Sony DCR-HC90

186 reviews

Nov, 2024

Positive
portability (79)
usability (73)
image quality (47)
size (29)
design (29)

Negative
battery (11)
memory (5)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 186 reviews of Sony DCR-HC90. The average rating for this product is 4.2/5, compared to an average rating of 4.0/5 for other Camcorders for all reviews. Reviewers really like the price and design. The image quality and portability are also mentioned favorably. Views are divided on the zoom, while many are negative about the memory and battery.

usability, portability, image quality, design, price

battery, memory

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Camcorders the Sony DCR-HC90 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 83/100 = Very good quality.

See all Sony Camcorders

Review analysis

(Based on 186 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(51% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (28% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews (13% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews (4% of reviews)
Show all 2 star reviews (4% of reviews)
Show all 1 star reviews

Features

usability
Show positive (81%)Show negative (19%)(Show all)

portability
Show positive (93%)Show negative (7%)(Show all)

image quality
Show positive (82%)Show negative (18%)(Show all)

design
Show positive (74%)Show negative (26%)(Show all)

price
Show positive (82%)Show negative (18%)(Show all)

Show more features

Showing 87 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

Disclaimer:

Below is a list of reviews for this or similar products. If you think this grouping is wrong please click here to flag.
Read more on our FAQ’s page.

Showing 1 - 70 of 87 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (99)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Sony DCR-HC90

alaTest has collected and analyzed 2 user reviews of Sony DCR-HC90 from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.0/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other Camcorders on Amazon.co.uk. Reviews about the image quality and size are overall positive. The design and usability are also appreciated, whereas there are some critical reviews about the memory.

portability, usability, design, size, image quality

memory

100% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Sony DCR-HC90

alaTest has collected and analyzed 58 user reviews of Sony DCR-HC90 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.9/5 for other Camcorders on Amazon.com. People really like the design and price. The image quality and usability also get good feedback, whereas there are some mixed comments about the battery. Many are negative about the zoom.

portability, usability, image quality, price, design

zoom

83% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Expert review by : Rick Broida (cnet.com)

Sony DCR-HC review

Sony DCR-HC

Charging/connectivity dock included; built-in lens cover; novice-friendly Easy mode; touch-screen LCD; customizable onscreen menus; 20X optical zoom; NightShot mode.

Noisy images in all but the brightest environments; touch-screen interface can be confusing; low-resolution still photos; cropped wide-screen mode; bottom-loading tape compartment.

Like many lower-end camcorders, the Sony Handycam DCR-HC32 has trouble keeping noise out of the picture. But that's the only real problem with this affordable, feature-packed model.

Jun, 2005

Read the full review

Expert review by : Terry Sullivan (pcmag.com)

Sony DCR-HC90 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder

The DCR-HC90 is a fine sub-$1,000 camcorder hybrid, with 16:9 shooting and a 3-megapixel camera with flash.

Able to shoot standard-definition widescreen (16:9) video. 3MP stills. Built-in flash. Excellent product design.

Video quality displayed dull colors. Stills were somewhat noisy and revealed aberrations in the details. Menu structure could be better.

More digital video camcorder reviews: Ricoh Theta SC Vuze VR Camera Samsung Gear 360 (2017) Giroptic iO YI 4K+ more

May, 2005

Partner Source

Read the full review

Expert review by : Rick Broida (cnet.com.au)

Sony DCR-HC90

Though it has some design quirks and performance issues, the compact HC90 produces excellent video in both bright and dim light.

Top-loading tape compartment ; Built-in lens cover ; Wide-screen LCD ; Novice-friendly Easy mode ; Crisp, colourful video ; Supports true 16:9 recording

Autofocus can be slow to lock on ; LCD seems small for shooting in 4:3 mode ; Some onscreen menus difficult to navigate ; No manual shutter-speed control

May, 2005

Partner Source

Read the full review

Expert review by : Easy Camcorder (easycamcorders.com)

Expert Review

The Sony DCR-HC90 is Sony's most expensive horizontal, single-chip, MiniDV camera this year, a complete redesign from last year's DCR-HC85. The improvements have been more than cosmetic, too, with the DCR-HC90 testing better in video performance and...

Ease of use, -LCD, -Low light, -Other Features

Design, -Handling, -Audio, -Manual Control, -Still Capability

Aug, 2005

Read the full review

Expert review by : Matt Culler (camcorderinfo.com)

Sony DCR-HC90 First Impressions Camcorder Review

The highest camcorder on Sony's HC series' list this year, the DCR-HC90 sports a some nice new cosmetic and hardware improvements to last year's most comparable camcorder, the DCR-HC85. Although, we can compare these two camcorders based on...

Mar, 2005

Read the full review

Expert review by (best-digital-camcorder-reviews.com)

Sony DCR HC90

Sony DCR-HC90 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom.

Direct your own personal movies with the Sony DCR HC 90 MiniDV Handycam camcorder from Sony. Interactive video recording features put you in control of the show. The on screen zoom and record buttons allows you to have additional shooting flexibility...

Read the full review

Consumer review (newegg.com)

SONY DCR-HC90 1/3" CCD 2.7" 123K TFT LCD 10X Optical Zoom MiniDV Camcorder

This camera is great, in low-light, indoor lighting, and outdoors it out performs some of three chip cameras out there

I ordered this with overnight shipping on the 6th of December but didn't recieve it until the 9th. This is very unusual for a NewEgg/FedEx combination

Jan, 2006

Read the full review

Consumer review (newegg.com)

Excellent

This is the perfect Digital Camcorder. The picture quality is very good, Excellent features for transfering your home movies to DVD format. Thanks Newegg for getting it to me fast and for a very secure transaction.

Oct, 2005

Read the full review

Consumer review (newegg.com)

Better than a 3ccd in Low Light!

I have used this camcorder for a few weeks now and found it to be clear in low light and user friendly! I love the 16:9 aspect ration on my TV. It is really compact and quiet. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good camcorder to capture...

Sep, 2005

Read the full review

Consumer review (epinions.com)