» Sony HDR-HC7 6.1MP MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Sony HDR-HC7 6.1MP MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Xlnt video+fatal defect+arrogant company
Comment: Sony HDR-HC7 6.1MP MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
The video quality was great! But after about 8 hours of total use the camera refused to close its cassete compartment, flashing a "no tape' symbol. This 15 month old camera is no longer under warranty, so the minimum cost to repair appears to be $461.00, but even that quote is not guaranteed by Sony. It appears that the camera has design or manufacturing flaws since the problem is revealed elsewhere in the Amazon reviews by another unfortunate buyer. In other words, why would anyone pay for a very expensive repair when it seems probable that the defect will recur? Sony is completely uncooperative, refusing even to provide an address for service of process since I am suing them on the basis that the camera is not capable of reliably performing the function that it is advertised to fulfill. In this era of very reliable electronic products with life spans often so great that they are replaced because they become obsolete, building and selling such trash in order - it appears - to develop a profit center from repair charges is just a form of usury. The response of Sony on this product issue implies that other products will meet that same level of service. The Web appears to confirm that as fact. It is noteworthy to observe that Amazon, itself, no longer directly sells this camera but instead serves only as an on-line vendor for Wall Street Photo.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Warning - Sony Service is dismal
Comment: Lots of noise issues in low light situations. Sony's customer service isn't the best either. Their uncooperative reputation is starting to bite them or so I hear. My personal experiences with them have been frustrating to say the least. Cannon has much better customer service and their HD products outshine Sonys. This HDR-HC7's low-light performance was a disappointment.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Warning: beware warranty
Comment: When I encountered a defective internal lens cover I went to their website about getting it fixed and they state there is a minimum $250 charge. Their warranty only covers parts, not labor. I sent the camera in anyway and they called to say they would charge me $600 to fix it because of "corrosion" which was not covered by the warranty.

I only had the camera about two months when the lens cover started to fail when I was on a week's vacation at the beach in Sanibel, Florida. The camera will not start when the internal lens cover fails. When it fails, you get a message on the screen that says "lens cover failed to open, turn camera off then on." I did that several times and it usually did not resolve the problem. But sometimes it would. Ironically, here in dry Arizona it works most of the time, but at the beach or near the Colorado River it jams up.

However, this had to be a known manufacturing defect if they have an error message for when it occurs! I had ordered the camera with a lens filter and the filter was always on the camera, so it is highly unlikely anything entered the camera through the lens opening.

So now I have an expensive camera that works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. When it works it works great, although the autofocus can be off at times. And the still photos are gorgeous. I think its a good camera when it works, but I'm a little miffed that they want me to pay over 50 percent of what the camera cost to fix their defect.

I would advise not buying their 1.7x teleconverter because it doesn't improve the zoom that much and if you zoom out your videos vignette so badly it looks like you filmed it through a pipe. I also bought the Sony wide-angle screw on, which vignettes if you put a filter on it. I suspect these may be because the internal lens cover requires the real lens to be recessed quite a ways.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Very nice video but questionable reliability
Comment: I am very pleased with the video quality and the comfortable feel of this HD camcorder. Unfortunately, the camera began to intermittently auto-focus erratically in the third month and failed in the fourth month of use. Sony offers a one year parts and 90 days labor warranty on this camera. The labor charge after 90 days is a flat rate of $249 regardless of the repair required (25% of purchase price). Since I had contacted Sony within in the first 90 days about the auto-focus problem I was able to convince the fourth person I spoke with to waive the labor charge for the failure.

Got the camcorder back from Sony today and the repair ticket states "reconnected power flex". I suppose a connector must have come loose. Hoping that I get several years of use out this camera before any more failures occur...

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Professional Features in a small Body
Comment: The Sony HDR-HC7 has features that you would not expect in a Handy cam. I once asked a Professional at a local retailer, why HD Tapes are 63 minutes instead of the traditional 60 minutes tapes. He said that the additional 3 minutes were for professional Camcorder to save there settings. I wondered what settings would a camcorder need to save! Well I did not ask any more question because one again I figured that the setting were for the "Big Boy". Well one day I was playing with my HDR-HC7 and I ran across "Color Bars", so I call the retailer and asked what were "Color Bars", and he reminded me about the 3 additional minutes on the tape he told me about, was for "Bars and Tone". The next time I talked to him, he had sold his Canon HV20, and purchased the Sony HC7. He loved the feel, the ability to do so many things in manual mode, that he "now says that the Canon felt like a toy in comparison". I think you get the point. I would like to see 24p on the Sony HDR-HC7, but I would not even think about giving up my ability to use all of the great manual features available on the HDR-HC7. If you look at the Sony HVR-HD1000U HDV camcorder, it is the HDR-HC7 repackaged in a Professional looking body, for twice the price.

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