I purchased my PC120 just under a year ago and it has been brilliant so far. I've used it on almost all my holidays and haven't had any bad things to say about it.
It's got a 120x optical zoom lens which enables you to get up close and personal. It's digital so the quality is superior ... Read review
Advantages: Compact and ease of use, network connectivity & still pictures. Disadvantages: none so far
I purchased my PC120 just under a year ago and it has been brilliant so far. I've used it on almost all my holidays and haven't had any bad things to say about it.
It's got a 120x optical zoom lens which enables you to get up close and personal. It's digital so the quality is superior to older type camcorders. It has a 1.5 megapixel CCD imager and MPEG Movie Mode. At the time I purchased this, it was one of the best quality stills ... ...good enough for my needs and does the job. However, if you want top class professional photos, it might be a bit weak.
It also has Bluetooth technology which enables you to send images attached to email through other Bluetooth devices such as a mobile phone. I have yet to try this out so I can't give any realistic opinion on how well it works. I just use the memory stick to transfer my photos and mpegs to computer.
I purchased my PC120 just under a year ago and it has been brilliant so far. I've used it on almost all my holidays and haven't had any bad things to say about it.
It's got a 120x optical zoom lens which enables you to get up close and personal. It's digital so the quality is superior to older type camcorders. It has a 1.5 megapixel CCD imager and MPEG Movie Mode. At the time I purchased this, it was one of the best quality stills you could get with a camcorder. I feel it's good enough for my needs and does the job. However, if you want top class professional photos, it might be a bit weak.
It also has Bluetooth technology which enables you to send images attached to email through other Bluetooth devices such as a mobile phone. I have yet to try this out so I can't give any realistic opinion on how well it works. I just use the memory stick to transfer my photos and mpegs to computer.
The LINK DV interface gives you the power to do digital to digital editing without losing any quality of the picture. I have used this and copied my videos onto DVD.
The battery life with standard battery is very good. I have yet to be left in a jam with no battery life. I did however buy a long lasting backup battery for days when I'm filming for longer than 2 hours.
The nightshot feature is good to have but I haven't personally found much use for it. Perhaps it would be useful if you are in the African jungle filming lions and stuff.
The LCD swivels in nearly all directions so you can take stills using the remote while looking at the screen.
Overall, I find the camcorder good value for money. Shop around 'cos there's plenty deals out there.
Product Information for "Sony Handycam DCR PC120" »
Connections
Connector Type
1 x microphone
1 x headphones ( mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
1 x composite video/audio (input/output)
1 x S-Video input / output ( 4 PIN mini-DIN )
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire/i.LINK) ( 4 PIN FireWire )
1 x USB ( mini-USB Type B )
1 x Control-L (LANC) ( sub-mini phone mono 2.5 mm )
1 x flash terminal ( hot shoe )
Expansion Slot(s)
1 x Memory Stick
Manufacturer's product description
Featuring a 1.55 Mega-pixel Advanced HAD CCD and 14-bit DXP digital signal processing, the DCR-PC120 provides high quality digital video up to 530 lines of horizontal resolutions. In addition, it offers a Progressive Shutter System, which consists of the 1.55 Mega-pixel CCD and a Mechanical Shutter, delivering excellent still images up to 1, 360 x 1, 020 pixels. The built-in Carl Zeiss T lens with 120x digital and 10x optical zoom further enhances picture quality. One of the various new advanced features is the new Hologram AF function that helps users focus an object accurately in darkness by using the laser pattern to detect the edge of the object. By combining the Hologram AF and flash, users are able to capture images as far as 2.5 meters. With the DCR-PC120 digital camcorder, you are able to access the Internet via the Bluetooth compatible modem adaptor without using a PC. You can simply capture digital video and still picture with the Handycam, and send image files to friends through e-mail anytime, anywhere. Furthermore, you can also browse Web sites with the Bluetooth wireless Internet connection.
