Sony DSR-PD170 Camcorder Review

The DSR-PD150 has been an excellent performer since it came out years ago but it has matured over time. As other companies such a Panasonic introduced new cameras like the AG-DVX100 with features such as 24p recording, the DSR-PD150 began to loose its luster. Many people expected Sony to do something outrageous and cutting edge to steal the thunder from the AG-DVX100 and XL-1s, but Sony did the opposite. However, inspite of all this the DSR-PD170 (Review, Specs, $2579) proves that solid video performance is still the ticket to a great camera, even without many of the new features hyped by other camera makers.

When the DSR-PD170 was released many thought of it as an insignificant update as if Sony was simply going through the motions and not delivering a top notch product. Where was the 24p? Where was the true 16:9? Sony's future plans became clearer when they announced that a prototype of an HDV camcorder would be shown at Cebit in Germany. It seems that Sony's advanced technology will be going into the HDV camera, but their Don't fix it, make it better campaign holds some serious merit. 24p, 16:9, and interchangeable lenses are hot features, but they aren't for everyone. When the AG-DVX100 came out it was targeted squarely at indie filmmakers. 24p is a frame rate that is used to mimic the motion characteristics of film, but more importantly for film transfer so that a 1 to 1 match can be made. This feature was revolutionary at the time and has not yet been duplicated by a camera in this range. That having been said, the DSR-PD150 has always been used by independent filmmakers along with the XL-1. The DSR-PD170 is a well balanced camera that can be used for a variety of professional video applications from corporate video to news gathering. This model can also be used for filmmaking, but it doesn't emphasize this as much as the AG-DVX100 which is designed almost exclusively for digital cinema.

Video Performance (9.5)
The DSR-PD170 ($3,940 MSRP ) produces excellent video. Lately this camera has gotten a lot of acclaim for its improved low light performance but this should not over shadow its excellent performance under ideal lighting conditions. At 3000 lux the DSR-PD170 is phenomenal. Colors are vibrant and really bring a nice feel to the image. The three 1/3 inch CCDs all have 380,000 total pixels and 340,000 effective for video acquisition in the 4:3 aspect ratio.

The DSR-PD170 runs in a highly competitive crowd that includes the likes of the AG-DVX100 and the XL-1S. Both of these cameras have been praised for their excellent image quality and in particular the Canon is often considered to rule the throne when it comes to color reproduction.

At this light level color reproduction on the DSR-PD170 was more vivid than on the AG-DVC30 (Review, Specs, $1700.89) and is on par with the GL-2 and XL-1s. The XL-1S always seemed to the best camera when it comes to color reproduction, but the DSR-PD170 is better. Sony has not claimed that they improved anything from the previous model other than upping the minimum illumination rating from 2 lux to 1 lux. Whatever they did to improve the low light performance has also improved the overall image quality even at 3000 lux.

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