I bought this camera and here is my assessment so far:

PROS:
1. Small. I would very happy with the size when I opened the box as I was worried that a HDV camera and quality lens would make for a large camera. No, it's no a tiny camera, but comparable to most mid-priced bodies in the market. But unlike the mid-market cameras, the HC1 is a HDV power house.

2. Image quality is breath taking. If you are a new parent or just want your images to stand the test of time, this is a great camera to invest in now since the future is HD

3. Feels great in your hand. Solid build and feel.

CONS:
1. Camera is slightly front-heavy. This is not a big deal since you will need a bigger batter which balances the weight perfectly (see next comment.)

2. Standard battery is simply not acceptable. Gets about 40 minutes of recording time, if you are lucky. Get the xxx71 Sony battery at a minimum or the xxx91 for extended recording (although this batter is very long and heavy. I went with the 71 and am pleased with it.)

3. Memory stick. When is Sony going to understand this is terrible for customers and they should simply use standard memory not this proprietary crap?

4. Only 'OK' in low light situations. Not bad, mind you, and better than 95% of the cameras on the market which all struggle with this, but for a 2K camera, I was hoping for a little better. But again, the low light is acceptable.

5. No firewire cable. This is a must for putting movies on your computer, and the fact that you have to spend another 40 bucks for it after dropping 2 grand on the camcorder is simply insulting. Sony, needs to get its act together and not cheat its prosumer customers.

On balance, I think this is a great camcorder and a great investment in capturing your memories in the format of the future.

Finally, as another poster mentioned, working in HD (and video in general) is definitely easier on a Mac.

My wife who hates technology loves doing video and pictures on her Mac, and easily shares them on her .Mac account. If you are consider this camcorder--or any other for that matter--definitely consider investing in a Mac too. It makes the post production a ton of fun and a highly creative process vs. "trying to figure basic things out for hours on end like her PC experience."

The Sony HDR-HC1 is a groundbreaking camcorder that brings the ability to record high definition video down to the level of consumers (albeit high end ones at current prices.) It's not completely perfect, with both battery life and editing needing some improvement, but it's one of those rare gadgets that actually lives up to the hype. Given the breakthrough it represents it deserves 5 stars.

Until now, HD-capable cameras have been expensive, big, and fairly complicated for the non-videographer, with most to date really aimed at the 'prosumer' market rather than the point and shoot consumer crowd. Even with 2 years of the nominally-consumer friendly HDV recording format under Sony and JVC's belts, the hardware really wasn't there - taking an HDR-FX1 on that most common of camcorder uses, a vacation, meant you needed a case larger than many carry-on bags and a whole slug of accessories. At 1.5 lbs, this comfortably fits in my hand and nicely solves the size problem. I've actually stuffed this in a large Bermuda shorts pocket and it and a belly pack seem perfect for each other for hand free use. Kudos to Sony for recognizing that all the technology in the world doesn't help if your toy is sitting at home and you're not.

The HDR-HC1 is relatively easy to use. To start, all major controls are on the touchscreen LCD, which is bright and large (since it's in 16:9 format.) Point and click works well with this unit, and the steady cam feature works even up to about 4-6x zoom (go past that, or with an addon teleconverter to get this up to the 20x zoom that Sony SD cams have, you'll need a tripod as the camera is so small even slight twitches will ruin your shot.) There are a couple of features not included that could be useful like gentle transitioning between a saved shot and your next recording, but in general, piece of cake.

Most importantly, picture quality generated from this is stunning. While it may not be IMAX-quality, even on my brutally demanding Sharp LC-45GX6U recordings from the HDR-HC1 are at least as good as much of the HD content currently available. There has been some discussion that at lower light levels this has problems, but short of shooting in late twilight I haven't seen any issues, and the upside is that this deals very well with normal interior lighting. Sound quality is surprisingly good as well.

The only two drawbacks here are editing and battery life. The native mT2 transport streams don't coexist well with most video editing programs on the PC (Mac users as usual seem to be reporting a bit less of a problem) and even with a three month old dual-processor monster Windows Media Encoder crashes when I've tried to directly edit them. (My current workaround is to record to DVHS and edit those streams instead, and I'm sure the user community will come up with something better shortly.) However, for this kind of money the accessories aren't really up to par; Sony really should have included a video editor, as even a stripped down version would help a lot. Second, you'll need a few batteries for this at it despite CMOS this chews them up - and aftermarket batteries don't seem to fit, so you'll have to pay up for OEM versions and you'll need high capacity ones so it's not cheap.

I'm sure in a decade we'll be laughing at how complicated and funky this was compared to something that could record on a removable DV device and edit on the fly, but despite these limitations this is a truly groundbreaking camcorder. I view the progression here as almost akin to moving from Super 8 to VHS for the consumer, which brought the modern age of camcorders to be. Highly recommended, especially for preserving images of older loved ones for the next 50 years in a format your unborn grandkids will not view as antique.

The Sony HDR-HC1 is a groundbreaking camcorder that brings the ability to record high definition video down to the level of consumers, albeit high end ones at current prices. It's not completely perfect, with both battery life and editing needing some improvement, but it's one of those rare gadgets that actually lives up to the hype. Given the breakthrough it represents it deserves 5 stars.

Until now, HD-capable cameras have been expensive, big, and fairly complicated for the non-videographer, with most to date really aimed at the 'prosumer' market rather than the point and shoot consumer crowd. Even with 2 years of the nominally-consumer friendly HDV recording format under Sony and JVC's belts, the hardware really wasn't there - taking an HDR-FX1 on that most common of camcorder uses, a vacation, meant you needed a case larger than many carry-on bags and a whole slug of accessories. At 1.5 lbs (closer to 2 with the larger battery), this rests comfortably fits in my hand and nicely solves the size problem, even if it's substantially longer than miniDV models. I've actually stuffed this in a large Bermuda shorts pocket and it and a belly pack seem perfect for each other for hand free carrying. Kudos to Sony for recognizing that all the technology in the world doesn't help if your toy is sitting at home and you're not.

The HDR-HC1 is relatively easy to use. To start, all major menu controls are on the touchscreen LCD, which is in 16:9 format, bright and large, and when connected to another video source the menus show up on that. Point and click works well with this unit, and the steady cam feature works even up to about 4-6x zoom (go past that and you'll need a tripod as the camera is so small even slight twitches will ruin your shot.) There are a couple of features not included that could be useful like gentle transitioning between a saved shot and your next recording, but in general, piece of cake.

Most importantly, picture quality generated from this is stunning. While it may not be IMAX-quality, even on my brutally demanding Sharp LC-45GX6U recordings from the HDR-HC1 are as good as much of the HD content currently available. There has been some discussion that at lower light levels this has problems, but short of shooting in late twilight I haven't seen any issues, and the upside is that this deals very well with normal interior lighting. Sound quality is surprisingly good as well. While you will need to buy the second generation Memory Stick (a paltry 16MB one is included) to really take advantage of the still camera functionality and it lacks some advanced features, the telephoto capability of this is pretty spectacular and it's still good enough for most people to leave their separate one at home.

The major drawbacks here are battery life and editing. First, you'll need a few batteries for this at it despite CMOS this chews them up - and aftermarket batteries don't seem to fit, so you'll have to pay up for OEM versions and you'll need high capacity ones so it's not cheap. (The only good news is the high capacity battery balances the front-heavy aspect of this.) Second, editing HD video streams on your PC is painful as most video editing programs on the PC (Mac users as usual seem to be reporting a bit less of a problem) don't coexist well with HDV's native mT2 streams. Windows Media Encoder crashes when I've tried to directly edit them despite my use of a three month old dual-processor monster for this. Sony's lack of including even a stripped down compatible editor hurts.

Why is editing on a PC such a big deal? Well, despite an error-filled (besides gratuitous HD bashing they got the zoom capability and night vision mode wrong) review expounding the contrary, HD video shot on this isn't stuck on the DV tapes forever. The inclusion of a Firewire output here means you can hook this up to a D-VHS unit, pop in a high quality VHS tape, press record, and voila, perfect HD video saved forever. (Although as pointed out elsewhere, it's odd that a $2000 camera doesn't include a $12 4 pin to 4 pin Firewire cable - see my reviews to find a good one.) The problem is that the camera doesn't offer editing features and even rudimentary editing (fast forwarding on the HC1 while you press stop on the D-VHS) can easily crash every device (cable box, TV, PC) attached to the Firewire chain as the Firewire circuits in the JVC D-VHS units are so mediocre. So then, the 80% of people who aren't using a Mac but who are using this for HD recording have no choice but to turn to using a PC-based editor as its the only real way to clean up your raw video. That becomes an issue as you'll have a. find an editor that accepts mT2 (potentially a several hundred dollar outlay since the demo versions are usually crippleware), b. convert the stream to something more editing friendly (time and processor consuming), and c. then finally archive it to D-VHS or a 20-30 GB file (that you can split across DVDs in HD format, don't listen to big box stores salesmen!) - which is why the lack of a good editor isn't nitpicking but a huge deal to those of us who do more than demo this as it reduces the functionality of the camera and pushes it back up towards the prosumer market rather than consumers. So, yes, the lack of PC editing capability here is a significant drawback on a couple of levels.

Despite this, don't get me wrong. This is one of the best gadgets I've bought in a long time. I'm sure in a decade we'll be laughing at how complicated and funky this was compared to something that could record on 2nd generation Blu-ray and edit on the fly, but despite these limitations this is a truly groundbreaking camcorder. I view the progression here as almost akin to moving from Super 8 to VHS for the consumer, which brought the modern age of camcorders to be. Despite the two minor omissions, highly recommended, especially for preserving images of older loved ones for the next 50 years in a format your unborn grandkids will not view as antique. One final note: dealer cost on this is roughly $1500 or so, so be very careful about those offering to sell you one or two for half that price!

To be completely honest, I think the whole HDTV thing is a bit over-hyped, mainly because there's so little HD stuff to watch right now. All DVDs are still NTSC definition, and the two HD camps in Japan are still dueling it out to see whose format will win (HD DVD vs. Blue-Ray). So-called HD channels on DirecTV and your (un)friendly local digital cable tend to show old craps nobody really wants to watch, and not everybody is into watching sports -- even there, nothing is as spectacular as your (suspciously) friendly local TV salesman makes it out to be.

But if you are already on the HDTV bandwagon -- and our beautiful, freedom-loving, democracy-promoting government has conspired with the TV industry to make *all* analog TVs obsolete in the next year or two -- you may want to get an HDTV camcorder to record your life or shoot the next "Blair Witch Project". In fact, if you are an aspiring filmmaker, (like some of my friends are), you'll want to get an HDTV camcorder.

There aren't that many choices right now. In fact, the only HDTV camcorder for under $2000 is this Sony HDR-HC1, a slimmed down version of the $4000 HDR-FX1, which has caught the attention of many professional videomakers. BTW, you should definitely search the web (e.g., pricegrabber dot com) for a better price, as this can be had for as low as $1700 at some other legitimate websites (as of this morning).

I was lucky enough to have a chance to look at, and play with, an HC1 at my local electronics store over the weekend. I was very impressed. First of all, it's a small camcorder and can be operated in one hand, and all the recording controls -- power, record, zoom -- care well placed for a normal adult hand. (As alays, this is a right-handed camcorder.) Second, amazingly, its lens has a manual focus-and-zoom ring, which allows for professional-looking shooting, esp. in low-light situations. Third, it uses REGULAR miniDV tapes, which are dirt cheap these days.

What truly impresses me is the camcorder's ability to record in HDTV (1080i) or regular (NTSC) formats. I didn't get to check this out first-hand, but the salesman did a quick demo for me and it seems to have worked. (I was getting so dizzy from all the excitement and awe.) Video quality is very good for a single-chip camcorder -- and the resolution at HD setting is very high, provided you play back the HD recording on a, duh, HDTV. (Even a 720p HDTV will do, as such sets will automatically down-convert the 1080i signal.)

If you want a camcorder that can truly impress your friends, yet don't want to shell out your entire savings, the HC1 will do very nicely -- and, by the way, it'll help preserve your moving memories in all its glory and some.

Other Sony bells and whistles are included. The so-called intelligent battery which shows minutes remaining (but not always accurate -- and you definitely need a bigger battery), night vision mode (think "blair witch project"), bright and clear flip-out LCD screen, 10x optical zoom -- the sales guy told me it's about 42-430mm in 35mm-equivalent terms. And, as a bonus, you get a 3MP digital camera, which is good for casual shooting (and it's nice to be able to zoom in 10 times!).

Other reviewers have pointed out a few flaws -- what they don't tell you is that nothing in this world is perfect, not even God, so it's just stupid to be nitpicky with such a revolutionary camcorder. Of course it has flaws, and given it's a Sony, it uses the superior-but-less-popular Memory Stick Duo flash memory card. But, if you search around, you'll see that Memory Stick media is not much more expensive than, say, Secure Digital.

The biggest problem right now is you don't get a good yet inexpensive software program to edit your video on a computer. Of course, 99% of camcorder users don't do anything with their videos on the computer, so this may be a moot point for you.

If you do want to do editing on a computer: on the PC side, you have many HD video editing programs to choose from, but they tend to be expensive. Good news is, the next version of Windows Movie Maker (free with Windows XP or Vista) is supposed to support the HD format. For now, you may be able to download trial versions of HD editing programs if you don't want to spend any money. On the Macintosh side, you can do some very basic stuff with the $100 iMovie program, but it doesn't do much, and the number of full-blown editing programs is limited for the Macintosh (which means Mac users will end up paying much more, like they do with everything else).

And, according to my sales guy, you can't even copy the HD video to a DVD or VCR, since these latter devices don't support HD video yet. On the other hand, I've read on the web that you can convert HD video to regular video using free utilities available for Windows; but then, why would you do that, destroying the high def and high quality of your HD masterpiece?

For now, whether you edit your video on a computer or not, the only way to play it back is from the HC1 directly. So you may want to wait until HD DVD is here before making a purchase -- by then, Sony and other companies will have released better, cheaper HD-compatible camcorders.

The Sony HDR-HC1 is a groundbreaking camcorder that brings the ability to record high definition video down to the level of consumers, albeit high end ones at current prices. It's not perfect, especially with the additional outlay this requires for Sony's omissions in battery life and editing, but it's one of those rare gadgets that actually lives up to the hype. Given the breakthrough it represents it deserves 5 stars.

Until now, HD-capable cameras have been expensive, big, and fairly complicated for the non-videographer, with most really aimed at the 'prosumer' market rather than the point and shoot consumer crowd. Even though a nominally-consumer friendly HD recording format (HDV) has existed for a couple years, the hardware really wasn't there - taking an HDR-FX1 on that most common of camcorder uses, a vacation, meant you needed a case larger than many carry-on bags and a whole slug of accessories. This solves that. At 1.5 lbs (closer to 2 with the larger battery), this rests comfortably in my hand with only the lens portion sticking out beyond it. Even if it's substantially longer than miniDV models, I've actually stuffed this in a large Bermuda shorts pocket and it and a belly pack seem perfect for each other for hand free carrying. Kudos to Sony for recognizing that all the technology in the world doesn't help if your toy is sitting at home and you're not.

Even though there are a lot of features, this is well designed for ease of use. The basic controls (record, shoot still, zoom/widen, and power/function) are all accessible using your thumb and index finger, and the touchscreen LCD lets you select any of the plethora of menu controls. As far as filming, point and click works perfectly fine, and the steady cam feature noticably helps up to about 4-6x zoom (go past that and you'll need a tripod as the camera is so small even slight twitches will ruin your shot.)

Most importantly, picture quality is stunning. While it may not be IMAX-quality, even on my brutally demanding Sharp LC-45GX6U recordings from the HDR-HC1 are as good as much of the HD content currently available. There has been some discussion about problems with this at lower light levels but I haven't seen any issues. (And if you want to film at no light levels, turn on the infrared nightshot mode - it's like using nightvision goggles, along with the drawbacks that a light source overwhelms the shot and you're limited to a smaller area in which you can film.) Sound quality is surprisingly good for a couple of embedded mics. The 2.8 MB still camera is good enough to leave your Cybershot at home unless you're a dedicated photographer and 10x optical zoom from it beats most everything on the market, although it does lack some of the features of the camcorder.

Where I'd take a star off if this weren't such a technological breakthrough is that by omitting some necessary items Sony seems intent on you spending several hundred dollars more on accessories to get full functionality from this. To start, you'll need a second and preferably third generation Memory Stick Duo Pro (the second generation sticks out from the side, the first doesn't work) to use still camera features as it includes only a paltry 16MB card - good for all of about 11 pictures in 1920x1440 mode.

More serious are issues with battery life and editing. You'll need at least the medium and preferably the large optional batteries (the expensive Sony OEM versions, since aftermarket ones don't fit) as despite its touting of CMOS this chews them up. (The only good news is the heavier battery provides better balance to the front-heavy aspect of this.) Second, editing HD video streams on your PC is painful as most video editing programs on the PC (Mac users as usual seem to be reporting a bit less of a problem) don't coexist well with HDV's native mT2 streams. Windows Media Encoder crashes when I've tried to directly edit them despite my use of a three month old dual-processor monster for this.

Why is editing on a PC such a big deal? Well, despite an error-filled (besides gratuitous HD bashing they got the zoom capability and night vision mode here wrong) review expounding the contrary, HD video shot on this isn't stuck on the DV tapes forever. The inclusion of a Firewire output here means you can output HD video easily. (Although as pointed out elsewhere, yet another 'optional accessory' is the required 4 pin to 4 pin Firewire cable - see my reviews to find a good one for cheap.) The problem is that while you can store HD video from this easily and forever on a D-VHS recorder (see my reviews again if you're not familiar with the technology), you can't transfer it directly to there for some highly technical reasons (too high transmission rate from the camera versus what the recorder will take, apparently). So then, the 80% of people who aren't using a Mac but who are using this for HD recording have no choice but to turn to using a PC-based editor as you HAVE to put this on a PC before archiving it to D-VHS. That becomes an issue as you'll have a. find an editor that accepts mT2 (potentially a several hundred dollar outlay since the demo versions are usually crippleware), b. convert the stream to something more editing friendly (time and processor consuming), and c. then finally archive it to D-VHS or a 20-30 GB file (that you can split across DVDs in HD format, don't listen to big box store salesmen!) This is why the lack of a good editor isn't nitpicking but vastly reduces functionality here, as without one you're basically stuck displaying raw HD video stuck on DV tape. So, yes, the lack of included PC editing capability here is a big drawback on several levels.

Despite the fact you'll likely have to drop another few hundred dollars getting this up to where it's fully functional, don't get me wrong. This is one of the best gadgets I've bought in a long time. I'm sure in a decade we'll be laughing at how complicated and funky this was compared to something that could record on 2nd generation Blu-ray and edit on the fly, but despite these limitations this is a truly groundbreaking camcorder. I view the progression here as almost akin to moving from Super 8 to VHS for the consumer, which brought the modern age of camcorders to be. Despite the two minor omissions, highly recommended, especially for preserving images of older loved ones for the next 50 years in a format your unborn grandkids will not view as antique. One final note: dealer cost on this is rumoredly $1500-1600, so be very careful about those offering to sell you one or two for half that price!

I have had mine for over three weeks now and am very impressed. The simple ability to capture true 1080i video is amazing. I finally have home video I can play on my HDTV and not cringe at the poor resolution.

The 3MP camera is also quite good. It doesn't replace a normal digital camera, but I found the shots to be decent. The nice thing is being able to shoot pictures in widescreen mode and play them back on your HDTV. It is the best way to view photos that I have seen.

There are some minor downsides. The bottom loading tape is a pain for tripod filming. The viewfinder is too short when using a large battery. The focusing system is a bit challenging as it can take a while to lock. It also takes a while to figure out the stability settings so your video does not look choppy.

I recommend a great user site at sony. The user forums are invaluable for understanding the nuances of the camera.

Overall, a tremendous camera for a very good price.

but anyway, if you are concerned about editing, Sony has introduced and economical HD editing software based on the Vegas platform. It is the same as Song Vegas Movie Studio, except that it handles HD, and is quite intuitive. The Song Vegas Movie Studio Platnium Edition is available for about $89.

Always wanted to get HDTV footage so I had bought the Sony FX1 before this and I had to return it as it was too heavy and too big for normal everyday usage. Dont get me wrong I loved the camera but the FX1 attracts attention whenever you shoot with it.(and my wife found it too heavy :) ) So I was glad to see the Sony HC1 which was lighter and smaller. I just got it yesterday and I shot the same footage as I did with the FX1 and compared the two videos. I have to tell you that the extra $1300-1500 for the sony FX1 is really worth it if you are shooting in the night or lower than bright sunlight. The difference is really noticeable. The videos of HC1 is much too noisy and grainy. the colors tend to get smudged a lot. Details are lost. I guess this is expected for single CMOS camera. Comparitively the sony FX1 footage of the night shot was much nicer and sharper and looked more natural. It looked high definition and was cleaner. I really liked the quality of the FX1 videos.
Another thing I noticed was the auto focusing was really slow in the night for the HC1 and it takes significant time to lock the focus and by that time you will lose the shot. It was a nightmare to shoot from a moving car in the night. It took so long to focus onto something that all I got was a burry blob.
Daytime shooting was much better and colors are bright and realistic. Its comparable to FX1.
If you tend to shoot indoors and in lower lighting than the optimal light (the bright sun)..expect to get grainy and smudged videos.
Maybe I am being too critical with this HC1 camera because I used the FX1 first and had something to compare the quality with. Maybe people who buy this first will never know the difference and will be very happy with the quality.(it is still much better than DV)
I am sure we will be getting the FX1 quality in an HC1 package sometime soon.....

For me, this camcorder is off the charts. If Amazon would allow it, I'd give the Sony ten stars.

For others, though, I imagine is might present some challenges.

I bought this camcorder three days ago, despite being a bit skeptical because of the low-light issues mentioned by some other posters. I also wondered if this might be a product that's arrived before it's time, given that it's currently impossible to store HD video on DVD.

There are some other annoyances, such as the fact that you're forced to use Sony's proprietary MemoryStick for still photos. But that's a nitpick.

My advice: If you're moderately sophisticated about gadgets and can afford this camcorder, you're going to love it. I'm absolutely floored by the quality of the video. A friend has the Panasonic GS-250, with three sensors, and the video from this Sony (I've only recorded in HD so far) absolutely blows away the Panasonic.

Unlike some other posters, I have no complaints about the Sony's low-light recordings. They're fine. Much better than the Panasonic. Besides, the optional video light is only about 50 bucks and weighs next to nothing.

Granted, I'm strictly an amateur video guy, so perhaps my standards for low-light video aren't as high as other posters. But I think that anyone who uses this camcorder for typical family videos will be happy with the indoor results and stunned by the outdoor results.

The one downside might still be the storage of HD video until HD DVD players make it to the market in 2006. For me the tradeoff is fine; I'm willing to suffer a little inconvenience to be ahead of the curve.

If you want a simple solution with the least amount of hassle, this camcorder probably isn't for you. But if you value video quality above all, the Sony will keep you smiling.

I bought the HDR-HC1E the first weekend it was on sale as i wanted to update my old camcorder and thought this HD model woud be terrific. I was really excited to get it. However after a few months I'm quite disappointed with the performace for the $. Seriously consider the Panasonics (at a third less for the top line model) IMHO.
The picture is grainy and the low light level performance terrible. And i find with a 5 yo kid so many occasions are indoors...ballet concert, kindergarten parade etc etc, all the sorts of events i use the camera for.
We also just went on holidays and it's heavy and large compared to some new camcorders, which i wouldn't mind if the picture quality was first rate.
I also found very frustrating the lack of information to help me get the best from this particular model camcorder. There's really nothing i can find. *Maybe* that would help.
I would urge you if considering to go to a shop and compare models side by side first. I just took Sony's word......

I am very pleased with the image quality, especially outdoors. It does require a little tweaking in low light situations, But the overall quality is stunning.
I am very displeased with the lack of analog video pass-through. There are reviewers on other web sites that claim that this camera offers simple pass through. They are incorrect.

I shoot those little movies that help me to focus the ideas and settings of my books (available on Amazon). I also produce marketing and training videos for my software business. For that I switched to HD a year ago and bought that Sony HDR-FX1, which is an excellent camera. HD format is always 16x9 and uses higher resolutions up to 1920 pixels. There are many formats and 24, 25 and 30 frames per second in interlaced and progressive recording. Be aware of that.

I just bought a HC1 and here are my impressions. In my opinion (and on comparison tests) the HD video quality of the HC1 is identical to even the professional cameras mentioned below. But that obviously has to be understood as an electronics feature and not in terms of lenses or usability for movie production. The HC1 just produces more video noise in low-light conditions.

Why did I buy the HC1:
1) size: people behave unnatural in front of a large camera
2) second camera angle is ideal in some scenes
3) portability: pro quality in any location
4) picture quality for later editing

HD prosumer camcorders:
JVC JY-HD10U $2800, larger,
Sony HDR-FX1 3-CCD $3000+, larger, better lenses,
Sony HDR-HC3 not yet out $1000+ smaller, less features

HD pro camcorders:
Canon XL-H1 3 CCD, $4500, smallest pro cam
JVC GY-HD100U 3 CCD, $5000+, interchangable lenses
SONY HVR-Z1U 3 CCD, $9000+, interchangable lenses

What does HD mean to you:
Mostly higher cost and more issues if you want to edit on a PC. I had to spend $3000 for Adobe Premiere Pro 2 and a dual-dore processor with 2GB of RAM to make it work. Get Cineform's Aspect-HD for good editing performance. The best consumer HD-capture is done by the Sony DVGATE software. Sony Vegas is a good editing program too. Most HD-video formats can not be played on a normal PC unless you downgrade it to 720x480. Getting HD format onto a DVD is a similar complex path.

Conclusion:
HD quality is pricey and if you don't enjoy solving problems then PC editing is not for you. Should you buy the HC1? YES! Why? The quality of the original tape is always the most important. You can record in HDV and watch it on your HDTV. You can downgrade it to DV for PC editing or for DVD and convert it to HD-DVD later, once the equivalent harddisk recorders get to the market a year from now.

A last tip: The future is harddisk recorders. I already use a CitiDISK HDV to record without tape. In one year most high-end camcorder models will have harddisk recorders rather than tape. And HD will be the norm and not the exception. But there will always something new and life just goes on ...

ENJOY AND RECORD IT NOW!

The Sony HC1 has received not only excellent user reviews but very high ratings at professional reviewing sites. Camcorderinfo rates this camcorder as one the highest overall quality and video quality. The HC1 has won the coveted Editor's choice awards at BOTH PC Magazine and Sound & Vision Magazine. And has received the 2006 PC World innovations award.

Owner reviews report that the HC1 has video quality very close to the larger and heavier Sony FX1 in good lighting. The FX1 also highly rated, but weighs almost 3 times that of the HC1. In low light, the larger FX1 will do better. But its impressive that this small camcorder can get close to the top rated FX1.

There is a wide range of accessories for the HC1 as well. You can shoot in either standard definition or high definition.
Whats nice is that this camcorder will be good now and in the future for use on high definition sets. Owners have reported on various review boards that the images are stunning on HD TV sets.

Remember you are getting a lot more resolution from this camera than even DVD's. Its the future of camcorders.

I went shopping for a higher resolution 3CCD camera, and instead found this Sony HDR-HC1. Upon my first test viewing I couldn't believe how good this camera was with color, and the 1080 resolution was jaw dropping. If you buy this camera, be ready, this is broadcast quality. Once again, Sony brings technology and the art of the moving image, to a new affordable level. Now filmakers, young and old can fulfill their wish, to create with a powerfull camera.
Thank You Sony

Bought this camera and have been very impressed with the quality of the features as other have identified. The lack of the 3CCD isn't really that bad, except you do notice it in some low light situations, otherwise, the HD image it produces in normal light is top notch for a non-professional level camera.

However, one big gripe... In the first weekend of use the camera was knocked a bit -- not enough to really even come close to damaging the lenses, but the housing in the front section just fell apart like a kids toy... The two, microscopic screws holding the entire front section just gave, exposing the inside a bit, crowding the flash, so it no longer can pop-up as designed.

Sony's sevice center in Laredo, TX refused to stand behind the warrantee.

Bottom line... Great camera with great features, but I was shocked how poorly the unit was constructed. I'd never buy a Sony again because I'd be too afraid to actually use it for fear the thing would fall apart on me, and I now know the warrantee is worthless.

I bought this camera to film my son's budding music career. I am familiar with the difference between standard definition TVs and HD TVs, since I've owned a HD TV for over two years. There is no way that I was going to buy a SD camera - when this exists. For the extra money that you are going to spend above a SD camera, there is simply no comparison. The camera comes with component cables enabling the HD to come through on the TV, and it is absolutely STUNNING. Other writers have done a great job of comparing the price of this camera to other HD cameras, and the others are simply out of the range of most individuals. The HC1, while expensive, is a screaming deal for what you get. Its manual adjustability, taken away in the HC3, is quite good, good enough, I daresay, for most people's tastes. In any event, if you want that sort of control now, you are not going to get it from Sony unless you drop in excess of $3K. I am told that they are discontinuing the manufacture of this camera, so get 'em while they are still around. Though you are basically stuck either a) connecting it to the TV directly or wiring it to your computer and then to your TV, you are also completely future-proof when the new generation of HD DVD players/recorders come around, which is apparently going to take some time. But fear not gentle reader - you are prepared for anything with this camera, and it will not be surpassed certainly for the foreseeable future. As to downsides to the camera, apart from its immediate connectivity and play-back limitations, I honestly can't think of any, with the minor exception of Sony's decision (a good one from a business point of view) to make the hot shoe proprietary so that you have to buy an adapter to fit anything other than a Sony microphone or light to the top of the camera. The adapters are available, so this is a relatively minor inconvenience. Also, the use of a tripod is a must. Further, you might want to invest in a wide angle lens - I am going to. I simply love this camera. It is preserving memories for me that will never fade away or be blurry or anything less than 1080i which makes me a happy JazzDad. See you at the Blue Note.

I have had this camera for about 7 moths now and still continued to be impressed, from the features and the picture quality to the size and portability of this camera. When watched on my HDTV the picture quality is stunning when you are outside during the day cloudy or sunny (almost like being there). It is the best picture I have ever seen from a high definition consumer camcorder. The picture qualities of the hdr-hc1 are exactly if not vary close to an HD broadcast like Discovery HD Theater or ESPN HD channels. This is definitely a HD broadcast quality camcorder. If you are filming inside or lower light in general I have found that the picture quality is not as bright or as clear as the outside shots. But in my opinion it is still a lot nicer than standard definition. The 3mp digital still camera is pretty good for being on a video camera. I would not know personally because I manly bought this camera for recording HDV video. But I have used the still camera a few times and printed out the pictures on my HP photo smart printer and with the pop up flash on the camcorder the pictures came out nice and bright, vary nice for 3mp like I said, and when I do need to take a digital still I am not looking around for that camera it is right on my video camera that is a big +. I consider this video camera to be the all in one solution for HD video & 3mp stills. I have also been comparing the hdr-hc1 to the new HDV video camera that just came out the hdr-hc3 witch I have looked at best buy and played around with it. The conclusion that I came to after trying out both the hdr-hc1 & the hdr-hc3 is that they are both nice cameras, the only downsides to the hc3 is that there are no mic/headphone jacks on the hc3 and there is also no zoom ring. Which are some of the reasons that I prefer the hc1 to the hc3. Overall if you are like me and like and use the mic/headphone jacks and zoom ring this would be the camera for you. But if you do not need these features than I would go with the Sony hdr-hc3. For those who want to buy this camera better buy fast because I heard that Sony is discontinuing this model because of all the pro features on it and for the price that it is being sold for. So get one while you can because the next camera up from this is the hdr-fx1 which is 3 times heaver that of the hc1 and is over 3grand. I still continue to be impressed with this camera and think it is worth every penny. So have fun & enjoy this camera.

First of all, let me say that I am a 16 year old aspiring filmmaker. I used to use a little cheapo 1CCD camcorder that I got way back in 2002. The picture quality sucked, and last July it finally went caput and died on me. So, I went camera shopping for about 3 or 4 months.

Finally, late last November, I settled on the HDR-HC1. Considering my price range, and the fact that it shot in HD (and TRUE widescreen, for that matter), it seemed like the perfect camera for me at this stage in my career. So far, it has delivered for me even better than I expected.

Pros:
1. Finally! A camera with true widescreen!

2. Excellent picture quality. Sometimes I have to convert the HD video so it will fit on a DVD, but even then it looks absolutely stunning. It almost looks like film. I was extremely impressed.

3. It's small and lightweight. Easy transportation.

4. Manual focus ring works great. This is another thing that I was somewhat peeved on with my old camera. I like to make a lot of short films. Because of the zoom ring, I am able to put focus on certain aspects of the frame (an old movie technique that still works great). The only way that the ring could be better is if they labeled it with some markings.

Cons:

1. The battery life is pretty bad. 40 minutes doesn't do justice for a camera like this. For compensation, I bought the Sony NP-QM91D. It delivers me about 4 hours of battery life. Granted, it takes a while to charge, but it's worth 4 hours. The only drawback is that this battery will cost you an extra $100 dollars.

2. Yes, the camera is a little front heavy, but the extra extended battery will fix this.

3. The viewfinder. This is something that really ticks me off about this camera. I was really disappointed with Sony over this. With the big battery that you will need to purchase, your viewfinder will basically be rendered useless. The battery sticks out so much that, if you want to use the viewfinder, your nose and the battery will be spending a lot of time together. The least Sony could have done would have been to allow the viewfinder to extend out, but, sadly, this is not the case.

4. This camera doesn't perform the best in low light conditions. When you shoot in low light, the image becomes very grainy. This kind of disappoints me as I shoot a lot in very unpredictable lighting conditions.

5. The tape deck is located at the bottom of the camera which means that you have to turn the camera upside down to load and unload the tapes. In other words, you can't change tapes if the camera is on a tripod or connected to anything else while filming. This normally isn't a problem, but if you're shooting live on a tripod and your tape starts to run out, the only way to change it is to disconnect the camera from the tripod, change the tapes, and then reconnect it. This is a fairly time consuming process that will make you lose a substantial amount of footage, so be careful on how much tape your camera has left while filming.

Overall, I would definitely give this camera some consideration. For the price range, it works great.

Save your money. I've owned this camera for a little over a year and, quite frankly, I can't wait to put it on ebay and try something else.

The biggest challenge with the camera are it's little quirks that, over time, get in the way of filming. For example, Sony for some reason has chosen to put the button that switches between video, still photos (which are awful) and video playback right next the the record on/off switch. It is *so* easy to toggle it when preparing to shoot. And the next thing you know you're scrambling to get it back into video mode. And you've lost your shot.

The video camera has a an exceeedingly long start up time and a seemingly random length transition from standby to record. It could take a second or it could take ten seconds. And since this thing chews through battery life, I've always been reluctant to leave it on, for fear I'll end up with the dreaded "blinking battery" and no spares. So I struggle to capture the events (mostly high school games) that I bought it for. It pains me to think of how many times I've pressed record and then missed the great catch or kick- watching the word "Standby" flash in the viewfinder as the camera struggles to enter record mode.

Finally, the colors, even in bright light, look washed out to my eye. My old 3 CCD panasonic G4 looked *so much* better. I've tried adjusting the white balance, color balance... you name it, with limited success. But why does it have to be so hard just to get decent color? And the low light performance is even worse.

I could go on... I was sucked in by the idea of cheap HD and a leading edge product. Yes, the picture detail is better than standard DV, but that only matters if you can actually get the shot.

After reading that this was the "best of it's class" camcorder at camcorderinfo.com, as well as reading all the reviews I could find, I bought it. Now that I've had it for many months, some comments: It's a great camera, HD is awesome, and it has alot of features. Nothing to complain about other than 1) auto focus is problematic, especially in low-light, and 2) low-light quality isn't even as good as my 1999 Digital8 Sony was. Taping in Night Vision is almost useless as it goes out of focus so easily.

I'm still blown away by how great the day video looks when imported into my iMac. HDV is a pain on older computers (my 1.8 Ghz iMac G5 took 2-4x to import, but my Core 2 Duo imports realtime). Note, importing in iMovie involves reading in the HDV and converting it to an intermediate format -- higher end apps can import real-time and edit that (converting on the fly).

I do like the camera -- few complaints -- but I'm still irked that Sony uses a non-standard hotshoe. All my old Sony add-ons (IR lights, etc.) could not be used on this. But, the active hot show has great benefits (like the bluetooth mic that plugs up and gets power and audio from the hotshoe -- nice).

First let me just say, this is NOT a pro camcorder!!!

WIth that said, this is one of the best investments I made for making memories. I had HDR-HC1 for about a year and used it moderately, and have been very happy with the results.

Pros: 1. Great picture.
2. Very light. Your arm will not get tired.
3. Easy to use. Just put tape in and you are ready.
4. Easy to connect to MacBook. Plug and play.

Cons. 1. Needs more zoom.
2. Build in mic not too great.
3. Short battery life.
4. Small view angle.

There are some drop outs on the video, but i think that is because I use "the" cheapest tapes I can find. Even so, I only noticed one drop in 12-14 tapes.
Good luck.

This model has been succeeded by newer ones; however, I found the quality of both movies and still photos to be superb. Transferring the video into the high definition software on my Mac was easy (the camera is one of relatively few with Firewire, IEEE 1394, or iLink - all the same - output that the high definition software requires), and the results are superb. Although I don't have a high definition DVD recorder, the quality of the standard DVDs I burned from the HD source were absolutely great.

Even the built in microphones were good. I recorded a brief concert by my brother, a Cathedral organist, using only the camera - the sound was marvelous. Yes, a studio could have done it better - but I had all I needed in the palm of my hand.