Customer Reviews
Great starter camera 
2007-06-08
Sony sent me this camcorder for free for playing the Wheel Watchers Club daily giveaway. For a free Handycam, you can't do much better than this.
I have good news and bad news for those who are purchasing this camera.
First, the bad news... My biggest gripe about this camera is that the microphone picks up the recording head of the DVD laser. So when you're watching the DVD on your TV it sounds like a woodpecker in the background, like another reviewer mentioned. I'm using Memorex DVD+RW's so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. The camera complains about the non-Sony discs, but at least they work. It didn't include a recordable CD so the first thing I did was go to Best Buy and pick up a 10-pack of mini Memorex DVDs for $20. But on the bright side, the batteries were included.
Now for the good news. Everything else about this little camcorder is pretty nice. If you're expecting great picture quality, look elsewhere. Even in high quality recording mode you only get 20 minutes of 640x480i recording that is slightly better than VHS quality.
Editing the video is possible, but you first have to use a program like DVD Shrink to rip the video to your hard drive. Then you can open the MPEG2 video in any common video editing software. It's possible to connect the A/V output to most modern capture devices and directly capture to your hard drive. This is how I am doing extended video recordings, using my laptop and a USB capture device, completely bypassing the DVD recorder.
If you are looking for a small, light, portable camcorder that is easy to use, the Handycam DCR-DVD105 is great. The battery life is great, the touch screen is a snap to use, and the Carl Zeiss lens does a decent job at color reproduction. It's a shame that the DVD laser makes so much noise though.
Thanks Sony for the free little Handycam. Now send me more free stuff!!! To those of you who aren't in the Wheel Watchers Club, STAY OUT, so my odds of winning free stuff stay high.
Fair camera, rotten data handling 
2007-05-17
I originally bought this camcorder because I liked the idea of mini-DVD storage and I liked my old analog Sony camcorder. It is not the same Sony.
First of all, the camera is terrible at focusing on anything closer than 10' away...if the target is moving, forget about it. Second, you get a message on the screen if you dare use a non-Sony mini-DVD disk. Third, I bought a 'compatable' Energizer battery and it will not charge it. Why must Sony try and wring every nickel out of its customers?
My biggest beef is the way they try and disguise the fact that you CAN edit the image using non-Sony software, but it took me a couple of hours of surfing and another hour of experimentation to find out how. You can format the disk one of two ways, and you need to use VR formatting to get to the program. Do NOT finalize the disk first, or you will never be able to access it.
Sony then disguises the fact that one of the files in an mpeg by simply changing the extension...so change it back. Then you can bring it into any editor that has an mpeg codec. Hey Sony, am I giving away your trade secrets? Well, take me to court!!!
Still figuring it out 2007-05-07
I love the camera itself. The only problem I am having is putting it on a dvd. I have a machine that I can hook the camera up to the tv and dub it straight to a dvd only can't figure out how to do it, but I will.
No back-up system 2007-02-22
This camera was easy to use and it was light and had decent quality picture and audio, however, I was unable to make copies for back-up or to share with family members. I took it back and bought a mini-DV camcorder as I was told it was easier to make copies. This has yet to be tested.
Great camera 
2007-01-18
This camera is great! Really user friendly and takes great quality videos. The lcd screen is a touch screen which makes it simple to play back videos and work the camera. Anyone looking for a small camera thats easy to work...this is the one!!
Broke down after 18 months 
2008-04-22
I bought this camera after reading recommendations on Consumer Reports website. It's a pretty good camera, but perhaps I should have bought something else. Here are the reasons for that: 1) the editing is not easy; 2) colors seem to be washed out, along with the focus; 3) camera broke down after 18 months of use. For the last bullet, it appeared to be some kind of internal electronic malfunction, resulting in complete failure when using camera in moderate sunlight situations (the screen goes white): only when the amount of sun/light is fairly low, will it function. Sony can fix it, but it will cost abuot $250 (I paid $400 for the camera). The other reviews describe problems with this camera in more detail; I just wanted to highlight reliability of the camera.
Failed badly after 1 year 2007-11-19
At first I really liked this camcorder, although the difficulty to edit the vob and especially the vro files on a PC was quite annoying.
About a year after purchase I started having serious problems with this camcorder. After having recorded on the mini DVD disc (using Sony's accucore disc, or other brands), and switching on the device again, the error message "recording on disc disabled" appeared. There was no way to retrieve the footage that had already been filmed. I inserted a new blank disc, recorded again without problems, until one day again that error message appeared, and all data was lost.
I contacted Sony Support, with little hope after the warranty period, and they told me to reset the device. So I did and at that moment it recorded without problems. However, the next day when I switched on the device the error message appeared again, and all data was lost.
Sony could only offer me to bring it in for repair, but the repair would cost at least $211. I'm not going to pay that for a camcorder that obviously had an internal malfunction, as the Sony analyst who assisted me also said: "I've talked to our experts who suspect that the camcorder has an internal malfunction".
He also added that this is not a common problem, and that the unit has very good reviews. Well, that doesn't help me, but I guess it's an acceptable rate of failure for Sony.
No more Sony for me, although I loved the camcorders I bought from them so far.
Not reliable: Do not buy it! 2007-09-09
When I saw the recommendation at Consumer Report 1 year and 4 months ago, I was sure that buy this camera would be the right move. Such a mistake...
The final result of any film made is very disappointed: the colors came out too washed out.
However, the worst part happen recently. I was in my dream vacation in Hawaii last month (August) and the camera simply stop working, suddenly dead, no power, after only 1 year and 4 months of use. Even when I connect the device using the power cord. The DVD-R was trapped inside and I am not even able to take it out.
Best Buy Geek Squad confirmed my camera is really dead and tried to charge me US $ 100 just for shipping. Sony told me that, since is out of warranty (1 year), I need to pay US $ 200 + S/H in order to fix it.
And we are talking about a US $ 380 value camera here...
Bottom line is: do not buy this piece of junk!
Don't buy this camcorder! 2007-08-19
if you think the following you reasons are enough to scare you, then keep away from this one.
1) The DVD cover are not able to close tightly, after 1 year of routine use. Once you get this error message, then you arrive at the end of life of this camcorder, because there is no simple way to fix it.
2) no editing function, like what other reviewer commented here.
3) High rice, compare with other similar models.
Couldn't be easier to use 2007-08-13
The title says it all. Mini DVDs come straight out of the recorder after being formatted, and go directly into a DVD player (the style that has a tray). I've had more fun with this video recorder. Keeping myself in mini DVDs is going to be expensive though.
