Sony HDR-HC1 consumer HDV camcorder

Sony introduced a new, smaller, consumer version HDV camcorder last week, the HDR-HC1: Sony shrinks HD camcorder’s size and price. For $1,700, this camera is smaller and cheaper than the HDR-FX1, though it’s not clear how the image quality will be, since it uses a single CMOS image sensor instead of three CCD sensors. Expect to see it around July.

This is cool news, because it means that HD/HDV shooting is going to drop into the price range of current DV cameras within the next couple of years. Sony is really hitting the field hard, and will probably do well with its advance lead.

Category: Shooting

Published by Jeff Carlson

Author, photographer, and late-nighter Jeff Carlson writes for outlets such as Popular Photography, DPReview, Creative Pro, and others, and is a contributing editor for TidBITS. He is the author of Take Control of Your Digital Photos; The Photographer's Guide to Luminar AI, Take Control of Apple Watch, and Take Control of Your Digital Storage, among many other titles. View all posts by Jeff Carlson

Simon May 23, 2005 at 7:27 am

A site all about the HDR-HC1

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Simon May 23, 2005 at 7:28 am

Sorry, URL here…
http://www.videogear.co.uk

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Phil van Loghem December 7, 2006 at 6:22 pm

I have the latest iMac and the Sony HDRhc1 and iMovie will not download from the camera although iMovie does communicate and control the camera. While the film is showing as running on the camera LCD it does not show in the window on the iMac.
Any solutions?

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Jeff Carlson December 15, 2006 at 10:10 am

Phil,
The first thing that comes to mind is to try another FireWire cable. Also, some people on the iMovie discussion forums have reported that trying a different FireWire port might help.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1359160&#1359160
Jeff

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Evert Jan Steen January 8, 2007 at 6:18 pm

It has taken me till now to respond. If I were a runner I would be hyperventillating.
I am not stupid, but the HDR-HC1 manual stinks; it obviously wasn’t written by someone whose mother tongue is English! (I have fewer hairs left, and a higher pulse)
Imovie isn’t perfect either, and after a $5000 investment I am ready to throw in the towel!!
Even my sons could not figure it out!
When I had Tiger, the first footage downloaded beautifully, until the Imac/5 shut down! Not enough space. I upgrade to Panther (or is it the other way round?) and added a 250 GB external Z hard drive. It downloaded the first footage, no problem; now all is chaos. Computer reads ‘Camera Attached’ I tried in HDV setting/Auto as well. Computer shows downloading, with screen running @ 1/4/1/8 delay (who needs that?). BUT in the end – there is nothing there!!
I give up.
Much of the camera I like, though I hate the ‘end search’ bull. Why can’t I just keep filming from where I left off?
Some I spoke with HATE Imovie.
Imac 5 so user friendly(drag/drop – brilliant) Why can’t everything else be so simple?
How do you retrieve from TRASH??
Enough already…
I want to live!! but not like this!!

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