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Testing The Sony DCR-HC52 Camcorder For The First Time

Tested the Sony DCR-HC52 camcorder for the first time, never had a camcorder before, one-handed operation so not as steady as it could have been ...

I have a Sony DCR-HC52 Handy Cam camcorder that does not have a usb cable. Can i edit videos on my computer?

Aug 18, 2008 by Joey T | Posted in Camcorders

I have a Sony DCR-HC52 Handy Cam camcorder that does not have a usb cable. Can i edit videos on my computer? If there is a way please tell me. Thanks.

If you have a mini dv (cassette) camcorder….
Your dv camcorder needs a firewire connection (ieee 1394) in order to download video, your PC probably did not come with a firewire port, so you will have to buy one and install it, since most computers (except possibly brand new) don't come with a firewire port, your camcorder did not come with a firewire cord so you have to purchase a cord too. Your camcorder did come with a USB cord and that is used for downloading stills from your camcorder. Make sure your camera is in playback mode.
The fine print in your manual makes reference to firewire (ieee 1394) connection.

Is there a microphone compatible with the DCR-HC52 sony handycam camera?

Dec 23, 2008 by Leo Y | Posted in Camcorders

I have a Sony DCR-HC52 Handycam camera and I can't find a mic (online) that is compatible with it! Does anyone know where I could find one?

The entry-level Sony DCR-HC52 has no way to connect an external mic. There is no 1/8" mic jack and it does not have an Active Interface Shoe to connect a Sony proprietary AIS mic. It also does not do AV-in so you cannot connect a mic to the RCA audio jacks - and USB or DV port won't work, either. Sorry to tell you all this.

The cheapest Sony with a 1/8" mic jack is the HDR-HC9. It also has manual audio control.

The cheapest camcorders with a mic jack (and no manual audio control are the Aiptek GVs, Canon ZR900, ZR930, FS10 and FS11. None of them have manual audio control, either.

So... the "workaround" is to use an external audio capture device - sometimes referred to as a "field recorder". M-Audio, Zoom, Edirol, Tascam, Marantz, Sony and others make decent ones. When you edit the video, just replace the camcorder's audio with the audio captured by the field recorder.

How can I stop my Sony Handycam DCR-HC52/HC54 from cycling through filters on standby?

Apr 27, 2008 by Anastasia J | Posted in Camcorders

To stream video to ustream, the camera needs to be in standby mode (not actively recording onto tape). Unfortunately, this camera starts to cycle through different filters (black and white, mosaic, etc.) when it is in standby. How can I turn off this feature?

menu>camsettings>demo mode off.

How do you get the best upload quality to YouTube with the Sony DCR-HC52 camcorder using Windows Movie Maker?

Jan 28, 2009 by akira7799 | Posted in Camcorders

I am wondering the best way to save the file to your computer and then upload it to YouTube, because the few that I have uploaded have been extremely poor quality. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

The Sony DCR-HC52 is a miniDV tape based camcorder.

ALL miniDV tape based camcorders transfer their video using firewire - not USB. Connect a firewire cable (not USB) to the DV port of the camcorder to the firewire port of the computer. If your computer does not have a firewire port, hopefully it has an available expansion slot so you can add one. You did not tell us what computer, so we have no way to know.

USB won't work. USB-firewire converter/adapter/hub/cable things won't work.

You will also need a firewire cable. the DV port on ALL miniDV tape based camcorders is always 4-pin. Whether the other side of the cable for your computer is 4-pin, 6-pin or 9-pin depends on the computer's firewire port.

When you export the video file from your video editor, use less compression. For standard definition, I have found MP4 with medium or light compression to be best. When you make the video file size small, you are compressing the video. Compressed digital video = discarded video data = reduced video quality. Combine this with the conversion/compression YouTube applies results in poor quality. The video files will be large - but the video quality will be better. My last upload of a 1.5 minute video was nearly 300 meg.

How can i import video from a sony DCR-HC52 handycam to my computer?

Oct 05, 2008 by Rockland Parkour | Posted in Camcorders

i know it involves firewire and crap but mine didnt come with a firwire and i dont have time to buy one.

i do infact have a diamond VC500 capture card with the red white and yellow plugs that match my camera A/V R plugs. i can connect these to route my camera into my computer through USB. but i dont know how to access it once ive plugged it in.

Firewire will provide digital video (the "DV" in miniDV = Digital Video). But if you must go analog, then it is what it is - video quality will not be so good. Using the camcorder's AV cable connect to your capture card. March the RCA jack colors - Yellow-video; Red-right audio; White-left audio.

Normally, the capture card comes with software that can actually recognize video comoing in USB - if the capture card is properly configured, maybe even MovieMaker will allow the capture.

Worth repeating: This will not be digital video . Quality will not be as good as it could be (as digital video imported over Firewire).

What kind of firewire does a Sony Handycam dcr-hc52 camera take? How many prongs or whatever?

Aug 03, 2008 by Nick M | Posted in Camcorders

All MiniDV camcorders have a 4 pin firewire socket.

What type of fisheye could I get for a Sony DCR-HC52 ?

Mar 03, 2009 by wonderskatecrew5 | Posted in Camcorders

What type of fisheye could I get for a Sony DCR-HC52 ?

Can I connect a Sony DCR-HC52 to my PC without firewire port?

Oct 28, 2008 by Terry A | Posted in Camcorders

The videocamera uses a firewire cable. My computer has USB. Could I use a firewire to USB cable, or would the computer not recognize it?

The USB-firewire adapters don't work. Add a firewire port to the computer - hopefully you have an available expansion slot.

I have a Sony DCR HC52 MiniDV camcorder. Can i still record video in HD with an Sony HD minidv tape?

Nov 20, 2008 by jl0993 | Posted in Camcorders

Or are the Sony HD tapes only for MiniDV HD camocorders?

The Sony HDR-HC52 is indeed a miniDV tape based camcorder - that records to Standard Definition (DV) video. It does not capture High Definition (HDV) video.

MiniDV tape - whether plain old regular miniDV tape or "special" expensive HD tape can be used in Standard Definition and High Definition camcorders. It will record what the camcorder tells it to record. If the camcorder can capture only standard definition, then the DV format video will be written to the miniDV tape. If the camcorder can capture high definition, then the HDV format video will be written to the miniDV tape.

A standard definition DV camcorder like the DCR-HC52 cannot capture HDV. It does not have the circuitry to do that. You can use the special HD tape, but it won't improve the video quality that camcorder captures - it will always be DV (Standard definition). The current, least expensive, HDV camcorder available from Sony is the HDR-HC9.

Are there any modifications or add-ons for the Sony DCR-HC52 Handycam?

Dec 24, 2008 by Leo Y | Posted in Camcorders

I have a DCR-HC52 Sony Handycam and can't find anything (besides a tripod or a lens) to put on it. I was wondering if there was anything that you can add on to the DCR-HC52, or a way to make something for it. From my previous question, I know that there aren't any mic's compatible with it, but I was curious about things like flashlights.

Basically, for any camcorder the add-ons can be a mic (which the HC52 can't do because there is no mic jack), lenses, video lights, rain jackets, waterproof cases (soft like from Ewa-Marine or hard cases for deeper water), cold-weather "jackets", and other ways to mount/steady the camera (tripod, spiderbrace, crane, GlideCam/vest, etc.). They aren't necessarily HC52-specific. The camera's size/shape is similar to many others so many of the covers, cases and jackets can be used by different cameras from different manufacturers.

The HC52 does not have an accessory shoe mount. For the video lights, or other items that would normally mount to an accessory shoe, you need to use a camera bracket that uses the tripod mount screw-hole. There is another screw hole in the bottom of the bracket's mounting screw thumb wheel so you can still mount to a tripod. Do a search at Amazon for "camera bracket". I use an angled Bower camera bracket to mount a mic and a light (they are inexpensive). For the HC52, you could mount a video light or an audio field recorder (then replace the audio captured by the camcorder with that captured by the field recorder when you edit. Check the Zoom H-4...