Customer Reviews:
  Awesome Mid-Range Camcorder November 24, 2006
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
The Sony DCR-HC46 is a terrific mid-range digital camcorder. It has a more than adequate 12x optical zoom (any more and even image stabilization won't remove the jitters). There are quick access buttons on the body of the camera, and a ton of features in the on-screen menus (available only on the swing-out LCD viewfinder). Using your fingers on these menus is much easier than I thought they would be, and most of those features are for infrequent occasions. In addition to the LCD viewfinder, there is a color traditional viewfinder (missing on many up-scale models like the DCR-SRxx line of hard drive camcorders), which is great when outdoors where the sun can wash out the LCD. We really appreciate the Handycam Station that makes connections to computers and TVs a breeze while charging the battery. Now that really is "handy."
Technically, the image capturing technology is the same as the hard drive-based DCR-SR80. However, MiniDV recording technology does not compress the digital images where hard disk and Mini DVD technologies do. Therefore when you transfer the data to your computer for editing, you avoid the uncompress process required by the latter two technologies. When you create the resulting DVD, that is the first and only compression to hit your video, meaning you get better image quality.
The cons? Well, the included software is woefully lacking. I'd like to author DVDs, but ImageMixer is a Video CD authoring tool. And VCD is so ten-years-ago. And the built-in 1 megapixel camera is truly a joke.
 Excellent camera, worth the money! November 9, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I have been a fan of Sony for a long time. In fact, I bought this camera to replace my Sony Handycam Hi8 that was 11 years old and still worked great.
This camera is definitely the right purchase. The only reason I did not rate the camera a 5 is for two things:
1. The location of the zoom button is a little awkward under your finger. Probably because the camera is very small, but it probably could have been placed a bit better. It does get a little uncomfortable.
2. The battery life of the standard battery is poor at best. You really need to upgrade the battery if you want and reasonable amount of time.
Other than that, the camera is great. It works very nicely, takes very sharp, accurate pictures, and the color representation is great. I read some other reviews about some sort of "blue cast" on the image, but I really don't know what they were referring to.
I looked at JVC, Panasonic, and some others, and even though this camera has 1 CCD (instead of 3 like others are touting) I think this was a great purchase for the price.
 Trouble downloading to Computer November 8, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I love using the camera itself. I'm a point and shoot type of person -- not too picky. But I always have problems trying to upload my videos to my computer. You have to slide the camera into the docking base just the right way so the computer can recognize it.
 useless November 4, 2006
1 out of 10 found this review helpful
This may actually be a good camera, but you will NOT be able to download it to your computer. The instruction manual references commands and screens that are not the same as those on the camera itself. Sony tries to create one manual that will cover several cameras rather than create a manual for each one, and the results are disastrous. Nothing about the manual articulates with the functions and commands on the camera. Worst purchase I ever made.
Why Complain? September 24, 2006
3 out of 8 found this review helpful
Because there is no reason to complain about this 'nearly' perfect camera.OK, so far I've had a bad experience with this camera (tried to hook it up to computer with USB... got lackluster quality. Tried Firewire... Oops! Guess what? Didn't work! Time to send it back, and I am still waiting for it to return so I can actually transfer and edit something on my computer!), but, with that aside, I am just going to focus on the core features of this camera, not how the outcome of the quality is (which I am positive is very good... with Firewire!).
Ok, first thing's first: you fire up the Camcorder and you see this nice, big crystal clear LCD, displaying pristine quality with almost no "shake lag" (i.e, when you move camera back and forth really fast, there is ussualy a delay). The camera boasts TONS of features which can be custamized in many ways. Some of the stand out features are:
-12X Optical Zoom/800X Digital Zoom
-Super Nightshot Plus
...and loads more which I won't spoil for you. You'll just have to find out for yurself!
I would recommend this camera who likes to film for fun, and would love love to seomday becaume and indy film developer, though he knows that that day will eventually come. The camera's sleek, stylish and very professional. That's all I need!
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