A high end camcorder in its DVD line, the Sony DCR-DVD406E offers a technical sheet that is more than complete : Optical 10x zoom, optical stabilization, capteur CMOS 4 megapixel sensor, dual layer DVD compatibility, 5.1 surround sound, etc. The list is long, but does it make the DVD406 a must have DVD camcorder ?

Ergonomics

Since launching the DVD line, Sony did not opt to enter into the miniaturization race. The result is that the DVD406 is a "big" camcorder that is relatively bulky compared to equivalent Canon or Samsung models. This is something it’s hard to criticize its user interface for, as the majority of adjustments are done on its LCD screen. The interface is very practical and intuitive but without being too fast. Only four commands are directly accessible on the casing : Wide select (16/9 mode), back light (for backlit subjects), Easy (quick to use and entirely automatic) and lecture. DVD technology is rather slow to get going, and you will have to wait more than 5 seconds for the DVD406 to be ready to record. If the 10x optical zoom seems a little limited compared to the 35x of other current models, it has the advantage of being fully usable at levels of zoom with optical stabilization. In 4/3 mode, the wide angle is rather limited and really only becomes interesting in 16/9. This is a real 16/9, which widens the horizontal field without reducing the vertical one. In terms of sound, there are three channels (right, left and back). A specific program let’s you recreate a 5.1 surround sound ambiance on adequate equipment. The effect is impressive even if there are obviously not five distinct audio inputs. Moreover, it pained us to see no headphone or microphone terminals.

Image quality

With its new CMOS sensor, we expected an improvement in image quality. Unfortunately, results were more mixed. Compared to images of the Canon DC230, the Sony’s’ are much more precise as you can see in our Side by Side. However, when faced with a classic DV camcorder like the Canon MD150, we can see that overall quality is not as good. It’s slightly less precise and white balance is very cold with images that are stronger in blue. For this reason, colors are shinier, appear very saturated and the sky and green stretches will be a little unrealistic. The greatest improvement, most likely related to the CMOS, is the DVD406‘s sensitivity. While Barbie is totally invisible for the Canon DC230 or Samsung VP-D371, you can easily see her with the DVD406, even if she strongly lacks colors. In low light, the image is relatively clean, but not without colored parasites. Only the Canon MD150 does as well, however, with very unpleasant noise. With a 4 megapixel sensor, the photo mode is quite satisfactory and allows you to produce 10x15s without any problem. There is even a function that lets you take pictures (in 2 million pixels) during video recording.