I rolled the dice on eBay and managed to purchase a new "import" model. While I was very skeptical of the whole deal since it has not been released yet per-se, it just arrived, is NTSC, in English, etc. I also have an FX1 but plan to use this for mobility. I have to say that it is super small and so far exceeds my expectations. It even has a small thumbwheel you can use for manually adjusting a few things like exposure and focus. The only big thing I do not like is it does not have a mic-in jack but man is it small and I can't believe I was able to get it.

Bryan

Awesome Brian! You are the first person in the U.S. that I know has acquired this camcorder. You should be proud! ;)

I would love to see some low-light footage and the slow-mo feature working. That would be really helpful. It would also be neat to have some comparisons between the HC3 and the FX1.

Enjoy the camcorder! It is quite small indeed; I got to play with it for a while at the Sony event at PMA.

I don't expect this do do as well as the FX1 since there is no gain control on it so I expect more noise but I will try to post some comparison footage shortly. For now here is a link to a clip I created tonight with a rack focus using the manual thumb knob. It is 13 seconds and 43meg in full Quicktime 7 HDV format if anyone wants to see it. I was zoomed in a bit to help the DOF. All I added was a standard deinterace filter in Final Cut Pro.

http://www.tampahighdef.com/HC3-1.html

Thats great that you got us a HC3 to tinker with *cough* I mean it's great that YOU got an HC3 to tinker with! One problem, I can't see the video, missing codec...? Our company is Premiere Pro 2.0 based so no FCP plugins or what have you. Any inspiration to help with playback?

What I'm really interested in is the slow-motion feature for us to use in complemet to mostly FX1 based footage. So when you get around to playing with that, a clip would be great, um... one that I can play ;) keep sharing your thoughts on this interesting little camera.

_________________
www.inasinglemoment.com - A duality|productions film

Bryan, there has been some conflicting information and quite a bit of discussion about the manual capabilities of the HC3, using the thumbwheel. Some say that there is no way to directly change the shutter speed. But, I just read a review from Japan, that said the thumbwheel could be shifted to adjust the shutter. If you could determine the fact about that, it would be appreciated.

Good luck with your new little friend. Wouldn't it be funny if it turned out that you used it more than your bigger, expensive one?

Byran, Thanks for the video clip. Awesome. Keep 'em coming!

Bryan, I see there are a few HC3's available on ebay. Does yours have a US warranty? I assume not since Sony USA has not yet released the camera here.

Please note that discussion of pricing and purchasing through non sponsors isn't allowed at DVinfo. If you wish to make purchases through eBay then the specifics shouldn't be posted here. Thanks for your cooperation.

Steve,

From the menu, the "dial set" feature has 4 options and no menu options for shutter speed anywhere:

Focus, Exposure, AE Shift, WB Shift.

Exposure controls the tiny iris - I can see it open and shut as I turn the dial.

Bryan

Exposure controls both, the iris and the gain.

I don't know why they didn't include shutter speed in that list. So easy to do, and it would indeed be quite helpful.

Upond further digging there is a Camera Set menu option called "Auto Shutter" and it can be on or off. But all that it does is adjust the shutter speed when recording in bright conditions according to the manual - default is on.

There is also an Digital effect called "slow shutter" that lets you set it to 1/25, 1/12, 1/6, 1/3 but that seems like something I would not use.


I wonder if the camera runs at 60/fps in most settings. I can't find anything that lets you control it beyond what I just mentioned.

Bryan

My mistake Boyd. I won't do it again.

There is also an Digital effect called "slow shutter" that lets you set it to 1/25, 1/12, 1/6, 1/3 but that seems like something I would not use.

Aha !! this is interesting and actually useful. 1/25th sec. is useful for low-light situations. a bit marginal on speed from point-of-view of subject-movement though. The slower speeds than that will rarely be used IMHO, but this does look like a Sony concession towards shutter-speed control.

One thing - from those speeds, it sounds like a PAL model... not NTSC. I'm assuming that it IS an NTSC model that you've got ? could you confirm pls.



I wonder if the camera runs at 60/fps in most settings. I can't find anything that lets you control it beyond what I just mentioned.
Hsa it got Data code? i.e. on playback, Data code, camera data, to see aperture and shutter used? if so you can see what shutter it's using as 'default'. Most Sony NTSC cams use 1/60th sec as default. PAL cams generally 1/50th sec default.

Stu,
My mistake. I pulled those specs from a PAL owners manual I had found on the web. My model is NTSC. Once I get home and check my actual manual and I will let you know if it is any different - probably is. One other tidbit. The box says it is an HDR-HC3K. I don't know if the "K" is since mine was black or what but the manual says functions for the HC3K is the same as the HC3.

Ah ok. i´m predicting that the slow shutter speeds for your model will be 1-30th, 1/15th etc. as it´s a NTSC model.
´
'K' is Sony´s normal designation for NTSC 'International' model. - it´s nothign to do with the colour. Japan i think is the only market to get a silver model and a black model. I *think* all other markets only get the black model.

HC3E will be PAL version intended primarily for Europe
HC3U will be NTSC version primarily for USA and Canada etc.
HC3J will prob. be Japanese market version
HC3K is NTSC version that´s intended for markets other than Japan and USA etc. Some of these are still sold in the States. It'll probably be 99.5% as HC3U except maybe you might get one or two more little accessories.
' This is how it was with the HC1 and other cams more or less.

Bryan,

What codec did you use for HC3-1.mov? I've got QT 7 fully up to date on a Powermac G5 & QT says I'm missing a component (doesn't say which one). Other files played fine. I tried VLC & MPEG StreamClip & both opened the file, but displayed a blank screen during playback. I don't have FCP, just FCE HD (which also failed to open the file).

John

Stu,

You are exactly right on the NTSC shutter speeds.

1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4.

John,

As for the HC3-1.mov I did a native export from the FCP5 timeline. I think you need FCP5 to view it. Sorry.

I got my HC3 today... following in Bryan's footsteps. So far, I am awed by this little camera! I shot a little test video around the house and it looks stunning on my Sony 70" Qualia 006. The default color balance with low level natural light in the house was a bit on the cool side. No problem, I set the dial for WB shift and dialed in +4 - right on the money. I'm going to have a busy weekend putting this puppy through it's paces.

I was surprised that 2 Sony NP-60 batteries were in the box. And grateful that my stash of NP-50 and NP-70 batteries work fine. No need for me to invest in extra batteries.

I rolled the dice on eBay and managed to purchase a new "import" model. While I was very skeptical of the whole deal since it has not been released yet per-se, it just arrived, is NTSC, in English, etc. I also have an FX1 but plan to use this for mobility. I have to say that it is super small and so far exceeds my expectations. It even has a small thumbwheel you can use for manually adjusting a few things like exposure and focus. The only big thing I do not like is it does not have a mic-in jack but man is it small and I can't believe I was able to get it.

Bryan

So Bryan, it's been a week, now that you've really had some time to "play" how ya likin it?

Miguel,

I am on taking it with my on a family vacation in Key West - just arrived here. It is great for this purpose. I really like the "Zebra" feature for the exposure settings and keep it on manual exposure with the thumbwheel for fine adjustments to it. Obviously it is more limited than my FX1 on settings but the portability makes it ideal for my vacation purposes. Even on auto white balance, the colors are looking very true when I pull footage into FCP5.

Bryan

I had some fun with my HC3 yesterday. I shot my first video at The Grove mall here in Los Angeles in a downpour with no umbrella! The HC3 isn't waterproof, but no damage was done. I'm impressed with the ergonomics, although it takes some finesse to feather that tiny zoom control. The multi-function dial is great. I made frequent use of it for white balance and exposure shift.

When shooting I prefer to use the viewfinder rather than the swivel LCD. I incorrectly dialed down the exposure too much when some images seemed a little too bright in the viewfinder. Next time I'll use the zebras to verify correct exposure rather than relying on the LCD viewfinder. There's no rubber eyecup on the HC3's viewfinder, so my eye frequently got a tiny bit off center axis which made the viewfinder look blurry. I never had this problem with any other camera - all of them had rubber eyecups.

The exposure shift dial adjustment may be changing iris AND shutter. When shooting a TV monitor while shifting exposure with the dial, I noticed black sync bars on the monitor moving vertically as I rotated the exposure dial.

It's hard to believe a camcorder this small can produce images as stunning as this camera does. I was blown away by how incredible the video looks on my 70" HDTV. The built-in mic sounds better than I expected, altough I hope someone comes up with an external mic jack for the accessory shoe. This may not be the best camera for pro use, but semi-pros and the target buyers for this camera are gonna love it! I will have no qualms about shooting my vacation in Asia with the HC3. The small size hits the sweet spot as a travel camera. Not too big and not so small that you can't keep it fairly steady.

Here's an excerpt of a :58 video I edited in FCP5, downsized for faster download.

http://www.kingoftheroad.net/HC3

I had some fun with my HC3 yesterday. I shot my first video at The Grove mall here in Los Angeles in a downpour with no umbrella! The HC3 isn't waterproof, but no damage was done. I'm impressed with the ergonomics, although it takes some finesse to feather that tiny zoom control. The multi-function dial is great. I made frequent use of it for white balance and exposure shift.

When shooting I prefer to use the viewfinder rather than the swivel LCD. I incorrectly dialed down the exposure too much when some images seemed a little too bright in the viewfinder. Next time I'll use the zebras to verify correct exposure rather than relying on the LCD viewfinder. There's no rubber eyecup on the HC3's viewfinder, so my eye frequently got a tiny bit off center axis which made the viewfinder look blurry. I never had this problem with any other camera - all of them had rubber eyecups.

The exposure shift dial adjustment may be changing iris AND shutter. When shooting a TV monitor while shifting exposure with the dial, I noticed black sync bars on the monitor moving vertically as I rotated the exposure dial.

It's hard to believe a camcorder this small can produce images as stunning as this camera does. I was blown away by how incredible the video looks on my 70" HDTV. The built-in mic sounds better than I expected, altough I hope someone comes up with an external mic jack for the accessory shoe. This may not be the best camera for pro use, but semi-pros and the target buyers for this camera are gonna love it! I will have no qualms about shooting my vacation in Asia with the HC3. The small size hits the sweet spot as a travel camera. Not too big and not so small that you can't keep it fairly steady.

Here's an excerpt of a :58 video I edited in FCP5, downsized for faster download.

http://www.kingoftheroad.net/HC3

That's very perceptive, noticing and grasping why the sync bars on that monitor were rolling when you adjusted the exposure. Have you looked at the Data Code for when you made those manual shifts, to see if the shutter speed was stamped on the tape?

It's just a matter of time and practice, before you learn how to interpret what each new camera shows on the VF and what you'll get on a bigscreen.

I would probably make my own VF hood, from some liquid moulding rubber. Very likely, one could be plucked off some old camera and trimmed to fit. Actually, I have trouble keeping my eye precisely in line with the VF on my VX2100 and that's got an elephant ear for a hood. I've never had that problem with any other camera, regardless of the VF type.

In his own words on an E-Mail that was put on another forum, a guy from Nederland pledged to start selling a hotshoe mike adaptor for the HC3, that would be made in the U.S., later this Spring. Wait and hope.

Is there any hope for the ham-handed ones among us, to be able to play good tunes on those tiny controls?

If this little pocket-wonder shoots as well as you say, folks had better get theirs soon. Every time Sony makes the mistake of putting out a great camera at too cheap a price, they pull it before long. They don't like to have their more expensive stuff lingering on store shelves, while being undercut by a model like this one.

That's very perceptive, noticing and grasping why the sync bars on that monitor were rolling when you adjusted the exposure. Have you looked at the Data Code for when you made those manual shifts, to see if the shutter speed was stamped on the tape?


Steve,

Good suggestion, and yes the Data Code confirms that shutter speed and iris are changing when the adjusting the dial for exposure shift. The iris change is minimal - shutter speed shows the most dramatic change as the dial is rotated.

Still photos saved on the included 128mb memory stick are better than I have seen on other camcorders, and the built-in flash is a godsend.

The automatic lens cover is a great touch. It snaps open only when camera mode is active, closed in other modes.

My only complaint so far is that the autofocus can be a bit squirrely. I tested it by zooming in fully on a soda can from 4' and it never locked on - continually hunting and never got close to being in focus. I'm guessing there was at least 20 lux during this test which should be sufficient illumination, or maybe not. I may use manual focus more frequently with this camera. Too bad no focus assist feature on the HC3 - as we know, HD is not forgiving with less than perfect focus.

I posted a new short clip on my site of the Key west Sunset. The colors were great at that point in the evening. I did a very slight midtone correction on the "tightrope" part of the clip so it better matched the "sun" part of the clip but other than that these were the exact colors the camera produced in the AE Program mode for sunset.

http://www.tampahighdef.com/HC3-1.html

Bryan