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A little dissappointed in the indoor quality. Always use sony products but would look into flash memory or hard drive next time.
A web search of the error code turned up a huge amount of comments and solutions on this issue including banging the bottom of the camcorder with a hammer. I ejected a cassette and now the compartment won't close. I purchased this camcorder a year ago and used it less than 10 hours. Since the camcorder didn't work I tried the hammer solution.it still doesn't work. The camcorder is also flashing a C:32:11 error code. Its dead.Sony's customer service suggests removing the battery or dc cable and resetting the camera which didn't work. I can't find anyone in my area to repair it and Sony wants $200 to repair (if they can) it. I choose to replace the DCR-HC52 with a Sony flash camcorder which has fewer moving parts, uses memory cards instead of cassettes and uses all of the accessories I've already purchased.
This is my second DCR-HC52. There are no bells and whistles although one can customize the functions a bit and manual focus is possible. My first one got soaked by a rogue wave and died a slow, moist death (although its battery survived and is now my back-up battery). This unit is simple to operate and provides a nice image (I process using the Mac's iMovieHD). Once you get used to the touch screen it does the job. For the money I think you can't do better than this if miniDV format is what you need.
And once again, the picture quality is awesome, which for me is all it really comes down to. It will be easy to take on trips, which is really the reason I bought it.the 8mm camera, which by the way still works like its brand new, is just a little too big to carry around on vacation.
I purchased it to replace a 9 year old Sony Digital8 camcorder. This is a great little camcorder.
It is small, easy to use, and so light. I did not want a hard drive, or DVD.
The picture quality is great, far exceding my old top of the line Digital8. I like the touch screen menus, which my 8mm does not have.
The only thing I use this camera for is recording my kids as they grow up, I am not a video professional.
This camera is just ok. The returns process for Sony is convoluted, and they won't credit shipping charges even when it is their mistake. Also, the user manual is lacking in information about the camera and misses several ideas for troubleshooting. Also another reason for a bad review is that Sony has misinformation on their website about this camera. I have never purchased a Sony device before. The Sony website links to a USB cable for this model of camera, and they have a USB cable for sale. I wish I had spent a bit more money to get something that would have had more bells and whistles. They don't readily provide a customer service number on their.com site.
BUT DON'T ORDER IT because it won't work. You can NOT use USB with this camera. It is also a noisy camera and has to be charged for every 2 hours of use. if this is typical for Sony (misinformation on their website and a mediocre user manual), I won't again.
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