It's too bad Sony doesn't make any decent quality Handycams anymore for sub $500. Sony used to be THE STANDARD for video recording. Thank you for the review Kev!
How bizarre... back when I was around 5 years old, I used to write "Master" all over my tapes, in much the same style of messy writing, and with too many labels as well! I had no idea what it actually meant, I just thought it sounded cool, and made the tapes seem more "professional". Very interesting to see that I was not alone in doing such a thing.
The silver version of this camera was featured in the 2005 Stargate Atlantis Season 2 Episode 12 "Epiphany" as the "M.A.L.P. on a Stick" at the 0:03:04 time mark on the DVD. The 5-button arrangement is the giveaway because the name Sony is covered with silver tape but "ONY" is barely readable and the model and other information isn't seen.
You have to give these old camcorders a one thing over today's models; Their focusing is much faster and way more accurate. You can frequentely catch a TH-camr cursing about their camera not focusing right or overexposing. Slap me if I'm wrong, but my personal experience with my MiniDV Handycam says otherwise. :P
I remember seeing a Handycam in a thrift store at one time or another, and it had a 7" LCD. The only problem, was it had no tapes, and it was Hi8. So, I had none of the tapes to use it, so, that's the only reason why I never bought it. But it was certainly a unique camcorder. Maybe one of these days, if I have the time & money, I'll go back and see if it is still there, and buy it. Just as a collector's item, unless I can find some Hi8 tapes on eBay for a reasonable price, and have a firewire capture card. It had Nightshot, which gave me an approximation that it was around 1999 when it was new.
I own the Sony DCR PC1000. I guess it would be the newer version of this one. The PC1000 is good but it dont have night shot mode and it uses a weird internal battery. The main thing that is good about the PC1000 is that it has 3CMOS sensor. I like your reviews a lot. You and Dr. Cassette are some of the best reviewers I know. You and him have inspired me to make my Zach Norris channel where I do reviews too. I always come to you channel to see what you have been doing because you are really good at what you do. I hope your dreams come true :)
Just checked out the DCR-PC1000 on ebay. It takes the same battery, but it has a larger lens, a longer barrel, and a built in light. Seems to be perfect for filling in my DV camcorder gap.
I can also say that most phones still use a 4:3 sensor because it uses more of the lens. my phone has all 4:3 lenses, it's the S22 ultra, all 4 sensors are 4:3.
I have a Sony Cybershot DSC - F505 V with Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar and a Sony Digital Handycam DCR -TRV 14E PAL also with Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar. Both are old-timer but with very good quality.
I would really like to drive around on the roads of the United States one day. Like now when you have "bits and pieces" of snow around the roads, it looks like a really nice countryside. I have family in Philadelphia and I hope I will visit them one day. But now, it is bit pricey for me to travel to the U.S. from central Europe (Slovakia).
This camera looks pretty good to me. IDK using this to do TH-cam videos probably isn't any worse than an HD camera after compression and such. Way better than I thought it would look with tape frankly. Sounds good.
I had this camera in 2005, well still have it, but tapes keep getting jammed in it, mine is sliver. In 2008 I upgraded to a HDR- HC9 for HDV. Now got a GH4.
One thing about smaller camcorders is that it's hard to keep them stable, so you get a really shaky video. This one seems just right though; nice and compact, but you were also able to keep it steady. Plus, the weight would help too. How is that shape though? Personally, I find the classic camera shape to be most comfortable to use, but I guess that would just come down to personal preference. I haven't seen a Wal-Mart sign like that in a very long time; just before they changed the sign, new supercentres opened up, while the smaller Wal-Marts that were attatched to malls were closed down. Manville, eh? Sounds like a nice place :-P
I saw a tiny Sony Handycam yesterday at my local Tradeit! store in a display case for only $20 not sure what model it was or what was wrong with it(they dont sell stuff that doesnt work) but wish I would have picked it up, I did find a FW400-to-DV cable to hook my DCR-TRV22 up to my Apples
How long do dvd or blu ray based camcorders last? For that matter what is the life expected for most people to have ability for their use of dvd players or camcorders of any kind in number of years for them to still function? And do they all break from one or maybe 2 times of being dropped even on a carpeted floor? Or just panasonic vhs-c particularly the palmcorder line?
Hello, First off: I really enjoy your videos. You give lots of info and your reviews are great. So review method of comparing whatever tech you're review to its contemporaries is brilliant. Some old tech reviews are too temped to review it directly to modern tech, which is irrelevant. Second (hopefully you can read and rely to this, no biggie is you can't/don't). But I was wondering if you can use those microDV and mini DV style/type of tapes to record and store Data files instead of just video files? Similarly how the really early computers used cassette tapes? IDK why odd and obsolete storage media intrigues and fascinates me. Like I think it would just be the coolest thing if I could use 8"floppy disks to store things on today.
I recently got one of these cameras but it has lots of vertical lines on the LCD when in live view. Does anyone know how to fix this? Is it an issue with the flex cable needing replacing? It makes it virtually impossible to make out what you are looking at. Thanks for any help.
i don't know if it's youtube's compression (it probably is), but i can't see all the graininess you mention. maybe i'm just used to the horribly grainy picture my Sony MiniDV camera has.
i happen to have that digital 8 camcorder very nice camcorder i really like it. thats one camcorder i wont ever give up since its very nice and is feature packed but to bad its not one of the sony camcoders that have a video in port on them :(
Even though it's a 2005 camcoder, the quality seems a bit superior than the upcoming mini-DVD camcoders due to Mpeg2 compression which degrades the quality a lot, specially in low-light environment. In this video it's been the first time we actually saw your current filming equipment and I realized it was HDV camera. Is it your option to downscale the original video to 480p to upload to youtube instead of 1080i, which it's capable of record?
Hi Kevin, i bought a (Well got for free) a Sony Candyham DCR-PC101E, i can't get it to film, theres no video on the viewfinder nor lcd screen, everything works except the recording function. Do you know if it's possible to fix this? i've heard that it might be a faulty CCD chip. but idk
It could have a dead CCD sensor or a stuck aperture. There are companies which can fix this, but they usually charge over $200, so it's not worth it on an old camcorder.
Alright, I might just keep it as an collectable item, it plays Mini DV tapes just fine, but man what a shame it's such beautiful ergonomic little thing
You've probably explained this in a previous video, but can you shortly explain to me why you prefer to use DV tapes instead of purely digital recording?
NJRoadfan I used it because I wanted to do everything on MiniDV for ease of editing. Only after recording the footage did I realize that just because the image stabilization option is grayed out in automatic mode, doesn't necessarily mean that it is actually turned on!
great mini camera for its time not bad I remember sony had a dvd camcorder that had a touchscreen in 2005 at sears and walmart But it was shaped like a regular camera and was big and clunky Interesting though for the mid 2000s I think these were very high-tech for being 2005 cameras
would you happen to own one of those DVD cameras to show how they work? never owned one of those before and wondered how they actually worked. did they require special media dvds, what there advantages and disadvantages were wen compared to regular MiniDV and newer digital media formats
coolelectronics DVD camcorders use 3-inch mini DVR-R/RW discs. They record in the same format as flash memory or hard drive camcorders. The main problem with DVD camcorders is limited recording time -- usually only 20 to 30 minutes per disc at the high quality setting.
vwestlife Do you have any DCC equipment? I have a Radio Shack Optimus DCC recording deck and a Panasonic portable player. Would it be worthwhile to make a video of them? Oh, I also have one or two commercially recorded DCC tapes.
DimensionDude I have thought about getting a DCC deck, but many of them aren't working anymore due to bad capacitors, and people are asking very high prices for the ones which do work.
Every time I watch these videos, I feel a braincell or 2 coming back to life. I still have my Mustek camera, it's my weather chasing cam, since if it gets broke I don't mind too much...so far it's outlasted 3 video cameras. Image quality sucks though. Those little cameras are nice for the day though. Sony's cameras usually have good mics though, I've used them for recording our band live and usually had good results, my little Panasonic does a great job too. In fact that is mostly my selling point is the mic quality and it's compressing abilities, to avoid clipping. And at the end, haha like someone else said here, it's so reminiscent of faith +1, from Southpark. Nice video man! I love these camcorder reviews!!!
"What kind of human hating monster..." hehehe maybe that is a bit over dramatic of a sentence start off for a question - but yeah who makes camcorders smaller than they already are from the 2014 model year to present 2023 even hehe like it if any smaller could be more of a hand cramp for what it is worth no joke after a and hour or so much less a few hours in my honest opinion
If you like this design of camcorder but want something newer and higher-quality, see my video about the Sony HDR-TG5V: th-cam.com/video/dQvQ3s6EpbA/w-d-xo.html
That's a pretty neat camcorder, and it seems like a pretty high quality unit. I'd say despite it's limitations they executed the concept very well.
Sony micromv was my childhood dream. Amazed at the compact design
It's too bad Sony doesn't make any decent quality Handycams anymore for sub $500. Sony used to be THE STANDARD for video recording.
Thank you for the review Kev!
I think what is impressive is how good the quality actually is given the miniaturization of the internal components.
Ah, Sony and their proprietary formats...MicroMV, MiniDisc (which was awesome), Memory Stick...
But this is a mini dv cam
How bizarre... back when I was around 5 years old, I used to write "Master" all over my tapes, in much the same style of messy writing, and with too many labels as well! I had no idea what it actually meant, I just thought it sounded cool, and made the tapes seem more "professional". Very interesting to see that I was not alone in doing such a thing.
The silver version of this camera was featured in the 2005 Stargate Atlantis Season 2 Episode 12 "Epiphany" as the "M.A.L.P. on a Stick" at the 0:03:04 time mark on the DVD. The 5-button arrangement is the giveaway because the name Sony is covered with silver tape but "ONY" is barely readable and the model and other information isn't seen.
You have to give these old camcorders a one thing over today's models; Their focusing is much faster and way more accurate. You can frequentely catch a TH-camr cursing about their camera not focusing right or overexposing. Slap me if I'm wrong, but my personal experience with my MiniDV Handycam says otherwise. :P
crowded house.. brings back the good memories kevin!
Pretty advanced technology for 2005!!!
Still better than most camera phone quality these days from this video you did so looks OK.
I remember seeing a Handycam in a thrift store at one time or another, and it had a 7" LCD. The only problem, was it had no tapes, and it was Hi8. So, I had none of the tapes to use it, so, that's the only reason why I never bought it. But it was certainly a unique camcorder. Maybe one of these days, if I have the time & money, I'll go back and see if it is still there, and buy it. Just as a collector's item, unless I can find some Hi8 tapes on eBay for a reasonable price, and have a firewire capture card.
It had Nightshot, which gave me an approximation that it was around 1999 when it was new.
Shoot, better quality than some videos I've seen on TH-cam, and you're using a tape!
15:59 (insert "HI BILLY MAYS HERE!" here)
I own the Sony DCR PC1000. I guess it would be the newer version of this one. The PC1000 is good but it dont have night shot mode and it uses a weird internal battery. The main thing that is good about the PC1000 is that it has 3CMOS sensor. I like your reviews a lot. You and Dr. Cassette are some of the best reviewers I know. You and him have inspired me to make my Zach Norris channel where I do reviews too. I always come to you channel to see what you have been doing because you are really good at what you do. I hope your dreams come true :)
Just checked out the DCR-PC1000 on ebay. It takes the same battery, but it has a larger lens, a longer barrel, and a built in light. Seems to be perfect for filling in my DV camcorder gap.
gotta love sony, they always did something weird but kinda cool
***** I'll check that video out. I always found DCC players interesting because of their backwards compatability with compact cassettes.
It's a surprisingly good quality camcorder, but so expensive. They still sell for quite a bit.
I want this camera but here in 2023 finding one in working condition, at a reasonable price not so easy.
I can also say that most phones still use a 4:3 sensor because it uses more of the lens.
my phone has all 4:3 lenses, it's the S22 ultra, all 4 sensors are 4:3.
I have the Sony DCR-IP1E MicroMV Handycam which is smaller than both of them.
11:55 I thought you stopped using the Canon HV20..
I have a Sony Cybershot DSC - F505 V with Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar and a Sony Digital Handycam DCR -TRV 14E PAL also with Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar. Both are old-timer but with very good quality.
I think we used to have one of those. I have a bunch of those with music on them, so it's like a mini cassettte
thanks so much for this
Looks very modern.
I would really like to drive around on the roads of the United States one day. Like now when you have "bits and pieces" of snow around the roads, it looks like a really nice countryside. I have family in Philadelphia and I hope I will visit them one day. But now, it is bit pricey for me to travel to the U.S. from central Europe (Slovakia).
This camera looks pretty good to me. IDK using this to do TH-cam videos probably isn't any worse than an HD camera after compression and such. Way better than I thought it would look with tape frankly. Sounds good.
Tommy Whitaker
pretty easy, just time consuming
I wish Sony kept making those today
Yeah, nothing like a good crappy picture quality when you have cellphones that make some recent camcorders obsolete :)
There's one of these... ONE... on ebay right now... In white. My daughter would like it, I'd prefer the gray one.
I see that you've acquired one of those nice HP Ultra Small Form Factor computers, that they call Ultra Slim Desktops.
12:20 That's how it is even on modern smartphone cameras.
Bring it back :)
I had this camera in 2005, well still have it, but tapes keep getting jammed in it, mine is sliver. In 2008 I upgraded to a HDR- HC9 for HDV. Now got a GH4.
One thing about smaller camcorders is that it's hard to keep them stable, so you get a really shaky video. This one seems just right though; nice and compact, but you were also able to keep it steady. Plus, the weight would help too. How is that shape though? Personally, I find the classic camera shape to be most comfortable to use, but I guess that would just come down to personal preference.
I haven't seen a Wal-Mart sign like that in a very long time; just before they changed the sign, new supercentres opened up, while the smaller Wal-Marts that were attatched to malls were closed down.
Manville, eh? Sounds like a nice place :-P
I saw a tiny Sony Handycam yesterday at my local Tradeit! store in a display case for only $20 not sure what model it was or what was wrong with it(they dont sell stuff that doesnt work) but wish I would have picked it up, I did find a FW400-to-DV cable to hook my DCR-TRV22 up to my Apples
How long do dvd or blu ray based camcorders last? For that matter what is the life expected for most people to have ability for their use of dvd players or camcorders of any kind in number of years for them to still function? And do they all break from one or maybe 2 times of being dropped even on a carpeted floor? Or just panasonic vhs-c particularly the palmcorder line?
Just when you thought the Samsung VP-D381 was the smallest MiniDV camcorder, Sony be like "Hold my sake".
Hello,
First off: I really enjoy your videos. You give lots of info and your reviews are great. So review method of comparing whatever tech you're review to its contemporaries is brilliant. Some old tech reviews are too temped to review it directly to modern tech, which is irrelevant.
Second (hopefully you can read and rely to this, no biggie is you can't/don't). But I was wondering if you can use those microDV and mini DV style/type of tapes to record and store Data files instead of just video files? Similarly how the really early computers used cassette tapes?
IDK why odd and obsolete storage media intrigues and fascinates me. Like I think it would just be the coolest thing if I could use 8"floppy disks to store things on today.
There were some computer tape backup systems that used 8mm and MiniDV tapes, but they used tape drivers, not regular camcorders.
+vwestlife
Ahh ok, I'll have to try and search for those systems. Do you know about what computer era they stopped using them?
Jess Hull Many servers still use tape backup drives even today, with much higher capacity.
oh wow thats really neat. Is there any consumer level products that use tapes?
yes
What model was that Canon HDV camcorder you used to record the first part of this video?
+Low Budget Productions Canon HV20, pretty sure.
I recently got one of these cameras but it has lots of vertical lines on the LCD when in live view. Does anyone know how to fix this? Is it an issue with the flex cable needing replacing? It makes it virtually impossible to make out what you are looking at. Thanks for any help.
i don't know if it's youtube's compression (it probably is), but i can't see all the graininess you mention. maybe i'm just used to the horribly grainy picture my Sony MiniDV camera has.
The graininess was very visible in the raw footage, but by the time it got through iMovie's and TH-cam's compression, you really can't see it anymore.
vwestlife
ah, i figured
Awesome review....wish it had nightshot
i happen to have that digital 8 camcorder very nice camcorder i really like it. thats one camcorder i wont ever give up since its very nice and is feature packed but to bad its not one of the sony camcoders that have a video in port on them :(
Can these shoot video directly to a memory card (SD card) instead of a minidv tape?
Sir TH-cam video about about how it's video camera dcr pc155 please give me answer. I want only memory card use
You can download the owner's manual from Sony's eSupport web site.
Even though it's a 2005 camcoder, the quality seems a bit superior than the upcoming mini-DVD camcoders due to Mpeg2 compression which degrades the quality a lot, specially in low-light environment.
In this video it's been the first time we actually saw your current filming equipment and I realized it was HDV camera. Is it your option to downscale the original video to 480p to upload to youtube instead of 1080i, which it's capable of record?
I don't normally use the HDV camera. My most often used camcorders all record standard-definition 480i MPEG2 video.
vwestlife, does the sony DCR-TRV19/22 have compatibility with a handycam station? Mine only has FireWire 1394/USB.
No, those models do not use a Handycam Station.
vwestlife Thank you!
Do you still have that camcorder? I found some replacements for the Type-A battery.
Yes.
My camcorder still records when it's closed and it uses a micro sd class 4 or higher and it's from 2013
TheProG4merPlayz ok
Hi Kevin, i bought a (Well got for free) a Sony Candyham DCR-PC101E,
i can't get it to film, theres no video on the viewfinder nor lcd screen, everything works except the recording function.
Do you know if it's possible to fix this? i've heard that it might be a faulty CCD chip. but idk
It could have a dead CCD sensor or a stuck aperture. There are companies which can fix this, but they usually charge over $200, so it's not worth it on an old camcorder.
Alright, I might just keep it as an collectable item, it plays Mini DV tapes just fine, but man what a shame it's such beautiful ergonomic little thing
+vwestlife your real name is kevin?
Farhan Nazar Yes.
+vwestlife nice to know
I agree he does
Do u need to charge it or must u buy like a new battery?
It has a rechargeable battery.
You've never heard about Faith+1? Come on!
Looks like it was made in 2005 so much 😂
You've probably explained this in a previous video, but can you shortly explain to me why you prefer to use DV tapes instead of purely digital recording?
DV tapes *are* purely digital recording, and I don't prefer them -- I use my flash memory Canon FS200 camcorder for the majority of my videos.
vwestlife Looks like the "usability challenged" HV20 is getting some use the past few videos.
NJRoadfan I used it because I wanted to do everything on MiniDV for ease of editing. Only after recording the footage did I realize that just because the image stabilization option is grayed out in automatic mode, doesn't necessarily mean that it is actually turned on!
Fascinating :-)
great mini camera for its time not bad
I remember sony had a dvd camcorder that had a touchscreen in 2005 at sears and walmart But it was shaped like a regular camera and was big and clunky Interesting though for the mid 2000s I think these were very high-tech for being 2005 cameras
would you happen to own one of those DVD cameras to show how they work? never owned one of those before and wondered how they actually worked. did they require special media dvds, what there advantages and disadvantages were wen compared to regular MiniDV and newer digital media formats
etc.
coolelectronics
DVD camcorders use 3-inch mini DVR-R/RW discs. They record in the same format as flash memory or hard drive camcorders. The main problem with DVD camcorders is limited recording time -- usually only 20 to 30 minutes per disc at the high quality setting.
you have a looot of thing back there...
"But probably still at least one of them was gay..."
My sentiments exactly.
Do you ever come across any MiniDisc or even DCC players on your travels?
I have seen MiniDisc recorders (and even bought one, which I did a video about), but never any DCC players or recorders.
vwestlife Do you have any DCC equipment? I have a Radio Shack Optimus DCC recording deck and a Panasonic portable player. Would it be worthwhile to make a video of them? Oh, I also have one or two commercially recorded DCC tapes.
DimensionDude I have thought about getting a DCC deck, but many of them aren't working anymore due to bad capacitors, and people are asking very high prices for the ones which do work.
Every time I watch these videos, I feel a braincell or 2 coming back to life. I still have my Mustek camera, it's my weather chasing cam, since if it gets broke I don't mind too much...so far it's outlasted 3 video cameras. Image quality sucks though. Those little cameras are nice for the day though. Sony's cameras usually have good mics though, I've used them for recording our band live and usually had good results, my little Panasonic does a great job too. In fact that is mostly my selling point is the mic quality and it's compressing abilities, to avoid clipping. And at the end, haha like someone else said here, it's so reminiscent of faith +1, from Southpark. Nice video man! I love these camcorder reviews!!!
Do a video of the computer in the background!
He did.
When? I'm talking about the hp compaq.
Ltech13 That is coming up soon.
Oh. Ok. Thanks. I have a handycam vision ccd-trv22
vwestlife Hmm, nI tought he was talking about the moniter.
HAHA Cartman's christian band on South Park was called Faith +1
Dcr pc55 .video about caste impotent ? sir
In English, please?
Touchscreen!?!?! That's crazy
Sony has had touch screens on their camcorders since the early 2000s.
@@vwestlife i know, but for a camcorder with a touchscreen that small is crazy
Do a video about your Crowded House album
I don't have a Crowded House album, only a 45 by them.
I still have my Aiptek camcorder from 2004 or 2005...semi-decent but it had a shit battery.
My aiptek camcorder ripped off that design!
Good size but, small lens, small sensor... hummm....
I dont like camcorders with resistive touch screens because resistive touch screens break after a long time
If you were me you'd agree with me because I agree
I could use a camcorder like this
the Sony Bloggie cm5 is another pistol grip. but it is terrible!
I suffer a lot by mini DV camcorder which tape often not working and also 33-11 repair No way to run my tapes.
Oh, we've moved on to an age where everything uses SD cards... BORING.
+gonigeena *YAWNS* No kidding.
"What kind of human hating monster..." hehehe maybe that is a bit over dramatic of a sentence start off for a question - but yeah who makes camcorders smaller than they already are from the 2014 model year to present 2023 even hehe like it if any smaller could be more of a hand cramp for what it is worth no joke after a and hour or so much less a few hours in my honest opinion
If you like this design of camcorder but want something newer and higher-quality, see my video about the Sony HDR-TG5V: th-cam.com/video/dQvQ3s6EpbA/w-d-xo.html
X favore lingua italiana
7:16 *ting tung*