Sony DCRIP5 MicroMV Digital Camcorder w/ 2.5" Hybrid LCD

Unless you are already tied 2 the MicroMV format, you absolutely want 2 avoid it. MicroMV is highly compressed & very difficult 2 work with.

While the build & quality of the DCRIP5 is fine, you should very carefully consider whether you want 2 purchase a product & a format that have been discontinued 4 two years.

I read the reviews & the software that comes with the camera isn't the best. i bought pinnacle 8 dowloaded the latest patches & it works great. I searched on google & found three programs that support micromv. I plugged the camcorder into my firewire card & transferred my vacation video 2 my pc. From their I edited my movie & made a DVD. it couldn't be any easier. Sony just released a new micromv camcorder. I don't know that noob was saying they discontinued micromv. Some people just don't have the brains 4 technology or computers. It funny how it's 90% user error that are most of the problems.

Bought it last year! Nice & small, but even Pinnacle Studio 8 can't handle the compression. No voice, can't burn 2 DVD, blah, blah, blah. You name it I had a problem with it! And now, come 2 find out, Sony has stopped production AND will no longer pursue MicroMV. They are moving back 2 MiniDV! ARGH! Pinnacle won't support their product any longer with this compatibility issue & Sony abandons it.

I bought the Canon Elura 50! Great with stills & video. Inexpensive, only 1 ounce heavier & about the same size!

As my wife called it...... I bought Beta instead of VHS! Never be an early adopter.

Mark

I have bought a lot of Sony products over the years so when I was in the market 4 a camcorder I foolishly just picked this up without researching it. After recording four tapes of my one year old I tried making a DVD & after 20-30 hours & using 3 programs, including Sony's Movieshaker (constant crashes) I have still been unsuccessful. I have just ordered a well reviewed Panasonic camera in DV. MicroMV is a terrible product with zero support from Sony. I won't be buying Sony again.

5 stars when they support Macs

Please sign the petition http://www.petitiononline.com/osxmicmv/ requesting that Sony support MicroMV camcorders on Mac OS X.

DCR-IP5, the world's smallest handycam, features a revolutionary ultra-compact recording media. Also known as the "Network Handycam IP (Image Portal)", the basic concept 4 using "IP" is 2 stand 4 the new generation, MPEG-2 recording format & PC/network friendly format, which is different from the conventional video camera concept. The DCR-IP5 makes use of an innovative new storage medium 2 achieve its minute proportions. The MICROMV cassette is barely as large as a postage stamp, with a size that's 70% smaller than a MiniDV cassette.In the search 4 a new format, Sony selected MPEG-2 compression due 2 the already widely accepted popularity of DVD players & software. MPEG-2 provides faithful compression of high-quality image data, encouraging the miniaturization of the recording media. Coupled with optical coating technology, Carl Zeiss lenses promise better contrast, color saturation & image brilliance. Only the world's best optical block complements Sony's advanced digital imaging know-how. It reaps this synergy 2 deliver unsurpassed video & still image quality. The camcorder's sensitive horizontal & vertical motion vector sensors pick up the unwanted jittering caused by an unsteady hand. These shakes are then compensated by the Super SteadyShot system, eliminating unwanted blurs, giving you smoother, more enjoyable video. The DCR-IP5 also has a Multi Picture Search feature.

Featuring a compact, vertically aligned body 2 go along with its potent 10x optical zoom, the DCR-IP5 is the first of two camcorders featuring the unique new recording format MicroMV, which records using the same format used 2 encode DVDs: MPEG-2.

Lens & CCD
The two central components of any video camera (or digital still camera) are its lens & CCD (the image sensor). This Sony model builds around a 10x optical zoom, which is paired with Super SteadyShot image stabilization 2 cut down on the shakes & jitters common 2 most amateur video footage. The CCD sports a pixel count of 680,000 pixels--great 4 video--that translates the image into around 500 lines of resolution.

Size
The size of the DCR-IP5 is actually one of the features that Sony is really excited about, & it's easy 2 understand why. The device is extraordinarily small; it's somewhere on the order of a half-inch 2 an inch smaller in its dimensions than comparable models. That's quite a hefty reduction, making the IP5 small enough 2 fit in a pocket. Because of the small size of the camcorder, its 2.5-inch LCD becomes comparatively larger than it would otherwise be.

Cables & Connectors
Despite the small size of the IP5, there are a number of audio & video inputs & outputs, making it a very flexible & capable machine. Most intriguingly, besides S-video, there are also composite video in/outputs--composite video provides the highest level of quality in home theater setups. For audio, stereo in/outputs are included. Of course, in any digital camcorder, you should expect 2 find an IEEE 1394 port, also known as FireWire or iLink, which the IP5 provides.

Included with the DCR-IP5 are a wireless remote, an AC-L20 power adapter, NP-FF50 InfoLithium battery, two AA batteries, iLink Cable (four-pin 2 four-pin), AV cable, lens cap, wrist strap, & a software CD-ROM (software is Windows only).