Review on Sony DCR-DVD408 4MP DVD Handycam Camcorder with Enhanced Optical Zoom (Discontinued by Manufacturer) by Donnie Boss

I bought my wife a Sony Handycam DCR DVD408 as a Christmas present in December 2007 as Revain offered a decent discount. I have to say I'm impressed with the recording quality and ease of use. It even has a simple button if you're not too confident with your video recording skills. I bought extra mini DVDs and wanted to burn them to disc and then finalize them and then use another disc. Now I've started transferring the video to my computer and then formatting the drive as I have a fairly large external hard drive and I'm not worried about running out of space on it (videos can get big - around 1MB per minute ). ). If you plan to edit your video, I wouldn't recommend this format (MiniDVD) because it's not that easy to edit and Sony didn't include editing software in the original package. All you get are some crappy dubbed tutorial DVDs and a basic (VERY BASIC) software package. Sony doesn't give you a memory stick either, so you can't use the camera right away. So if you buy this make sure you also have MS if you want to use this feature. The steadshot is smooth and you can really see it in action, especially at max zoom. The NightShot feature is also very cool and looks great. Just remember that an IR (infrared) illuminator does not illuminate the human eye very nicely. Thanks to the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens and the powerful integrated image processor, the colors are rich and true to life. The camera offers both standard and widescreen recording options, as well as DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 surround sound recording capabilities, which is amazing when watching your final cuts with the family. Keep this in mind when using the camera to speak a little softer as your voice will sound louder in the final recording, especially if you have a decent surround sound setup. The LCD viewfinder is touchscreen and very well made, the screen response is very accurate and fast and the old-school viewfinder is not fixed and can be handy, although most of the time you'll be using the LCD screen because it's more handy . The battery life is around 100 minutes and depends on whether you use the LCD viewfinder or not. This camera is small and relatively light compared to other Sony handycams. Overall I would buy this camera again if given the opportunity, the main cons are the lack of software, poor Vista compatibility and limited editing due to the nature of the recording medium.