Sony DCR-HC26

163 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
usability (101)
price (61)
portability (50)
size (37)
image quality (27)

Negative
battery (11)
reliability (8)
memory (4)

General overview
Price comparison

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 are also appreciated, but many are critical about the memory and reliability. There are some mixed opinions about 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.

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Review analysis

(Based on 163 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(34% of reviews)
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Features

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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. Reviewers really like the size and image quality. The portability and price are also appreciated, whereas some have doubts about the reliability.

usability, price, portability, image quality, size

reliability

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

Apr, 2024

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

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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

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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

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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...

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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

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

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

Partner Source

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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

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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

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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

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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

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