Sony HDR-HC7 HDV Camcorder

[Macaroni Joe]

Ordered from Amazon

I went ahead and ordered from Amazon for $1197. I have an amazon.com Visa card and get 3% back. I also have an Amazon Prime membership so I get 2 day free shipping. I want this quick so I can get to know my new baby before our trip. I also ordered the wide angle you recommended from B&H (in stock), as well as the battery and charger from Techonweb.com (backordered but my fingers are crossed). Two more things look like they would be really great. Opinions on these? The ECMHW1 bluetooth mic looks great.
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INT...roductSKU=ECMHW1&TabName=comp&DCMP=Google_Acc
There are several user opinions on amazon for it.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ECMHW1-M...4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1174065848&sr=8-1
Also an inexpensive steadycam (not that I could ever get it through British customs) would be wonderful. Here's a link to a guy that claims he'll send you one cheap. The quicktime demo files are amazing.

http://www.littlegreatideas.com/steadycam/

All in all I'm really excited. Can't wait to get it.

 

[Macaroni Joe]

Provantage and dropping prices

I forgot to mention that (of course) Provantage was out of stock. They also made a point of stating "non-returnable". That was a little worrisome in itself. I've had the camera ordered from Amazon for less than an hour and in just that hour the Amazon partners have lowered their prices. Digital Innovations shows it for $1159.99. I'm sure it will only cost well under a thousand by this fall. Such is the cost of early adoption.

 

[Multimedia]

Johnny Chung Lee Is Not "A Guy" Joe. He's Genius Inventor Of The $14 Steadycam

I went ahead and ordered from Amazon for $1197. I have an amazon.com Visa card and get 3% back. I also have an Amazon Prime membership so I get 2 day free shipping. I want this quick so I can get to know my new baby before our trip.

I also ordered the wide angle you recommended from B&H (in stock), as well as the battery and charger from Techonweb.com (backordered but my fingers are crossed). Two more things look like they would be really great. Opinions on these? The ECMHW1 bluetooth mic looks great. There are several user opinions on amazon for it.

Also an inexpensive $14 steadycam (not that I could ever get it through British customs) would be wonderful. Here's a link to a guy that claims he'll send you one cheap. The quicktime demo files are amazing.

All in all I'm really excited. Can't wait to get it.

Congrats. All good choices. Mine will arrive next Wednesday from ProVantage. But I ordered it February 9 so it took forever to get it at that price. Those Sony ECMHW1 Bluetooth Wireless Mic reviews at Amazon.com make me wnat to buy one of those as well. I see Sony has recently added the HC7 as a compatible model which they did not have listed a few weeks ago. So I'm going for it too. But it's only $134 + $7 Shipping = $141 at J&R so I'll order it from them instead. B&H Wants $150 for it.

On the Steadycam: That's not "A Guy" Joe. That's Johnny Chung Lee the inventor of the $14 Poor Man's Steady-Cam and genius student at Pittsburgh PA's Carnegie Melon University. He's world famous Joe.

 

[murk]

I went ahead and ordered from Amazon for $1197. I have an amazon.com Visa card and get 3% back. I also have an Amazon Prime membership so I get 2 day free shipping. I want this quick so I can get to know my new baby before our trip. I also ordered the wide angle you recommended from B&H (in stock), as well as the battery and charger from Techonweb.com (backordered but my fingers are crossed). Two more things look like they would be really great. Opinions on these? The ECMHW1 bluetooth mic looks great.
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INT...roductSKU=ECMHW1&TabName=comp&DCMP=Google_Acc
There are several user opinions on amazon for it.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ECMHW1-M...4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1174065848&sr=8-1
Also an inexpensive steadycam (not that I could ever get it through British customs) would be wonderful. Here's a link to a guy that claims he'll send you one cheap. The quicktime demo files are amazing.

http://www.littlegreatideas.com/steadycam/

All in all I'm really excited. Can't wait to get it.

It's now $1168.89 at Amazon. I got it for that price, even though I received it earlier in the month and originally paid $1308. Be sure to email them and ask for a refund of the difference between your price and the current one. You can do this multiple times during your 30 day price protection period. I've done it about 4 already. http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/104-1396294-1033503?ie=UTF8&nodeId=901926

 

[Macaroni Joe]

So on the Steadycam....

On the Steadycam: That's not "A Guy" Joe. That's Johnny Chung Lee the inventor of the $14 Poor Man's Steady-Cam and genius student at Pittsburgh PA's Carnegie Melon University. He's world famous Joe.

Thanks Multimedia and murk for the replies.

As for for the steadycam MM:
Do you have it? If so, do you like it? If not, are you going to get it? Do you know anyone that has one? etc., etc., etc.

Also, I live near Amarillo and there are no Fry's within 250 miles. Can you tell me if there is a specific adapter/converter that you would take to the U.K.?

And thanks so much murk for the advice and the link for the money-back guarantee! I should have already known that and did not.

 

[Multimedia]

B&H Probably Sells DC to AC Converters

Thanks Multimedia and murk for the replies.

As for for the steadycam MM:
Do you have it? If so, do you like it? If not, are you going to get it? Do you know anyone that has one? etc., etc., etc.

Also, I live near Amarillo and there are no Fry's within 250 miles. Can you tell me if there is a specific adapter/converter that you would take to the U.K.?

No I don't have one. I have an old SteadyCam JR floating around here somewhere. I wound up never using it.

Phone B&H Monday and ask them.

 

[smitha96]

Hdr Hc3

Well after reading up on ALL these posts, I'm actually leaning towards the HDR HC3 because I can get it for $725 and I'm on a very tight budget, and I only want it for consumer use.

Am I making a terrible mistake? I don't think I'd use a lot of the things that come with the HC7...

Thanks for any thoughts,
Alex

 

[staraquarius]

Time to spend money....

Hi, I'm a newbie

Planning on purchasing HC7 plus underwater housing - and a MacBook (sorry guys, I'm still a PC user, will move up to Mac soon!)

Before I go out spending money, what should I look for? I'm a total beginner with digital camcorders.... what iBook or MacBook, what software, any other accessories, etc., etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Multimedia]

Where Is Last Year's HC3 For Sale For $725?

Well after reading up on ALL these posts, I'm actually leaning towards the HDR HC3 because I can get it for $725 and I'm on a very tight budget, and I only want it for consumer use.

Am I making a terrible mistake? I don't think I'd use a lot of the things that come with the HC7...

The HC3 is last year's model and is no longer being manufactured. It is all automatic. It's replaced by the HC5 which is also all automatic with a better sensor. If you can find the HC5 for $825 or so (list is $1099) then you might want to consider it.

But the HC3 for $725 is a great deal. Where is it for that price? I'm interested in it as a deck for $725. Where Please?

 

[Multimedia]

Wait for the MacBook Purchase After It Comes With iLife '07 & Leopard

Hi, I'm a newbie. Planning on purchasing HC7 plus underwater housing - and a MacBook (sorry guys, I'm still a PC user, will move up to Mac soon!)

Before I go out spending money, what should I look for? I'm a total beginner with digital camcorders.... what iBook or MacBook, what software, any other accessories, etc., etc.

Good Choice. Welcome to MacRumors. HC7 can be embellished with many items explained in detail in this thread already. Have you read it? Mac comes with iMovie HD 7 and Leopard if you can wait a little longer.

 

[Crazysah]

I live in New Delhi, India and I have a few questions to ask;

Shall I buy this now? or wait till May and purchase the Canon HV20...

Second... If I purchase the HC7... what accessories shall I purchase with it?
Should I purchase this: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HDR-HC7-...f=pd_lpo_k2_dp_k2a_2_txt/104-1109826-8904702?

Or what accessories?

Thanks
Crazysah

 

[Multimedia]

Amazon - Ace Digital Club - HC7 Bundle For $1,308.99 Looks Great

I live in New Delhi, India and I have a few questions to ask;

Shall I buy this now? or wait till May and purchase the Canon HV20...

Second... If I purchase the HC7... what accessories shall I purchase with it?
Should I purchase this Sony HDR-HC7 6MP MiniDV High Definition Camcorder + Deluxe Accessory Kit. Or what accessories?

That looks like a great set. Wish I had bought it that way. I paid ProVantage $1150. That's a lot more than $150 worth of additional stuff. Go for it. We tell you a lot more about other options in the above posts.

 

[smitha96]

HDR HC3 at Zoomania:
http://www.zoommania.com/hdrhc3.html

 

[Multimedia]

HC3 Gone At Zoomania

HDR HC3 $725 at Zoomania:
http://www.zoommania.com/hdrhc3.html

Then when you press buy button you get: "Note: Requested quantity not available for some items at this time." They do let you buy it for $899 with 5 accessories that are not worth $175 more.

Why do you see this HC3 post? HC3 would be a good DECK for your HC7. Buying a second cheaper HDV camera is the way you save your HC7's heads for longer life.

 

[Crazysah]

That looks like a great set. Wish I had bought it that way. I paid ProVantage $1150. That's a lot more than $150 worth of additional stuff. Go for it. We tell you a lot more about other options in the above posts.

Yeah but shall I get anything else besides these accessories? Like editing software (which one?), extra battery... etc...

Also... shall I just buy this (everything at my home is sony... laptops... tv)
Or should I wait till the HV20 comes out and then chose after that?

 

[Multimedia]

Read The Thread

Yeah but shall I get anything else besides these accessories? Like editing software (which one?), extra battery... etc...

Also... shall I just buy this (everything at my home is sony... laptops... tv)
Or should I wait till the HV20 comes out and then chose after that?

iMovie 6 works. If you read this thread all you ask about is discussed with links to best prices and photographs so you can easily find the posts.

 

[danieljoelle]

Review of HDR-HC7 posted on camcorderinfo.com:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-HDR-HC7-Camcorder-Review.htm

They don't like the low-light capability.

 

[Multimedia]

Comments On The Review By Owners Dispute Their Findings. Low Light Clip Link Included

New Full Sony HDR-HC7 Camcorder Review by John Neely posted on camcorderinfo.com They don't like the low-light capability.

But in the member-reader comments section below each page . . .

I don't know if they tested the HC7 with the auto slow shutter setting on (which is how the camera comes pre-set) or off. I thought the Hc3 was way better in low light compared to my Hc7 until I found this setting and tunred it off. No doubt in my eyes the Hc7 is better side by side and I can see the difference so I am not sure what this review means.

I am much happier with my Hc7 than the Hc3, the image is sharper, color more realistic and needs less tuning in cam, and in my eyes and opinion give the nod for low light to the Hc7 once again when comparing the 2 cams with auto slow shutter set to off. With this set to the "on" position the Hc3 has noticibly less noise than the Hc7 which is the only way i think they can come up with this review.

As I stated above. I have had both cams. I don't agree with this review, they have got it wrong. Check out the samples online for the HC3 and 7 in both low light and good light. Also talk to people that have or have had owned both cams like me, than judge for yourself.

Thanks for finding that right away Dan. My comment posted at the new review:

My $1150 ProVantage HC7 Arrives Tomorrow

Well I'm a committed buyer/owner. I'm hoping the focus knob won't be too much of a disappointment like they write. Oh well. I guess this is the price we pay for being early adopters. I too would rather have a TRV-900/950 size 3 chip HDV camcorder ASAP. But I guess this is going to be it for 2007.

I can't use the Canon HV20 because it doesn't have a LANC control port. If it did, I would have waited for it. I'm still bullish about the HV7 because it's a top feeder with manual audio gain - first ever in this class of HDV camcorders to have both those features in one model. And yes I know the Canon HV20 have them as well. But I've pre-rejected it due to its missing LANC port.

When I get mine tomorrow I will begin posting reports on its performance including clips. Why haven't any of you owners posted clips for us yet? So far we only have one clip from a Chicago suburb up at the FutureMedia website. I created this 4.2MB 624x352 iPod compatible 14 second mp4 movie from the original 174MB 1440x1080 HDV clip with Handbrake. Looks like excellent low light performance to me don't you think?

Canon HV20
Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s get ready to rumble! Welcome to the ultimate HDV camcorder battle of the year: The Canon HV20 ($1099 MSRP) vs. the Sony HDR-HC7. The HC7 unsheathes its 1/2.9” CMOS chip and spews out 3200K gross pixels, but is countered by a blast from the HV20’s 1/2.7” CMOS chip, which hurls 2960K pixels in the HC7’s direction. The HC7 flings a slew of features at the HV20: manual focus wheel, mic and headphone jacks, and a touch screen LCD. The HV20 answers with its own manual focus wheel and mic and headphone jacks, but twists the knife deeper with a rear-mounted joystick and 24p mode! The HC7 has a simulated digital cinema effect, but will likely not match true 24p video recording. The HC7 has an Active Interface Shoe (which is a Sony proprietary fit) and Memory Stick Duo slot at the HV20. The HV20 counters with a hot shoe and SD card slot, two features that are universally recognized. And now the HV20 is going for the jugular! The HV20 flips its price tag and the crowd goes wild! For the price of an HC5, you can have the HV20 with its 24p recording with tried and true Canon imaging. The HC7 weeps in the corner, plotting for next year. The full review is coming very soon, where we will put the HV20’s feet to the fire to see if it can top last year’s poor low light showing. See specs comparison.

I agree that if a LANC port is not important to you, the Canon HV20 may be a good alternative. However, we don't know yet what the Canon low-light performance will be either. I know I hate the joy stick menu navigation implementation. So that would be another minus against the HV20 for me.

 

[danieljoelle]

Here are links to two posts I made at DVInfo.net which agreed to host a few sample clips for me. (not sure if I mentioned this earlier in this thread)

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=86693

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=86986

It's raw footage. Just rename the file extensions to .m2t

 

[Multimedia]

Thanks Dan! I'll Reduce Them To mp4 Ipod Size Movies

Here are links to two posts I made at DVInfo.net which agreed to host a few sample clips for me. (not sure if I mentioned this earlier in this thread)

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=86693

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=86986

It's raw footage. Just rename the file extensions to .m2t

Thank you Dan. Then open with VLC Media Player. What player do you use Dan? A Transcode Wizzard is included in VLC Media Player.

Living Room Low Light Pan Right Shot looks great to me, yields a 4.9MB mp4 movie 1440x1088 @2048kbps and 3.2MB mp4 movie 1440x1088 @1024kbps. H.264 takes a lot longer to render. The Wizard is iPod compatible IGNORANT.

These transcodes all fail to produce 1920x1080 and thus appear squished horizontally compared to your original footage. So the transcoder wizzard BLOWS.

How can camcorderinfo.com complain about the kind of low light performance you demonstrate in this clip? Looks more than excellent from my point of view. I think they are nit-picking unfairly. You have it set to +9db and yet I see little noise. How can you set it to +18db Dan?

The Multi-Room Walking Shot demonstrates the interlacing issue you mention. Was that with manual focus on? But it still looks way better than any SD alternative I think.

I love the Turtle Swimming Shot.

It's great to be able to look at raw native footage. I'll blow them down to iPod campatible mp4s for everyone to see how our HC7 footage can look so much better than DV even when it's reduced to iPod compatible size.

Will add to this post later- not make a new post. So come on back ya'll.

 

[danieljoelle]

Yes, I use VLC player. If you see deinterlacing when viewing them in VLC, make sure you tell VLC to interlace (Bob, weave, etc...). Did you rename the file extensions to .m2t?

I should confess here I'm not a Mac user. I use Sony Vegas 7 on a PC. So I can also render the files to the Cineform intermediate .avi codec that comes with Vegas; and then I can preview/edit them in Vegas, nearly full size, without hiccuping. The Cineform intermediate is "lossless visually". BTW, I just read that Cineform is making a Mac-compatible intermediate soon. Good news for Mac users!

 

[Multimedia]

Great Examples Dan. Got Any AVIs For Us?

Yes, I use VLC player. If you see deinterlacing when viewing them in VLC, make sure you tell VLC to interlace (Bob, weave, etc...). Did you rename the file extensions to .m2t?

I should confess here I'm not a Mac user. I use Sony Vegas 7 on a PC. So I can also render the files to the Cineform intermediate .avi codec that comes with Vegas; and then I can preview/edit them in Vegas, nearly full size, without hiccuping. The Cineform intermediate is "lossless visually". BTW, I just read that Cineform is making a Mac-compatible intermediate soon. Good news for Mac users!

Flip4Mac will automatically translate AVI files for us Dan. Have you got any of those? I'm still working on transcoding those raw examples. The VLC Transcode Wizzard is NOT 1920x1080 nor iPod friendly. All the mp4 transcodes wind up 1440 instead of 1920 wide. Not good.

 

[danieljoelle]

The two low light walking shots are autofocus. "Snap" the turtle was shot with manual focus.

I, too, thought the low-light is pretty good, and is definitely acceptable to me. Honestly, I haven't had too much time to experiment due to overriding home improvement projects, but I like the HDR-HC7. I also bought it because it has the expanded color gamut. See this post for very interesting and actual test results on that: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=87015&xvYCC

I don't think it would do any good to post the .avi files rendered with the Cineform intermediate codec, since you'd have to have the Cineform codec installed to play with them and Cineform is not MAC compatible.

I also bought a Sony tripod with a LANC controller; never had a LANC controller in all my hobbyist video days, and man, in the short amount of time I've played with it, I love it. Got the $28 video light, too, which seems like a bargain for it's brightness.

Now all I need is an HDTV to really view this footage. I'm waiting for the Sony HDTVs that are coming out this summer that are "x.v.Color" compliant so I can appreciate the full color gamut. (probably gonna need a payment plan for that purchase!)

 

[Multimedia]

Mine Is Delivered Wednesday 3.21.07. x.v.Color = Wide Color Gamut

Now all I need is an HDTV to really view this footage. I'm waiting for the Sony HDTVs that are coming out this summer that are "x.v.Color" compliant so I can appreciate the full color gamut. (probably gonna need a payment plan for that purchase!)

While I agree it's a good idea if you can to wiait for the 2007 crop of new sets, pretty sure the wide color gamut in the 2006 models including my Samsung LN-S4095 also display x.v.Color. Pretty sure x.v.Color is just a new marketing buzz word for wide color gamut which both Sony and Samsung top of the line 2006 models do have.

I'm rolling the Illinois Burb (was that you?) 1888x1062 AIC QT Movie Exterior Dawn Snow Scene half-size in the lower left corner on top of your Interior Multi Room Walkthrough playing in VLC Full Screen. Both Looped. A Fun exterior/interior combination. After I get my camera I will shoot the screen of this combo playback with a tripod.

BTW I was born and raised in Lake Forest

 

[Crazysah]

I have a simple question;

Buy the HC7 now or wait till May and buy either the HV20 or HC7?

EDIT: Another question.. Does the HC7 do 1080p or only 1080i?

Also... if I buy the normal MiniDV cassettes... then will it still record HD? Also.. if I buy the HD cassettess then it will do full HD recording?
Which of the 2 cassettes will give better quality? Is there any point of buying the High-Def cassettes?