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Sony Handycam DVD DCR 608E: Review
The Sony Handycam DVD DCR 608 E is a good
camcorder for the DVD video junkies. Its ease of
use will blow you over, even though the still
photos it takes are nothing to write home about.
OUR TECHNOLOGY EDITOR
24 March 2007: Sony's 2007 camcorder model
DVD DCR 608 E is easily one of the best video
cameras I have laid my hands on. The 608E
impresses with its easy functions and controls.
To begin with, in the DCR 608 E, the recording
media is DVD. (Digital Versatile Disc). I am not
familiar with the multitude of DVD formats and
sizes, being more used to older DV cassette
camcorders. My Sony DVD DCR 608E handycam records
on to a mini-DVD rewritable disc of 1.4 GB. The
shop owner in Vashi, Navi Mumbai where I purchased
the handycam gave me a set of three such mini DVDs
in a pack which should have five. So, I don't know
if the freebies should have been five, or if
whatever I got was just the shopowner's grace.
The DVDs which came with my camcorder are in the
DVD-RW single-layer format. (Pronounced "minus RW"
or "dash RW"). I am using this disc to record
videos now, but the Sony DVD DCR 608E is also
capable of recording on DVD-R, DVD+RW and DVD+R DL
formats, says the Sony manual (More about the
user-hostile manual later). A bit of research on
the Net enlightened me to the fact that in all
these formats, the DVD can be either single-layer
or double-layer. Double-layer DVDs store more
information than single layer ones. Don't relate
this second layer business to the "B" side of an
ordinary cassette - DON'T try turning the disc
around to record on the second layer.
The Sony DVD DCR 608E can record only on mini DVDs
of 8 cm (3 inches). This is because a large DVD
will make the handycam unnecessarily cumbersome,
defeating its very USP -- portability. The flip
side is that the mini DVD stores less information
than a full-size DVD. The mini-DVD that I use can
record videos for half an hour in standard
quality. In high-quality recording, the duration
will be less and in low-quality recording, the
duration will be longer. You can select your
recording quality as standard, high-quality or
long-playing from the touchscreen LCD menu.
The controls are a breeze. When you start up Sony
DVD DCR 608E handycam, you will be asked to set
the language, time and location. Before starting
to record on the DVD, you should know that
whatever rewritable DVD you have, the handycam can
record in VIDEO format or VR format. The two
formats have their own advantage and
disadvantages. If you are unsure, go through the
DISC SELECT GUIDE option in the touchscreen menu.
In VIDEO recording format, you can delete only the
last scene, while in VR, you can delete any of the
scenes you have recorded. VIDEO-recorded discs can
be played in most of the DVD players and TVs and
computers, while VR-recorded discs may not be.
Also, VR-recorded discs can be played without
"FINALIZING" processin some cases, while
VIDEO-recorded discs need to be finalized before
playing. Finalizing a DVD is a process where the
contents, tables and other information are written
on to the DVD so that it can be played in other
devices.
So, now I have the handycam, I have the rewritable
DVDs and I have set the mode of recording to
VIDEO. Like all other Sony handycam models, the
DVD DCR 608 E is equipped with an LCD screen and a
viewfinder. The LCD screen also incorporates the
well-laid out touchscreen menu. The viewfinder can
be pulled further towards you while shooting. The
LCD screen can be turned sideways and can be
rotated to face outward.
The USP of the Sony DVD DCR 608E, in my opinion,
is its powerful zoom. The camcorder has a 40X
optical zoom, much higher than most of the
handycams in the Sony stable. The digital zoom is
a huge 2000X, though needless to say, the clarity
goes down as you zoom in. Also, unless you have a
decent tripod, it is difficult to shoot distant
objects without the handycam shaking. The RECORD
button, zoom lever and OFF-ON button are
conveniently located, just like in all other Sony
handycam models.
The handycam's battery life is as important as the
DVD's recording time. The DVD DCR 608 E has a
small button called BATT INFO, which tells you
approximately how long the battery will last. But
note that this is only indicative - if you use
zoom function frequently or start and stop several
times in between, the battery will run for shorter
than what it tells you.
The Sony DVD DCR 608 E handycam can record with
different effects like Beach, Candle, Fireworks,
Landscape, Portrait, Snow, Sports, Spotlight,
Sunrise & Sunset and Twilight. The zooming can be
done manually or automatically. There are also
convenient features like night shot plus, backlit
shooting and "easy" operation. For this review, I
have not used many of these effects for recording;
I just watched the effects on the LCD screen.
For those clueless about the recording quality of
handycams: Like an ordinary camera where we check
the megapixel count to have an understanding of
the recording quality, in a handycam, we look for
the CCD quality. CCD stands for "charge coupled
device". Bigger the CCD, better the quality. My
handycam has a 1/6 inch CCD. I would have liked a
bigger CCD like the 1/3 CCD or the 1/2 CCD, but my
budget did not allow me to buy one of those
expensive broadcast quality camcorders. Some
camcorders, used mostly for broadcast video
recording, have three CCDs, each recording one
colour out of the three primary colours. My Sony
DVD DCR 608E has just one. I think most of the
Sony handycams available on India are single-CCD
camcorders.
The Sony DVD DCR 608E handycam, like all aother
camcorders, can shoot still photos as well as
videos. The still images are stored in a memory
stick, not the DVD. Sony does not give a memory
stick as part of the package. You have to purchase
it separately, if you want to shoot photos. Since
I have not shot any stills, I cannot comment on
the quality of photos, but from the speficiations,
it is clear that 800K pixels canot shoot any great
photos. (The slightly-higher Sony DVD DCR 708E has
a 1 megapixel chip) I did not buy the memory stick
since I dont expect excellent photographs from the
piddly 800K. However, I plan to get it sometime.
Any case, I think it bad manners that Sony does
not provide the buyer with a memory stick as part
of standard package. The standard accessories
provided include a battery charger, USB cable,
introduction CD, application CD and AV cable. Not
having a memory stick is ridiculous. I would have
loved it better if there was also a standard carry
case. No such mercies.
The Sony DVD DCR 608E manual, as I said at the
beginning, is a beginner's nightmare. Handycam
users are typically not techies. They are ordinary
people who use the camcorder to shoot their family
videos, kids walking and dogs barking. The manual
is ideal for techies. There is absolutely no
sequence to its content and jumps from page to
page. It is ideal for someone who already knows
all about handycam operation, DVD technologies and
recording formats. I struggled through the manual
with a lot of assistance from Wikipedia. The Sony
website is even worse. It has the barest minimum
details about the product and there is no way you
can decide whether to buy it or not from the site.
I encountered a problem with the installation CD
too. The USB driver did not install and the Sony
India chap who came along could not help either.
He has promised to return with a proper CD and I
am waiting for it. Until then, I cannot use the
video editing functions of my DVD DCR 608 E
camcorder software.
Despite these issues, I do love my handycam
because of its ease of use. Despite the
user-hostile manual, and the unfriendly website,
Sony DVD DCR 608E is easy to learn if you have
basic understanding of camcorders. It is
light-weight and handy, and feels comfy in your
palm. The functions are easy to use and
well-located. It cost me Rs 24,500. The price for
the higher end DVD camcorder (DVD DCR 708 E) is
29,500. It is better for still shooting, but the
zoom is smaller. Overall, the Sony Handycam DVD
DCR 608E is a loveable camcorder if you want the
recording on a DVD. It is a good buy if you want
good zoom and ease of use, but if you want good
still pics, you should be looking for more.
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