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Sony DCR-HC36

Sony DCR-HC36
alaScore 82

100 reviews

Nov, 2024

alaTest has collected and analyzed 100 reviews of Sony DCR-HC36. The average rating for this product is 3.6/5, compared to an average rating of 4.0/5 for other Camcorders for all reviews. Reviewers are impressed by the zoom and size. The price and portability also get good feedback. The reliability and durability get critical views, while there are some mixed views about the image quality.

usability, portability, price, size, zoom

battery, memory, durability, reliability

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Camcorders the Sony DCR-HC36 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 82/100 = Very good quality.

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Review analysis

(Based on 100 reviews)

Expert Reviews  

User Reviews  

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Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Sony DCR-HC36

 

alaTest has collected and analyzed 68 user reviews of Sony DCR-HC36 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 3.6/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.9/5 for other Camcorders on Amazon.com. People really like the size and portability. The price and image quality also get good feedback. Some have doubts about the color and durability.

usability, image quality, price, portability, size

battery, reliability, durability, color

74% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Expert review by : Phil Ryan (cnet.com)

main content

 

Sony Handycam DCR-HC36

Very compact size; lightweight; easy to use; low price.

Mediocre video quality; short battery life; no accessory shoe; low-quality stills.

Unless this camcorder's low-resolution, low-quality stills are important to you, you might as well go for Sony's less expensive DCR-HC26.

Jul, 2006

Expert review by : Richard Baguley (pcworld.com)

Handycam DCR-HC36 Minidv Digital Camcorder

 

At $400 (as of 5/2/06), the Sony DCR-HC36 is very affordable. But, unfortunately, it produced some of the lowest-quality video among recently tested MiniDV camcorders. Our test video shot in studio lighting looked acceptable (scoring slightly below...

The Sony HC36 MiniDV Handicam is a budget camcorder that takes adequate video in daylight, but its poor performance in low light will be a problem if you want to take videos indoors--at a party, for instance

Jun, 2006

Expert review by : Richard Baguley (pcworld.com)

Sony DCR-HC36 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder Review - PCWorld

 

Light and easy to carry

Awful still-image quality

Jun, 2006

Expert review by : Philip Ryan (cnet.com.au)

Sony Handycam DCR-HC36

 

Unless this camcorder's low-resolution, low-quality stills are important to you, you might as well go for Sony's less expensive DCR-HC26.

Very compact size ; Lightweight ; Easy to use ; Low price

Mediocre video quality ; Short battery life ; No accessory shoe ; Low-quality stills

In the end, it's difficult to recommend the Sony Handycam DCR-HC36. If your budget allows, you'll be better served stepping up to a higher-end consumer camcorder. If your budget doesn't allow the step up, you're still probably better off saving some...

Jul, 2006

Expert review by : Easy Camcorder (easycamcorders.com)

Expert Review

 

In a world of rapidly burgeoning technology, the Sony DCR-HC36 ($400 MSRP) opts for the safe route. The HC36 and Sony’s entry-level HC26 share numerous core elements such as a standard 1/6� CCD chip, touch screen menu, limited manual controls, and...

Easy to use, -Small, compact design, -Good automatic features

Poor video quality, -Limited manual controls, -Feels cheap

Feb, 2007

Expert review by : David Kender (camcorderinfo.com)

Sony DCR-HC36 Camcorder Review

 

A mere $50 above the entry-level model, the Sony DCR-HC36 ($400 MSRP) will probably have to do a lot of convincing on the showroom floor in order to justify a purchase. Its only benefits over the HC26 are a remote control and the ability to capture...

May, 2006

Expert review by : Richard Baguley (macworld.com)

Sony DCR-HC36 MiniDV Handycam

 

The Sony DCR-HC36 MiniDV Handycam is a budget camcorder that takes adequate video in daylight, but its poor performance in low light will be a problem if you want to shoot videos indoors—at a party, for instance.

Low cost; small size; light and easy to carry; easy to use

Comparatively mediocre video quality; awful still-image quality

These problems show up even in good lighting conditions, and are much more exaggerated in low light. In low-light tests, the grain in the images was extremely distracting and much more obvious than the grain in the video produced by the other camcorders

Aug, 2006

Expert review by : About.com (about.com)

Sony DCR-HC36 Digital Camcorder Review

 

Photo Capabilities The DCR-HC36 has a built-in digital still camera, with the ability to save digital stills to a memory stick rather than the camcorder cassette tape. A dedicated digital still camera usually means decent quality prints, but in the...

Aug, 2006

Expert review by : David Kender (reviewed.com)

Sony DCR-HC36

 

The Sony DCR-HC36 is fitted with the standard 1/6" CCD, the type you could expect to find on almost any entry-level or near entry-level camcorder. This chip, like most 1/6" chips, has 680K gross pixels and 340K effective pixels

May, 2006

Consumer review (cnet.com.au)

Sony Handycam DCR-HC36

 

i think this camcorder has to be the best thing ever. i dont know why cnet said the video quality is bad...its great! its soooooooooo good. it has to be the easiest thing in the world to use. also the night mode can be used in pitch black. you cant see...

pretty much everything

short battery life, but can be upgraded

Dec, 2006

Price comparison for Sony DCR-HC36