Quick Camcorder Reviews: Sony DCR-SR100 Camcorder

The DCR-SR100 was, in early , Sony’s first hard disk drive (HDD) camcorder. Many models have since been added to the line, including the impressive high definition AVCHD model, the HDR-SR1, and three… well, less-impressive models rounding out the lower end of the scale. The DCR-SR100 remains, however, the best standard definition HDD camcorder on the market. Here’s why.

The Sony DCR-SR100 features a 1/3” Advanced HAD CCD, the same sensor found on the DCR-DVD405, Sony’s penultimate standard def DVD camcorder. The result is superb color performance, with just the right amount of saturation to make every bit of the spectrum pop. We also loved the crisp look of video.

 In bright light, the DCR-SR100 continued its strong showing, no doubt aided by the large sensor. Low light performance is dictated chiefly by the size of the chip, since a larger surface allows more light to collect. A 1/3” CCD is among the largest you’ll find in the consumer camcorder market. The SR100’s image displayed great color performance and low noise. The camcorder did hit its performance wall in very low light (such as a dimly lit room), and colors lost their luster.

One of Sony’s big selling points on their camcorders is the touch screen LCD operation, which they push as a godsend for the camcorder masses. We have mixed feelings. True, the menu is exceptionally simple to navigate with a touch screen. As a result, however, fingerprints constantly mar the screen. As the LCD is your primary means of evaluating video quality, a smudgy screen is not in your best interest. Also, a greasy screen just looks dirty, and who wants that?
 
Sony’s strength, besides an enormous market presence, is their ease of use and automatic controls. A beginner would have little problem picking up the DCR-SR100 and start  recording within a minute. For the technophobes, Sony also offers an Easy button, located in the LCD cavity, that practically makes the camcorder idiot-proof. You can put it through the paces of difficult shooting environments, all the while doing nothing more than point-and-shoot operation, and the video will likely come out looking good.

More advanced users may experience frustration with the DCR-SR100’s lack of manual controls. While you do get the basics – focus, exposure compensation, and white balance – it lacks shutter speed, aperture controls, and gain controls. You will find some of the Sony-standard controls like Spot Focus and Spot Meter, which allow you to simply point to an area on the LCD screen and have the camcorder automatically focus or expose for that spot. Features like this, “training wheel controls” you could call them,  put a small amount of control in the users’ hands making Sony so popular with novices. 

The DCR-SR100 is an HDD camcorder; video is recorded to a small, non-removable 30GB hard drive in the MPEG-2 format. HDD camcorders are the ultimate in simplicity, with no media to lose, drop, or scratch. However, many people cite archiving issues. Unless you back up your footage regularly to DVD or a larger hard drive, all your precious memories are stored on a single, potentially fallible device – never a good idea. Also, if you find yourself out of space on the HDD half-way across the Atlantic Ocean on a cruise, there are no extra tapes or DVDs to buy at the gift shop. In all, the 30GB HDD holds 440 minutes of the highest quality video, 650 minutes of medium quality video, and 1250 minutes of the lowest quality (not recommended).

Extra features on the DCR-SR100 include analog-to-digital conversion, which allows you to convert your old analog home movies to digital files on the HDD, which you can then pass out to a computer for DVD archiving. Few Sony camcorders offer analog input, and we're happy to see the option here. It also offers an HDMI jack for connecting to HDTVs with the best possible quality.

The DCR-SR100 proved Sony’s “wait and see” strategy to be successful yet again.  JVC pioneered the HDD market two years earlier with their Everio series. Time and again, however, we failed to see their products perform to acceptable standards, with the notable exception of this year’s GZ-MG505. Then Sony comes along and drops the DCR-SR100, easily trumping the entire Everio line with beautiful video and great ease of use. The lack of manual control is certainly frustrating, and an area in which JVC excels. But the DCR-SR100 is the better performer overall. Those looking to upgrade may consider the HD version, the HDR-SR1, though the price jump is considerable. Both models indicate that Sony is the company to watch for great HDD camcorders.

Sony DCR-SR100 - THE BOTTOM LINE Rating: 228.15

Likes

- Great video and still performance from large CMOS sensor - Very easy to use - even more so than Sonys that use external media - Big, sharp LCD & HDMI terminal

Dislikes

- Recently outclassed by the Sony HDR-SR1 - Not much in the way of manual controls - Bulky compared to most consumer camcorders

Sony HDR-SR1 Rating: 269.51	JVC GZ-MG505 Rating: 216.515	Sony DCR-DVD505 Rating: 215.73	Panasonic SDR-S150 Rating: 204.18	Sony DCR-SR80 Rating: 184.76
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
-Video Performance -Video Resolution -Overall Manual Control -Zoom -Exposure -White Balance -Ease Of Use -Still Resolution -Still Perfomance -VCR Mode -Wide Angle -LCD / Viewfinder -Audio -Handling -Battery -Media -Widescreen -Jacks / Ports / Plugs -Other Features -Value	-Overall Manual Control -Exposure -Shutter Speed -Gain -Still Features -Still Perfomance -Audio -Widescreen -Jacks / Ports / Plugs -Other Features	-Zoom -Still Resolution -Still Perfomance -Wide Angle -LCD / Viewfinder -Media -Other Features	-Video Performance -Overall Manual Control -Focus -Exposure -Shutter Speed -Gain -Still Perfomance -Portability -Compression -Media -Value	-Ease Of Use -VCR Mode -Zoom Ratio -Portability -Jacks / Ports / Plugs -Other Features
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
-Equal -Focus -Shutter Speed -Gain -Other Manual Control -Still Features -Zoom Ratio -24P/Scan Rates	-Video Performance -Focus -Other Manual Control -Zoom Ratio -Media -24P/Scan Rates -Value	-Overall Manual Control -Focus -Exposure -Shutter Speed -White Balance -Gain -Other Manual Control -Ease Of Use -Still Features -VCR Mode -Zoom Ratio -Audio -Handling -Editing -Widescreen -24P/Scan Rates -Jacks / Ports / Plugs	-Other Manual Control -Zoom Ratio -24P/Scan Rates	-Overall Manual Control -Focus -Exposure -Shutter Speed -White Balance -Gain -Other Manual Control -Audio -Media -Editing -24P/Scan Rates
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
-Automatic Control -Low Light Performance -Portability -Compression -Editing	-Video Resolution -Automatic Control -Zoom -White Balance -Ease Of Use -Still Resolution -VCR Mode -Low Light Performance -Wide Angle -LCD / Viewfinder -Handling -Portability -Battery -Compression -Editing	-Video Performance -Video Resolution -Automatic Control -Low Light Performance -Portability -Battery -Compression -Value	-Video Resolution -Automatic Control -Zoom -White Balance -Ease Of Use -Still Features -Still Resolution -VCR Mode -Low Light Performance -Wide Angle -LCD / Viewfinder -Audio -Handling -Battery -Editing -Widescreen -Jacks / Ports / Plugs -Other Features	-Video Performance -Video Resolution -Automatic Control -Zoom -Still Features -Still Resolution -Still Perfomance -Low Light Performance -Wide Angle -LCD / Viewfinder -Handling -Battery -Compression -Widescreen -Value