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Sony DCR-HC38 Camcorder Review
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The Sony DCR-HC38 is a
little step towards up from Sony’s real entry-level, the HC28. The major
difference, a 40x optical zoom, might really be the most powerful motive
to purchase it. The producers realize that people admire the big
numbers, and 40x is almost as big as we have discovered. The HC38
provides nearly no manual functions and a reduced menu structure. But
economical and comfortable one for many users and Sony has addressed
those areas. |
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Video Performance
The Sony DCR-HC38 (USD279)
is fitted with the standard low-quality imager, a 1/6inch Charge-coupled
device (CCD) with a gross pixel number of 680,000 and an effective pixel
number of 340,000. With this small sized imager, it perhaps gives good
results in bright light, however not in low light.
At 3000 lux, the picture
definitely looked every bit its cost. The color results are dull.
Mostly, when a maker tries to cover bad picture quality it raises the
saturation, frequently by the roof. Maybe it is to Sony’s acknowledgment
that they selected to fill the HC38 with a more usual color palette. The
colors will be thought sufficient by random shooters. The picture is
also noisy.
Last year’s DCR-HC36
(USD309) is basically the same. We observe the same color result and the
same level of noise. This year’s Canon product ZR850 is the same in
manufacturers suggested retail price to the DCR-HC38. The ZR850, though,
is equipped with a good quality imager. It’s still 1/6inch, but carries
1,070,000 pixels. It is not amazing that the image appeared much sharper
than the Sony. The color palette was almost the same. The more
inexpensive Canon ZR830 (USD240), which carries 680,000 pixels, gave the
same sharpness, but very less noise. Panasonic’s PV-GS39 (USD213) gave
the same sort of fine grain, black noise. Once more, the color
performance was nearly the same. Sony pressed the blues a little
further, and Panasonic privileged the greens.
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Low Light Performance
The Sony DCR-HC38 is not
probable to fare well in low light because of the single 1/6inch
Charge-coupled device and the reduced track record of low-class Sony’s
in this analysis. At 60 lux (fairly low light), the camcorder developed
a very noisy picture. The noise was dense and black in the majority of
fields. In achromatic color fields – grays, whites, blacks – and in blue
or violet, we checked numerous blue fine grain noises too. Blue noise
has been a trouble with low-class Sony’s for long time. We are not
finding any betterment with this camcorder.
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Last year’s predecessor,
the DCR-HC36, gave a very identical picture. Noise was the main matter
in that camcorder, as well. The HC36 forced the saturation levels to
some extent higher, which can be regarded a blessing in low light
condition, on condition that they do not incline too faraway from the
genuine color. Alongside, the HC36 provides a stronger picture. The
Canon ZR850 was comparatively very much darker, making no contest for
color performance. The Panasonic PV-GS39 functioned best below 60 lux
situations, with the maximum exposure and a better grain noise as
compared to the Sony camcorders.
At 15
lux, the Sony DCR-HC38 missed to some degree everything. There was
approximately no color information and the camcorder had trouble in
focusing. The fine detail was missed below the lot of noise. Last year’s
DCR-HC36 unquestionably functioned better, running to save some color
and stay in focus.
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