Best Mini DV Camcorders - true Color Viewfinder, 3 to 8 MegaPixels Memory Still Resolution

'The lighter-colored noise in the Sony is more apparent to the eye.'

'On the left side of the body sit a few, slightly difficult to feel, controls: backlight compensation, display, and video light, plus a manual focus toggle and somewhat loose focus dial.'

'deplorable viewfinder'

'It's relatively big, weighing 1 pound, 5.4 ounces, though it fits into a large, loose jacket pocket'

'It looks cool, Sony, but you get an F in functionality.'

'The zoom switch, however, is the worst control on the camera and is difficult to manipulate with any finesse.'

'LCD is average'

'The hinge is thin, flexible, and could easily hyper-extend or even snap off if not handled with care.'

'The new Sony HD HDR-HC7 is bound to spark interest among beginning or casual shooters looking for their first HDV camcorder and even serious hobbyists looking for an unobtrusive second camcorder.'

'Annoying touch screen interface'

'Sony has attempted to improve colour shooting under low-light conditions with a 'color slow shutter', but this isn't perfect, with a juddery effect.'

'no built-in flash'

'The PV-GS320's hand strap is hung so low that the camcorder flops to the side of the palm of the hand at an awkward angle.'

'Another questionable design decision puts the FireWire and USB ports for transferring video to your PC under the battery.'

'Another questionable design decision puts the FireWire and USB ports for transferring video to your Mac under the battery.'

'It's a little bulkier than some other models, at 5.3 inches long and just under 3 pounds'

'Some manual controls are a little awkward to access.'

'Manual focus is especially hard to gauge, and it's difficult to accurately select points for spot metering and focus.'

'Information is definitely added to the sides, but there is also some cropping on the top and bottom.'

'its low-light video quality and battery life were merely average.'

'dock required for video and image transfers.'

'The HDR-HC1 is also uncharacteristic of Sony's recent announcements in it's level of manual control of audio.'

'the HC1 has one significant downside for the enthusiast: tapes load from the bottom'