The Sony DCR-DVD705 Digital Video HandyCam uses a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens for high quality video recording.  This video camera features a 12 x optical zoom and a 24 x digital zoom.  The Sony DCR-DVD705 Digital Video HandyCam has an Easy mode for beginners and a standard mode with a range of settings and modes for the more advanced photographer.  This Video Camera allows you to finalise the DVD in the camera for instant playback on a DVD Player.

Watch your home movies come to life like never before with the DCR-DVD205 DVD Handycam camcorder from Sony. Enjoy the extra large 2.7″ wide LCD screen, which swivels and adjusts to optimize the viewing angle for easy recording. Not only can you record digital video, but you can also capture quality digital still images at up to 1 Megapixel. Fully equipped with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, you can capture professional quality digital video and images with enhanced color and clarity. The 12X optical zoom brings the action close with minimized distortion. The Super NightShot Plus infrared system lets you record in low light conditions. As with all of Sony’s DVD Handycam camcorders, you can conveniently record directly to DVD.

Sony’s DCR-DVD705 definitely fits into the former category. It’s lightweight, slim and extremely portable. This is the kind of camera you can carry around all day. We found the DCR-DVD705 a pleasure to use. All the buttons are in easy to reach places and the hand strap is of good quality and comfortable. Like most of Sony’s newer video cameras, the DCR-DVD705 sports a fairly large touch sensitive widescreen LCD. Almost every function of the camera can be accessed from the LCD, including recording and zoom. This is, in theory, a great idea. We found the touch screen navigation on Sony’s Mini DV cameras, such as the DCR-HC26E to be a breeze. However, Sony’s latest wave of DVD cameras has a different on-screen interface. We really feel that this interface is one of those occasions where the designers felt they needed to show off. So it’s out with the simplistic yet functional interface of old and in with rotating 3D barrels, spinning icons and vast numbers of buttons. Why Sony has done this we really don’t know. It just isn’t necessary at all; this is a video camera, not a games console.

Main features

• Camcorder Sensor Resolution: 1.07 Mpix
• Camcorder Effective Video Resolution: 690 Kpix
• Camcorder Effective Still Resolution: 1.0 Mpix
• Widescreen Video Capture: Yes
• Media Type: DVD-R (8cm), DVD-RW (8 cm), DVD+RW (8cm)
• Color Support: Color
• Horizontal Resolution: 520 lines
• Optical Sensor Type: Advanced HAD CCD
• Optical Sensor Size: 1/5.5″
• Min Illumination: 0 lux
• Analog Video Format: PAL
• Digital Zoom: 800 x
• Recording Speed: SP, LP, HQ
• Shooting Modes: Digital photo mode
• Shooting Programs: Spotlight, sunset & moon, landscape, portrait mode, beach & ski, sports lesson
• Special Effects: Sepia, Mosaic, Pastel, Monotone, Old Movie, Luminance Key
• Image Stabilizer: Electronic (Super Steady Shot)
• Digital Scene Transition: Wipe fader, overlap fader, white fader, black fader
• Max Shutter Speed: 1/3500 sec
• Min Shutter Speed: 1/3 sec
• Exposure Modes: Program, automatic
• White Balance: Custom, automatic, presets
• White Balance Presets: Indoor, outdoor
• Digital Video Format: MPEG-2
• Still Image Format: JPEG