Visit our Business Solutions website >>

Sony DCR-HC26

Sony DCR-HC26
Sony DCR-HC26Sony DCR-HC26Sony DCR-HC26Sony DCR-HC26Sony DCR-HC26Sony DCR-HC26Sony DCR-HC26Sony DCR-HC26Sony DCR-HC26Sony DCR-HC26
alaScore 82

163 reviews

Dec, 2024

alaTest has collected and analyzed 163 reviews of Sony DCR-HC26. The average rating for this product is 3.4/5, compared to an average rating of 4.0/5 for other Camcorders for all reviews. Reviewers really like the image quality and size. The portability and price also get good views. Some have doubts about the memory and reliability, and opinions are divided on the color.

usability, price, portability, size, image quality

reliability, memory

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Camcorders the Sony DCR-HC26 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 82/100 = Very good quality.

See all Sony Camcorders

Review analysis

(Based on 163 reviews)

Expert Reviews  

User Reviews  

Review Ratings

  (34% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews   (25% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews   (10% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews   (15% of reviews)
Show all 2 star reviews   (17% of reviews)
Show all 1 star reviews

Features

usability
  Show positive (75%)Show negative (25%)(Show all)
price
  Show positive (71%)Show negative (29%)(Show all)
portability
  Show positive (78%)Show negative (22%)(Show all)
size
  Show positive (90%)Show negative (10%)(Show all)
image quality
  Show positive (69%)Show negative (31%)(Show all)
zoom
  Show positive (76%)Show negative (24%)(Show all)
battery
  Show positive (45%)Show negative (55%)(Show all)
reliability
  Show positive (20%)Show negative (80%)(Show all)
durability
  Show positive (71%)Show negative (29%)(Show all)
color
  Show positive (50%)Show negative (50%)(Show all)
design
  Show positive (75%)Show negative (25%)(Show all)
memory
  None yetShow negative (100%)(Show all)
control panel
  Show positive (100%)None yet(Show all)
More features

Showing 156 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 - 119 of 156 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (7)

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Sony DCR-HC26

 

alaTest has collected and analyzed 109 user reviews of Sony DCR-HC26 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 3.5/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.9/5 for other Camcorders on Amazon.com. People really like the size and image quality. The portability and price are also appreciated, whereas there are some critical comments about the reliability.

usability, price, portability, image quality, size

reliability

65% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Dec, 2024

Expert review by : Denny Atkin (cnet.com)

Sony Handycam DCR-HC26 review: Sony Handycam DCR-HC26

 

Sony Handycam DCR-HC26

Extremely compact; lightweight; low price; very easy to use; top-loading tape compartment.

Poor video quality; short battery life; no accessory shoe; no memory slot for photo capture.

The Sony DCR-HC26 provides impressive size, zoom power, and features for a bargain-basement camcorder, but its substandard video quality is disappointing.

Mar, 2006
Read the full review

Expert review by : Easy Camcorder (easycamcorders.com)

Expert Review

 

The Sony DCR-HC26 is similar to the HC21, this camcorder's predecessor; however, there are several features missing from this 2006 model in comparison. The DCR-HC26 is the lowest priced model currently sold by Sony and the price is reflected in its...

Simple Easy Mode for beginners, - Lowest priced Sony on the market

Poorly designed touch screen menu structure, - Limited manual control will minimize the possibility to adapt to more controls over time, - Low image quality in both strong and low light, - Loss of cold shoe from the DCR-HC21

Mar, 2006
Read the full review

Expert review by : James Murray (camcorderinfo.com)

Sony DCR-HC26 Camcorder Review

 

The DCR-HC26 is Sony's entry-level MiniDV camcorder this year. Writing about the entry-levels is always difficult, because they are destined to perform poorly compared to all the great camcorders from the year prior. But here we are at the beginning of...

Feb, 2006
Read the full review

Expert review by : Mark Montgomery (videomaker.com)

Sony DCR-HC26 Mini DV Camcorder

 

The one trouble you can expect, however, is with the battery slot. Loading the battery on the camera is trickier than normal if you're accustom to sliding a battery into its slot. This system is different, in that you must line that battery up...

Firewire 20x Opical Zoom

Awkward battery loading Mediocre Video Resolution Limited Audio Options

One of the weak points of this camera is the automatic exposure, which tends to move all over the place in tricky lighting conditions. We expect to see this on most point-and-shoot camcorders, but it seemed especially wild with the DCR-HC26. With...

Sep, 2006
Read the full review

Expert review by : About.com (about.com)

Sony DCR-HC26 Review

 

The auto white balance on camcorders doesn't always give you the look you want in your video. A manual white balance is an important feature to have in any camcorder you buy.

May, 2006
Read the full review

Expert review by : James Murray (reviewed.com)

Sony DCR-HC26

 

The DCR-HC26 features a 1/6" CCD with a 680K gross (340K effective) pixel count. At 3000 lux, the camcorder produced tones in accordance with its bottom-of-the-barrel position in the product line. The picture was exceptionally noisy, even at this...

Feb, 2006
Read the full review

Expert review by : James Dickinson (goodgearguide.com.au)

Sony DCR-HC26E

 

Good optical zoom, small, reasonably priced

Poor battery life

An ideal digital video camera for beginners and casual users

Mar, 2006
Read the full review

Expert review by : James Dickinson (goodgearguide.com.au)

Sony Handycam DCR-HC26E

 

At the bottom end of the spectrum in Sony's new range of Mini-DV video cameras sits the DCR-HC26E. The camera is designed to be easy to use and portab...

Good optical zoom, small, reasonably priced

Poor battery life

An ideal digital video camera for beginners and casual users

Mar, 2006
Read the full review

Expert review by (pcworld.idg.com.au)

Sony Handycam DCR-HC26E

 

At the bottom end of the spectrum in Sony's new range of Mini-DV video cameras sits the DCR-HC26E. The camera is designed to be easy to use and portable, yet still retaining high performance; ideal for the casual user who doesn't need vast numbers of...

Read the full review

Expert review by : Denny Atkin (cnet.com.au)

Sony Handycam DCR-HC26

 

The Sony DCR-HC26 provides impressive size, zoom power and features for a bargain-basement camcorder, but its substandard video quality is disappointing.

Extremely compact ; Lightweight ; Low price ; Very easy to use ; Top-loading tape compartment

Poor video quality ; Short battery life ; No accessory shoe ; No memory slot for photo capture

Unless your budget is extremely tight, we suggest you move up a price class to around AU$1,000; the video quality of products priced below that mark is unlikely to please even casual users.

Jul, 2006
Read the full review
1
2
3
4
5

Price comparison for Sony DCR-HC26

No prices for this product