I bought this Sony DCR HC 40E camcorder around 3 years ago, the time when cassette players were still "IN". Initially, just as any other gadget, I loved it being sooo compact, size of a palm that is. Its always good to have a handycam by your side to capture the moments you would want to see again and again, at the easy touch of your finger tip, something which is small, trendy, comfortable as well as very good combination of everything you need technically. My purpose for purchasing this was the same. I thought of using it in my cousin’s marriage a month later and so I studied its manual and tried it there. Here is what I am proud about it since then.
**Specifications-
**1.Sleek, compact MiniDV camcorder and digital still camera with 1-megapixel CCD
10X Optical Zoom Carl Zeiss lens(digital zoom to 120x) with Super SteadyShot image stabilizer.
2.5-inch rotating LCD and color viewfinder
Low-light recording settings, Memory Stick Duo slot, and accessory shoe
P-FM50 InfoLithium Rechargeable Battery
The ***technical details*** are as followed-
*Video Format**- Mini DV
*LCD screen size:** 2.5 inches
*LCD swivel:** Yes
*Optical zoom:** 10x
*Digital zoom:** 120x
*Infrared capability:** Yes, Super Nightshot Plus
*Remote included:** Yes
*Included still memory:** Yes
*IEEE1394(Firewire) output:** Yes
*USB output:** Yes
*S-Video output:** Yes
*Battery type:** NP-FP50 InfoLithium(included)
*Included in box:** AC-L25 Power Adaptor/ In Camera Charger, NP-FP50 InfoLithiumRechargeable Battery, RMT-831 Wireless Remote Commander Remote Control, USBCable, MSG-M8A Memory Stick Duo Media, MSAC-M2 Memory Stick Duo Adapter, CR2025Battery, Multi A/V Cable, LCD Cleaning Cloth, CD-ROM w/Driver(Picture PackageSoftware v1.0 for Sony)
*Width:** 2 inches
*Height:** 3.5 inches
*Depth:** 4.5 inches
*Weight:** 1 lb. 2 oz.
*What I LIKE about this product **besides the above features are:-
With a press of the **Easy Handycam button**, most of the advanced functions of the camcorder are "locked out" leaving only the buttons essential for recording operational. That makes it easy if you want to put it on a stand and record freely, without anybody disturbing the settings.
*Battery information** is momentarily displayed without having topower on the camcorder. Quickly access the battery’s status by pressingthe Battery Info button. The Recording Time Available is displayed in minutes on either the LCD screen or in the viewfinder.
*MPEG Movie EX Mode**: Unlike earlier MPEG1 Movies, MPEG Movie EXwill allow you to record 320 x 240 resolution MPEG movies uninterruptedup to the capacity of the Memory Stick Duo Media.
*Digital Still Memory Mode**: Capture digital still images directlyonto Memory Stick media for easy transfer to e-mail, printing, orsharing with compatible Memory Stick devices. And with easy Plug and Play, you can transfer them to your pc and enjoy.
Sony’s **i.LINK DV**(or MICROMV) interface gives you truedigital-to-digital editing, without the "generation loss" of analogediting.
It also includes a huge **2.5" hybrid SwivelScreen touch panel LCD **display with a 3D menu system, i.e. you can turn the LCD screen at 180 degrees to take your own picture and viewing it at the same time too .Cool na?
I would like to add here that the Sony Picture Package Software provided with this software doesnt run on Windows Vista, but that can be resolved by downloading the latest version from sony website for free.
*What I DISLIKE about it **- The casette system is a bit old now and hence definitely nobody would like to buy an old version now.
**Only Sony could pack so many features in a camcorder so small.
*