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Whistle Stopper - Sony HDR-HC9 6MP MiniDV High Definition Handycam Camcorder 10x Optical Zoom
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List Price:
Our Price: Too low to display
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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Sony
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Electronics
Brand: Sony
Connectivity: IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
Digital Zoom: 20
Display Size: 2.7
EAN: 0027242727717
Feature: Capture high-definition video to MiniDV
Floppy Disk Drive Description: None
Has Red Eye Reduction: 1
Included Software: Yes
Is Autographed: 0
Is Memorabilia: 0
Label: Sony
Manufacturer: Sony
Maximum Focal Length: 54
Maximum Resolution: 2280000
Minimum Focal Length: 5.4
Model: HDR-HC9
Monitor Size: 270
Optical Zoom: 10
Publisher: Sony
Release Date: 2008-01-31
Studio: Sony
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Features
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Capture high-definition video to MiniDV
3.2-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor
10x optical zoom, 20x digital zoom; Digital Zoom Interpolation
Capture still images up to 6.1 megapixels
HDMI connection; USB 2.0 terminal
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great Camera, Great Video, just one small note.
Comment: I picked up this camera back in March 2008 for a one day Amazon sale of only $[...]. Amazing price! The detailed reviews are spot on. Video is stunning to say the least. I firmly believe that HDV is THE way to go still for many reasons. Highest bit rate of all HD Camcorders, The tapes are CHEAP these days and you can use regular tapes just fine, no need for any expensive HD tapes. An 8 pack of DV tapes can be had for less than $[...] at Costco or Sams club. Tapes are easy to archive as well. They will last forever if you take care of them. If you have a hard drive based camcorder or flash based and you run out of room on your vacation in the middle of nowhere, your out of luck. The flash chips are expensive and editing software still hasn't caught up or on to either hard drive or flash based cameras. This camera worked perfectly with iMovie HD for editing. You can now burn a Blu-Ray Video disc on a regular DVD using Toast 9 and playback on your PS3. This means you can get up to 9GB of 1080i video data on regular DL DVD. Of course you can also downrez to 480P if you wish and burn to regular DVD to send to the grandparents. I wish it had a 25X optical as the 10X seems a little weak.
Here is my one major complaint about this camera. No analog passthrough! The only connections to this camera for input are digital. That means if you wanted to use this camera to passthrough any old VHS tapes so you could edit and burn to dvd on your computer your out of luck. I wish I had known this before I sold my old regular Sony DV camcorder. Other than that one problem this is a great camera. The build quality is solid, it doesn't feel cheap in your hands and the controls (at least for me as I have had 3 Sony camcorders now) are easy to learn and simple to use. Very highly recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Camcorder
Comment: I love this camera! The image is good quality and the colors are vivid. I would recomended!! The only thing is that the battery doesnt last long, only about 1 hour so I would recommend a second battery but they are expensive.
Customer Rating:
Summary: HIGHLY AGREE >>> Justin Paxton "CLOWNZ IN MY HEAD" - A Barely Upgraded HDR-HC7...But Still A Great Camera
Comment: Justin Paxton's review is right on the money. I couldn't have done better. If you want a miniDV tape format camera (for all the right reasons such as image quality, editing capability, shelf storage) then read his review carefully. I also agree, that this camera needs a 20x-25x optical zoom lens. I've been holding out until such a camera comes on the market at this price range. A 10x is basically useless to me.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good camera, bad support
Comment: This is our first HD camera, so we didn't really know what to expect. (Note that for video review, we played the output via HDMI to our Sony Bravia 46" HD TV.) In full light, the picture is fantastic; you get some blur and artifacts during movement or in shadows, but I don't know if that is normal or not for an HD camera, so I'll take that at face value. Night shooting without the IR light (Nightshot) is pretty grainy, even with an add-on light. The Nightshot IR functionality works great and is a lot of fun to play with. The built-in IR light seems to work well up to 7 or 8 feet and then drops off.
Still shots are pretty poor; even in picture mode, they look like video captures; the contrast and color balance are bad compared to a dedicated still camera, but that seems to be common with most if not all dual use cameras so, again, take it at face value. Note that it does have a built-in flash (I couldn't find that documented anywhere).
It is small and light; you can almost stick it in your pocket, even with an extended life battery. Contrary to the CNET review, I didn't have any issues with the touch screen functionality.
Video and still import work fine; I had to buy a different firewire cable (the one included has the small end on each side, my PC has a large firewire connection). The Picture Motion Browser did not work; it crashed with an error when trying to open on Vista. Sony were absolutely no help; they just kept sending me to knowledge base articles that were of no use, and refused to make any effort to help (given that I just dropped $1500 on camera and accessories, you'd think there would be more love there).
On the whole, I'm pretty happy with the camera, although I'm disappointed that I have to carry two devices to get quality stills, and I'm very frustrated with Sony's support for their worthless software. But, at the end of the day, I paid for an HD video camera, not a still camera or software...so, four stars for the video functionality.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lots of features, very complicated
Comment: I've been playing with my HDR-HC9 for only about one month now, so I am still not familiar with all the bells and whistles. The big positive feature - I think this camcorder has just about everything one could ask for in a small package. The positives outweigh the negatives, but there are significant negatives, too. Some of the negatives I've found are:
1. Extremely complicated owner's manual with many conflicting statements. Many of the camcorder features are only minimally covered, and I think conflicting statements made may be due to poor translation into English.
2. If you record in HDV and then transfer to DVD, you'll never play your video on an old TV where you can't pick a 9:16 aspect ratio. Camcorder is supposed to automatically sense TV aspect ratio, but that doesn't translate to DVD recording.
3. On-screen menu. That means your hands have to be clean to use it - no fish slime or axle grease allowed!
4. Compact camcorder, but everything is too compact. Designed for someone with spider fingers, not cigar sized fingers like mine. I have difficulty opening up the output covering because my fingers are too big to get under the opening flap. Etc...
5. To activate fader you have to go through several menu items and it reverts to the default "no-fade" after you use it only once. Can't fade-in and fade-out with an external button like my DCR-TRV9 this replaces.
I haven't used it enough to say more. I'm sure I'll like it more when I become more familiar with it.
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Editorial Reviews:
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The HDR-HC9 miniDV HD Handycam(R) Camcorder delivers high definition quality and versatility with a professional grade Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens, 10x optical zoom & 20x digital zoom, and a 3.2-Megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor for stunning video and 6.1-Megapixel still images. Use the Dual Record Mode to capture still images and video at the same time, while Super SteadyShot(R) optical image stabilization helps ensure clear images. Sony's ClearVid CMOS Sensor provides stunning detail and clarity with video performance up to 1080 lines of horizontal resolution in HD format, or 530 lines of horizontal resolution in SD format. Unlike traditional CCD Imagers, CMOS Sensors require less power, providing improved battery performance. The optical zoom helps to bring the action close up from far away. The 2.7" Wide (16:9) LCD display rotates up to 270 degrees for multiple viewing angles, as well as provides sharp, detailed images for monitoring or playback. Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lenses use highly advanced optics to deliver vivid image brilliance, true-to-life color saturation, and perfect renditions of subtle tones. Filter Diameter - 37 Focal Distance - 37mm Shutter Speed - Auto, 1/2 - 1/500 (Scene Selection Mode) Minimum Illumination - 5 lux (Auto Slow Shutter ON, 1/30 Shutter Speed) Video Signal System - NTSC color, EIA standards Formats Supported - HDV (MPEG2) and DV (AVI) HDMI Connection Output Memory Stick PRO Media Compatibility - Tested to support up to 8GB media capacity; does not support high speed transfer function; does not support Access Control security function. Format(s) Supported - HDV (MPEG2) / DV (AVI); Video Signal System - NTSC color, EIA standards Up to 1440x1080 video res
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