots. Since the photo is in 16:9 format, you can take panoramic photos and cover more people in group shots
- Nightshot: Cool feature that records using infrared light. Useful for shooting at night as you can record a video even in 100% darkness
- Color widescreen viewfinder - Very useful when you are running down on batteries and need to use the viewfinder. The color widescreen viewfinder gives an excellent picture and is as good as the LCD in clarity

Negative factors:
- Outdoor videos especially in bright sunlight are overexposed. So please adjust the white balance when shooting outdoors. Add the white-balance menu to your shortcuts so that you can easily access it and return to default once you start shooting indoors
- Sensitive microphone may pick up button clicks (best to turn off the button click "beep" sound).

Notes:
- Use a fresh cassette after recording 2 or 3 times on the same cassette. The head tends to get dirty if you re-record on the same cassette more than 3 times
- You can edit movies in Windowx XP using Windows Movie Maker, but beware it does not support 16:9 ratio video. Hence your videos look ugly as you shot them in 16:9 but Movie Maker converted it to 4:3. Invest in Pinnacle Software version 9 or 10 for better movie editing capabilities. Pinnacle is the only software, I am aware of, that preserves teh 16:9 ratio. Even Roxio could not allow 16:9 format.
- You can also invest in wide-angle lens as it gives excellent coverage

Tuve este camara por año y medio, la usa bastante. Cualquier dia simplemente dejo de funcionar. Se daño el bus de datos que esta al lado del carro del cassete. Se daño simplemente por "mucho uso" o mas bien falta de calidad. Además la camara tiene problemas cuando enfoca fotografias. Es muy linda pero muy, muy delicada. No volvere a comprar filmadoras Sony me pase a Canon, que son menos lindas pero mas fuertes.