Performance

We tested the DCR-DVD505 for video performance by shooting a calibrated color chart at 3000 lux, then taking stills from that footage and comparing them to stills from other camcorders. Our procedures for this particular camcorder were a little different, however. When testing MiniDV cams, the process by which we obtain the stills is simple. We capture footage with commercially available editing software, then pull stills off the timeline in the highest quality JPEG format.

But DVD camcorders are more complicated, as the editing software cannot capture directly from a DVD disc. Sometimes, the camcorder can be connected via USB and the disc read as a drive. Or the disc can be inserted into the computer and read as a drive. Many camcorders, however, format their footage so that it cannot be directly imported onto a computer. This is this case with the Sony DVD505. The camcorder comes supplied with Sony PicturePackage 1.8.1, which we used to copy the footage over to the computer’s hard drive. It is a rudimentary program that does not offer options for quality control. Files are simply copied over and converted to MPEG-2 file types that can then be imported into the editing software’s timeline. The extent to which this process affects image quality is unknown, but this is the only means available to us.

The DVD505 uses an Advanced HAD 1/3" ClearVID CMOS sensor. This new sensor design promises a number of benefits over the traditional CCD. In addition to CMOS’s more efficient energy use, the chip tilts the pixels at 45 degrees to improve picture quality. Also, it boosts the number of green pixels, the color which the human eye sees in greatest detail. The DVD505 also uses the Primary Color Filter found on most Sony upper-end camcorders. This is similar to the chip found in the HD camcorder, the HDR-HC1. But the HC1’s chip has an effective pixel count of 1910K in 4:3 mode and 1430K in 16:9 mode. The DVD505 does not offer true widescreen.

At 3000 lux, the Sony DCR-DVD505 produced a very well balanced color spectrum. The picture lacked the super-saturation of last year’s DVD403. These are more accurate colors, to be sure. The green pixel count is also higher, so the CMOS chip is living up to that expectation. Green pixels registered higher in most color tiles, from the greens to the yellows to the magentas, in all but the blue, where they actually scored lower. That’s not too say that the picture looks overly green. As mentioned, it’s an extremely well balanced image.

The picture is far from perfect, however. The problem is sharpness. The DVD505 is not sharp; it has a soft fuzzy look that you don’t find in MiniDV. We’re not looking to put down the DVD format altogether. It’s just that MiniDV cams of this caliber, like the HC96, do not have this problem. What’s worse, the problem isn’t getting better. We were surprised to find that when we held up stills from the DVD403, the sharpness wasn’t even close. The in-camera sharpening is too high, and gives the picture a very hard time with curving lines. This was not the case at all with the DVD403.

The problem must be new to the 2006 camcorders, because the DVD405 showed exactly the same sharpening issues. (We have tested the DVD405, and the full review will be out shortly). And the DVD405 uses a CCD rather than the ClearVID CMOS, so this may be a systemic issue with processors on Sony DVD camcorders. We’ll have to see about that as the year goes on.

We compared the DVD505 to other camcorders to evaluate performance. We have compared it with the DVD403 in some detail already, but we’ll reiterate that the saturation levels on the DVD403 are much higher. It caused some excitement with our original reviewers, but lately there has been some criticism about the saturation being overbearing. Whites were also much whiter.

The DVD405, the next model down in the 2006 line, had a similar color palette, with slightly less saturated magenta tones. The in-camera sharpening seems worse in the DVD405, which created more pronounced halos in the high contrast borders.

We also compared it to the Panasonic VDR-D300, which has 3 1/6" CCD chips. The D300 had an exceptionally sharp picture. There is no contest between this and the DVD505. The D300’s problem was noise, though. As you zoom in, you can see dark, small grained noise throughout the image. The DVD505, despite having the traditionally noisier CMOS chip, managed to suppress it better.

*Crops of the video performance results (blown up 200%) from:

DCR-DVD505 (left), the DCR-DVD403 (center), VDR-D300 (right). *

Overall, we are disappointed with the DVD505’s video performance becuase of the lack of sharpness. A highly anticipated camcorder with a highly anticipated imager failed to deliver the goods when it came to resolution. We’ll give it credit for better color representation than any Sony DVD camcorder so far, but that’s hardly enough to call it the best of the year.

Video Resolution*(13.6)*

The DVD505’s video was tested for resolution by shooting a standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and running stills from that footage into Imatest imaging software. In 4:3 aspect ratio, the camcorder produced 457.6 lines of horizontal resolution and 296.3 lines of vertical resolution, producing an approximate resolution of 135586.88. In 16:9 aspect ratio, the camcorder produced 436.7 lines of horizontal resolution and 278.8 lines of vertical resolution, yielding an approximate resolution of 121751.96.

The high resolution on this camcorder bears some explanation. As we'll comment throughout this review, DVD camcorders differ from MiniDV in their compression rates. DVD has a much higher compression rate, which results in less quality. A camcorder like the DVD505 can still score well on this type of test, however, because of a significant amount of in-camera sharpening. This gave the camcorder trouble with curved lines, as talked about in the Video Performance section above, but seemed to help it with the diagonal lines of the vide resolution test. What matters though is what is recorded to disc and beaucse of the lower bit rate, 8 Megabits per second vs. 25 Megabits per second, a DVD video is always going to be less sharp than a MiniDV video. What's even more suprising about this conclusion is the fact that the same chip that is on the DVD505 is on Sony's high definition HDR-HC3. Although we haven't tested the HC3 yet officially, we've seen the video and it looks very sharp. This proves even further how it is not the chip, but the compressoin which is making the picture so fuzzy.

Low Light Performance*(5.75)*

The DVD505 was tested, like all camcorders we receive, for its performance in two low light levels, 60 lux and 15 lux. At 60 lux, this camcorder’s images look fantastic. This is where larger chips tend to distinguish themselves, and the DVD505’s 1/3" inch CMOS is no exception. The results look so similar to the 3000 lux stills that it’s startling. Noise increased, naturally, but not dramatically. It was most evident in the greens, and there it was very noticeable. This may or may not have something to do with the green boost that the ClearVID CMOS is performing. Thankfully, there was no appearance of the blue noise that gave so many Sony camcorders problems last year. The whites still remained strong and bright.

By comparison, the DVD403 from last year was even brighter, with colors that burst out of the frame like neon lights. This is an extension of the over-saturation that we saw in bright light, but it certainly doesn’t hurt once the lights are dimmed. In terms of color information loss from 3000 lux to 60 lux, however, the DVD403 and DVD505 are about equal. The DVD403 showed a greater tendency towards gradation within the color tiles. Noise was about even in bright colors, while the DVD403 had more noise in the dark gray tones.

The Canon DC10, with its 1/4" chip, produced a relatively sharp image, but suffered from a lot of blackish noise. The Panasonic VDR-D300, with its three smaller 1/6" chips, helps prove the point that larger chips, not more chips, make the difference in low light. The D300 had much less color information, and noise increased more from 3000 lux than it did on the DVD505.

The DVD405, the next step down from the DVD505, had a similar image. The greens and yellows look a little brighter, as though the auto gain control had boosted those color tones specifically. All the other colors were about the same. Like the DVD403 of last year, the DVD405 (which uses the same 1/3" CCD imager, incidentally), had the same tendency towards creating gradations in the colors rather than presenting them as solid blocks.

At 15 lux, much of the color information has been retained, making for an impressive performance at this level. However, the DVD505 shows a sharp increase in noise. And here the blue-ish noise makes an appearance, across nearly every color in the spectrum. The whites still remain bright, though.

By comparison, the DVD403 had stronger colors, but this kind of strength at 15 lux looks unnatural, and the DVD505 is an aesthetically preferable image. The camcorders had approximately equal whites. The Canon DC10 had a much noisier picture, far worse than any of these camcorders, though brightness was still good.

The VDR-D300 has a much darker image, and it’s noisy. But the noise was fine grained and black, less distracting than the blue noise of the DVD505. Overall, these camcorders are tied in a sense. In low light, the struggle for a camcorder is noise versus detail. The D300 is sharper, but at the cost of noise and color. The DVD505 is brighter, but at the cost of sharpness and noise. You can have a preference, but generally we prefer the sharper image. You can usually turn on a light if you really have to.

Wide Angle* (10.0)*

The DVD505 was tested for the width of its field in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios, partially in order to determine if the camcorder offers true 16:9 widescreen. In 4:3, the wide screen angle measured 50 degrees, a very wide field indeed. This is approximately what most camcorders have when they are in 16:9 aspect ratio. When the DVD505 was in 16:9, it has a wide angle of 50 degrees, exactly the same width as in 4:3. Normally, we would say that if the 4:3 and 16:9 wide angle scores are the same, the camcorder does not possess true widescreen. But with a field this wide, perhaps the camcorder is native 16:9 and the 4:3 bounding boxes are imposed. This would be the case, except that information is definitely lost from the top and bottom of the frame when switching over to 16:9. Therefore, this camcorder does not have true widescreen, just a very wide angle in both modes.**

**

Format

Compression* (5.0)*

The DVD505 compresses video onto DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs in the MPEG-2 format. There are three recording qualities available: High Quality (HQ), Slow Play (SP) and Long Play (LP). The manual does not specify numbers, but these qualities are the data transfer rates. The maximum data transfer rate, HQ, is approximately 8.5 Mbps. Comparatively, MiniDV records at 25 Mbps.

Audio is compressed into Dolby Digital 2/5.1 channel sound. The built-in mic set up is described in more detail above (see the "Audio" section), but essentially, there are two sets of stereo mics, and the camcorder converts those four streams into 5.1 channel sound.

Stills are recorded in the JPEG format to either MemoryStick Duo, MemoryStick PRO Duo, or a DVD disc in two qualities, Fine and Standard, and six sizes: 2304 x 1728 (4.0MP), 1600 x 1200 (1.9MP), 640 x 480 (0.3MP), 2304 x 1296 (3.0 MP widescreen), 2016 x 1512 (3.0MP), and 2016 x 1134 (2.3MP widescreen).

Media* (5.0)*

The Sony DCR-DVD505 records video to DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW. A 30 min 1.4GB DVD-R disc comes included in the box. Parsing the differences between formats can be difficult for beginners and even for regular camcorder users. We’ll try and give you a quick breakdown here.

DVD-R is the simplest format. The discs are one-time use only, and available in more than one capacity. You record until it’s full, and then you pop it into a playback device (home DVD player, computer, or the camcorder itself) and watch the footage. DVD-R does not allow erasing, but it is the most universally recognized format, so most every type of playback device will accept it. You do need to finalize the disc before playing it elsewhere.

DVD-RWs are a fixed capacity of 4.7 GB, and can be rewritten about 1000x over. Within the DVD505, there are two recording modes for the DVD-RW, which can be selected in the menu: VR and Video. Stay with me now; it’s gets a little complicated. In the DVD-RW VR mode, you can delete or edit stills and video clips at any time in the camcorder. You must finalize the disc in order to play VR footage back on other devices, but, the manual indicates, that device must be DVD-RW VR compatible. Be sure to check your playback device before using this recording mode. If you have space left on the disc, the VR format allows you to pop it back in the camcorder and record more footage without unfinalizing.

The other DVD-RW mode, Video, only allows you to delete the last clip you recorded. Finalizing a disc in this mode will allow it to play on most DVD devices. When you want to use it again, you must unfinalize the disc.

The third media choice is DVD+RW. DVD+RW discs do not necessarily require finalizing, though it may be necessary for certain purposes, which Sony lists as: creating DVD menus or Photomovies, playback on computer DVD drives, or when little is recorded on the disc (5 minutes of HQ, 8 minutes of SP, and 15 minutes of LP). +RW supports random write access, meaning that data can be added or deleted without wiping the entire disc. In the camcorder, however, you can only delete the last clip you recorded when using DVD+RW. Again, compatibility is not guaranteed for any playback device, so check the specs before you commit important footage to any format.

That’s the wrap-up on video. For more detailed explanations of each format, I recommend searching our website or the rest of the web. There’s plenty of information out there.

Sony, of course, uses its own brand of still media rather than the more universally popular SD cards for still capture. The DVD505 uses MemoryStick Duos and MemoryStick PRO Duos for recording stills. No stick comes included, but they are available for purchase in capacities up to 4 GB. You cannot use the full sized MemorySticks that you may have purchased for an older Sony camcorder. Sorry.

Editing* (3.0)*

The DVD505 ships with Picture Package version 1.8.1. The software allows you to do three things – copy clips and stills from the DVD onto the computer’s hard drive, copy clips and stills directly to another DVD (copying), and creating absurd little video collages set to an assortment of pre-loaded MIDI music tracks. This proved amusing for a little while, but its not an editing software that one could use for anything of merit, not even for prepping video for a presentation or similarly simple task.

Copying files over from the DVD to the computer is easy. There are no options however, for compression rates or file conversion types. Usually, DVD files are saved with a .MOD extension. Manually changing the file type to .MPG allows you to open the files in most video players. In doing so, however, the audio track is lost.

I thought that this problem might be avoided by using Sony’s Picture Package to copy files over. No such luck. When the video clips arrived in my destination folder, the audio was still missing. If DVD camcorders didn’t have these problems so often, we might be inclined to stop holding fast to MiniDV.

The main menu page for the Picture Package software, which ships with the DVD505.

*Picture Package acquiring the video clips from the DVD, which is in the camcorder connected via USB to the computer. *

Video clips acquired, now ready for copying onto the computer's hard drive.

**

**

Tour

**The Front ***(8.0)*

The most prominent feature on the front of the Sony DCR-DVD505 is certainly the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens that juts out from the rounded body of the camcorder by about 7/8 of an inch. When measured with a 35mm equivalency, the DCR-DVD505 has a focal depth of 42.8 mm to 495 mm in 16:9 camera mode, 45 mm to 450 mm in 4:3 camera mode, 40.6 mm to 406 mm in 16:9 memory mode, and 37 mm to 370 mm in 4:3 memory mode. The filter diameter for this Sony model is 30 mm in width and the lens of the camcorder has an automatic lens cover that closes when the DVD505 is not in use. Directly above the lens of the camcorder is the in-camera flash that is well positioned to provide even lighting of subjects when capturing still images due to its central position. Beneath the lens of the camcorder on the sloping surface of the DVD505 are the remote sensor and recording lamp.

When facing the front face of the camcorder, the wrist strap eyelet is connected to the lower left corner of the camcorder body adjacent to the edge of the DVD hatch on the right side. This eyelet swivels and rotates so that when users open the DVD compartment, the right-hand strap can be moved out of the way more easily than if this eyelet were stationary. A better solution would be to make the DVD compartment top-loading and eliminate the user having to deal with the strap at all.

**The Right Side ***(7.25)*

The DVD compartment of the Sony DCR-DVD505 forms a curved front edge to the right side which is echoed around to the top and bottom of the camcorder. The DVD compartment is the primary feature of the right side and is opened via an access switch located on the curve between the top and front face. The compartment has a hinge near the back edge of the camcorder. Opening this feature will be difficult due to the placement of the right hand wrist strap, which spans the face of the right side at a slight diagonal. This perfectly blocks the door of the compartment unless users adjust the strap. The right-hand strap does have a very comfortable pad which accommodates the back of the hand and is adjustable with simple Velcro elements. The Handycam DVD R/RW insignias are prominently emblazoned in the center of the right side.

**The Back ***(6.5)*

The back of the Sony DCR-DVD505 has the electronic color viewfinder positioned in the upper left corner. This viewfinder is surrounded by an unforgiving light gray plastic eyepiece. It can be rotated upwards to a forty-five degree position that allows this feature to be used even with the battery pack positioned directly beneath. The dioptric adjustment control is located on the underside of the eyepiece and is large enough to adjust without aggravation. The MemoryStick Duo Pro slot is directly beneath the eyepiece, so accessing it requires that the user rotate the eyepiece upwards. This slot has a protective cover that is flipped open via a tab, and once opened, the cover moves cleanly out of the way to allow for easy insertion and retrieval of memory cards. The DVD505 battery is located directly beneath the viewfinder and the memory stick slot and can be removed by pressing a switch on the base of the camcorder body.

The on/off mode switch is positioned in the upper right corner on the back face and has a polished metallic finish that stands out from the rest of the camcorder. The switch has a small green button positioned in a cutaway on its top that must be pressed inward before modes and power can be altered. This green button is intended to work as a safety feature so that accidental mode changes are avoided during rushed shooting or when the camcorder is off and in transport. Beneath the mode switch are two small LEDs with corresponding icons which inform users as to whether the camcorder is in video or still image mode. To the left of these LEDs is the flash button which has its own corresponding orange LED to indicate flash state. Beneath the flash charge indicator is the rec. start stop for shooting video footage.

**The Left Side ***(9.5)*

The left side of the Sony DCR-DVD505 features a 3.5-inch LCD screen with a total pixel count of 211, 200 pixels. The LCD screen opens when users pull on some tabs located on the back edge of the screen. This locking mechanism is sure to keep the LCD closed when traveling. Directly beneath the screen are three controls on the frame of the LCD. These extra controls allow for left hand access to rec. start/stop as well as zoom manipulation via wide angle and telephoto buttons. The zoom controls aren’t all that sensitive and should only be used when shooting in positions that prohibit access to the zoom lever on the top of the camcorder.

A number of important features are in the LCD cavity. Starting in the center of the DVD505, the user will find the in-camera playback speaker with a series of controls located directly to its front. Starting from the top, these buttons allow access to Easy mode, wide select and display/battery information. These buttons are well labeled with text descriptions that should be easy to read unless viewed in poor lighting. The USB port is located beneath the in-camera speaker and to the rear of the display/battery info button.

Beneath the USB port, and directly below the bottom edge of the LCD on the body of the camcorder, is a port cover that can be opened via tabs located on the top and bottom of the cover. This cover opens easily and is attached to the body of the DVD505 via two hinges on its back edge. The ports protected by this cover are remote, A/V composite, and DC in. Directly in front of these ports is the play/edit button, with the backlight button located beneath the front edge of the LCD for making adjustments to LCD brightness.

The Top* (7.75)*

On the top of the Sony DCR-DVD505, directly in front of the viewfinder barrels pivot point, is the NightShot on/off switch. Forward of this is the Active Interface shoe, which accepts proprietary Sony accessories such as video lights, flashes and microphones. The four-channel audio recording setup is located directly in front of the Active Interface shoe; this is unfortunately close to the often moving and thus noise-causing right hand fingers. The access switch for opening the DVD compartment is located to the right of the in-camera microphone. The zoom level is located at the back of the camcorder body on the right side in a position that my index finger usually overshot by about 3/4 of an inch. This can be fixed if users shift their grip, but this is never comfortable or helpful to accurate control. The photo button is positioned behind the zoom toggle at the back edge of the camcorder.

**

**

Auto / Manual Controls

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (9.5)

Sony has traditionally appealed to the point-and-shoot automatic user over the last several years, and even though the DCR-DVD505 has a price tag of $1100, it will not be deviating from this market. The camcorder has two mode options: an auto mode, with access to minimal manual control options; and an Easy mode that eliminates any control adjustments between user and camcorder.

The Easy mode button is located on the left side of the camcorder. When activated, it will restructure the formerly overwhelming touch screen menu into a five button, one page menu that provides access only to still media, clock set, finalize, beep and format. All other menu options for image and camera alterations are no longer accessible.

By contrast, the standard auto mode will grant a limited amount of manual control, though users can still shoot in this mode without making any adjustments. It is possible to make manual adjustments to white balance, exposure, focus and zoom through options located within the touch screen’s P-menu. The auto controls reacted positively in general, with the 5.9mm CMOS chip allowing quick changes to exposure and focus levels.

There are two spot mode options with the Sony DCR-DVD505, spot focus and spot metering, accessed via submenus located within the P-menu when shooting in the standard mode. When these options are engaged, the user can touch the area of the LCD where adjustments should occur. While these options performed well in situations where there were only two or three simple variables, the camcorder struggled with complicated situations where a variety of subjects in close proximity to one another caused incorrect or entirely absent metering. Although certainly offered a better performance when compared to the results achieved with the 2.7-inch LCDs of other Sony camcorders, the 3.5-inch screen still wasn’t large enough to provide accurate measuring most of the time.

The Sony DCR-DVD505 does have some preset shooting mode options which can be entered by pressing the P-menu and scrolling until the program AE submenu is selected. The program AE modes will give point-and-shoot users who are acquainted with menu navigation but are still uncomfortable with manual shooting an in-between ground. These general shooting modes will tailor the camcorder’s image parameters to react more specifically to certain scenes, which supposedly makes for better footage than if the scenes were captured in basic auto mode. The program AE modes on this camcorder are limited compared to models sold by Canon or Panasonic, and users can only select from Spotlight, Portrait, Beach & Ski, Sunset & Moon and Landscape options.

Overall Manual Control (3.0)
The manual controls for the Sony DCR-DVD505 are a limited group of options that will leave the manual control enthusiast hungry for a DVD camcorder from Panasonic. This emphasis on the auto control on Sony camcorders in lower price ranges isn’t surprising; however, it does come as a surprise when the initial MSRP of $1099.99 is taken into consideration. With a price like this it would seem appropriate for Sony to at least include control options for shutter speed or aperture.

Menus for the manual controls are entered by pressing the P-menu insignia in the lower right corner of the LCD when the camcorder is not in Easy mode. The P-menu is three pages in length with an illogical structure and incomplete offerings that are displayed as opaque rectangular buttons on a live view screen. To ameliorate this problem, the user of the DCR-DVD505 will have to personally restructure the menu with the available tools. This task is tolerable for the savvy camcorder user, but it will quickly overwhelm anyone with less knowledge or little patience.

The default P-menu has access to the following controls: setup, finalize, still media, smooth slow record, surround monitor, exposure, spot focus, fader, spot meter, focus, program AE, format, unfinalize, microphone record level, color slow shutter, beep, language and P-menu setup, all in that order. Think about it and you’ll realize that the order of these features makes absolutely no sense. Even if all the controls needed for quick shooting are located within this menu, most users will find it necessary to restructure the menu just to be able to make timely adjustments.

Not all manual controls are listed in the P-menu, and this is where things become even more problematic. The manual controls are actually listed in the administrative menu, entered through the setup button on the first page of the P-menu. White balance must be accessed this way, for example. Once in the setup or administrative menu the list of options must be controlled until the appropriate submenu is selected. In this case the submenu is "Camera Set."

Those movements are both needlessly time-consuming and fairly overwhelming. If this is a DVD camcorder for the point-and-shoot market, the placement of the white balance control within this labyrinth is sure to permanently keep timid users shooting in only the most basic of shooting setups. This is unfortunate; manual white balance can dramatically improve camcorder accuracy and image quality. To moving this feature in-menu to a more convenient place, users must enter the P-menu, select the P-menu set up and finish with the add button. At this point, the overarching administrative menu will be entered and the menu sorted, now with the white balance option. This seems absurd. How about providing manual controls in the P-menu from the start?

While the P-menu provides a six button display over a live view, the administrative setup menu is displayed as a list menu with five categories, with full submenus displayed as lists when scanned and displayed as buttons once a submenu is opened for alteration. This means that once a category menu has been opened it is possible to scan from one category to the next without having to exit and re-enter through the next menu option. This does speed up navigation although it will be initially intimidating to the novice user.

The category menus are: camera set, pict. appli., media set, standard set and time/langu. The options for all of these menus are as follows, beginning with the camera set menu options: program AE, spot meter, exposure, white balance, auto shutter, spot focus, focus, flash set, super NS, NS light, color slow s, self timer, digital zoom, SteadyShot, fader, digital effect, pict. effect, smth slw rec, demo mode, format finalize, unfinalize, disc title, rec mode, still media, mic ref level, sur monitor, LCD/VF, memory remaining, rec lamp, beep, disp output, setup rotate, a. shut off, sub-t date, clock set, area set, dst set and language. Needless to say, this list is exhaustive, and unless users are comfortable with camcorders this administrative menu will take some getting used to before it can be easily navigated. Navigation is accomplished through the up and down arrows on the left side of the LCD screen.

Zoom (8.0)

The DVD505 has an excellent zoom control. The primary zoom device (don’t forget, the DVD 505 has two) is a design of the "raised nubbin" variety, located on the upper right rear of the body. The toggle is couched on the front and back by small plastic shielding. It seems like these would get in the way, but they have a good feel and would likely protect the toggle from snagging on clothes or fabric and ruining a rather pricey investment.

The zoom control is extremely sensitive to touch. The slightest nudge sets it in motion at a slow crawl. In total, we found about three speeds possible, depending on pressure. The only problem with the zoom placement is its proximity to the built-in mic, located mere inches away. A quick release of the zoom and the snap-back will surely register on your soundtrack.

There is a second, less sensitive zoom control on the bottom edge of the LCD panel, which consists of a W and T button. This is a fixed speed zoom, which corresponds to the medium speed of the primary zoom control. While it may be considered a redundant control, given the great feel of the primary zoom toggle, one cold argue that if all the manual control is already taking place on the LCD, you might as well put a zoom control there too.

The zoom controls on the LCD panel.

For the sake of nitpicking, we really like what we’ve seen on the Canons this year, which feature three pre-set zoom speeds in addition to a variable speed control. It’s an upper-end type of feature that has trickled its way down to their entry level ZR series. We hope other manufacturers take note.

Zoom Power/Ratio (10.0)

The DVD505 is capable of reaching an optical zoom of 10x and a digital zoom of 120x. The optical zoom may seem small compared to the stratospheric zooms of camcorders like the Panasonic PV-GS39, but larger imagers are not capable of reaching those ultra zoom levels. Instead, thankfully, they limit themselves to more modest and certainly more sensible levels. Even at 10x, a tripod is a good idea.

120x digital zoom is also a sensible choice. Don’t get wowed by camcorders offering 800x and 1000x zoom. At that level, you’ll have no resolution quality left. Digital zoom is a digital process that degrades image quality. 120x is pushing the limits, but you’ll still be able to make out far away subjects. A tripod is a necessity anywhere near this level. If you just need a boost over the 10x optical and don’t mind loosing image quality, you can cap the digital zoom at 20x.

To monitor where you are in the zoom, there is a bar in the upper left corner of the LCD. The bar is split, and you’ll have to hit the zoom toggle a second time to make it jump the break and start using the digital zoom. It’s the little things like this that make people like Sony camcorders. They are user-friendly, that’s for sure.

Focus (4.0)

The focus on the DVD505 is no better than on any other Sony consumer camcorder. Our advice is generally very simple: don’t use it, unless the auto focus is straining and your subject is not in motion.

Focal control is located in the menu. When you select "Manual," a set of icons comes up that is all too familiar to those of us tiring of the bad manual focus on most camcorders. On one side is a picture of a mountain; on the other, a man. Between them lies the vast expanse of a scale, marked by little slashes of unknown increments. If you want to focus on a subject far away, tap, tap, tap on the mountain. If your subject is close up, poke that man.

Manual control on this camcorder is the epitome of all that is bad with touch screens. First of all, even though the resolution of the screen is 211K, high by consumer cam standards, that’s still not an incredibly sharp image. It’s a rough approximate of what the picture will look like on a real monitor. Secondly, the tapping. It’s like being in a Ginger Rogers movie. Frankly, we’re all tapped out. Thirdly, the instrument by which you are supposed to determine the correct focus has your greasy, dirty finger prints all over it, smudging up the frame. How can you even see the picture through that grease trap? I don’t know--which is why we recommend that you leave the DVD505 in auto. Sonys have great auto control, and the focus seemed to fail rarely in our testing. If you need a simple adjustment between two or three large subjects of varying distance, try the Spot Focus, described above in Automatic Controls.

Exposure (Aperture) (4.0)

Exposure control works much like focus, which you can read about in tragic detail above. Found in the menu, exposure is adjusted in EV steps, a combination of aperture and shutter speed. The details of the nature of this combination are not explained, though, and no numerical values are given. There is a sliding scale on which a cursor moves when a user taps plus and minus icons, as if to simply make the image be "more bright, please" or "less bright, please." On that level, it works quite well; it’s simple and effective. The image does indeed get brighter or dimmer.

At this price point, however, we feel that some pro-level control is not too much to ask. All Panasonics feature independent aperture control in F-stops. Upper-end Canons offer Aperture priority modes, which are not wholly independent, but at least they offer better control.

*Shutter Speed (0.0) *

There is no shutter speed control on the DVD505. No, even at the $1000+ mark; Sony is sticking to its guns and not offering any of the features that they reserve for their highest-end consumer and prosumer markets, starting with the HDR-HC1, which had shutter control from 1/4 to 1/10000 of a second.

White Balance (7.5)

The manual white balance controls are located in the menu. In addition to two presets, Indoor and Outdoor, the DVD505 offers Sony’s One Push manual control. Thankfully, the DVD505 has a customizable menu, and the white balance can be pulled from the depths of the menu and onto the front page. White balance is one of those manual controls that users should get very used to setting. A proper white balance can make all the difference with a shot by creating a healthy color balance. For those who don’t know, it involves nothing more than pointing the camera at a flat, true white surface (a piece of paper will do) and tapping the icon that looks like a rectangle sitting atop two triangles. There, your white balance is set. Just be sure to reset it every time you change locations or light sources.

Gain (0.0)

The DVD505 has no manual gain control. All Panasonics this year offer a manual gain control from 0dB to 18dB. Most JVCs give you the choice of turning their auto gain control on and off, as well as an auto gain control with Auto Slow Shutter.

Other Manual Control (0.0)

The DVD505 has no other manual control.**

**

Still Features

Still Features* (8.5)*

The DVD505 captures stills to MemoryStick Duo, MemoryStick PRO Duo, and DVD in two qualities, Fine and Standard, and six different resolution sizes, 2304 x 1728 (4MP), 2304 x 1296 (3MP, widescreen), 2016 x 1512 (3MP), 2016 x 1134 (2.3MP, widescreen), 1600 x 1200 (1.9MP), and 640 x 480 (0.3MP).

How these options are arranged on the camcorder is not immediately apparent. When in still mode, you are only presented with options for 4 MP, 1.9 MP, 0.3MP, and 3MP widescreen. Movie mode has its own set of still sizes, one for taking stills when shooting video in 4:3 mode (3MP), and one for taking stills when shooting video in 16:9 mode (2.3MP). You can set up in the menu whether you would like stills to save to the MemoryStick of the DVD. The fact that you can simultaneously take 3MP stills while shooting video is a strong point in favor of this camcorders still capabilities.

The MemoryStick slot (left) and the flash (right).

In terms of manual control, you get most the same features found in video mode. Exposure, focus, Spot Focus, Spot Meter, Color Slow Shutter are all found in the front of the menu. You’ll also find the self-timer, which delays the picture being taken for 10 seconds after the shutter button is released.

A flash is located directly above the lens. This flash can be set can high, normal, and low levels, turned off entirely, and be set for auto use, forced use, or turned off entirely. Flash levels are in the menu. The flash on/off button is located on the back of the camcorder’s body. The DVD505 offers red-eye reduction, also located in the menu.

The DVD505 has an effective still resolution in 4:3 aspect ratio of 1990K pixels, or 2MP. In 16:9 aspect ratio, there is an effective still resolution of 1490K pixels, or 1.5MP. How then, you might be asking yourself, can the camcorder produces stills of 2304 x 1728, or 4MP? By the process of interpolation, I would reply. Interpolation is a digital process whereby the camcorder splits some or all of the actual pixels and does its best to estimate what colors should be in the new pixels. In our opinion, the stills look excellent, and the high still resolution score backed us up. That said, this is not the same quality of picture that you would find in a dedicated still camera with a 4MP sensor. But for a camcorder, these are some impressive numbers.

Still Resolution* (12.1)*

The DCR-DVD505’s stills were tested for resolution by shooting a standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. In 4:3, shooting in the 2304 x 1728 size, the camcorder produced an approximate resolution of 1207770.8. In 16:9 aspect ratio, shooting in the 2304 x 1296 image size, the camcorder produced an approximate resolution of 601977.6.

This is an excellent score for still resolution, as the chart below illustrates. The DVD505 trailed only the JVC GR-X5, which took stills at a much larger size of 2560 x 1920, or 5 MP.

Still Performance* (9.35)*

The DVD505 produced stills that were extremely sharp (confirmed by the high resolution score). Once again, there were hints of the blue noise that seems to appear in so many Sony camcorders. We thought that a whole new imager might make a difference, but the problem must lie in the processing system. The blue noise appeared primarily in the red portions of the spectrum. Color performance was fair; it lacked the strength that the video had in the same light. The blues appeared best, while the greens appeared flat.

 

By comparison, the DVD403 had the same saturated look in its stills that we found in the video performance. This made for a welcome change from the typically flat look of camcorder stills. That said, the colors are not entirely accurate, just strong.

The best hybrid of last year was the JVC GR-X5, a powerhouse of a camcorder that delivered stills up to 2560 x 1920. By appearance, the stills were sharper and richer than the DVD505, but not by much. The reds were strong, which seemed to charge the magenta and yellow portions of the spectrum with life. It had the same flat green tones of the DVD505, though.

The Canon DC10 scored well in still performance last year, with only a resolution of 1280 x 960. While the picture was sharp and very bright, there were definitely noise issues. Color performance was weaker than the DVD505.

Finally, the Panasonic VDR-D300 produced stills up to 2048 x 1512. The picture was very sharp and the color performance about even with the DVD505. Noise, however, was an issue for the D300, and the picture showed signs of too much in-camera sharpening, something that did not occur in the DVD505. The larger resolution sizes made all the difference to put the DVD505 over the top.**

**

Handling and Use

Ease of Use* (9.0)*

The DVD505, like most Sonys, is a very ease camcorder to use. If you’re not the type to fiddle around much with manual controls, if you’re more the weekender who wants to shoot a fishing trip, and if you have a spare $1000 lying around, you are the target market for this camcorder. Inside the LCD cavity is a button with a big blue dot in the middle. This is Easy mode. Press it and your cares are over. The DVD505 has excellent automatic controls. It also has what you might think of as manual controls with training wheels, if you’re feeling frisky. Spot Focus and Spot Metering are described in detail in the "Automatic Controls" section above, but in short, they require little more than pointing at the object in the LCD frame that you would like to focus on or adjust exposure for. They’re simple controls and only mildly effective, but they can make the inexperienced user feel like they’re part of the team.

 

Handling* (8.0)*

Even though the DVD505 may be priced like a high-end consumer camcorder, it doesn’t handle like one. This is not a straight-up criticism. The DVD505 handles like a low-end Sony. It also handles like a middle-end Sony. They all handle in the same way – very simply. For some users, this is a dream come true. Beginners can purchase this as a status symbol or hot new gadget and hardly have to glance at the manual in order to operate it.

The flip side of that coin is that most in-depth operation of the camcorder like adjusting exposure, focus, or white balance can be a frustrating affair. Touch screens are troublesome things. You’ll find us complaining about them frequently for a simple reason – they give us a lot to complain about, and it affects handling and manual control and gauging picture quality. We understand, from multiple postings, that some people like them. We don’t. Let’s shake hands and agree to disagree.

Aside from the touch screen, the camcorder feels good in your hand. It’s not light, and its certainly not a compact cam. But the raised lip on the upper right side provides an excellent grip. The camcorder feels sturdy, something you can rarely say about budget cams. For instance, the place at which the front of the hand strap meets the body is a swiveling pin connection. This not only lends some flexibility to the hand strap, but it feels secure. By comparison, we were able to pull open the MiniDV mechanism on the Canon ZR500 and ZR700 simply by tugging on the hand strap. The zoom, video record, and still shutter buttons are all very well located for easy finger access. The viewfinder pivots, but we wish it would have extended as well. The LCD screen is a huge 3.5 inches, which would be great if it didn’t just give you more room to put fingerprints on. Overall, it doesn’t handle as well as the Panasonic D300, but the DVD505 is for a different audience, less concerned with manual control, and more with simplicity. In this regard, it succeeds.

Portability* (4.75)*

The tradeoff for all the power under the DVD505’s hood is portability. The DCR-DVD505 is the largest of the DVD camcorders from Sony. It’s heavy, too, weighing in at 1 lb. 6oz (630g). This is not something you’d likely fit in even a medium sized purse, and I reckon you’d be a fool to put a $1000+ camcorder in a purse or book bag anyway.

LCD/Viewfinder* (10.0)*

The touch screen LCD for the Sony DCR-DVD505 is an impressively large 3.5 inches diagonally with a resolution of 211,200 pixels. While this resolution is generous for consumer camcorders, which tend to have LCD screen resolutions lurking around 115K, the resolution on this LCD was still not high enough to really provide an accurate viewing device for checking focus when shooting with manual control. The touch screen menu layout was definitely easier to use and navigate compared to a 2.7-inch screen. The 3.5-inch LCD did suffer from incessant finger smearing and smudging when used, which is unfortunate since the monitor otherwise showed little to no solarizing even when viewed at extreme angles (the LCD can be rotated 270 degrees and swiveled). The size of the LCD is rarity in consumer camcorders, with only last year’s DCR-PC55 providing an LCD this large. Adjustments can be made to LCD brightness through the back light button located beneath the LCD screen on the camcorder body itself. This allows users to make adjustments to the LCD in lighting situations that would otherwise obscure LCD legibility.

The electronic color viewfinder is designed for usability, as evidenced by the pivoting axis point. This allows the user to place the eyepiece at a forty-five degree angle away from the camcorder body and protruding features like the battery pack, which could block functionality if this feature was static. The dioptric adjustment lever is located on the underside of the eyepiece and is properly sized so that even large fingers can make adjustments.

Battery Life* (10.4)*

The DVD505 includes the NP-FP60, which we tested for life expectancy during continuous shooting. The camcorder was set to Easy mode in 4:3 aspect ratio, with no zooming or manual controls engaged. The LCD was left open. When the DVD media needed to be changed, the battery was removed and the DC power plugged in. Then the battery was reinserted and the recording continued. The included battery lasted for 104 minutes and 10 seconds (1 hour, 44 minutes, and 10 seconds).

 

Audio / Playback / Connectivity

Audio*****(4.0)*

There is no microphone input jack on the DVD505. If you've ever read a review on CamcorderInfo.com you know how we feel about this, especially an above $1,000 camcorder. Come on Sony, you did it on the HC1. Adding insult to injury, the DVD505 has a proprietary-fit hot accessory shoe which lets you slightly expand your audio options, buy only to Sony.

One of the major selling points for the Sony DCR-DVD505 has been the 5.1 channel surround sound audio recording. While it is true that recorded audio is output to 5 channels and one subwoofer when played back on appropriate surround sound units, this doesn't mean that shooting with this camcorder is going to produce the intense surround sound experience of Hollywood movies. While Dolby has officially analyzed the camcorder and said it is true 5.1, we don't think you're going to get a very rich sound experience from it.

The microphones are placed on the top of the camcorder and are positioned so that they will pick up front left, front right, rear left, and rear right. But let's take a minute to really examine whether this camcorder is recording 5.1 surround sound that is actually composed of 5 channels of distinctly different audio without additional microphones. Firstly, there are physically only four internal microphones (not five) whose channels are then mixed using a Dolby Digital conversion system that outputs captured audio to a 5.1 channel setup. If played back on a surround sound system, there will be audio playing through all five channels, but the difference between front left and rear right is going to be slim to none.

This leads to the second reason you're not going to get 5.1 like what you experience in the theaters: the proximity of the four internal microphones to one another. Physically the microphones are all positioned inside of a square inch of each other. Even if the pickup paths of each microphone are drastically angled away from one another the actual audio signal is going to vary only slightly when recording. In fact as we tested this camcorder, it seemed the only times real audio distinction occurred between audio channels was when controls like the zoom toggle were quickly released, which caused a peak in the right rear microphone.

The allure and 'unique' nature of this feature becomes even more dubious if users consider that many DVD players with surround sound capabilities also have a little feature which mixes two channel (stereo) recordings into 5.1 channels. The only real benefit to this four channel system is perhaps that inconsistencies and glitches in one channel will be better masked by the presence of three corrective channels. If you're buying this camcorder thinking that suddenly your DVD recordings are going to come to life with the roar of Jurassic Park, think again. If you want to play back four channels of predominantly identical audio on a 5.1 surround system that doesn't have a 5.1 conversion system for stereo recordings, then well, this is the camcorder for you.

Although the in-camcorder microphone performance failed to impress, the inclusion of the Active Interface hot shoe does provide some interesting additional audio options to help out where the internal microphones perhaps fall short. The hot shoe can accept only Sony proprietary audio equipment, which is unfortunate since this does limit the customization. The Sony DCR-DVD505 can currently accept three different types of microphones via the Active Interface shoe: a shotgun microphone, a four channel 'surround sound' microphone and a high-fidelity microphone. These microphones vary in price from $69.99 to $149.99 on the Sony website. They are definitely good ideas for video makers who are more serious about audio recording quality; these mounted external microphones are less likely to pick up handling noise caused by control navigation, shifting hands and internal mechanisms. Sony also sells a wireless microphone option that can connect to this hot shoe, although this option is not available in all countries.

In terms of control and monitoring, the Sony DCR-DVD505 does provide some interesting options for its users. The surround monitor feature is located within the P-menu and when selected allows users to visually monitor the audio levels of the final 5.1 channel output. This screen blocks access to all other LCD features and must be exited to re-enter into other displays. Also included with this monitoring feature is a control for microphone levels. The micref level feature offers recording levels of normal or low. The low setting is intended recording of surround sound, although it won't be able to handle situations like conversations. The low setting was slightly more successful with recording differences in directional audio recording; however, it still wasn't quite living up to the hype of Sony.

We should note that we didn't listen to the DVD505 on a 5.1 Surround Sound system. The way we came to these conclusions on the quality of the 5.1 performance was that we used the audio monitor on the DVD505 to look at the pickup pattern for the microphone. When we tested that we didn't see any difference between the pickup of different sounds at unique places in a testing room. We are working on a method for testing the audio properly to paint a better picture of the audio pickup of the DVD505.

Sony ECM-HM1 Bluetooth Microphone

And now for something completely different. To draw out our audio studies a little bit further, we got a hold of the Sony ECM-HW1 Bluetooth microphone. This is an accessory, we should note, and does not come included with the DVD505.

The ECM-HW1 Bluetooth wireless microphone is an accessory external microphone that connects a Bluetooth receiver to the Sony DCR-DVD505 via the Active Interface shoe on the top of the camcorder. While the receiver connects to the camcorder the wireless mic can be attached to lapel, lanyard, or armband. Regardless of how you attach it, this microphone is anything but subtle - 1 3/8 inches by 2 5/8 inches by 29/32 inches with a prominent blinking blue light which should make this hunk of plastic visible in even the lowest lighting. Even the construction of the transmitter is questionable, with the seams opening slightly when inserting and removing the AAA batteries that were not included in the purchase of this $199 accessory.

The ECM-HW1 Bluetooth wireless microphone can weigh heavily on a shirt.

The ECM-HW1 can be used as a mono mic or as the center channel of a 5 channel set-up. In the latter scenario, the center front channel becomes the most prominent channel in terms of audio levels and presence, and you’ll find yourself struggling to create a balanced mix.

According to specs, the mic has a range of 100 feet in a straight line. On paper, this sounds great, but in actuality, the signal translates to less than 30 feet of a moving subject. When they say "straight line" they mean straight and uninterrupted. If anything so much as a hand gets in the way of the mic, the signal cuts out. On the plus side, it continued receiving a clear signal up to about 150 uninterrupted feet.

*It can also be worn inconspicuously around the neck. *

So what does this mic do for the Dolby 5.1 channel surround sound? The only chance users have of even approximating a surround sound recording with this camcorder is by using an external microphone. The major benefit to this overly expensive accessory is that it can physically separate itself from the other four in-camera mics. This will result in an front center channel distinctly different from four largely identical audio channels. Of course, if Sony had a universal-fit accessory show rather than a proprietary fit, you could easily pick up a wireless lavalier mic and receiver at half the price and a fraction of the size.

*Finally, a wireless mic small enough to fit around an arm. *

VCR Mode* (9.0)*

To review both still images and video footage, either the play/edit button on the left side of the camcorder or the power switch on the back has to be activated. Once in playback mode, both video and still images can be viewed as single frames or six or twelve image multi-up thumbnail displays. These thumbnail pages can be scanned via the up and down arrows on the left side of the LCD screen. Toggling between six or twelve image viewing is accomplished through the zoom lever. When viewing images in the multi-up arrangement it is also possible to move between video clips, still images on DVD, and still images on MemoryStick by pressing the appropriate tab on the bottom of the LCD screen. Actual selection of an image must be done by pressing the thumbnail image on the LCD. Once single images or video clips are displayed the user can engage up to 5x digital playback zoom. The standard rewind, fast forward, play/pause and stop controls are listed on the bottom of the LCD screen.

Actually editing video footage or still images in-camcorder is a bit hairy. Users should consider whether in-camcorder editing is important since it will be necessary to choose either video or VR format options when beginning to shoot. The VR format allows in-camcorder editing of video clips, although this format cannot be played back on non-VR devices. The regular video format can play back on various DVD devices but will not permit in-camcorder editing. If footage is recorded in VR mode, upon entering the multi-up window the user will find an EDIT tab that can be pressed on the LCD. This allows the selected clip to be played back with a time elapsed bar directly above the standard VCR control buttons on the bottom of the LCD. When the proper moment has been reached the play/pause button can be pressed, followed by the OK button. This action will separate the video clip into two separate files. In addition to this feature, the Edit control can also add files to a playlist as well as delete single or all files.

Ports* (5.5)*

The ports for the Sony DCR-DVD505 are all located on the left side of the camcorder body. Beneath the LCD screen on the camcorder body, along the bottom edge, is a port cover which masks three ports. The hard plastic port cover is easily opened with tabs located along its top and bottom edge, and is attached to the body of the camcorder via the cover’s back edge. The hinge connecting cover to camcorder seems suspiciously weak and could snap easily with rough handling over time. The ports located beneath the cover allow are a LANC remote jack, a composite A/V / S-video in/out, and a DC in jack. These ports are well spaced for comfortable access and the close proximity to the LCD didn’t seem to create any real problems in opening the port cover or accessing the ports. If the LCD screen is opened, a fourth port will be discovered in the center of the camcorder body, directly beneath the playback speaker. This is the connection for Hi-speed USB 2.0.

**

**

Other Features

Widescreen/16:9 Mode* (6.0)*

Despite the great imager, the huge LCD, the easily accessible widescreen mode button, the DCR-DVD505 does not offer true widescreen. That is to say, the wide angle is 50 degrees in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. While 50 degrees is very wide for 4:3, no significant shift in the wide angle, as well a loss on information on the top and bottom of the frame when switching to 16:9, indicates that this is not true widescreen. Yes, it will put a picture with the correct ratio in your widescreen TV, but you’ll actually have less information in the picture than you would in 4:3.

Scan Rates/24P* (0.0)*

There are no scan rates other than the native 29.97 interlaced fps.

Other Features* (5.0)*
Active Interface Shoe- The Active Interface shoe is a hot shoe that is unfortunately proprietary and will necessitate that users only purchase Sony accessories for use with this feature. The Active Interface shoe will accept, among other things, a shotgun mic, high-fidelity stereo mic, and a surround sound mic which will all provide additional and superior audio options than just the in-camera four-channel setup. These microphones can be purchased for between $69.99 and $149.99 on the Sony website. It’s too bad that Sony insists on having proprietary shoes that restrict the audiophile to these rudimentary offerings, rather than constructed a shoe that is compatible with products from a manufacturer like Sennheiser. This proprietary shoe also accepts four video lights for infrared and standard lighting. Finally, the DVD505 can also accept an autonomous external flash unit for $149.99.

Color Slow Shutter - The color slow shutter option is different than the smooth slow record mode explained below. This feature should be engaged in low light situations when slower shutter speeds will allow greater levels of detail to be recorded. The color slow shutter option is positioned within the P-menu structure. Note that this feature did have focal struggles, which more advanced users can overcome by using the manual focus.

*Smooth Slow Record *- The smooth slow record mode can be entered through the P-menu. The smooth slow shutter feature is intended to be used with fast-moving subjects filmed at, say, sporting events or speed knitting competitions. The smooth slow record mode captures a 3 second video file and records it as a surprisingly smooth (as promised) 12 second clip.

*Electronic Image Stabilization *- While image stabilization of any kind is better than none at all, it is unfortunate that Sony decided not to equip this $1000 camcorder with optical image stabilization. Instead, the DVD505 offers the lower quality and lower cost electronic image stabilization.

Battery Info - The battery info display can be opened by turning the power switch to off and pressing the Disp/Info button on the left side of the camcorder body. When this action is complete, a battery info screen will be displayed for approximately seven seconds with information pertaining to battery life left if shooting with either the LCD or the viewfinder.

Comparisons / Conclusion

Comparison
Sony DCR-DVD403
Though the DVD505 is not the successor to the DVD403 (the DVD405 has that role in the line-up), there are definitely comparisons to be made here. The DVD403 was a hugely popular camcorder for Sony last year, and likely was a major contributor to DVD camcorders supplanting of MiniDV as the consumer’s medium of choice. The DVD505 has the same size sensor, but while the DVD403 uses a 1/3" CCD, the DVD505 uses a 1/3" ClearVID CMOS sensor, the features of which are described in the first section of this review ("Video Performance"). Both camcorders have the same 10x optical / 120x digital zoom. The DVD403 has a much smaller 2.7" LCD, but they both use the Sony touch screen menu system. The DVD403 did not have a dedicated still media, nor could it take 16:9 stills.

In terms of performance, the DVD403 had much better sharpness than the DVD505. Color performance, however, was better in the DVD505. The DVD403 had strong saturation, which makes the colors "pop," but the 505 was a more accurate rendering. Comparisons of the stills told the same story with color, but the DVD505 trumped the 403 is sharpness too.

In the end, if you are presented with the choice between the DVD403 and the DVD505, I’d have to recommend the DVD505. If you’re buying a DVD camcorder, sharpness is probably not your first concern. If it was, you’d be looking at MiniDV, or better, HD. Color is something that the different mediums can compete on, and the DVD505 offers truer color.

DCR-DVD405
The next model down, the DVD405 ($900 MSRP) looks to be a very good camcorder in its own right. Though our full review is not completed yet, we have begun testing and have gotten a good look at video, still, and low light performance.

The imager on the DVD505 is a ClearVID CMOS sensor, versus the DVD405’s CCD of the same size. That’s not all the $200 upgrade buys you. It shoots stills up to 4 MP, versus the DVD405’s 1MP stills , and the DVD505 can take stills while in video mode up to 3MP. The DVD405 does not have the Smooth Slow Record, and the LCD is much smaller, at 2.7 inches.

In terms of performance, the DVD405 had slightly worse color performance, and more in-camera sharpening issues that caused halos along areas of high contrast. Low light very similar to the DVD505. Overall, the $200 doesn’t seem to buy much in terms of video performance. If you want better stills, the DVD405 is no contest, but on a strictly video platform, save your money and get the DVD405.

Panasonic VDR-D300
The Panasonic VDR-D300 is Panasonic’s top of the line DVD camcorder, whichi makes this the other titan in the room with the DVD505. It has 3 1/6" CCD chips, and as with all Panasonics, it offers much better manual control and excellent handling. Automatic controls are not as good as Sony, but overall, we strongly prefer a camcorder that asks for your input into picture quality.

The smaller chips could not compete against the DVD505 in low light, and low light performance counts for a lot in whether we recommend a camcorder or not. But in bright light, the D300 was much sharper. It came at the cost of some fine grain noise, but overall, the D300 had a stronger picture. The DVD505 had much better still performance.

The fight between the DVD505 and the D300 is of great interest to us. DVD camcorders, by their nature, cater to the point and shoot user. This has been Sony’s strength through the years. But as DVD eclipses MiniDV as the medium of choice for consumers, the base will eventually expand to more types of consumers. Will Sony continue to dominate , or will Panasonic’s focus on the manual control user begin to pay off? Last year, we were strongly behind the Sony DVD403. This year, in this specific stand-off, we’re recommending the Panasonic D300. There is simply no contest in video performance. Low light counts for a lot, but you can always find more light if you really try. Once you have it, wouldn’t you rather have a camcorder that can make better use of it? If you are the buyer with ease of use as your primary concern, however, the DVD505 is the better buy.

Hitachi DZ-GX3300
While we haven’t had a chance to do a full review of this camcorder yet, the DZ-GX3300 is Hitachi’s top of the line DVD camcorder this year. It, too, has a 1/3" chip, a CCD, with 3.3 gross MP, an active accessory shoe, and a price tag of $799. Hitachi’s cannot match Sonys for automatic control. The manual control is about on par with the DVD505. It does not have shutter or aperture control, and a stunted exposure and focus control similar to the DVD505.

Stills can only be recorded to DVD-RAM discs, though video can be recorded to DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW. The large imager should produce good video. Last year’s DZ-MV780 had solid video in bright light, and very sharp low light.

Handling is rather stunted, and is arguably worse than Sony’s touch screen. All control functions are located on the left side of the body, above and inside the LCD cavity. This is the same design as last year’s Panasonic DVD camcorders, and we’re quite thankful that Panasonic upgraded the line to its MiniDV standards.

However, we don’t really expect the GX3300 to compete with the DVD505. Hitachi’s best is no match for the titan Sony.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters *(7.0)*

For the point-and-shoot user who loves auto mode and can’t imagine ever wanting more advanced manual control, the DCR-DVD505 is certainly towards the top of the heap. If manual control at a later date may be desired, it would be wise for this user group to look elsewhere for more interactive options.

Budget Consumers* (3.0)*

For the budget consumer, the $1100 price tag on the Sony DCR-DVD505 is sure to derail interest, especially if image quality is at all important. The DVD format quality is still inferior to the MiniDV format; MiniDV camcorders can be purchased for a fraction of the price of the DVD505.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid* (8.0)*

This camcorder is the top of the line for DVD camcorders in 2006, and it definitely has hybrid abilities with both MemoryStick Duo Pro and DVD formats available for still image recording. In addition to multiple recording formats and image size, the DVD505 also comes with a well placed in-camera flash and a Sony proprietary hot shoe for either external flash or video light.

Gadget Freaks* (7.5)*

With a 3.5-inch LCD and the dubious status of being the highest priced consumer DVD camcorder on the market, the DVD505 may be an essential must-have for the DVD camcorder freak on the lookout for the next generation of hybrid DVD camcorders.

Manual Control Freaks* (3.0)*

Manual controls aren’t a strong point on Sony consumer camcorders, and the DCR-DVD505 is no exception. It has limited options and a less than enjoyable touch screen menu navigation, layout and interface.

Pros/ Serious Hobbyists* (4.0)*

There is no reason for the pro or serious hobbyist to consider consumer DVD camcorders at all, considering their relatively poor image quality, high compression levels, and struggling performance. Unless, of course, you’re looking to show off the top-end model in the DVD line.

**Conclusion
**The DCR-DVD505 is crown jewel of Sony's DVD division, with all the hallmarks of a top model. It's the biggest camcorder, in size, it has the hottest new technologies inside, and the company is determined to convince you that it's the best in the market. We found it to be many of these things. But as for the best camcorder in the DVD market... no.

Please believe that we were excited about this camcorder. In what is amounting to a slow year for news, the DVD505 with its ClearVID CMOS sensor and huge still resolutions was the one of the highlights at CES. Our tests revealed, however, that the hype was just that - hype. While the color reproduction and accuracy certainly improved over last year's DVD403, the sharpness took a steep decline. That's simply unacceptable from a camcorder that claims to be not a replacement for the DVD403, but the model above and beyond the replacement.

Of course, our usual praises and jabs for Sony are here, too. The ease of use is hard to beat, and the automatic controls are as good as they are on most Sony camcorders. But manual control is severerely lacking, and it is in this category that $1000+ camcorders typically define themselves from the budget models. There is no discernable manual control improvement over their lower-end DVD camcorders, except perhaps the larger LCD screen, which makes for better live viewing.

Also, we feel that at this price range, a camcorder should be able to compete with similarly priced camcorders in other media. As long as the ceiling remains 8.5 Mbps on DVD camcorders, they will never be able to match the video quality of a MiniDV camcorder. We know that the DVD505 has the potential, it's got the same chip that is used in a Sony HD camcorder, it's just being held back by the excessive compression for DVD discs. Perhaps someday  a DVD camcorder will be able to record AVI files. Or something else! Anything else! High-end DVD camcorders need to start offering more than just ease of use. This is not just a criticism of Sony. This is for Panasonic, for Hitachi, for Canon, and for all the other DVD camcorder manufacturers. Perhaps Blu-Ray offers some glimmer of future hope.

If the two titans of DVD are the Sony DVD505 and the Panasonic VDR-D300, we have to hand it over to the D300. Manual controls were immensely better in the D300, and image quality took the slight lead. Throw in a mic input and you've got yourself a pretty good little camcorder. Sony proved to be the better performer in low light, and, naturally, ease of use. If you're the typical DVD camcorder user and all you want is to point and shoot and not think we recomend the DVD505, but we think it's slightly ironic that you'd be spending $1,100 on your camcorder and not want to think about it when you use it. The still capabilities of the DVD505 are much better, too, but still features should not be a main factor in purchasing a camcorder. They cannot hope to match the quality of even cheap point and shoot digital still cameras.  We found the 5.1 channel Dolby Digital to be more or less of a red herring, which knocked out one of its major marketing points

Bottom line: The Sony DVD505 is a great DVD camcorder with top of the line still performance and decent class video performance, perfect for the ease of use DVD camcorder buyer. However, if you're spending this much on a camcorder, we recomend going with the Panasonic for it's slightly better performance and, more importantly, better manual control.

Specs/Ratings

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