Make your personal videos complete with additional customization features such as picture and fader effects for creative and professional looking enhancements. Photo mode allows you to capture and store hundreds of individual still images, and Picture Package software helps you easily organize and edit still images and video.

1/6-inch advanced HAD CCD imager, 680K pixels gross
1/6-inch advanced HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCD with 340K (effective) pixels provides stunning detail and clarity with exceptional video (up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution) and still image performance.

MiniDV recording
Offers up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution, 3x the color bandwidth, and a significantly higher signal to noise ratio, to provide spectacular video performance.

20x optical/800x digital zoom
The optical zoom helps to bring the action close up from far away. In addition the digital zoom interpolation means that extreme digital zooming is clearer, with less distortion than previous types of digital zooms.

Professional quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens
Carl Zeiss lenses have an advanced optical multi-layer coating that offers less glare and flare with increased contrast. This results in vivid image brilliance, true-to-life color saturation and perfect renditions of subtle tones.

Super SteadyShot picture stabilization system
Picture stabilization system that uses motion sensors to detect and compensate for camera shake, without compromising picture quality like some other digital stabilization systems.

2.5-inch touch panel swivel screen LCD display (123K pixels)
Provides excellent viewing clarity with improved resolution. The high resolution 123K pixel LCD screen rotates up to 270 degrees for multiple viewing angles providing sharp, detailed images for monitoring or playback.

USB streaming
Stay connected to family and friends by broadcasting live video with audio over the internet using the USB interface. You can even playback your favorite recorded scene on the camcorder's tape. It's like having your own video conferencing system.

i.LINK 2 DV interface
A digital high-speed bi-directional interface which provides audio/video communication between two compatible devices. This connection allows for pure digital transfer between devices equipped with an IEEE 1394 interface, such as camcorders, digital VTRs, capture cards, and PCs.

InfoLithium battery with AccuPower meter system
Charge the battery at anytime because unlike NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries, Sony's rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries are not subjected to a life-shortening memory effect. Sony's exclusive AccuPower meter displays the battery time remaining in minutes, in either the viewfinder or on the LCD screen.

Picture Package software
Easily organize still images and video, and turn them into stunning music videos using the supplied software.

Accessory shoe
Provides a location directly on the camcorder on which to add optional accessories.

NightShot Plus infrared system
With Sony's NightShot infrared system you can capture natural looking video, even when shooting in low light. Record subjects up to 20 feet away using the built-in infrared system, but without the overall monochrome color common with earlier low-light recording systems.

Stamina battery power management system
Using the optional NP-FP90 InfoLithium battery, the DCR-HC21 can continuously record for up to 9 hours on a single full charge, providing extra long battery life.

Program AE (auto exposure) modes
Program AE modes make recording easy even when filming in challenging situations. Choose from portrait, beach and ski, sports lesson, landscape, spotlight, or sunset and moon modes.

Picture effects
Get creative when recording or playing back your videos with Sony's picture effect modes. Effects available in camera mode: negative art, sepia, monotone, solarize, pastel and mosaic. Effects available in playback mode: negative art, sepia, monotone and solarize.

End search
Automatically advances the video tape to the last 5 seconds of the recorded scene. This prevents accidentally recording over previously recorded videos.

Fader effects
Enhance your personal videos by adding professional looking fader effects. Choose from black, mosaic, white, monotone, and stripe.

Titling
Add professional looking titles to your video. Select from 8 presets, or customize 2 titles with up to 22 characters.

Battery information
At the touch of a button, battery information is displayed on the LCD screen when charging and when the camcorder is turned off. The display will show how much the battery is charged, in 10 percent increments and the recordable time left when using the LCD screen or in the viewfinder.

Photo mode
Using Sony's adaptive frame interpolation for better image quality, you can store hundreds of individual still images with 7 seconds of audio on the videotape.

Manual focus
Allows the user to manually adjust the focus of the camcorder using the touch panel. Manual focusing also allows the user to control the focus in difficult situations where either the environment or the subject does not allow the camcorder's auto focus to perform optimally, such as when shooting through a window or in a crowded environment.