Sony DCR-PC100 90's camcorder review

hello friends! in this video I give you all the whole rundown of this beautiful contraption of a camera, the Sony DCR-PC100. I tried to fit as much info about this in as i could but sure i forgot plenty of things at the same time. Either way, i hope you find this video helpful and decide to snag this camera or one similar for yourself! Links to all the gear i have for it below.
Fisheye:
www.amazon.com...
Tapes:
www.amazon.com...
Batteries:
www.nextbatter...
Firewire 400:
www.showmecabl...
Firewire adapter:
www.amazon.com...
Thunderbolt cables:
www.amazon.com...

[@jamtronllc]

I'm 45 yrs old and am both astonished and hyped that these camcorders are coming back into style. I've been a video editor for 30 years and spent about 18 of those years digitizing footage like this. I got my first mini-dv camera, the JVC GRDVM5U, in the mid 90s and oh boy was I excited. I was around 16 and we filmed EVERYTHING on that. Going from 8mm to Mini DV was like going from filming on a potato to Hi-Def. Mini DV started my career as a filmmaker and it'll always have a soft spot in my heart. Good luck with the camera and thanks for the Log+Capture tips!

[@drewalexandervideography]

This camera was our first new video camera as a family my dad purchased back in the spring of 2001 to take on trips with my mom and the family. I think we paid $1600 after tax for the whole package. I quickly became the family videographer and it alone got me into what I do now with video. We documented just about everything that my family was involved in be it school plays, baseball games, church events, family Christmas, birthdays, etc…the usual things families document. It was a great camera till it finally bit the dust 10 years ago.

[@chrisdunn3241]

Now that’s awesome to hear! It’s certainly a fun little camera to bring around to capture whatever with, and hey you don’t lose the footage either since it’s all on tapes!

[@ANDRE1mang]

That's awesome!! I'm glad you were able to capture memories on that camera!

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

By the way, a few things to consider :) if you transfer the videomaterial from the DV tape to your computer, make sure the resolution and quality is not sized down. MiniDV in NTSC is 720x480 with a 4:3 aspect ratio, if you didn't use the 16:9 anamorphic mode. Those mostly cropped the image on those cameras sadly and only very few (most of the later models) had an actual native 16:9 anamorphic mode and only cropped the image for the 4:3 mode so it all worked together. This model here is a native 4:3 camera so i'd say to keep the most quality, don't change the recording mode to 16:9 and leave it 4:3. Also make sure the audio is set to 48Khz 16 Bit and also SP (not LP). This makes sure the tape can be played back without issues on other MiniDV camcorders. Since the LongPlay mode for the DV format was never really standardized and was also not very reliable. And you may also want to avoid empty gaps between recordings because the camera records a time code to your recordings from the beginning till the end of the tape. However... every blank tape is empty and has no timecode. It only has one if you have recorded something on it from start to finish. Normally when you just turn on record and turn off the camera, it will always continue at the last position. However if you switch to VTR mode and rewind, it will not be at the same position anymore where you stopped your recording. So i'd say wait with dumping the content of the tape to your PC tilll you filled your tape. This way you know you have a complete Timecode on your tape and can ALWAYS automatically "batch" from the tape if you edit your video project in a Video editor that can take needed video files from a DVcamcorder again by checking for the timecode and just transfering the parts from the tape that are actually needed. I had to do that before like that and it saved me time and my old Editing project could be 100% restored with all cuts and just as they were. If the tape has "holes" between videos on the tape, the timecode cuts off and starts at 0 again once a new recording starts after a gap of nothing on the tape. That can cause issues later if you want to automatically "Batch" from a tape again. Trust me. You will thank me later for it :)

[@brantub]

isn't there something missing from your list of cables in the description? like a thunderbolt 2 to firewire 800 adapter or something?

[@josephgaudion6153]

Yo Chris, to get rid of the shaky fisheye turn off the IOS (image stabilisation) on the camera

[@chrisdunn3241]

My DAWG 🙏🔥❤️ thank you!!

[@maji___]

Where's the option?

[@kmanderson920]

@@maji___ turn on the camera, press menu, go to camera settings and turn off STEADYSHOT.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Yeah Sadly an option that can ONLY be turned on or off in the menus. There's no switch for it outside, like the nightvision mode.

[@2cupshakur]

Been wanting this camera with lens for a while now and finally decided to go ahead and order this month.. so excited to get to know the ins and outs and start editing footy

[@LenCamp]

I bought the camera before finding this and now I feel like I made the right choice lol awesome vid!

[@hidan4938]

just found my dads old camera, and its this one. THIS INFORMATION SAVES ME SO MUCH TIME AND STRESS. THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Still one of my absolute most favorite late 90s MiniDV camcorders. Not just for the fun formfactor (i have a soft spot for those vertical brick-format DV camcorders) but especially because of the sheer amazing image quality the megapixel CCD inside this camera produces. And yes, i dare to say, it looks WAYYYY superior than 99% of all the MiniDV camcorders that were released after. At daylight the image sensor struggles a little with the typical hard contrast look that is so typical for Video but in lowlight conditions or indoor with available light, this camera really shows its true powers.

[@figglewiggle5826]

Thanks for this video. I found this camera in my family’s attic, and I wasn’t sure how to go about watching all of the tapes and saving them on my computer. Thanks so much, was able to keep many memories.

[@Detroitblue]

Thanks for the video. I am floored at how many current comments are below. I was expecting this whole affair to be 10+ years vintage. I was curious as the what kind of equipment you were filming on. It looked as it if might have been the camcorder. I have the handycam pc-101. Picked it up at a pawn shop about 8 years prior. Forget why but I think it was because I had a lot of mini format dv tapes I wanted to digitize and my other camera's motor threw craps. I do remember that the sales guy at the pawn shop asked me why I was buying such an old piece of technology at the time. Ironically I'm sitting here with it on my desk watching your video as a refresher for what it can do and what it can't. I am on the verge of posting my first piece of content my channel so I am sorting through all my equipment to see what will suffice. Or weather or not I need to go out and spend $1000.00 for for a cam and lightling and a mic for that very polished looking production . I got a couple old Iphones which people often use think. Some ancient editing software on a CD in my dusty closet, a couple androids, namely a S8 that does nice video edits. And a really nice Nikon DSLR that really belongs to my daughter so that is iffy. Oh yeah and web cam I use for zoom meetings .

[@winningclub]

Dude! Why doesn't this have more views?! Great video and insanely helpful for the broke boys who cant afford a vx. Definitely getting this camera now, also your footage is what really prompted me to get it you got a great eye!

[@chrisdunn3241]

Right on! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙏

[@curbluvr2556]

Wow! I bought the same camera a while back after watching the video you referenced. Have a ton of tapes with footy I’ve been sitting on cause I didn’t know how to transfer to my Mac. Super helpful!

[@scholasticdeth]

Thanks dude. That's probably the easiest way to bring those lurknyc vibes into skating videos

[@DonnyTran]

You are the greatest person ever for making this video. Literally thank you!

[@yograndmacat3343]

You’re the best, just got my pc100 and now I’m getting those cords

[@hooman4835]

i’ve been looking into getting one, and this video is a life saver

[@rjgscotland]

Yo! Couple things I'm observing from starting to watch this video. Perhaps you figured them out later, but for others reading if nothing else. First is the lens wobble you're talking about. I'm quite sure that's because you have the Steadyshot turned on. It's trying to correct the camera shake but it's designed for the whole image to be in frame, not the small lens circle of the fisheye, which is why you see it moving around so much. Turn off the Steadyshot to fix it. The second is that I don't think you're getting the most quality out of the footage, it seems like a poor deinterlacing method is being used that's only keeping one field rather than interpolating. That's why everything has very jaggy edges. That isn't actually normal. I recommend using a more sophisticated deinterlacing method in your editing software, or process the footage before editing.

[@MJ-ej5jz]

You’re a lifesaver for this man i really appreciate it

[@Cameliaonfilm]

Your a legend thank you!

[@tyra925]

Awesome info about the cables dude, what I was after for sure

[@fabiennebethmann]

Hi Chris! the video was really helpful & i just wanted to ask if you know if it’s working with the pc120e too?

[@chrisdunn3241]

I’m not entirely sure but my guess is that it would

[@bm6814]

mine is coming in on friday and i can’t wait to start filming. thanks for the tips 🤝

[@chrisdunn3241]

Very nice! Go have some fun!

[@kevinberlanga2671]

Youre the best, dude! Thinking of getting this camera now

[@kevinberlanga2671]

update: purchased one!!! Thanks so much for all the valuable information, even more so for linking us to the cable pages!!

[@courtneywong2493]

is there an amazon link for the thunderbolt 1 cable?

[@tyra925]

Nice smile, nice cat

[@jace.allard2567]

Would this camera work with a clear click video to digital converter instead of using all these cables?

[@johnycook8191]

Cheers for this. Got the cables and giving it a bash but when I import footage the sound cuts in and out. It's fine when playing back on the camera but the sound cuts in it and out once I have exported it. Ever had that trouble?

[@CostaAlves]

Hello friends, which lenses could I adapt to this camera? Could anyone recommend it to me? I would like to adapt 16mm and 35mm lenses, is it possible?

[@anthonywilde4706]

Thank you for this video brother I have just picked up my first video camcorder

[@walkmanwang9465]

Thx for the video, helped a lot

[@allthingssoccer6245]

dude this video is too clutch big ups

[@chrisdunn3241]

🙏🙏

[@taylalandry3810]

hello there, does anyone know where i can get an apple thunderbolt 1 cable.. can't seem to find one : (

[@CapitalR69]

my dcr pc100 keeps saying there is an error connecting to my computer I have a desktop, pc, so I just got the firewire straight to usb. Could that be the issue?

[@maji___]

How do you change the aspect ratio from 16:9 to 3:4?

[@linjustinn]

do you mind sharing what software you use to edit and export settings? Many videos I see online are de interlaced but your footage seem to keep the interlaced "look". Thank you!

[@bhryian]

you have to turn off the stabilization so t soendt shake with the fisheye. i had the same issue with my dv cam before

[@jdufour7]

You legend!!!!!❤️‍🔥📹🎞

[@fel2263]

If you wanna remove the shakiness with the fisheye just turn off the steadyshot in the settings;)

[@visual.outlet]

Can´t wait for this camcorder :) Greetings from Germany!

[@NevilleStyke]

PC100 very often has the ribbon cable to the tape compartment door fracture and lose connection. The PC110 and the PC120 last many times longer.

[@zekeoso]

Just got mine and I have an error, i put a cassette in and it says there is no cassette yet it says to eject the cassette. I pulled the protect tab so it can record but the error still appears.

[@miltonmenace2663]

Idk if you’ll see this but how do you save videos on it?? Is there like a save button or do the recordings save automatically?? cause I closed mine thinking it would save automatically. Just asking to make sure??

[@chrisdunn3241]

It records directly to the tape so it is automatically saved. Just don’t rewind the tape and film over existing footage.

[@miltonmenace2663]

@@chrisdunn3241 Lmaoo maybe that’s what I did thanks 🤞

[@KcLee677]

it's is SONY DCR-PC101 is about same like SONY DCR-PC100? mean same cable, same Lenses adapter and yes, battery pack..

[@markmorenousa]

they came out late 98-99.. Bought mine new in 99... still use it

[@brandonalldredgeba]

Not sure if someone has mentioned it but if you turn the steady shot off while running the fisheye you won’t get that shaky footage

[@joshuapischtschan2582]

thanks for the video! Greetings from Germany :)

[@goatmen7996]

i use the sony dcr pc110 from the year2000

[@gashouse2738]

I saw howie d (bsb) also use this camcorder as well back in 1999

[@trevorbernard4477]

I have this camera, I do not however have a mac...I've been stressing trying to figure out how to transfer this bizz.

[@currentlyelisabethdenis]

Hey Chris, i can't be bothered with a taped camera... Do you know of a comparable modernish camera that is small like this that would give a vintage look? ,,

[@534n4l3ts1r4m]

I put my pc110 on the shelf cause I couldn’t figure out how to transfer files to my computer. This is absolute GOLD. Thank you so much. Do you think the same cable combo would work with an iPad on imovie?

[@JihadzVizion]

sam issue for me I need help

[@noahpena3913]

I’m having trouble with the wires the FireWire 400 to 800 adapter doesn’t fit the Apple dongle am I missing something?

[@claracarbajo2349]

did you find a solution to this? it looks like you need another adaptor to connect the 800 to the thunderbolt 2 but I can't find it online

[@Josuerobles11202]

Is your nightshot really dim too?

[@rajatv561]

Do you have to a use a new tape every-time you shoot?

[@dontholdme2tight]

so would i be able to use that setup with my phone?

[@rawtec7396]

A friend told me last week that he cannot use his firewire UAD Interface no more on mac since apple does not support firewire no more at all.

[@tod.d]

does yours make a loud humming/buzzing sound when you start filming/watching back footage? thanks

[@chrisdunn3241]

Yeah it does somewhat but it’s not loud enough that you can hear it in clips fortunately

[@ANDRE1mang]

Thanks for sharing with us bro!! Looks like a nice vintage camera. Can the time stamp be on the video when you upload it to your laptop? Unless I missed u saying that sorry

[@brandanbennett8386]

i have a macbook air 2014 or 15 , so i only need firewire then adapter to that computer?

[@chrisdunn3241]

I’m pretty sure for that one yes, I have a newer MacBook Pro and with those you need an extra adapter. I think you should be good with that.

[@Ace01010]

Do I need the adapter or can I just use a 800?

[@hooman4835]

do you know how to import to a windows pc?

[@frankiecaraccioli]

He Chris. What version of iMovie are you using to import footage? I have the newest version on my MacBook Pro and my PC110 is not being recognized. I bought all the cables from the links that you mentioned as well. Thank you.

[@JihadzVizion]

me too . did you ever figure out ?

[@frankiecaraccioli]

@@JihadzVizion I haven’t. I know my cord set up works because iMovie and LifeFlix both pick up my Sony hi8 camera. It might be something to do with a software update still not recognizing this miniDV version or the FireWire port not working. Think I might just got the tape deck route to pull my footage.

[@davidserrano7794]

Hey Chris, I recently purchased this camera and I can't seem to get the camera to go DV OUT, any suggestions?

[@nickworthington2205]

I'm having the exact same issue

[@furious444]

I’ve been wanting this camera, but I ended up getting a Sony dcr dvd710. Still a sick camera, but I felt like I settled. I just wanna film skating too lol 😂

[@chrisdunn3241]

There’s no better camera than the one in your hands! Get out there and film yo!

[@jakedriscoll_]

yo! super helpful video bro. I just found my dad's old sony cam so I'm trying to get it up & running. Do you happen to know the difference from recording with the memory stick or recording on tape? I have the proper cables to transfer footage from the memory stick (just not the right space). I have the right space with the tapes (just not the right cables).

[@madychannel]

Also wondering this!!

[@czm06163]

thank you so much my video should credit to u

[@yosoyalbertico]

Wow! looks so good but is really old camera. I have any video on my youtube channel. I would like recover to use it again. You motivate me. I like looks that this camara get.... but i need adapter

[@dlviews]

Is the FireWire 400 to 800 necessary or is it possible to go straight with the FireWire 800 Kabel to thunderbolt usb C? 🙌🏽

[@chrisdunn3241]

It depends on what you’re transferring onto. Since I use MacBook Pro it’s got all the new updated plugins so for that I need the 400-800

[@allthingssoccer6245]

hey man when i try this my imovie quits importing and starts over as my tape runs so it's all cut into 2 second clips. you got any advice haha?

[@chrisdunn3241]

I’ve ran into the same problem as well it usually happens whenever my tape skips and glitches. I’m not entirely sure on how to fix this problem unfortunately. To prevent it from happening though try not to rewind the tape back while it’s in the camera too many times because that tends to mess the tapes up. Sorry I don’t have a definitive solution for ya but hope you figure it out!

[@joshuaantwi6652]

I bought this camera about two years back and sold it within 4 months. Partially because I didn't know the in's and out's and got flustered. Probably one of the worst decisions I've made. I might have to pull the trigger and purchase another.

[@noseblunt7482]

Hey I needed some help because on the step where you hit import on iMovie our footage does not load and display on the app and instead gives us a black screen. We have all the cables you have in the video and followed through each step and our only problem was getting the footage to load on iMovie. Please get back to me with some help if you may I'm really looking forward to hearing back thanks! :)

[@chrisdunn3241]

I’m sorry my friend I don’t know how to fix any issues with the camera. Maybe try using a different app to import footage into?

[@Jojo-ki9xt]

I saw the same video and now making a research xD

[@imbestridix2985]

The camera have a function to desactive a sensor and whit this function off the cámara detect only the movement out of the fish eye and the fish eye not moves :)

[@mileseyre1636]

turn off the stabilisation in settings and the lens will stop shaking 👍

[@pavellucadimitrihaloiu9143]

The lens shake is beavaise you have video stabilization on you can turn it off

[@rupert6478]

my PC100 hasn't fared well... that little flex PCB cable that runs from the tape compartment door to the main part of the camera to send information has snapped, and it's unfixable because to replace it you need to take out a little sheet of metal that can't be put back on :(

[@chrisdunn3241]

I’m sure that’s not any fun :( sorry to hear!

[@rupert6478]

@@chrisdunn3241 yeah, hopefully your cable doesn't have any tears in it. but I've found a solution: I've just been using my PD150 to record into my PD100 (since my PD100 has good heads). However, I will need a small camera because dragging that PD150 around is inconvenient. I'm hoping to hit the jackpot on ebay

[@gashouse2738]

cliff burton review sony dcr- pc1

[@walkmanwang9465]

Hey ,you here?😀, I need some help from ya, I bought a pc105e handycam just like you have , but my Macbook can't read the cam in any case , I'm using the dv-firewire800 and firewire800-thunderbolt adapter . So do you know what's going on ？Sorry for bothering BTW. 😀

[@chrisdunn3241]

What model MacBook do you have?

[@revantpande1813]

Is this still relevant in 2022 for making youtube videos?

[@Joe-ot5bo]

The "lens shake" is due to stabilization. Gotta turn that off.

[@juloplug]

u gota turn of the steady shot for the lens not to wigle

[@adventureandtrails]

Does it record on the memory stick?

[@kmanderson920]

Pretty sure the memory sticks for this are too small to record and only allow for still photos

[@prodech0]

i just wanna buy it...go out and film everything

[@matthewveltri5221]

how much footage can you record with one tape, and why use the tape over the memory card?

[@chrisdunn3241]

Each tape can record 60 minutes of footage and honestly SD cards are way easier to manipulate I guess I just like making things harder for myself hahaha no really though I just love how Raw the footage from tapes come out. Once you finish through a tape you have the physical footage forever so I like that part about it. Whereas I always end up losing footage I shoot with sd cards or having to delete stuff for more space.

[@matthewveltri5221]

@@chrisdunn3241 Thanks so much man, I have a 110 and this really helped. One more questions, in the video you said you had 4 cables total, but in the description there are only 3. Just want to make sure I get the right cables before I spend all this money lol

[@chrisdunn3241]

@@matthewveltri5221 you’re totally right my bad on that one. The last cable is just my usb for my MacBook which I assumed most people using Mac already have so I didn’t include in the description. Hopefully this helps you with getting started!

[@imeffff]

Do you need tapes to film on this or can you just use the memory stick alone?

[@chrisdunn3241]

You’ll need tapes to film for sure

[@imeffff]

@@chrisdunn3241 can I reused tapes after I filmed for 60 minutes or they I have to buy new tapes everything?

[@chrisdunn3241]

@@imeffff you can but you would be filming over what existing footage is already on the tapes. I’d recommend transferring all the footage onto a laptop or hard drive before re-using any tapes

[@imeffff]

@@chrisdunn3241 is there a way to reuse tapes without filming over them? Like can I erase the tape?

[@nok918]

Can u import on other types of pc's to?

[@chrisdunn3241]

Yeah I’m sure you can

[@noahshramek6802]

How to transfer to your iPhone

[@chrisdunn3241]

I transfer the clips from iMovie Onto my laptop and if you have a MacBook I just airdrop them to my iPhone

[@Luna-yf1gw]

u are a g

[@Jojo-ki9xt]

4:21 if u have stabilization on it will cause it

[@excellmoses-efe7384]

bro what do we actually need to transfer videos to a laptop, u went over that bit wayy too quickly

[@curbluvr2556]

Wow! I bought the same camera a while back after watching the video you referenced. Have a ton of tapes with footy I’ve been sitting on cause I didn’t know how to transfer to my Mac. Super helpful!