It’s pretty hard to see any major flaws in the Sony Handycam HDR-HC3, and pretty easy to see many advantages, compared to the other sony handycams. It lacks a microphone jack and it also has no 24p support. That’s about it for the downsides.

The upsides are much more numerous. It’s cheaper, price being $1099.99. It’s also a bit smaller, the video quality is good and LCD touch screen menu setup with a programmable quick menu means you will get used to the options and select some standard options, as the full menu is pretty filled with things that are more or less useful (depends on how profesional you are). There is a mix of manual and automatic settings and that can take some getting used to.

It’s pretty unbalanced, the right side is lighter. This handycam can be easily transformed into a tripod; the tape ejects upward and the Memory Stick Duo card slot sits behind the LCD screen. Another one of the advantages is the fact that it can record record 1080i HD video in HDV. It incorporates 2-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor, one of sony’s new features. The lens has a cover for when it’s not used and it has a 10X reach.

You can play content directly from the camera if you like.  You transfer both HD and SD video using iLink (Sony’s brand name for an IEEE 1394/FireWire connection). Outputs are HDMI, component video, and iLink, as well as an optional S-Video cable. They also give you an infrared remote control. The white balance setting can be adjusted, as well as the current lighting conditions. It includes Sony’s Digital Cinema effect, which creates 24fps film. There is also a Smooth Slow Record; sports fans will likely find this useful as it grabs 3 seconds of low-resolution video at four times the normal rate (240fps) 12-second slow-motion playback is created. Another good thing is the integradted trademark NightShot and Super NightShot infrared modes for low-light shooting. Although it lacks external jack for microphone, it has a built-in stereo microphone. The HDR-HC3 includes a Memory Stick Duo slot for saving still pictures. The camcorder can shoot still photos at as much as 4 megapixels (interpolated). The performances are good; exposure, automatic focus and white balance are adjustable and responsive. The high-definition video quality is excellent and color balance is solid, although not extraordinary.