Sony Handycam DCR-DVD650 Camcorder - Silver

The camera has a lot of really great features, great zoom distance, very small and light weight, and low lux capable. However, this camera does not record the time and date onto the disc itself. The only time time and date display is on play back mode on the camcorder itself, this is very inconvenient, especially if you need a time and date stamp for work related reasons. According to Sony none of their digital or mini dvd camcoders have this function. Sony is a great brand but Sony better keep up or they will be losing out.

What I really like about this camcorder is the fact that you can record right on to a DVD and take it right from the Handycam to the DVD player. I prefer DVD so there is nothing to bother with downloading afterward. What I love about this item is the 60x Optical Zoom, as optical is very important in any form of camera, the higher the optical zoom the better. It is so compact and easy to carry and with the touch screen giving you every step to guide you in getting the camcorder ready for use. Also with the easy button, you don't need to mess with the menu. The only thing I dislike about this item is the battery life per use. It is the smallest one, the NP-FH50, so the battery only lasts 20 to 30 minutes, which is fine when your only using the 30 minute DVD disc, but it takes only an hour or two to fully charge it back up again, which is a plus. My daughter used it for the first time to record a basketball game and it worked great...great quality picture and the sound is so clear! The boys way across the court cheering the girls on was amazing. The steadyshot is a big plus. Taping the game and people up and down bouncing on the bleachers did not affect the recording at all, the picture when re-viewed was picture perfect. Why did I decide to buy it? I had wanted a camcorder for quite some time for taking, like home movies of our grandson outdoors at play and much of the wildlife around here and it was a pricey item being not sure how much it would get used, but in the long run, very much worth the purchase. I'm thrilled with it.

This is the second Sony Handycam I have owned. They are compact & do a great job recording. You can zoom in very close and they don't get blurry if you move the camera to follow the object. They are easy to use and yet have alot of options for the more advanced photographer. When you're done recording you can finalize the disc and play it in a dvd player immediately. I love this camera and would recommend it to anyone who is wanting a compact camcorder. I bought it off ebay and upgraded to the next model and still saved $100.00.

This camera does about anything you want a camera to do. It's compact and easy to handle. Some of the information referring to the camera is a little vague but after using it for awhile it all fits into place. I plan to take the camera with me on two overseas vacations this year and I think I will get very good service out of it. I already have two extra batteries and a charger. The batteries are supposed to last over an hour each so I think I will have plenty for what pictures I want. You use a disc and a memory stick with the camera. I have a pack of 20 disc and over 32GB of memory sticks available. The only problem is, you have to buy these extra and they can get expensive. The camera comes with 1 battery. No Disc or Memory Stick. Disc is for movies and memory stick for still pictures. So far I have had no trouble switching from one to the other in making pictures. They are easily downloaded to my computer and so far I have had no complaints about the quality of the pictures. The movies I plan to download to a VCR. I think I will enjoy the Sony DCR -DVD650 very much, my only regret is that it has no available memory with the camera. The DVD850 has this. Thanks for allowing me to express my opinion about this camera and happy shooting everyone. Jimmy Weeks --weeks378458@bellsouth.net

We purchased this camera to replace an older Sony handycam. I love the sharp picture and that it's touchscreen. It's easy to navigate with a ton of built in features. I like how playback keeps the clips organized so you don't have to fast forward/rewind through video to get to a clip you want to see. It's a perfect size and being a hybrid it's nice having the option to use either the sticks or the discs. It's a bit rugged too. My toddler has already gotten a hold of it and had tossed it onto our carpet without it doing any damage to the camera. I think the only things I don't like about it is that if you are recording and you have the pop out window out, you cannot view any video through the viewfinder. It's not a big deal but I always filmed this way when filming the kids so they could see themselves. The battery doesn't last too long before it needs recharged but this is typical of all camcorders. They do sell extended batteries and other accessories so that's not a worry either but I think it would be a great selling point if Sony could make the battery life a little longer. All in all I'm very pleased.