Sony Handycam® HDR-HC3 High Definition Camcorder

This camcorder is excellent! I have had one for over a year and it produces excellent High definition videos in full high definition though these play back on British High definition TVs which are only 728 lines rather than like this camera in 1080 lines. You get an even better picture on a Sharp full def TV. It takes 1.92 Mega pixel shots during videoing - that is if you wish to take stills of the things you are already videoing. If you stop videoing and take stills you get a full 4 mega pixel picture - easily enlargable up to A3 and above. You can get batteries up to 4hrs runing time and the tapes record for 1 hour in High definition mode. The picture is easily as good if not better than Sky HD programs.

This camcorder is perfect for recording HD video to replay on a full HDMI Tv or one which is Analogue or Digital. It brings home video and still photography into the 21st centuary. You can take videos which can be replayed in any format to suit your TV. Incorrectly people say it takes 2.1 mega pixel stills - which it can do in the middle of recording video while on steady shot mode. However at the flick of the control you can take 4 mega pixel shots with flash, high power flash or without flash when you are not videoing. This is the camera that it small enough to take with you everywhere and with the 4 hr battery leave on all the time in the palm of your hand even when shopping to get that missed shot by other poorer stills camera!

It's compact, relatively light, and extremely well designed, and I've found out since will use either infoLITHIUM P or H model batteries, so although a slightly older model, it is still bang up to date.
I decided to buy it after receiving another camcorder as a gift, a later new model HDR-HC9E for £679.99; the HDR-HC3E was listed on eBay at £250 in immaculate condition, and only 18 months old, I was the only bidder, with everyone else paying silly money for DCR cameras at the time, and appearing to overlook this HDR model.
In comparison to the HDR-HC9E I feel the HDR-HC3E is better value for money, there's only really a couple of megapixel difference in still quality pictures, 4.0 instead of 6.1, and the price difference more than compensates for the newer dual CCD design of the later camcorder, you'd have to be very good to distinguish which camcorder took any footage.