Sony DCR-PC350

Posted by T3 Online on Wed 31 Oct 2007

Convergence is the new black, clearly

Darn it if this little baby doesn't offer more options than a mortgage adviser. The headliner, of course, is that it's a three-megapixel MiniDV camcorder, which in itself is enough to get home movie nuts drooling in their popcorn-makers and jumping out of their director's chairs.

But you might also have noticed - lurking like a drink-swiping teenager at a cousin's wedding - a built-in flash. That's because you get a three-megapixel stills camera thrown in too, and without adding the kind of extra bulk that Samsung's Duo Cam models are endowed with.

As we've come to expect from Sony camcorders, the video footage is excellent, with superb detail, strong colours and good contrast. The stereo sound recording is also crisp and clear.

Still-image quality is impressive for a camcorder, but not as good as you'll get from a dedicated camera. Plus the flash is mounted a little too close to the lens, which results in more redeye shots than we'd like.

Nice touches include a docking cradle for battery-charging and downloading movies to your computer. You'll also find the manual-focus ring quite useful if, like John Leslie, you tend to get the odd blurry scene.

Ergonomically, however, this is a bit of a pig. For example, we found it tough to zoom in and out without our finger slipping off the record button. That said, the touchscreen LCD is a joy to use, even for those with podgy fingers.

The PC350 has its flaws, then, but it's still a fine camcorder and a fair attempt at a useful convergence product. Samsung's VP-D6050i (page 122) might represent better value, though.