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  • Performance

  • Format

  • Auto / Manual Controls

  • Still Features

  • Handling and Use

  • Audio / Playback / Connectivity

  • Other Features

  • Conclusion & Comparisons

  • Photo Gallery

  • Performance
  • Format
  • Auto / Manual Controls
  • Still Features
  • Handling and Use
  • Audio / Playback / Connectivity
  • Other Features
  • Conclusion & Comparisons
  • Photo Gallery

Performance

The Sony DCR-DVD910 comes equipped with a relatively small sensor - a 1/5-inch CMOS with a gross pixel count of 2,360,000 (effective pixel count of 1,490,000). This is considerably smaller than last year's top standard definition DVD camcorder, the DCR-DVD508, which had a 1/2.9-inch CMOS. What does this mean? In short, you can expect to see less interest and less investment in standard definition from manufacturers. However, manufacturers have also proven lately that they are sometimes able to pull great performance from sensors we would have criticized as being too small or too densely packed with pixels.

The strange thing is this... Sony's high definition DVD camcorders for 2008, the HDR-UX10 and HDR-UX20, use exactly the same sensor that the DCR-DVD910 uses. Yet the UX10 and UX20 record full 1920 x 1080 video in the AVCHD format, while the DVD910 only records 720 x 480 video in that old dog format, MPEG-2. The DVD910 is capturing all the same information into the sensor, but throwing it out the window prior to processing.

Sony DCR-DVD910 at 3000 lux

Let's see how it did. To start, we used the Sony DCR-DVD910 to shoot our trusty DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde color chart at an even 3000 lux. Under these conditions, the camcorder produced quite a good image. The color performance was about equal to the DCR-SR300 and DCR-DVD508. Whenever Sony has a camcorder in the upper-end of the market, they produce some of the best looking color.

However, the sharpness of the DCR-DVD910 in no way competes with last year's DCR-DVD508 and DCR-SR300 and their larger, higher resolution sensors. The fine details on the chart can be made out, but there is a distinct softness to the whole image. In this regard, the performance was closer to the Canon FS11. We liked the color performance better on the Sony DVD910 than the Canon FS11.

Now let's compare it to its cousin, the high definition HDR-UX20. In fact, there's almost no comparison. Aside from the similar color performance, the HDR-UX20 is immensely sharper and more detailed than the DVD910. Above are 100% crops side by side. You make the call.

Out of the lab, the Sony DCR-DVD910 performed well. Colors were balanced and did not oversaturate too much. The auto exposure could run a little high and blow out your whites, so it might be a good idea to leave the Zebra patterns on and set to 100 IRE. If the stripes appear, be sure you've got some practice in how to shift the exposure.

Overall, this is a decent little DVD camcorder that should serve you well in most outdoor and well-lit indoor shooting situations.

Video Resolution* (3.25)*

The video resolution was tested by shooting a DSC Labs video resolution chart at an even, bright light, then watching the playback footage on an HD monitor. At best, the Sony DCR-DVD910 produced an approximate horizontal resolution of 325 line widths, and a vertical resolution of 200 line widths.

This is a fairly weak score compared to the competition, scoring lower than the Sony DCR-DVD508, Sony DCR-SR300, and Canon FS11. The vertical resolution, in particular, was quite bad.

Low Light Performance* (4.17)*

The low light performance of the Sony DCR-DVD910 was tested in three stages. First, we shot the DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde color chart at an even 60 lux and 15 lux, then compared the charts to similar camcorders. At 60 lux, the Sony DVD910 lost a fair amount of light compared to the bright light testing. The noise became more noticeable and there was a fair amount of fine detail loss. The colors did not fair that well, either. The 60 lux image was a good deal less vibrant than in bright light.

Sony DCR-DVD910 at 60 lux

By comparison, the Sony DCR-DVD508 and DCR-SR300 retained a lot more color information and light. However, we didn't like the high frequency noise that was so apparent with those camcorders. The DCR-DVD910, while lacking in a lot of other areas, had a smoother looking noise that was less distracting. The Canon FS11 performed on par with the Sony DVD910. Colors were brighter on the Canon, but they looked oversaturated and not entirely natural.

Sony DCR-DVD910 at 15 lux

At 15 lux, the Sony DCR-DVD910 took a complete nosedive. There was so much noise and so little color information that it's hard to find much to say about it. Nearly all fine detail is swallowed up. Both of last year's Sonys, the DCR-DVD508 and the DCR-SR300, managed a much better performance. The Canon FS11 also did better with color and fine detail, though not nearly so well as last year's Sonys.

The second stage of the low light testing is for sensitivity, and involves shooting the same chart, while slowly and steadily lowering the light. Using a waveform monitor, we find how much light the camcorder needs to produce a peak of 50 IRE. At best, the Sony DCR-DVD910 needed 15 lux of light to produce that exposure level. This was a weak performance, all told. The Sony DCR-DVD508 and DCR-SR300 could do the same with only 9 lux. The Canon FS11, even with its smaller sensor, needed only 13 lux.

The third stage of low light testing involves shooting the X-Rite Color Checker chart at an even 60 lux, then taking frame grabs from the video and running them through Imatest imaging software to determine color accuracy, noise, and saturation. At best, the Sony DCR-DVD910 was able to produce a color error of 16.3. This was a considerably worse score than the competing camcorders and this year's Canon FS11. The noise, however, was much lower than last year, clocking in at only 0.63%. This indicates that Sony has done some work on the processing to lower exposure. We can't say that we like the net effect, as the overall low light performance was poor. Finally, the saturation at 60 lux measured 53.6%.

Overall, this was a thoroughly underwhelming performance for low light.

Stabilization* (8.9)*
The DCR-DVD910 is equipped with Super SteadyShot Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), a shake reduction system that functions by isolating the lens from the body of the camcorder. OIS is the best shake reduction system on the market for consumer camcorders because it has repeatedly proven to be highly effective in our labs and doesn’t sacrifice pixels the way Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) systems do. EIS works by creating a digital buffer around the recorded frame, leading to a slight loss in surrounding resolution.

We tested the DCR-DVD910’s resistance to shake using out custom-built camcorder shake emulator at two speeds—Speed One and Speed Two. Speed One simulates typical stationary handheld shake while Speed Two is closer to a light jog or jolty car ride with the camcorder. At Speed One, the DCR-DVD910 displayed an 93.75% shake reduction and a 75% reduction at Speed 2. This is an above average performance.     

Wide Angle* (9.6)*

We measured the DCR-DVD910’s maximum field of view using a vertical laser at both left and right angles. The camcorder was placed on a tripod with the zoom pulled back fully, the LCD flipped out, and OIS turned off. Test video was later interpreted on an external monitor in order to attain a true wide angle reading. The DCR-DVD910 exhibited a maximum wide angle measurement of 48 degrees, which is fairly average.

Format

**

Compression*** (4.0)*

The Sony DCR-DVD910 compresses video in the MPEG-2 format, a format shared amongst nearly all the standard definition DVD, hard drive, and flash memory camcorders. MPEG-2 is not a very efficient format, meaning it takes up too much space. Consider it a legacy format that will eventually be phased out.

There are three quality settings on the DCR-DVD910, each of which corresponds to an average bit rate. HQ records at an average 9Mbps, SP at 6Mbps, and LP at 3Mbps. We believe that if you thing something is worth recording, you should shoot in the highest quality

Media* (7.0)*

The Sony DCR-DVD910 records video to either 8cm DVDs (sometimes called miniDVDs) or to MemoryStick Duo and PRO Duo cards. This versatility is very useful, particularly given the problems associated with the DVD medium. While point-and-shoot consumers love that they can pop a DVD right into their home DVD player, the discs are large and difficult to transport. They don't hold much video, and they're easily scratched if they fall out of their case. Load times for the camcorder using DVD are sluggish. Also, you have to format a disc before you use it the first time and finalize it when you're done and want to play it on another device. There is absolutely nothing convenient about this medium. It's a poor choice, and the sooner it's off the market, the better. There... that's our rant.

Of course, if you want to record to DVD, be our guest. The DCR-DVD910 allows it in the following formats: DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD+R DL.

*The MemoryStick Duo/PRO Duo

card slot in the LCD cavity.*

The better choice, we believe, is MemoryStick Pro. These tiny memory cards, while more expensive, offer solid state recording that allows for easier transfer to a computer and faster load times on the camcorder.

Editing* (6.0)*

Editing MPEG-2 video from the Sony DCR-DVD910 is simple, as long as you have moderately up-to-date editing software. The trickiest part will be transferring the video from the camcorder to the computer. DVDs have a file structure that prevents you from being able to drag and drop a single file. You'll need to play around with the import function of your editing software, which usually requires the entire disc to be read and processed. It's slow work.

The DCR-DVD910 ships with Picture Motion Browser 3.0, which allows for simple editing and DVD creation.

Auto / Manual Controls

Picture & Manual Control
* Automatic Control (6.75)*

Standard definition DVD camcorders are aimed squarely at families with kids - those that have the least amount of time and want a camcorder that works in auto mode. In that sense, the Sony DCR-DVD910 is a good choice. Push the Easy button on the side, and the DVD910 goes into full idiot-proof mode. When you're done recording, you can pop the DVD out and put it right in the home DVD player. (Remember, this is for standard def DVD only. High definition DVD camcorders do not enjoy the same ease of cross-compatibility just yet.)

Operation is simple. The external buttons are all labeled clearly. Menu is split into two sections, which we call the Home Menu (activated by the button in the upper left), and the Camera Menu (activated by the button in the lower right).

If you intend on keeping the Sony DCR-DVD910 a strictly point-and-shoot device, you'll be pleased. The automatic responses to typically shooting are quite good. The automatic exposure is fast, taking about 1-3 seconds for extreme leaps from bright to dark. Gradual shifts were met with a smooth transition, which is just what you want to see.

The auto focus is merely okay. As long as the light was strong, the camcorder could quickly adjust to anything you put in front of it, from less than a inch to infinity. But when the light lowered even a little, we saw some difficulty with focusing objects up close. However, the camcorder seemed to fine with focusing objects as far as five feet in very dark conditions with low contrast. The auto white balance worked fairly well in all conditions.

The DCR-DVD910 also included the standard Sony fair of one-touch controls that give the shooter a small amount of input without having to know the in's and out's of photography. Two very cool features are the Spot Focus and Spot Meter controls. When either is activated, a frame appears around your shot. Simply touch the area of the screen that you want focused or exposed properly, and the camcorder does the rest. It works best on large areas. Anything small or of fine detail will require a manual adjustment.

The Scene Modes as the appear in the menu

The camcorder also come equipped with Scene Modes, located in the Camera Menu. Options include: Auto, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Candle, Sunrise & Sunset, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Beach, and Snow. This is a great selection that should cover most of your tricky shooting environments.

Overall Manual Control (5.0)

Sony does not excel in manual controls. The company has done quite well positioning themselves as the easy to use choice for the masses. It's hard to argue with that. Most Sony camcorders are easy, but it costs them with some of the enthusiast crowd that loves to get into the technical details. The DCR-DVD910 offers basic exposure, white balance, focus, and other controls, but the implementation is just so-so. Touch screen operation makes certain functions, particularly focusing, an uphill battle against fingerprint  smudges and cluttered screen graphics. The menu is easy enough to navigate, but you'll certainly want to make a few test runs before an important shooting event.

If you want better options for manual controls, we recommend looking into comparably priced Canons, like the FS11, or the Panasonic SDR-H60. Considering the proximity of high definition options in this price range, you may also look at the newly announced JVC GZ-HD10 or Panasonic HDC-SD9. All of these offer a much greater level of control.

*

Zoom (5.5)*

The zoom toggle on the Sony DCR-DVD910 is located on top of the body towards the back. It's placed a little farther forward than is ideal, and it falls under the middle finger rather than the index finger. The camcorder gives you a very smooth zooming action. The slowest zoom is very slow, making for great crawls. Depending on finger pressure, you can achieve about three different speeds.

When you zoom, a progress bar appears in the upper left corner to give you a rough sense of where you are in the zoom range. Unfortunately, the actual zoom power is not displayed numerically, which can make it difficult to replicate a shot.

Zoom Power Ratio (15.0)

The Sony DCR-DVD 910 has an optical zoom of 15x. This is low for the latest batch of standard definition camcorder, but average for this upper-end price range. Sound counter-intuitive? The issue is that camcorders with small sensors (around 1/6-inch) can allow for huge zoom ranges - the Canon FS11, for example, has a 48x zoom. Camcorders with larger sensors, like the DCR-DVD910 (with its 1/5-inch CMOS) cannot have that large a zoom and retain its compact frame. So you lose some zoom power, but gain resolution with the larger sensor, which is probably the better end of the bargain.

Focus (3.5)

Manual focus is a half-baked affair on most consumer camcorders, but Sony has the worst of the lot. Think we're being too hard? Sony camcorders rely on a touch screen operation, which has two drawbacks. First, the screen accumulates a lot of fingerprints and grease. Secondly, the touch screen 'buttons' are large, and take up a lot of the screen. Once manual focus is activated, the screen is filled with no fewer than eleven buttons and graphics. At that point, it's hard to even see the subject that you're trying to get in focus, and that's assuming you can see it clearly through the finger grease. Sure, you have the option of a viewfinder, but you can't shift focus using it because all the controls are on the LCD screen.

The Focus tool as is appears onscreen

Sony does a much better job with manual focus on its HD camcorders, particularly the HDR-SR11 and HDR-SR12. Both of these models have a front-mounted dial that allows you to smoothly shift the focus with a minimum of on-screen clutter.

Exposure & Aperture (4.5)

The Sony DCR-DVD910 offers an simple Exposure up/down tool, but not explicit control over the aperture. It's located on the second tab of the Camera Menu, along with the Scene Modes and Spot Meter tool (described in the Automatic Controls section above). The importance of having a simple way to make the picture brighter and darker should not be underestimated. It's perhaps the most common manual control that people will want, and let's face it... most people don't know how to work their DVD player, let alone their camcorder.

The Exposure tool as it appears onscreen

To activate, push the Exposure button in the Camera Menu, then select Manual mode. Like the Manual focus control, the screen gets cluttered up with a lot of graphics, which is annoying. In the center is a scale, with plus and minus buttons on either end. Push the buttons to raise or lower the exposure. There are 33 increments total in the scale, though the camcorder does not offer any numeration to help you keep track.

Shutter Speed (0.0)

The Sony DCR-DVD910 does not offer any direct shutter speed control, which sets it apart from similarly priced Canon, Panasonic, and JVC camcorders that do. You will, however, have the option of lowering the minimum auto shutter speed. There are two options. Auto Slow Shutter, which is located in the Movie Settings section of the Home Menu, allows the auto shutter to drop from its normal minimum of 1/60th down to 1/30th. This is a useful setting to leave it in if you plan on shooting in anything other than daylight.

The second option is one that requires more judicious use. Color Slow Shutter, located in the Camera Menu, allows to shutter to drop as low as around 1/2 to 1/4 of a second. The idea is that this speed allows you to capture more color in low light. The problem, of course, is that your video will look like a stuttering mess.

White Balance (5.5)

The white balance settings for the Sony DCR-DVD910 are located in the third tab of the Camera Menu. There are four options here: Auto, Indoor, Outdoor, and One Push (Manual). Making a manual adjustment is very easy. Just point your camcorder at a white or neutral grey target, tap the One Push button, then tap the button underneath it. The icon will blink for a few seconds, and your white balance is adjusted.

The White Balance control in action

Gain (0.0)

The Sony DCR-DVD910 does not offer the ability to adjust gain. Only Panasonic camcorders have this option in the consumer range of products.

Other Manual Controls (5.0)
Face Detection - The hot new feature this year for a lot of camcorder manufacturers is Face Detection. It works by recognizing the architecture of the human face, then adjusting the focus, exposure, and white balance accordingly. The camcorder gives you the option of drawing a frame around the faces so you know when it's working, keeping the frames off, or turning off the whole recognition system entirely. The recognition software is quite good. It could detect up to eight faces at once, and detect some faces at a 90-degree angle.

We also had some fun taking photos of faces and running them through some ridiculous filters in Photoshop. The camcorder took it all in stride and recognized every one. Strangely, it can even recognize some cartoon faces if the architecture of eyes, nose, and mouth are all in the right place.

Guideframe - The Guideframe tool that creates an onscreen grid to help you line up your shots. The lines are not recorded to the final footage.

Zebra - This is a highly effective tool that warns you when your hotspots are getting too bright. It works by detecting areas in your shot that are becoming overexposed. Those areas are filled with moving black and white 'zebra stripes.' The sensitivity can be set to 70 IRE or 100 IRE. If you see the stripes, it means you should manually lower the exposure.

Tele Macro - The Tele Macro feature is intended to shoot macro (tiny, detailed shots) from a distance. In reality, it just automatically extends the zoom to 15x. You can do this better manually by using the zoom and focus controls.

Conversion Lens - If you attach a wide lens or tele lens on the Sony DCR-DVD910, be sure to go to the Conversion Lens settings in the Home Menu and select one of these two options.

Still Features

Still Features* (7.5)*

The DCR-DVD910 shares the same still features with Sony's high definition DVD camcorders, the HDR-UX10 and HDR-UX20. The DCR-DVD910 can capture stills in the following sizes: 2304 x 1728 (4.0MP), 2304 x 1296 (3.0MP), 1600 x 1200 (1.9MP), and 640 x 480 (0.3MP VGA) to MemoryStick PRO Duo only. In Video mode, the DCR-DVD910 can capture a 3MP still image thanks to the Dual Record function.

The DCR-DVD910 is equipped with a flash mounted to the left side of the lens, and you know what that means. You'll experience uneven lighting in almost any shooting environment, thanks to its off-kilter placement. The flash can be set to Auto, On, or Off and you can set the flash intensity level to High, Medium, or Low. An 8 second Self-Timer is available in the Camera menu, and Redeye Reduction is located in the Home menu.

The Home menu also harbors Sony's Face Detection feature, which locates up to 8 faces at once. A box will appear around the subject's face and color, Focus, and Exposure will be adjusted accordingly. Panasonic's Face Detection only concentrates on 6 faces at once and is less effective than Sony's. It's quite a task getting the HDC-SD9's Face Detection system to pick up on a face. Sony's Face Detection is available in Video and Photo mode.

Half of the DCR-DVD910's Photo options are located in the Camera menu. Here's where you'll find all the Manual Controls and a couple extras. The Camera menu can be accessed in an instant, which is highly convenient for on-the-fly adjustment. The DCR-DVD910's Camera menu is composed of the following options:

For more of the administrative options, the DCR-DVD910's Home menu contains the following options:

In Photo Playback mode, captured stills are represented as thumbnails that, when pressed, display the selected image within the entirety of the LCD screen. The Photo Playback menu is only composed of four options: Print, Slideshow, Delete, and Delete All. Playback controls are located on the touch screen LCD and include Index, Last Image, Slideshow, Next Image, and Menu.**
**

Still Performance* (10.49)*

The still performance of Sony DCR-DVD910 was tested by shooting an X-Rite Color Checker chart at an even, bright light, then stunning the stills through Imatest imaging software to determine color accuracy, noise, and saturation. At best, the camcorder produced a color error of 5.72, which was quite good, even better than last year's Sony DCR-SR300. It proved to be the most accurate colors that we've seen on a standard definition camcorder this year. The noise measured 1.1325, which was also a very good score. The saturation measured 93.89.

Out of the lab, the stills from the Sony DCR-DVD910 were good. It's still hard to speak favorably about them compared to a dedicated point-and-shoot digital camera, which easily excels in resolution. But for a camcorder, these stills look good. They would suffice for web-bound photos, but you wouldn't necessarily want them for full-size prints.

Still Resolution* (17.97)*

The still resolution of the Sony DCR-DVD910 was tested by shooting an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart at an even, bright light, then exported to Imatest imaging software. At best, the camcorder was able to produce a horizontal resolution of 1161 line widths per picture height, with a 4.21% undersharpening.

As stated previously, the still resolution score is quite good. However, it's just not that impressive when you consider the huge increase in resolution you can get from a cheap point-and-shoot camera.

Handling and Use

Ease of Use* (8.0)*

Easy Mode is what it's all about on a Sony. If you're a beginner and don't feel like diving into a treacherous wading pool rife with Manual Controls, then Easy Mode is your ticket. All menu items are simplified, the Camera menu takes a vacation, buttons grow in size, and all image adjustment is automatic. These are the training wheels that will guide you to a land of basic camcorder operation. The implementation is so simple and effective that Canon has recently ripped off the idea outright.

Aside from the joys of Easy mode, there is also Manual mode, in which the shooter gets to take the reins. Exposure, White Balance and Focus are all readily available in the Camera menu. Advanced shooters will want to take advantage of these options, though adjusting with a touch screen is a bit of a pain. The good part is that it's easier to learn on a Sony than most other camcorders. A touch screen could be a good place to start before transitioning to dials or wheels.

The DCR-DVD910 is a hybrid, meaning it records to two different forms of media. In this case, you have DVD and MemoryStick PRO Duo to choose from. Just make sure you set which media you're recording to before shooting--it's easy to lose track of video clips when they could be hiding a couple different places. DVDs appear friendly because you can pop them right into your home DVD player, but they're bulky and they slow everything down from start-up time to editing. A MemoryStick is a bit easier--just pop it in a card reader and your files are available in a folder on your computer.

Handling* (6.75)*

Structurally, the DCR-DVD910 is identical to the HDR-UX10 and HDR-UX20--it's basically the standard definition version. All of Sony's DVD cams are tall, upright, and slender. They're not the best handlers. The main grip area is the DVD disc hatch, which does not provide a significant amount of real estate to latch onto. Your fingers will spill onto the top of the camcorder, potentially blocking the stereo microphone. You'll have to shift your fingers back in order for them to align with the top of the disc hatch. Sony should have mounted the mic to the front of the DCR-DVD910--they had the room to play with. Since you must shift the fingers back, they will be arranged in an awkward arch that could very likely prove uncomfortable after 20 minutes. The index finger does not lay over the Zoom toggle naturally--you have to pull it back. The thumb must be shifted down as well. This is definitely not the superior handling of the venerable HDR-SR11 and HDR-SR12.

Sony DCR-DVD910 in hand

Sony does throw some features in the mix that are dwindling in the camcorder world. First off, an extendable viewfinder is located just above the battery. The viewfinder does not have a rubberized eye cup or pivot upward, but it is an alternative monitor that will prove useful on sunny days. However, if you plan on upgrading to a large battery, the viewfinder will likely not extend far enough to be of use.

Love it or hate it, Sony's touch screen LCD interface is popular amongst consumers for its ease of use factor and quick selections. The downside is that the touch screen is prone to smudges from the oils of the fingers. This makes it difficult to focus because the screen is cloudy. By comparison, Panasonic's VDR-D50 has a rear-mounted Joystick, which enables one-handed camcorder operation and is highly convenient for rapid adjustment and menu selections.

The DCR-DVD910's hand strap is minimally padded and constructed of a synthetic material that will draw sweat in an instant on a hot summer day. Sony's top of the line standard DVD cam should have a little more bling than this. The DVD hatch can take a while to open, especially if you haven't used the camcorder for a while and attempt to open the hatch while the DCR-DVD910 is powered off. Swapping out MemoryStick PRO Duos is a somewhat precarious task. The loading slot is awkwardly placed and the card can go flying out of you're not careful Remove cards slowly.

All in all, handling the DCR-DVD910 is not a comfort cruise. Its tall, lanky architecture and oddly placed controls will make longer shoots seem even longer.

Menu* (6.5)*

Sony's menus are simple to navigate and easy to use. The touch screen interface is convenient, but some shooters would rather have a Joystick or dial. The DCR-DVD910's menu system is similar to most of the rest of the Sony fleet (except for tape-based models). The 2.7-inch LCD screen will really cramp your fingers. The buttons are slight and not as receptive to touch as those found on a 3.5-inch LCD screen. The two primary menus--Home and Camera--contain all the shooter needs. The Home menu centers around more of the administrative functions while the Camera menus consists of all Manual Controls. 

The Home menu is rife with options, so you'll need a bit of time to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood. The Home menu contains the following options:

The Camera menu is home to all Manual Controls, but the DCR-DVD910 does not have a dial or Joystick to aid in adjustment. You'll have to rely on the LCD screen controls, which will cloud up the screen and make it difficult to focus. You could even try using a stylus to tap buttons if you're having trouble. The Camera menu contains the following options:


**

***The Camera Menu in action*

Portability* (5.0)*

The DCR-DVD910 is not the kind of camcorder you can pocket with ease--no DVD cam out there is compact enough to fit a low profile. However, the DCR-DVD910's tall, slender body will save you space in a camcorder bag for discs, batteries, cables, power adapters, maps, donuts, Coronas, and anything else you can pack in. The DCR-DVD910 measures 58 x 93 x 134mm (2 3/8 in. x 3 3/4 in. x 5 3/8 in.), and tips the scale at 550g (1 lb. 3 oz.), which is nearly identical to Sony's High Definition HDR-UX10 and HDR-UX20. If you plan on recording exclusively to MemoryStick PRO Duo cards, you'll end up saving a significant amount of space in one of your camcorder bag pouches. The DCR-DVD910 seems fairly rugged, and will be able to endure a tumultuous trip to the Jersey Shore. 

LCD and Viewfinder* (8.5)*

Like nearly all Sonys, the DCR-DVD910 has a 2.7-inch wide color LCD screen with a 211,200 pixel display. The LCD screen flips out 90 degrees from the body of the camcorder and rotates up to 270 degrees. We'd like to see a massive 3.5-incher on the DCR-DVD910, especially with touch screen navigation. Trying to access the buttons is at times is like attempting to catch a fly with chopsticks. Plus, the screen is prone to fingerprints and smudges from the oils of the skin, which makes it difficult to focus using the LCD screen. Two previous models, the HDR-UX1 and HDR-SR1, both had 3.5-inch screens, along with a handful of Sony MiniDVs of the past. Without the 3.5-inch LCD screen, Sony is just like every other manufacturer out there. However, none of the other manufacturers use touch screen operation, so they get off the hook - Sony should provide better. The left of the LCD panel is equipped with a vertical strip of controls containing Home, Zoom Out, Zoom In, and Record Start/Stop, which will come in handy for avid two-handed shooters.

Sony tacked an extendable viewfinder on the DCR-DVD910, giving the shooter an alternative monitor conducive to outdoor shooting on excessively sunny days. A viewfinder is rarity these days, as camcorders are being placed in the 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' machine at a rapid rate. The DCR-DVD910's viewfinder is constructed of a plastic eye cup that extends about one inch from the back of the camcorder, just clearing the battery by a millimeter. If you upgrade to a larger battery pack, the viewfinder will be too stunted and you'll get a nice big battery in your face while shooting. Sony could have combated this issue by placing a hinge on the viewfinder so that it flips up for more clearance. The fact that the DCR-DVD910 actually has a viewfinder is a bonus, so we'll take what we can get.    

**

Battery Life*** (14.9)*

We tested the stamina of the DCR-DVD910's NP-FH60 battery pack by recording continuously with the LCD flipped open and OIS disabled. When the Memory Card needed to be formatted after filling up, the external power was connected and the card was wiped for the next round. The DCR-DVD910's battery lasted a whopping 148 minutes and 37 seconds (2 hours, 28 minutes, and 37 seconds). This is a stellar performance and the DCR-DVD910 will certainly provide shooters with the longevity needed for extended shoots.

Audio / Playback / Connectivity

Audio* (5.0)*

This year, all Sony camcorders have Zoom Mic capability, which is now becoming a standard in the industry. With Zoom functionality, subjects that are in the distance will be picked up gradually as the camcorder zooms in. The DCR-DVD910's 5.1 Channel Dolby Digital microphone is mounted to the top of the camcorder, which is a disadvantageous placement. Your grip hand will most likely overshoot the top of the camcorder, hindering audio recording. Fortunately, the DCR-DVD910 has a hot shoe (Sony's proprietary Active Interface Shoe). There are a handful of aftermarket Sony mics that are compatible with the DCR-DVD910, which will prove to record better sound than the onboard mic. On the downside, Sony does not tack a Mic jack on the DCR-DVD910, which should be essential on their top standard definition DVD model.

You can set audio recording to either 5.2-Channel Surround or 2-Channel Stereo recording, but the quality of the onboard mic will make it difficult to discern between the two modes. Sound can be recorded at two levels, Normal and Low. When audio recording is set to Low, the DCR-DVD910 is more sensitive. The Normal setting utilizes a built-in decibel restraint to keep pops and hisses to a minimum. Low is free to record at any level. Low is best for controlled environments, such as stationary interviews while Normal will fit atmospheres rich with unpredictable sound, like a parade.

Playback* (6.5)
*Thanks to Sony's simple Home menu structure, reviewing record video clips and stills is a snap. In order to access Playback, press either the Playback button located above the LCD cavity or the Playback button in the bottom left hand corner of the LCD screen. A screen will appear with two tabs at the bottom, representing Video and Photo. Icons that represent individual video clips and still images are located above the tabs in an index format. You can scroll through the icons using the arrows to the left. In order to access a clip or still, press the icon and the clip or still will play/fill the LCD screen.

Playback controls as they appear onscreen

In Video Playback, a row of Playback controls is located along the bottom of the screen: Previous Clip, Next Clip, Stop, Rewind, Play/Pause, Fast Forward, and Function. Fast Forward and Rewind have four different speeds and pressing Stop brings returns you to the Index page. Still images can be reviewed in a slide show format in Playback.

The Video Playback Function menu consists of the following options:

One of the coolest new features this year, if not necessarily the most useful, is the Face Index sorting tool. This uses the face recognition to sort and gather all clips with certain faces in it. Our testing showed that it was pretty reliable.

The DCR-DVD910 also has a Film Index feature that lets you search for clips based on the date they were recorded. This is useful for camcorders with ample amounts of storage capacity, like some of Sony's high capacity HDD cams (HDR-SR12). On the DCR-DVD910, it's not particularly are useful unless you record a plethora of short clips or use a 16GB MemoryStick PRO Duo. **
**

Connectivity* (5.0)*

The DCR-DVD910 is does not excel in connectivity, but it offers a small collection of ports. You won't find a Mic or Headphone jack, which are essential for advanced shooters. Sony's top tier standard definition DVD camcorder should offer more, but as far as connectivity goes, the DCR-DVD910 falls short.

The AV and DC jacks are located in back under the battery, protected by a hinged plastic tab that swings upward. Sony designs its DC inputs well, with an unconventional terminal design that resists inadvertent unplugging more so than a round jack.

The LCD cavity harbors the USB terminal and MemoryStick PRO Duo slot. The USB terminal is secured by a thin plastic tab that swings down to open. To Sony's credit, they really know how to design their ports in a way that they blend in with the architecture of the camcorder. The MemoryStick slot is a bit precarious because the card has a tendency to slide quickly when releasing it. As a result, your precious proprietary media can go flying across the soccer field, and nobody wants that.

Lastly, the DCR-DVD910 has a proprietary hot shoe (Active Interface Shoe), but it only accepts Sony mics. There are converters on the market for third-party mics, but they only covert for size (they cannot power the device), and without a mic jack, a converter would be useless.

Other Features

**

What’s in the Box?**

The DCR-DVD910 ships with the following items:

-AC Adapter

-Power Cord

-A/V Connecting Cable

-USB Cable

-Wireless Remote Commander

-NP-FH60 Rechargeable Battery Pack

DVD camcorders really don't require much. If you plan on taking advantage of the MemoryStick PRO Duo recording, then you'll need a couple of those. A larger backup battery (Sony's NP-FH70) would be a good idea as well. If you go the DVD route, stock up--you'll end up burning through a lot.

Other Features* (5.0)**

Smooth Slow Record - *For liquid smooth slow motion action, use Smooth Slow Record. 12 seconds of video will be captured at a buttery 240fps, which is 1/4 the speed of standard 60fps video.

*Super NightShot - *When there's a blackout, Super NightShot will penetrate through the darkness, casting an eerie green glow to recorded video. Using an infrared light, Super NightShot will make everyone look like Martians.

*Dual Record - *While in video mode, Dual Record allows you to capture a 3MP still image while simultaneously recording video.

*Digital Effect - *Old Movie will add a little film grain and sepia tone to your video for that 'Old Timey' feel.

*Battery Info - *Wondering how much juice is left in the battery? Press the Battery Display/Info button and a graph will appear displaying the remaining battery life in percentage increments. Remaining LCD and Viewfinder life is also present.

*Backlight Compensation (BLC) - *When a subject is underexposed in the center of the shot, Backlight Compensation raises the overall exposure so the subject is brighter.

Picture Effects*- *Sepia, Black and White, and Pastel are the in-camera effects you can apply if you're afraid of editing programs.

*Faders - *For dramatic purposes, you can fade in and out of shots with Black or White fades.

Conclusion & Comparisons

**

Conclusion**

The Sony DCR-DVD910 ($649 MSRP) just can't compete for our good graces this year. In and of itself, it's a fine camcorder with no outstanding faults. When put in context, however, an ill light falls upon it.

Positioned directly above it are the Sony HDR-UX10 ($799 MSRP) and HDR-UX20 ($999 MSRP). Both are high definition and both use the same sensor and processor as the DCR-DVD910. The DVD910 simply discards the information to produce standard def instead of high def video. How can you argue in favor of the DVD910, especially when you consider than the video from the UX20 tested quite well, while the DVD910's video is mediocre, at best. In fact, the DVD910's video looks worse than its direct predecessor, the DCR-DVD508.

There are better choices out there. If you want to remain in standard definition and are set on DVD, try to find last year's DCR-DVD508 or this year's DCR-DVD810, which will at least save you some money. If you want standard definition but are flexible about the recording medium, we recommend the Canon FS11. We also urge you to consider HD, which is not much more expensive and offers a huge leap forward in video quality. The Panasonic HDC-SD9 does not cost too much more than the DCR-DVD910. Also, keep an eye out for the upcoming JVC GZ-HD10, a hard disk drive camcorder.

Comparisons
Sony DCR-DVD508

Last year's captain of the Sony standard definition DVD brigade features a 1/2.9-inch CMOS chip with a 3,200,000 pixel count. The DCR-DVD508 ($900 MSRP--Around $700 online) exhibited a decent bright light performance with faltering low light. What we see from Sony's top dog this year is an the same great color performance in bright light, but the sharpness has decreased significantly - due, we believe, smaller chip and lower pixel count. Low light performance also went downhill since last year. 

The DCR-DVD910 is more compact and portable and sports a boosted 15x Optical Zoom. The DCR-DVD508 has a LANC jack and a viewfinder that pivots upward rather than extending outward like the DCR-DVD910's. This is a tight race. At $650, the DCR-DVD910 has the better MSRP, but prices go down over time. If you can find a new or cheap DCR-DVD508, it's probably the better deal.

Sony DCR-DVD810

The DCR-DVD810 ($449.99 MSRP) is the next step down from the DVD910. It receives a significant sensor downgrade, a basic 1/6-inch HAD CCD chip with a 680,000 pixel resolution. We haven't tested the DCR-DVD810 yet, but it's almost a sure shot that the DCR-DVD910's video performance will be superior. To the DCR-DVD810's credit, it has a larger 25x Optical Zoom and is a Hybrid Plus, meaning it records to 8GB of internal memory, DVD, and Memory Stick PRO Duo. That alone probably gives it the edge on store shelves when you see it side by side with the DVD910. The DCR-DVD810 is also slightly more compact, but captures smaller stills and is devoid of a hot shoe. This is storage vs. quality here--you be the judge. We always push for image quality first here. You can always buy more storage for a camcorder, but you can never make it produce better looking video. Opt for the DCR-DVD910.

***Sony HDR-UX10*

Just think--for an extra $150, you can have the high definition version of the DCR-DVD910. This is a strange case. The HDR-UX10 ($799.99 MSRP) is essentially identical to the DCR-DVD910. It has the same imaging system, along with portability, dimensions, and recording media. The only difference is that the DCR-DVD910 simply throws out all the extra data that it doesn't need to produce a standard definition image. The HDR-UX10 retains that information to produce an HD image. Would you buy a 10 gallon bucket with a hole at the 2-gallon mark? Of course not. You'd buy the bucket that can hold all the water. It's the same argument here. The HDR-UX10 is the smarter choice. Of course, an HD camcorder is a whole different ballgame in terms of editing and compatibility with your home devices.

*

JVC GZ-HD10*

Here's another $800 HD cam. The recently announced GZ-HD10 ($799 MSRP) is a bit of a gamble though, seeing as how we haven't thrown it through our rings of fire yet.  The specs tell us it has a 1.84-megapixel, 1/4-inch CMOS chip. The GZ-HD10 can only record at 1440 x 1080 AVCHD, but can output at 1080/60P (upconverted, through HDMI). The GZ-HD10 is devoid of a viewfinder, has a 2.7-inch wide LCD screen, and records to a 40GB hard drive. Props for the storage capacity. There's also a mic input. However, we can't say much beyond this. Surely, the video quality will be better than the DCR-DVD910, if only because it's high definition. Wait until we test this one or head to the store to check it out yourself.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters

Point-and-Shooters will revel in the DCR-DVD910's Easy mode and touch screen LCD interface.

Budget Consumers

For $649, a top of the line standard definition DVD cam is not a bad deal. Last year's DCR-DVD508 went for a steep $900. The jump to HD is only $150 away.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid

4MP stills are not the greatest, compared to Sony's HDR-SR12, but it gets the job done for most tourists and families.

Gadget Freaks

A standard definition DVD camcorder has no clout in the community of the gadget freak.

Manual Control Freaks

The basics are there--White Balance, Exposure, Focus. But there's no Shutter Speed or advanced Aperture control like Gain. Consumer to the max.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists

No way, no how.

Meet the tester

Michael Perlman

Michael Perlman

Editor

Michael Perlman is a valued contributor to the Reviewed.com family of sites.

See all of Michael Perlman's reviews

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