Despite what we’ve said about external mic and headphone output (which many users might not be bothered with anyhow) the DCR-HC96 is undoubtedly a great starter cam that’s ideal for newbies and, of course, attractively priced.

The DCR-HC96 takes great video, of that we have no doubt. But if the HC90 is still available (and it must be found somewhere), you’d have a hard case to make that the HC96 is the better buy. Not only did they remove all the ports from the body, but by putting them on the Handycam station, you now have one more thing to lug around in the camera bag. And despite Sony’s claim that the body shrunk on all their MiniDV cams, the new model is actually larger and heavier than its predecessor. This is not what we would call “progress.”

The bottom line: Excellent video quality, a broad feature set, and decent photos make the Sony Handycam DCR-HC96 an excellent choice for those seeking a compact MiniDV camcorder.