Sony DCR-DVD610 DVD Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom

The camcorder is my very first, and I'm enjoying every moment using it. The sound is clear as well as the images. It's also very handy and light to carry.. This is really great!

I was given this camera as a gift in anticipation of the homecoming of my second-born. The camera never worked right and after 8 months of getting weird intermittent error messages and being unable to capture countless video-opps, the camera deleted my priceless Christmas footage. I finally sat down down to trouble shoot issue (Am mother of 2 under 3) and was advised by Sony Customer Service that the disc door must be loose and I should send camera to Sony for repairs. I was told this would cost 129$ as we were out of the warranty (although we only received the camera 8 months ago) Pretty pricey for a camera that never worked. I would not recommend this camera and will never buy Sony again. I hope noone ever gifts me Sony either!

This inexpensive and compact DVD camcorder exceeds expectations in video and sound quality. With the option of recording direct to mini-DVD, which can be viewed in both standard and blu-ray DVD players, or on a memory stick for viewing on a PC, this camcorder is great for creating general home movies. This is the first camcorder I've had since the now "classic" days of VHS video and the first thing I noticed is how seamless the stops and starts in recording are on playback. Its best feature may be its excellent 40x optical zoom lens. The downside is that its battery does not last very long. I have found that it needs to be replaced or recharged shortly after approximately 30 minutes of recording. I purchased a second battery for it, but I plan to buy at least one more. Regardless, this is a nice camcorder for capturing those special family moments.

We are really enjoying our new camera...it works great, it's easy and what surprised us is it only took a few days for it to arrive by mail.

When you're going to buy a new camera there are a few questions you have to answer yourself in order to get the right one:
1. Why should I buy something with specific features if I don't have the appropiate devices?
2. What will I record? family videos? pro material?
3. Which transfer method do I prefer? Memory stick? DVD? traditional tape?
4. How long do you think you'll be recording by day? 1hr? 4hrs - are you sure?
5. Do you prefer to record outside - inside? Daylight - at night?
When you have the answers you can start to look for the new toy :)
My answers and decision:
- I don't have a high resolution tv and I guess I won't buy one of this at this moment, so, a very high resolution camera for me it's not useful.
- I want my camera for my "family life", I won't be recording the last madonna's music video. I don't need special lenses to expand the record - video quality.
- I like to capture at day and night. The night mode is very important for me.
- I don't like to have hundreds of disks around my room, you have to handle it with careful and it can be easily damaged. I prefer to keep all my stuff in my hard disk to play it every time I want without handling cases, cleaning a fingerprint, etc, then, the memory stick option is indispensable for my needs.
- Most of my shots will be walking, running, etc, so a image stabilization system is required.
- I don't think I will record a 6hrs long video. I'm making my digital album not a movie! So, a 2hrs life battery is enough for me, then it comes the memory stick, I got a 4GB - Sony.
In the last years technology is raising very fast with more expensive devices, people is buying without taking in mind the final use for things like this one. I know a couple of friends that recently bought a blu ray player and they connect it to a traditional tv!! Really stoopid, don't you think?
Well, let's see some nice features this camera owns:
1. Touchpanel - LCD. It lets you to handle all the functions easily - quickly. However you have to notice it'll consume more battery charge.
2. Steady Shot works well when there is enough light, of course, if you are jumping while recording is running a clear picture cannot be expected.
3. Microphone capacity is enough to record all sounds around. there is no interference when zoom in/out feature is used.
4. Video quality is very good but picture mode is really bad (my webcam works better than this), however I wanted it for video not for pictures. So, it's ok for me.
5. Battery included charges quickly.
6. Nightshot - infrared sys is good just keep in mind you have to be really close to the target.
7. When you're recording directly in the mini-dvd you have to hold it tight, otherwise you'll find picture noise in the final video.
As you can see this camera was my best option taking note of:
1. the price
2. features
3. Brand (it's not a secret you'll find better quality in sony devices).
I hope all this info can help you to decide the best device for you at this moment.