Sony DCR-HC42

619 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
usability (339)
portability (158)
price (116)
image quality (80)
size (63)

Negative
viewfinder (17)
reliability (17)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 619 reviews of Sony DCR-HC42. 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. People are impressed by the size and image quality. The price and portability also get good feedback. Many are less positive about the viewfinder. Reviews about the color and reliability are mixed.

usability, portability, price, image quality, size

viewfinder

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Camcorders the Sony DCR-HC42 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 85/100 = Very good quality.

See all Sony Camcorders

Review analysis

(Based on 619 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(31% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (34% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews (12% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews (7% of reviews)
Show all 2 star reviews (16% of reviews)
Show all 1 star reviews

Features

usability
Show positive (80%)Show negative (20%)(Show all)

portability
Show positive (84%)Show negative (16%)(Show all)

price
Show positive (73%)Show negative (27%)(Show all)

image quality
Show positive (79%)Show negative (21%)(Show all)

size
Show positive (79%)Show negative (21%)(Show all)

More features

Showing 567 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 - 400 of 567 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (52)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Sony DCR-HC42

alaTest has collected and analyzed 8 user reviews of Sony DCR-HC42 from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.5/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other Camcorders on Amazon.co.uk. Reviewers really like the battery and image quality. The usability and price are also mentioned favorably.

price, usability, image quality, battery

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

Apr, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Sony DCR-HC42

alaTest has collected and analyzed 382 user reviews of Sony DCR-HC42 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 3.3/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.9/5 for other Camcorders on Amazon.com. People are impressed by the size and image quality. The price and portability are also mentioned favorably. There are some mixed views about the design. Many are negative about the viewfinder and reliability.

usability, portability, price, image quality, size

reliability, viewfinder

67% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Expert review by : Tracey Capen (pcworld.com)

Sony DCR-SR42 30GB Hard Drive Digital Camcorder (0.68MP, 40x Opt, 2000x Dig, 2.7

When you're recording a special occasion, keeping things simple is the safest way to go: Just point, press a button, and let the camcorder do the rest. That's the approach championed by Sony's DCR-SR42 Handycam ($540 as of April 24, 2007), which...

Powerful zoom ; Touch screen eases menu navigation

Lacks white balance calibration ; Low-quality still images

May, 2007

Read the full review

Expert review by : Lori Grunin (cnet.com)

Sony Handycam DCR-SR42 review

Sony Handycam DCR-SR42

Compact and lightweight; large storage capacity; bundled dock; built-in lens cover.

Mediocre video and still photo quality; no wind filter; small, fingerprint-magnet touch screen LCD; software free for Windows but $100 for Mac.

Given its mediocre video quality, the Sony Handycam DCR-SR42 seems overpriced for what it delivers.

May, 2007

Read the full review

Expert review by (pcworld.com)

PCWorld.com - Sony DCR-HC42 MiniDV Handycam

Although the Sony DCR-HC42 is a lightweight in both price and heft, it's far from lightweight in quality. In our tests, we rated the $560 DCR-HC42 ...

Jun, 2005

Read the full review

Expert review by : Richard Baguley (pcworld.com)

Sony DCR-HC42

Photograph: Rick Rizner

Active Interface Shoe (hot shoe) ; 2.7-inch widescreen LCD

Image stabilization is electronic, not optical ; No manual controls ; Dock required for video transfer ; Images have purple fringing ; Poor low light performance

Jun, 2005

Read the full review

Expert review by : Michael Perlman (camcorderinfo.com)

Sony DCR-SR42 Camcorder Review

The DCR-SR42 is Sony's entry-level hard disk drive (HDD) camcorder. Retailing for $549, the camcorder clearly demonstrates the pricing stratification in the market. Of the three leading standard definition formats, HDD camcorders are almost always the...

Nov, 2007

Read the full review

Expert review by : Matt Culler (camcorderinfo.com)

Sony DCR-HC42 First Impressions Camcorder Review - Sony MiniDV Camcorders

Starting with an MSRP of US$600, the DCR-HC42 is the cheapest Sony MiniDV camcorder this year to exhibit Sony'snew widescreen LCD screen, which is, in all honesty, pretty cool. It also sports the same redesigned exterior found onthe DCR-HC32 and...

Feb, 2005

Read the full review

Expert review by : Easy Camcorder (easycamcorders.com)

Expert Review

The DCR-HC42 is the midrange camcorder in Sony's 2005 DCR-HC series. Like the rest of the DCR-HC line this model is fairly easy to use, with great automatic controls and the Easy Handycam mode. Easy Handycam leaves all image quality control decisions...

Automatic Controls, -LCD, -Zoom Toggles, -Widescreen

Manual Controls, -Low Light, -Menu, -Video Performance

Dec, 2004

Read the full review

Expert review by : Michael Perlman (reviewed.com)

Sony DCR-SR42

The DCR-SR42 is Sony's entry-level hard disk drive (HDD) camcorder. It may not be the best entry-level HDD overall, but it's a decent value for the money.

Nov, 2007

Read the full review

Expert review by : Robert Ellis (macworld.com)

Sony DCR-HC42

At first glance, the Sony DCR-HC42 looks promising enough. It's compact, sports a 2.7-inch widescreen LCD, and shoots colorful, vibrant video outdoors. Unfortunately, it suffers from very noticeable purple fringing, a distracting purple glow that...

2.7-inch widescreen LCD ; Active Interface Shoe (hot shoe)

Images have purple fringing ; no manual controls ; image stabilization is electronic, not optical ; poor low light performance ; dock required for video transfer

The DCR-HC42 is virtually identical in appearance with the DCR-HC32, with well-placed controls, and the same slightly awkward power switch and eject lever. There are only a few buttons and controls on the body of the camcorder, with most options...

Jul, 2005

Read the full review

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

Sony DCR HC42

Sony DCR-HC42 1MP MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder w/12x Optical.

Capture and transfer video images quickly and easily with Sony DCR HC42 MiniDV Handycam camcorder. Its professional quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens captures brilliant images with life-like color and tones while the advanced HAD CCD imager provides...

Read the full review