Well, you can't take vacation videos without a nice camcorder can you? Well, 2005 marks the first year I'll have a top notch Sony to capture all of the action.

Most of the vid clips on this site were from our 2003 trip, on which I used a Panasonic PV-DC252 mini dv camcorder. It's pretty darn good for taking video, but has problems in the stabilization and low-light categories.

To remedy these problems, I went for the Sony DCR-HC90, which (according to reviews) rated very well in both of these areas. So, I wanted to devote a little time in sharing information about this camcorder. Hope this stuff helps.

I really don't need to go into great detail here. If you want all of the specs, check out the review with our friends at dvspot.com.

Here are a few items:

• Over 2 million pixels for video
• 3 million pixels for still photos
• Records in 16:9 and 4:3 ratios

Again, you can get a great deal of information from the dvspot guys, or you can try one of these (other) links:

Camcorderinfo.com Review - not sure I really agree with this review, but these guys do a lot of work and they have a great site.

CNET Review - another review...this one has quite a few errors in it. However, there are pictures and specs for the HC90 here (as well as some user reviews that are very helpful).

OK, here are some pictures of the HC90 (that I took myself). Click the image for a larger view.

Front of Camcorder - the front of the HC90 is marked mostly by the large barrel for the lens. You'll also notice that there is a built-in lens cover!

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Left Side - the left side is where you'll find the widescreen LCD screen. It's also where you'll find lots of shiny mirror-like material, which (in my opinion) makes this one of the sleekest looking camcorders I've seen.

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Right Side - the nice thing about this part of the camcorder is the way it's shaped. The HC90 fits almost perfectly in my hand.

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Back - buttons, buttons, buttons. The light-gray piece under the viewfinder conceals the battery & memory stick. While some describe this as flimsy, I think it's neat. Plus it saves lots of space.

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Top - The top of the camcorder houses the intelliegent (hot) shoe for mics, lights, etc. You'll also see the zoom toggle, the tape-eject toggle and the nightshot switch.

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Bottom - about the only thing here is the tripod mount.

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We'll be posting a variety of HC90 clips here, as time permits. The idea is to give potential buyers and new users a chance to see what this camcorder can do in a variety of settings.

>> Click Here

I've added a new feature, which I hope you guys will use. It might not be a great forum, but it's free - a DCR-HC90 discussion group (MSN). Please check it out and drop everyone a line!

>> DCR-HC90 Discussion Group