Sony DCR-PC120BT (Bluetooth)
Manufacturer: Sony Part number: DCRPC120BT
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- This great little MiniDV camcorder takes decent megapixel stills. Too bad the Bluetooth technology pushes up the price.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Sony DCR-PC120BT (Bluetooth) price range: $650.00
- Reviewed by: Rob McGee
- Reviewed on: 09/22/2002
- Released on: 02/15/2002
The good: Long list of features and effects; 1-megapixel photo mode with pop-up flash; manual focus ring; bundled Bluetooth modem adapter.
The bad: Expensive; bottom-loading cassette; setting up and using modem functions involves using clunky LCD interface.
The bottom line: This great little MiniDV camcorder takes decent megapixel stills. Too bad the Bluetooth technology pushes up the price.
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| Playback controls are located behind the fold-out LCD. | The camera gets demerits for its bottom-loading tape design. |
We were disappointed, however, to find the cassette hatch on the underside of the camera, a location that makes it impossible to change tapes when the PC120BT is mounted on a tripod. Aside from its prominently advertised Bluetooth functionality, this camcorder has an almost exhausting list of features. Key points include a 10X Carl Zeiss zoom lens with a manual focus ring; a 2.5-inch, high-resolution color LCD monitor; a hotshoe for attaching an optional video light or a microphone; digital image stabilization; multiple digital effects and scene modes; and analog-to-digital conversion so that you can archive your old home movies onto durable MiniDV cassettes.
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| A manual focus ring on the lens and a high-res LCD rank high on the camcorder's feature list. | |
The camera doesn't offer fully manual exposure, but you can adjust the automatic setting easily. Because the PC120BT has an impressively large (for a camcorder) 1.5-megapixel CCD, removable Memory Stick media, and a pop-up flash, it can double as an entry-level digital still camera, too.
 You can save still images and MPEG video on Memory Stick flash media. |
 Included accessories. |
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 A Bluetooth transceiver and modem come with the camcorder. |
Easily the worst-considered feature implementation on the camcorder is the text-input interface for when you're using the e-mail function: The LCD presents you with an onscreen mock-up of a cell phone's dial pad, which means that you have to slowly scroll through the buttons and hit some of them multiple times just to spell out a short message. Cumbersome text entry aside, the Bluetooth features work as advertised. Once you've done the initial setup, you just plug the Bluetooth transceiver into any phone jack or a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone for Internet access right on the camcorder's LCD.
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 Input/output ports. |
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We found nothing to gripe about when it came to our full-color test footage. Colors were vivid and edges were crisp under natural daylight, where any camera tends to give its best performance. The results were almost as good in the dimmer light of typical overhead fixtures when we shot indoors.
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 Indoor images tend to look washed out. |
And the PC120BT 's 1.5-megapixel CCD does make a difference in still-image quality. While a good 1-megapixel digital still camera will provide superior picture quality with a lot less image noise and fewer artifacts, the results we got from this camcorder were good enough for e-mailing and even making small prints.
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 Still capture quality suffices for e-mailing and small prints. |
User reviews
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Outstanding video in any lighting conditions
Pros: 1. Easy to operate. 2. Compact and easy to reach most buttons. 3. Amazing video quality in all lighting conditions except when around florecent lighting then things look yellowish. 4. Solid battery life and easy to load cassetts. 5. Image stabalization
Cons: 1. In florecent light things appear yellowish, luckily I only have one room in my ouse that uses that lighting. 2. While the zoom is in a good location it's just too darn sensative so sometimes I zoom too quickly as a result.
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Compact, lots of features and light
Pros: This is a great camcorder with lots of great options, it is very easy to handle, my 7 years old does it all no problems. Good video and digital images quality.
Cons: The price is a very high, and there are lots of features that are hard to operate but can be lots of fun with simpler user guide.
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Expensive, but well worth it!
Pros: Just purchased it and it's works well with no problems. Video is solid and audio is excellent. Still shots with the camera is decent for those 'quick' and sudden moments. Playback and setup is easy, and the size is perfect for all the options it provid
Cons: Expensive with bluetooth. Zoom button could be better positioned.
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Pricey But Worth It
Pros: I purchased the non bluetooth (115) version of this camera 2 years ago. The video is far superior to any digital camcorder I've seen. Believe me, I tried them all thanks to Sears' no questuions asked return policy. You might find similar features on othe
Cons: It was so expensive my wife is afraid to use it.
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Excellent little camcorder with Sony quality
Pros: Size, Bluetooth technology, ease of operation, reliability, Sony quality and the rest of the features. It is interesting to point that my last camcorder was the old Sony CCD-V5000 Video Hi Pro camcorder that I purchased in 1991. It is surprising to find t
Cons: Not a very clear instruction manual, some items need more precise instructions, more orderly written. Also, Sony forgets that through the Internet, their products can be purchased from the USA to be shipped worldwide, although targeted for the USA market,
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Great digital camera for novice to expert shooter.
Pros: Has all the bells and whisles all packaged in a small, one hand operated wonderbox.
Cons: Having the tape opening at the bottom of the camera is a bit awkward. Would like to load and unload tape from the side. Also, holding the camera correctly tok time to get accustomed to.
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A very good camera
Pros: Light Weight. Good Looking. Good picture quality(both moving & still).
Cons: Just came from DisneyWorld vacations. Found it very good & handy. Got it at very good price from buydigitaldirect.com.
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Discontinued by SONY
Pros:
Cons:
Summary: Too bad. Don't understand why others still sell it for $1700+. Earth calling Best Buy and Circuit City... NOTE: If you see this product below $1000 on the internet ...
Summary: Too bad. Don't understand why others still sell it for $1700+. Earth calling Best Buy and Circuit City... NOTE: If you see this product below $1000 on the internet chances are that Accessories are excluded and it's refurbished. Always check website with Bettter Business Bureau(www.bbb.com) to make sure the seller is legitimate or another scam business based ALWAYS in NEW YORK!!!
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Discontinued product
Pros:
Cons:
Summary: Sony just discontinued this product. They will replace this with a new series of models...most successful DCR model for me...i still recommend this. Prices should go low now..
Summary: Sony just discontinued this product. They will replace this with a new series of models...most successful DCR model for me...i still recommend this. Prices should go low now..
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Outstanding performance, compact for travel
Pros:
Cons:
Summary: Although this camera is somewhat expensive, it is worth every penny. It's compact design fits right in your hand. I had to get used to not lugging around a ...
Summary: Although this camera is somewhat expensive, it is worth every penny. It's compact design fits right in your hand. I had to get used to not lugging around a big camera anymore. We bought it because we were going to Disney last year, and this purchase was a great vacation move. It takes fantastic stills which I print out on a photo printer attached to our computer. It's also a digital video camera that makes very clear video tapes and has lots of editing features and options. The fact that it handles video and stills so remarkably well and that it is so compact with all kinds of great features, makes it the perfect camera. If you have small childred and/or you like to travel, then this is the camera for you, if you have the money. One small drawback, and shame on Sony, is you will probably have to buy a 128mb "Memory Stick" (also expensive). The one that comes with the camera (8mb) doesn't hold enough pictures at one time. I also opted to buy an additional battery. It makes it easier to keep using the camerea when you are traveling. I've owned this camera for about a year and had no trouble with it. If you spend the money, you will be pleased and impressed!
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Sony
- Part number: DCRPC120BT
- Description: Featuring a 1.55 Mega-pixel Advanced HAD CCD and 14-bit DXP digital signal processing, the DCR-PC120 provides high quality digital video up to 530 lines of horizontal resolutions. In addition, it offers a Progressive Shutter System, which consists of the 1.55 Mega-pixel CCD and a Mechanical Shutter, delivering excellent still images up to 1, 360 x 1, 020 pixels. The built-in Carl Zeiss T lens with 120x digital and 10x optical zoom further enhances picture quality. One of the various new advanced features is the new Hologram AF function that helps users focus an object accurately in darkness by using the laser pattern to detect the edge of the object. By combining the Hologram AF and flash, users are able to capture images as far as 2.5 meters. With the DCR-PC120 digital camcorder, you are able to access the Internet via the Bluetooth compatible modem adaptor without using a PC. You can simply capture digital video and still picture with the Handycam, and send image files to friends through e-mail anytime, anywhere. Furthermore, you can also browse Web sites with the Bluetooth wireless Internet connection.
General
- Product Type Camcorder
- Enclosure Color Silver
- Localization English
- Camcorder Sensor Resolution 1.55 megapixels
- Effective Video Resolution 1.39 megapixels
- Digital Zoom 120 x
- Camcorder Media Type Mini DV
- Optical Sensor Size 1/4"
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Min Illumination 0 lux
- Digital Video Format MPEG-1
- Special Effects Low Shutter Speed (LSS),
Luminance Key,
Flash Motion,
Old Movie,
Negative Art,
Black & White,
Mosaic,
Sepia,
Still,
Stretch,
Pastel,
Slim,
Trail - Image Stabilizer Optical
- Video head qty 2
- Digital Scene Transition Overlap fader,
Random,
Scroll wipe,
Monotone fader,
Black fader - Min Shutter Speed 1/4 sec
- Max Shutter Speed 1/4000 sec
- Shooting modes Normal movie mode,
Digital photo mode,
Frame movie mode - Shooting Programs Sports mode,
Spotlight,
Beach & ski,
Sunset & moon,
Night mode,
Macro,
Portrait mode,
Landscape - White Balance Automatic,
Presets - White Balance Presets Outdoor,
Indoor - Exposure Modes Program,
Manual - Image Recording Format JPEG,
GIF,
PNG - Camera Flash Flip-up
- Flash Modes Fill-in mode,
Auto mode with red-eye reduction,
Flash ON mode,
Auto mode - AV Interfaces S-Video,
Component video Lens System
- Type Carl Zeiss 10 x x Zoom lens - 4.2 mm - 42 mm - F/1.8
- Lens aperture F/1.8
- Optical zoom 10 x
- Lens system type Zoom lens
- Min focal length 4.2 mm
- Max focal length 42 mm
- Filter Size 37 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 48 - 480 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual,
Automatic - Zoom Adjustment Automatic
Additional Features
- Flash Terminal Hot shoe
- Low Lux / Night Mode Yes
- DV input Yes
- Additional Features DPOF support,
Built-in speaker - Remote control Remote control - Infrared
- Software MGI PhotoSuite,
MGI VideoWave III - Included Accessories USB cable,
Power adapter,
Lens cap,
Hand strap,
IR remote control,
Lens hood,
PC connection kit,
Audio / video cable Camera Flash
- Effective Flash Range 1 ft - 8 ft
Display
- Type 2.5 in LCD display
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Microphone,
1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ),
1 x Composite video/audio (input/output),
1 x S-Video input / output ( 4 pin mini-DIN ),
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire/i.LINK) ( 4 pin FireWire ),
1 x USB ( Mini-USB Type B ),
1 x Control-L (LANC) ( Sub-mini phone mono 2.5 mm ),
1 x Flash terminal ( Hot shoe ) - Memory Card Slot Memory Stick card
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type LCD
- Viewfinder Diagonal Size 0.44 in
- Viewfinder Resolution 180,000 pixels
Memory / Storage
- Media type Mini DV
- Included Memory Card 8 MB Memory Stick
- Image Storage Hi 1360 x 1020 : 8 VA - With 8MB card,
Fine 1360 x 1020 : 17 VA - With 8MB card,
Standard 1360 x 1020 : 25 VA - With 8MB card,
Hi 640 x 480 : 40 VA - With 8MB card,
Fine 640 x 480 : 80 VA - With 8MB card,
Standard 640 x 480 : 120 VA - With 8MB card - Video Capture MPEG
- Video Recording Modes LP,
SP
Battery
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery - 1180 mAh ( Included )
Audio Input
- Audio input type Microphone
- Microphone type Built-in
- Microphone Operation Mode Stereo
- Microphone technology [Aug 27, 2010 from CDS: Audio Input] Electret condenser
Power
- Mfr estimated battery life 130 min
Viewfinder / Display
- Display Features Rotating (270°)
- Viewfinder Color Support Color
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Parts - 1 year,
Limited warranty - Labor - 90 days Expansion / Connectivity
- Wireless connectivity Yes (Bluetooth)
Physical Characteristics
- Width 2.2 in
- Depth 4.4 in
- Height 4.6 in
- Weight 1.3 lbs
Product series
-
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: CCD,
Flip-up,
1.3 lbs,
4.4 in,
4.6 in,
10 x x Zoom lens - 4.2 mm - 42 mm - F/1.8,
Sony Handycam DCR-PC120 - Camcorder - Consumer - Mini DV,
2.2 in -
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: Advanced HAD CCD,
None,
0.7 lbs,
2.8 in,
3.9 in,
10 x x Zoom lens - 2.3 mm - 23 mm - F/1.7-2.2,
Sony Handycam DCR-PC55/S - Camcorder - Consumer - Mini DV,
1.8 in
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Sony products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Sony
- Address:
16765 W. Bernardo Dr., San Diego, CA 92127 - Phone: 1-877-865-SONY
- Email: contact@sel.sony.com
- Fax: 941-768-7790
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