Sony HDR-HC9
In Summer 2008 I though it is about time to enter the age of HD video. I have been extremely happy with my 8 year old Sony PC100E, but that one was SD only. So, what to buy next?
Requirements:
- Small enough to carry with you without having the feeling you are dragging an whole film crew with you.
- Very good quality video, so I looked for camera’s with very good rating.
- Large storing capacity -> Which meant cassettes, as the camera’s with alternative storage are based on SD cards. Not really what I am looking for.
- HD, but as it turns out full HD (1080p) camera’s were not yet that well available or very expensive, but 1080i were much more common and rated quite well.
As I have been editing video ever since my first camera, I intended to continue doing so also entering the HD-era. Taking in all of these things into concern, I ended up buying this Sony HDR-HC9 camera. I ended up using it for a little less the 3.5 years, so here comes my evaluation in retrospect:
In one sentence, “it fulfilled its purpose”, but wasn’t my best choice.
In the beginning everything was fine and great as you may expect from a new camera, but along the way it started to show more and more problems. The biggest problem was with the mechanism of the camera- “code 30”.
What I also didn’t understand was the difference between 1080i and 1080p. Yes, sure, I read it, but in reality you think it is about the same.. Well, it isn’t. I only noticed this with my next camera, which was 1080p and it was a big world of difference. Size, detail and quality is significantly better in 1080P.
