Sony DCRIP7BT MicroMV Digital Camcorder w/ 2.5" Hybrid LCD, 8MB Memory Stick, MPEG Movie, & Network Capability

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

Size
The size of the DCR-IP7BT is actually one of the features that Sony is really excited about, and it's easy to understand why. The device is extraordinarily small; it's somewhere on the order of a half-inch to an inch smaller in its dimensions than comparable models. That's quite a hefty reduction, making the IP7BT small enough to 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.

Digital Photo Mode
Like many digital camcorders, the IP7BT features a digital still mode. And, like many digital camcorders, the snapshot mode is good for taking stills that can be e-mailed or posted on a Web site, but not for making high-quality prints.

Bluetooth
Bluetooth has been a talked-about wireless protocol for years, but it's only recently started to gather steam in the electronics world. Sony is leading the pack by incorporating Bluetooth networking into the DCR-IP7BT. The connectivity standard allows you to transfer your still images, or any of the short MPEG movie clips you record to the Memory Stick, to any Bluetooth-equipped computer.

Cables and Connectors
Despite the small size of the IP7BT, there are a number of audio and video inputs and outputs, making it a very flexible and 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. Four audio, stereo in/outputs are included. In addition, to transfer your digital stills and MPEG movies, a USB port is included. Of course, in any digital camcorder, you should expect to find an IEEE 1394 port, also known as FireWire or iLink, which the IP7BT provides.

Included with the DCR-IP7BT are the Bluetooth adapter, a USB cable, an 8 MB Memory Stick, a wireless remote, an AC-L20 power adapter, an NP-FF50 InfoLithium battery, two AA batteries, iLink Cable (four-pin to four-pin), AV cable, lens cap, wrist strap, and a software CD-ROM (software is Windows only).

I saw a Sony Exec talking about it at a marketing show; she was discussing their ad strategy for it. The Exec stated that it was designed for a business traveller who wanted a TINY camcorder to take some "hobby" shots while on the road.

I bought this unit for a BUSINESS trip to Hong Kong. For this purpose this camera was PERFECT. It easily fits in your briefcase. Until you own this thing, you have no idea what a leap it is in terms of size. On my trip, I would routinely just stick it in my (bulging) pocket.

For this size comes a tradeoff. The camera opeates on MPEG2. The CCD has a lower than normal resolution. Both of these are okay; the larger problem is, at this size, you can get a lot of camera shake (even with the stabilzer feature). Overall, the picture quality is fine.

I would not own this as your only camcorder. I would not use this for any "movie making" or run of the mill home vidoes. I would however HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to anyone that wants to take videos on a business trip and not look like a tourist; or needs to grab some video to show their spouse who didn't get to go.


I had to comment to save you   May 4, 2002
chris (SF, CA)
27 out of 32 found this review helpful

From buying this totally waste of technology. Call up any Good Guys / Circuit City and ask them what the most returned camera has been in the last few months - it'll be the new MicroMV cameras. They are all awful. The resolution is awful - all you have to do is look at footage on a TV and you'll see what i mean.

Another HUGE disadvantage - MPEG2 encoding - NONE, I MEAN NONE, of the software NLE's (non-linear editors) support MPEG2 - so therefore, you can't use Premier, Final Cut Pro, etc...you are forced to use this 2-bit software app that Sony put out. It's awful. I tried it. It's painful. Premiere says they will NOT support MPEG2 until more camera makers adopt it - not likely in the near future.

DON'T take a chance on such new technology, unless you're the guy who also owned the Sony mini-disc camcorder (discontinued after 6 months).


terrible color and picture quality....   June 30, 2002
lal (New Providence, New Jersey USA)
27 out of 27 found this review helpful

The size of the DCRIP7 is fantastic. Great to
hold, really slides into your pocket, and all the knobs
are quite functional given the size of the camcorder.

However, no matter what the form factor, the bottom line
on any camcorder is the color and picture quality. If
it were not for the form factor, I would give this a
rating of zero!

The color, focus, and clarity [stink] big time. Make sure you
project the output of the camera directly onto a computer
or TV set, and not make a judgement based on the image
on the LCD screen. I took my unit back and demonstrated
what I was talking about with the unit on the floor.
Same thing. Red objects look different, focus is terrible,
(so much for the CZ lens), and the image is grainy.

Very disappointed!!


A Profound disappointment   May 27, 2002
Lemuel Moye PHD (Houston, Texas United States)
19 out of 19 found this review helpful

As a devoted Sony customer and a contented user of the DCR-TRV11, I had high hopes for the smaller DCR1P7BT. The size and fucntionality of the DCR17BT was superb, but its utility is plagued by its video downloading difficulty. Several different programs have to be installed. After installing Movieshaker, Quicktime, DirectX8a and an upgrade driver for Windows 2000, the camera still would not download using a FireWire connection. I have attempted downloading on FOUR SONY PCs (2 running Windows 2000, and two running XP and failed every single time. I returned the camera to Circuit City after 24 hours of frustration. My TRV11 downloads flawlessly. The last thing I need with a videocamera is downloading problems. With firewire devices, downloading should be nearly effortless.


Do not buy this camcorder!   June 29, 2002
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

First of all, the Bluetooth feature is absolutely useless. You can only use it to upload to Sony's website using a 56k dialup. Forget about using it to upload videos.

Second, it uses a Sony proprietary video format called MicroMV. As such, can only use the bundled MovieShaker to import and edit your video footage. This doesn't seem to be a big deal except that MovieShaker is extremely slow.

Do yourself a favor, do a search on the web for reviews of this unit. I returned mine ...