sony pc55

23 May 2005 5:32 PM

dufffman

hi... i am looking to buy the SONY pc55 mini-dv camera

i was trying to find some reviews for it but have been unable find one
so far.. except a few on cNet which were not that useful.. can anyone
shed some light on their camera based on their personal experience? i
am for the most part a point and shoot user. i would like to think
that i would be interested in altering some manual controls but nothing
too complicated..

if someone owns this camera
- what are your feelings about it? wat do you like abt it? more
importantly what do yuo dislike about it?
- my only thing was that it might be a little too small to hold and
would that make it hard to record?
- how is the still picture quality? altho i dont plan to take any
still pictures with it it would be cool to be able to take few if need
be.
- and what exactly is CCD? and what is good and bad? like i know in
digital cameras the more mega pixels, the more pixels per picture
rending better quality.. what is the equivalent comparision for CCD's?

or if you know any place that has posted a good review of the camera.
i have already checked camcorderinfo.com and dvspot.com

i know its a lotta questions. i really appreciate all your help.

thanks..

25 May 2005 10:09 PM

dufffman

anyone? pls help?

25 May 2005 11:03 PM

C.J.Patten

Are you interested in *quality* video?

If so, completely disregard "still image" capability. If you try to do both
in one camera, you end up with a camera that doesn't do stills or video
particularly well.

Do you care about buying new or is a used camera that has better
capabilities of more value to you?

What's your budget?

<dufff***@gmail.com> wrote in message
Show quoteHide quote

news:1116869532.592149.165310@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> hi... i am looking to buy the SONY pc55 mini-dv camera
>
> i was trying to find some reviews for it but have been unable find one
> so far.. except a few on cNet which were not that useful.. can anyone
> shed some light on their camera based on their personal experience? i
> am for the most part a point and shoot user. i would like to think
> that i would be interested in altering some manual controls but nothing
> too complicated..
>
> if someone owns this camera
> - what are your feelings about it? wat do you like abt it? more
> importantly what do yuo dislike about it?
> - my only thing was that it might be a little too small to hold and
> would that make it hard to record?
> - how is the still picture quality? altho i dont plan to take any
> still pictures with it it would be cool to be able to take few if need
> be.
> - and what exactly is CCD? and what is good and bad? like i know in
> digital cameras the more mega pixels, the more pixels per picture
> rending better quality.. what is the equivalent comparision for CCD's?
>
>
> or if you know any place that has posted a good review of the camera.
> i have already checked camcorderinfo.com and dvspot.com
>
> i know its a lotta questions. i really appreciate all your help.
>
> thanks..
>

25 May 2005 11:51 PM

dufffman

i m not too sure abt "quality" video.. as i said i'll be using it
mostly for home videos.. nothing professional.. just for fun.. i mite
be goin on a trip to central america soon and just wanna take it there
for recording my good times there.. its just that when i playh it bak i
want it to be something that i'd enjoy wathcing.. dont want and
distortions or crap quality video thas painful for the eye to watch..

used camera is all rite w/me, but just that not sure abt how durable
and reliable it would be.. plus portabilityh is a big thing for me..
HAS to be small!

budget arnd 600..

as of rite now, i have pretty much narrowed it down to the sony pc55..
unless someone posts up something ridiculously bad abt it! and also
waiting for best buy to start carrying it so i cud go and feel it..
hard buying something unless i've actually held it..

the only thing i became concerned abt recently is the absence of the
"nightshot" feature in the pc55.. is that a big deal? do i really need
it? wat are ur thoughts abt that?

thanks,

26 May 2005 12:59 AM

C.J.Patten

Duffman (fellow Simpson's fan I see ;)

Take a look at the thread entitled: "best dig video camera under $1000?"

Perhaps the most poignient post was this:

> With video I suggest good equipment because you may only get one chance
> to make lasting memories.

I can't tell you about the PC55 but if I were a betting man, I'd say it
performance will be mediocre compared to other models available on the used
market for less. Look at a c.2001 TRV120, 320, 520 or 720 for about half of
the price of the PC55. (they're Digital8's). There may be miniDV models of
the same vintage that produce good results.

If you can up your budget a bit, look on eBay for used TRV900's. You'll get
amazing quality from that camera, it isn't huge and bulky and because of
it's popularity with the guerilla ENG crowd, you could probably sell it
without taking much if any loss if you decided you wanted something else.
(which I doubt you would once you see the video quality)
http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/index.html

Good luck!
Chris

<dufff***@gmail.com> wrote in message
Show quoteHide quote

news:1117065096.293185.239050@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>i m not too sure abt "quality" video.. as i said i'll be using it
> mostly for home videos.. nothing professional.. just for fun.. i mite
> be goin on a trip to central america soon and just wanna take it there
> for recording my good times there.. its just that when i playh it bak i
> want it to be something that i'd enjoy wathcing.. dont want and
> distortions or crap quality video thas painful for the eye to watch..
>
> used camera is all rite w/me, but just that not sure abt how durable
> and reliable it would be.. plus portabilityh is a big thing for me..
> HAS to be small!
>
> budget arnd 600..
>
> as of rite now, i have pretty much narrowed it down to the sony pc55..
> unless someone posts up something ridiculously bad abt it! and also
> waiting for best buy to start carrying it so i cud go and feel it..
> hard buying something unless i've actually held it..
>
> the only thing i became concerned abt recently is the absence of the
> "nightshot" feature in the pc55.. is that a big deal? do i really need
> it? wat are ur thoughts abt that?
>
> thanks,
>