ony’s HDR-HC7 ($1399 MSRP) was to be one of the best, if not the best, consumer camcorders of 2007. It was certainly priced as such. But it didn’t work out that way. First off, while the video quality in bright light was great, we have once again discovered a high-priced camcorder with seriously deficient low light performance (the last being Canon’s HV10). There are other contenders out there for best consumer HD camcorder. Sony’s top AVCHD camcorders, the HDR-UX7 and HDR-SR1, offer a better manual control interface. By default, the HDR-HC7 is the logical choice of serious users who want to edit their video; but it’s handicapped by a manual control dial that’s inferior to the full-sized ring on the SR1, and even the bigger dial on the UX7. Why would Sony equip their top camcorder of the year with the worst multi-function controller in their line-up? Your guess is as good as ours, but our hope is that there’s a new suitor waiting in the wings, a camcorder that brings it all together.

In fact, it’s impossible to know how the new color space, branded “x.v.Color” by Sony, will actually fare; though the HC7 can record it, no device can display the video properly as yet. Absent that distinction, the HC7 simply continues the tradition of Sony’s excellent series of consumer HDV camcorders. Incorporating Sony’s 1/2.9-inch 3-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor, the HC7 outspecs its 2-megapixel predecessors and the HC5 to rise to the top of Sony’s single-chip consumer HDV camcorder line. It’s not alone up there. With the exception of recording media type and the resultant design issues, the HC7 is essentially a twin of the DVD-based HDR-UX7. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the eventual follow-up to the hard-disk-based HDR-SR1 made them triplets.

The sensor and a few random features differentiate the HC7 from the HC5. They share the same Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 10x zoom lens, though the tiny difference in sensor sizes results in a relatively insignificant disparity in focal lengths. In contrast to the HC5, a dial on the HC7 lets you assign one shooting adjustment setting–manual focus, exposure compensation/exposure shift, white balance shift (toward red or blue), and shutter speed–to control via the rather slippery dial. And the HC7 supplies a microphone input and headphone jack.

The Sony HDR-HC7 looks like so many other camcorders with its horizontal configuration and silver-toned body with black accents. In fact, it looks similar to the Canon HV20 except the tape compartment is slightly more compact. The two companies are fierce rivals so the look-alikes must come from different factories, right? The HC7 measures 3.25 x 3.25 x 5.5 (WHD, in inches) and tips the scales at 23.2 ounces including battery and Memory Stick Pro Duo card. Tiny it isn’t but it feels very substantial.

The front is dominated by a 10x Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* optical zoom with a reasonable 20x digital zoom; still we suggest you disable the digital zoom since quality drops a bit from pure optical. Below the zoom is a stereo mic and next to it is an input for optional microphones that fit in the hot accessory shoe. You’ll also find an infrared port that beams light when you’re in the NightShot mode. With this feature you can record subjects in complete darkness but they’re a monochrome green. My cat’s eyes looked pretty cool but this is best used for sleeping babies or you can use it as a light walking in the dark, checking things out on the LCD screen! Next to the Nightshot sensor is an auto pop-out flash for still images.