Sony DCR-SX63 Handycam
When I first opened the Sony DCR-SX63 I was surprised on how small the camera was (given I was used to MiniDV), but even with my hands (XL) the camera was still easy.
The contents of the box are as follows:
- DCR-SX63 camera
- Owner's Manual
- AC Adaptor
- Rechargeable Battery Pack (NP-FV30)
- A/V Connecting Cable
- USB Cable (to connect to PC/Mac)
- CD-ROM (driver and download software)
Charging the battery takes around an hour or so (the changing light turns off after finished) and lasts for approximately 110 min, you can get a 2450mAH (4 hour) battery if you need longer run time. The internal memory (16Gb) can hold up to 240 min using the HQ setting; I personally wouldn't use anything less seeing how it is only an SD (standard definition) camera. You can add either an SD/SDHC or MemoryStick PRO Duo for up to 32Gb of extra storage. You can also plug in a portable hard drive directly into the camera via an optional cable, which would be nice if they included, that automatically downloads all the video & images to the drive.
Using the camera is very simple, open the touchscreen LCD and the camera turns on ready to start recording. Recording quality is SP from the factory so you need to go through the menu (which is the easiest I've ever used on a camera, via the touchscreen) to change it to HQ. To change the mode from video to camera is done by simply pressing a single button, once changed you can take a low quality 640x480 image by pressing a button on the top of the camera. I personally wouldn't use the photo feature at all if you have even a decent quality digital camera. Now as far as the video quality is concerned... again this is only a standard definition (720x480) video camera so don't expect anything close to HD. There is a bit of digital distortion in the video, but it isn't noticeable unless you use a player like VLC. I didn't notice it at all on the TV or while using Windows Media Player.
Recording in low light takes a bit more manual control than I would like. You need to push a "low-light" button to increase the exposure. If that isn't enough then you can turn on the internal LED light, which brings me to one of the downsides of the camera. If you are trying to light something close then the light is more of a spotlight than it is a flood, so in general it is a very direct light.
UPDATE: Used the camera quite a bit, I absolutely love the zoom! The only downside to it is that the video gets very shaky when you zoom in more that 20x-30x, so a tripod is a must. Also downloaded the new software update for PC which makes the software quite usable. It now allows you to upload your videos/pictures directly to a social media site that accepts videos (facebook, youtube, etc...).
One other little thing that had me confused for a bit, until reading the manual, was the "Auto Shut Off" option. I couldn't figure out why the camera wouldn't give me the option to adjust the settings. The reason was that while the camera is plugged into the wall adapter, the camera will disable the option. As soon as you unplug it (so it is running on battery power) the option is enabled. It still only gives you two options though, 5min (camera shuts off after 5 min of no activity), and NEVER. I keep mine set at 5min, because the camera shuts off as soon as you close the LCD.
There is no software for use on a mac. So then the only way to download the files onto a mac is drag & drop... even then to only way to watch the files is to use VLC Media Player. I still haven't figured out how to edit the files on a mac (iMovie does not work with these files).
Pros: Very Compact, Very Light, 60x optical zoom, Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, 16GB internal memory, touchscreen is easy to use
Cons: LED light is fairly useless, no mac support, camera's photo option is useless (but this IS mainly a video camera)
