Product Description

The Sony DCR-HC42E is an extremely compact megapixel DV Handycam with Memory Stick Duo, Handycam Station, DV In, Zeiss lens, Touch Screen LCD and true 16: 9 widescreen mode.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4103 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Sony
• Model: DCRHC42
• Dimensions: 2.20" h x 3.50" w x 5.20" l, 8.00 pounds
• Display size: 2.7

Features

• 1/5.5-inch advanced HAD CCD imager with 1-megapixel still image capability
• MiniDV recording format offers up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution
• 12x optical zoom with SteadyShot image stabilization
• 2.7-inch touch-panel SwivelScreen LCD
• Super NightShot Plus Infrared System captures natural-looking video in low light

From the Manufacturer
Capture and transfer video images quickly and easily with Sony's DCR-HC42 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder. Its professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens captures brilliant images with lifelike color and tones, and the Advanced HAD CCD imager provides stunning detail and clarity. The Progressive Shutter System supplies digital still images with excellent definition and sharpness.

The DCR-HC42 makes transferring data a cinch via the included Handycam Station docking device. Now you can easily connect to television for viewing and to a USB-compatible PC for editing and sharing digital images and video. Memory Stick Duo media compatibility makes it simple for you to take your images with you wherever you go.

1.0-Megapixel (Gross) Advanced HAD CCD Imager 1/5.5-inch Advanced HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCD with 690K (effective) pixels provides stunning detail and clarity with exceptional video (up to 520 lines of horizontal resolution) and still image performance. The megapixel technology enhances your digital videos and digital still photography performance.	2.7-inch-wide Touch Panel SwivelScreen LCD Display makes it easy to frame both standard and widescreen shots.
MiniDV Recording Offers up to 520 lines of horizontal resolution, three times the color bandwidth and a significantly higher signal/noise ratio, to provide spectacular video performance.
12x Optical/480x Digital Zoom The optical zoom helps to bring the action close up from far away. Digital Zoom Interpolation means that extreme digital zooming is clearer, with less distortion than with previous types of digital zooms.	Professional-Quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens Carl Zeiss lenses have an advanced optical multilayer coating that offers less glare and flare with increased contrast. This results in vivid image brilliance, true-to-life color saturation, and perfect renditions of subtle tones.
2.7-Inch-Wide Touch Panel SwivelScreen LCD Display (123K Pixels) Provides excellent viewing clarity for both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect with improved resolution. The high-resolution 123K-pixel LCD screen rotates up to 270 degrees for multiple viewing angles, providing sharp, detailed images for monitoring or playback.	Analog To Digital Conversion with Pass-Through Convert and/or record any analog NTSC video source to digital video via the analog inputs. Analog NTSC video can also be passed in real time through the digital Handycam Camcorder directly into a PC via the i.LINK interface for easy PC editing of your analog footage.
Super SteadyShot Picture-Stabilization System Picture-stabilization system that uses motion sensors to detect and compensate for camera shake without compromising picture quality, as some other digital stabilization systems do.	Progressive Shutter System A mechanical shutter system that provides progressive scan performance while using an interlaced scanning system. Digital still images will be sharp and clear with excellent definition.
i.LINK DV Interface A digital high-speed bidirectional interface provides audio/video communication between two compatible devices. This connection allows for pure digital transfer between devices equipped with an IEEE1394 interface, such as camcorders, digital VTRs, capture cards, and PCs.	InfoLithium Battery with AccuPower Meter System Charge the battery at anytime--unlike NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries, Sony's rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are not subjected to a life-shortening "memory effect". Sony's exclusive AccuPower meter displays the battery time remaining in minutes, either in the viewfinder or on the LCD screen.
Picture Package Software Easily organize still images and video, and turn them into stunning music videos using the supplied software.	Stamina Battery Power-Management System Using the optional NP-FP90 InfoLithium Battery, the DCR-HC42 can continuously record for up to eight hours on a single full charge, providing extra-long battery life.
The included Handycam Station makes connecting your camera to a TV or computer a snap.	Handycam Station The supplied Handycam Station provides quick and easy connections to a TV for viewing or to a PC for editing and sharing video. Just placing the camcorder on the Handycam Station instantly makes the connections. No need to search for cables or wires when charging or playing back.
	USB Streaming Stay connected to family and friends by broadcasting live video with audio over the Internet using the USB interface. You can even play back your favorite recorded scene on the camcorder's tape. It's like having your own video-conferencing system.
Tele Macro Function Useful for shooting close-up shots without having the camcorder cast a shadow on the subject. Images shot in the Tele Macro Mode will have the subject properly focused with the background unfocused so that the subject stands out.	Active Interface Shoe Provides a location directly on the camcorder on which to add optional accessories while providing power and two-way communication to those accessories.
Program AE (Auto Exposure) Modes Program AE modes make recording easy even when filming in challenging situations. Choose from Portrait, Beach & Ski, Sports Lesson, Landscape, Spotlight, and Sunset & Moon modes.	Digital Still Memory Mode with Memory Stick Duo Media Capture still images at 1,152 x 864 resolution directly onto Memory Stick Duo Media for easy transfer to PCs for e-mailing, printing, or sharing with other compatible Memory Stick devices.
Super NightShot Plus Infrared System With Sony's Super NightShot Infrared System you can capture natural-looking video, even when shooting in low light. Record subjects up to 20 feet away using the built-in infrared system, but without the overall monochrome color common with earlier low-light recording systems.
Battery Information At the touch of a button, battery information is displayed on the LCD screen when charging or when the camcorder is turned off. The display will show how much the battery is charged in 10% increments and the recordable time left when using the LCD screen or in the viewfinder.	Easy Handycam Button Using a camcorder can be intimidating for some people, so with a press of the Easy Handycam button, most of the advanced features of the camcorder are "locked out," leaving only the buttons essential for recording operational.
Manual Focus Allows the user to manually adjust the focus of the camcorder using the touch panel. Manual focusing also allows the user to control the focus in difficult situations in which either the environment or the subject does not allow the camcorder's autofocus to perform optimally, such as when shooting through a window or in a crowded environment.	Picture Effects Get creative when recording or playing back your videos with Sony's Picture Effect Modes. Effects available in Camera mode: Negative Art, Sepia, Monotone, Solarize, Pastel, and Mosaic. Effects available in Playback mode: Negative Art, Sepia, Monotone, and Solarize.

Customer Reviews

Sony is ignoring LCD problem
I bought a Handycam DCR-HC32 in March of 2006. In June of 2007 the screen went black when trying to record. I called customer service and they said they know of no such problem and its an 'isolated incident.' I checked on several troublshooting message boards and the same LCD problem is found everywhere. I do not understand how Sony says mine is an isolated incident when its happened to so many others, including some of these reviews on Amazon. To top it off it will cost a minimum of $171 to get it repaired. What a waste of my money, last time I will buy a Sony camcorder.

Stay Away from this Camera
First 6 months were great after that it started getting intermittent 'reinsert cassette' errors. No info on how to solve this issue and it would always happen at the worst times spoiling your filming. Now it won't turn on at all. Most expensive paper weight.

Don't buy SONY
Don't buy any SONY products. SONY is not SONY anymore. Many of their products are crappy and not cutting edge. I bougt a SONY digital camera late last year. It broke within 6 months. I sent it to SONY service center and was told that it would cost more to fix it. I got my money back but bought a Nikon. I also bought this SONY camcorder DCR-HC42. I usually buy the extended warranty, but somehow I forgot to buy an extended warranty on this one. This one broke after 1 and a half years. I contacted SONY and was told that I have to pay $201 to fix it.
I'm hearing problems with SONY products from too many people- TVs, camcorders, digital cameras, even alarm-clock radios. Don't buy SONY. SONY is spending too much money on Hollywood, not on technology development.