Best Reviews of Sony DCR-SR200 2.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Buy Sony DCR-SR200 2.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Sony DCR-SR200 2.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom Product Description:

• 40-gigabyte hard drive stores over 25 hours of long-play video or over 8 hours of high-quality video
• 2.1-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor for crystal-clear video and still images
• 10x optical zoom; 80x digital zoom
• 2.7-inch widescreen touch-panel Clear Photo LCD Plus display
• Handycam Station included

Product Description

2.1 Megapixel (Gross) ClearVid CMOS Sensor

10 x Optical/ 80 x Digital Zoom

Professional Quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens

2.7" Wide (16:9) Touch Panel LCD Display4 (123K Pixels)

Handycam Station

Memory Stick Duo Media Slot

One Touch Wide Angle Shooting

Smooth Slow Recording

Recording and Playback Times: HQ: 9 hours, SP: 14 hours, LP 28 hours

Super SteadyShot Picture Stabilization System

USB 2.0 Interface

DVDirect Recorder Compatibility

Easy PC Backup

One Touch Disc Burn

Hard Disk Drive (HDD) Smart Protection

Active Interface Shoe

Super NightShot Plus Infrared System

Manual Focus

On Screen Zoom and Record Buttons

Scene Selection Modes

Picture Effects

Fader Effects

InfoLithium Battery with AccuPower Meter System

Battery Information

Easy Handycam Button

Tele Macro Function

Multi-Language Menu

Weight: 1 lb 2

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful.
DCR-SR200
By Y. Luong
This is my first HDD camcorder. I owned several MiniDV camcorders in the past. I have owned the camera for 2 weeks, so this review should be considered as initial impression.PROS:- Picture quality is very good in good daylight. I had some shots at night in well lit family room, and the video is not as sharp as day time shots, but still very good.- The Super Nightshot feature is fun to have to take kids video while they are sleeping. As expected, the video is very grainy.- The quality of still pictures is acceptable.- Zoom is very smooth- The touch screen is awsome. Hope the screen won't get scratched in the long run- Camera is easy to use without having to read too much into the manual- The menu is sort confusing in some areas, but not too bad- LightweightCONS:- Pricy, compared to MiniDV models of similar quality- Battery sticks out too much off the back of the camera making it look sort of ugly- Allows only 3 still shots during video. I wish I can snapshot still photos from video like most of Panasonic models.- All connectivities are on charging base. This means one more thing to carry with on vacation- No separate battery charger. Battery is charged on the charging base or on camera- Only 10x zoomOverall, pretty happy with the purchase, and will be a lot of funs making family videos. I did not make a single DVD from my previous MiniDV's. This is a 4.5 stars rating.

124 of 137 people found the following review helpful.
This Camcorder is not so great because...
By david m callaghan
The sirens song of a HD based Camcorder was too much to resist. Based upon hours of research I too finally settled on the DCR-SR200. Not quite as high resolution photos as the SR300 but sported longer battery life and CLEARLY a step above the previous models and other vendors. How could I go wrong - look at all these 4 and 5 star reviews. I can't speak for their experiences but I'm going to tell you mine. So pull up a chair and get comfortable b/c the ride is going to get bumpy...I've spent the last 6 months using this device and feel compelled to return to where I purchased it and share the good the bad and the ugly news.The Good News: I'm not going to drill on the obvious benefits of HD based camcorder. If you like not having to replace tapes/DVD in your Walkman; you are surely going to enjoy not having to do this with a camcorder - FINALLY.Videos: The video it takes is good in full daylight. (Warning see below!)Photos: Takes nice 2 or 3 MP plain photos in full daylight. (Warning see below!)Camera Controls: I personally don't mind the touch screen controls. Occasionally I just use the tip of a small finder to invoke the functions more accurately.Software: Wow! It works with Vista. The software that comes with it does a fantastic job of simplifying copying images and movies from the camcorder to the PC in a organized fashion. Its not saying much - click - copy to new folder with today's date. But its brain dead simple.The Bad News: I'm not trying to SLAM this camera out of any kind of mean spirited vengeance; my goal here is to level set buyers expectations based upon my 6 months experience actually using this device. I do feel a bit of buyer's remorse b/c this camera is NO WAY a 4 or 5 star device like I was lead to believe by all the other reviews. Not in million years would I say that I got my $700 dollars worth. Had I known this I surely would have gone to a higher priced model to get the quality I was expecting.Zoom and Lens - No disrespect to Carl Zeiss - This camera has a really crappy lens configuration. I'm no f'stop expert - but what I do know is even when I zoom all the way out - I have to stand really far back to get a group shot b/c the field of view is quite limited. Translate that into lens mm/mm speak if you want; but that's what you get. The optical zoom is so lame. Its like really really lame. My old Minolta SLR, Sharp VL-A10U and Cannon S30 set the benchmark for what I expect in field of view and basic effect of hitting the optical zoom in/out. This thing stinks in comparison. Sure you can turn on digital zoom with about 10 clicks on the touch pad and go like 80x more...but that's the point - I was sold a Carl Zeiss lens. Nothing in software makes up for the fact the field of view is so limited. I think someone slipped a decimal point during the design calculations b/c this is a total total let down. Maybe the Sony engineers took a crumpled up design paper out of Carl's trashcan and unfolded it and used it.Videos: The video camera ONLY takes "good movies" in broad daylight. The video stabilization feature causes a sort of "heat wave" ripple effect when you pan across scenes. Its kind of annoying b/c the camera apparently can't figure out that its not canceling a "vibration/shake" and its panning and the image should stream horizontally across the viewfinder. Get ready - The minute you are not in full lit daylight - Oh I don't know, say taking a movie of a birthday party indoors of a cake with less than 70 candles on it. You will find the video is, how shall we say, horrible. Absolutely snowy and all faded out as this device completely fails to realistically capture the moment. What a LET DOWN! My 7 yr old $308 tape camera SOARED at moments like this! You do have an option - turn on night mode! OOOH-Yea! Now your guests eyes appear as large black circles effectively you are now filming zombie vampires under a pale green light; effectively recreating a Night Stalker episode. $700 bucks - no indoor birthday parties?How about taking a few minutes of video of the first few weeks of a newborn child sleeping to send to distant relatives? Well just be sure to turn on all the halogen lights so you can get this shot too. Or you can choose the night shot mode mentioned above. Depending on how soon you do or don't want them to visit...maybe so.Photos: OK at first you think - Cool! I don't have to bring 2 cameras any more! A camcorder and still photo camera all in one! Mostly WRONG! The still camera has absolutely NO FEAURES - NONE! Did you want sepia mode for a "old time effect" while posing at a national landmark? Did you want landscape mode to capture a vast panoramic scene or portrait mode for close up? Forgetaboutit! None. Not one. It stinks! From the company who makes a decent SLR'esque still cameras couldn't we get 1-2 features accessible from the software touch screen as an upgrade? PLEASE? I don't' count selecting flash/no flash and 3MB or less as camera configuration choices. I'm talking real features here and this thing has ZIP - Cero! Oh yea - and while in movie mode - you can snap pictures too. Of course you don't get flash anymore; and you can only take 3 shots while filming. Not 4 mind you, all scenarios under all conditions only need 3 according to Sony. When you stop the move; it takes a few moments to stream the 3 photos to disk/memory stick. I have both flash stick and HD; you would think we could do both in parallel; they almost accomplish it; but some engineering limit I'm sure made 3 the count. Why is this an issue? Assume you are taping your kids' ballet. And you take 2-3 photos during the movie of child #1. Then you keep the tape rolling to have a full video of the event. Child #2 comes on and you only have 1 photo left in the chamber; and you click it off when they weren't looking just this way...Hmm...where is my $130 7 MB still photo camera again??Camera Controls: Hello FOCUS FOR *%&$ SAKE FOCUS! I only film in the high resolution mode (i.e. SP mode for VCR aficionados). And nothing annoys me more than 15-30 seconds of out of focus video while the stupid camera tries to figure out that the group of people about 15-20 ft in front of me are actually of interested to me and I would like the camera to somehow find a way to focus if is not too much of an inconvenience right now. This doesn't always happen but it sure does enough to say FIX IT SONY!Software: I'm running Vista these days and you get free super generic movie making software. So you really don't need much here. Also just b/c the moves are *.mpg format doesn't mean you can just plop on a DVD and go. You still have to go through an "overnight" rendering phase to create a DVD w/ menus etc on any personal computer short of something NASA owns. And the videos don't play on an XBox360 media extender right now!So there it is, in all its glory - the true story about this Camcorder based upon my past 6 months of real world use and the reasons why I only can be so generous and give it a weak 3 stars.So there it is, in all its glory - the true story about this Camcorder based upon my past 6 months of real world use and the reasons why I only can be so generous and give it a weak 3 stars. Once again I felt compelled to write this manifesto b/c so many were so gaga over this barely acceptable device.

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful.
Great Camcorder.. I have been waiting for this ...
By Naanu Yaaru
Strengths: Excellent Video & Audio Quality. Great Still Pictures. Cool Touchscreen LCD. Night shot video is amazing. In Built Flash is very powerful.Weaknesses: Battery protruded outside kinda gives a odd look. User Manual supplied is not very informative... u got to explore all the menus urself. u need docking stn to connect to PC.Summary: Hey , no more additional softwares to convert all other video formats, Directly recorded as Mpeg format, connect to PC and rip your DVD.. its that easy.Picture Motion Browser supplied with Handycam is cool and very handy, you can trim out unwanted portion of your videos.I have been waiting for this since long. I purchased this just bcos its predecessor SR-100 was a big hit, and this one has all the features of SR-100 and some extra features.

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Discounted Sony DCR-SR300 6.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Buy Sony DCR-SR300 6.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Sony DCR-SR300 6.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom Product Description:

• 40 GB HDD stores up to 28 hours of video
• 3.0-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor for crystal-clear video and still images
• 10x optical zoom; Dolby Digital 5.1-channel audio recording
• 2.7-inch widescreen touch-panel Clear Photo LCD Plus display
• Handycam Station included

Product Description

Take the next step in home video recording with the DCR-SR300 Handycam(R) camcorder. The internal 40GB hard disk drive stores up to 28 hours of video (LP) and easily transfers it to your PC, giving you the freedom to capture more video, easier than ever before. And, you can take amazing 6.1 megapixel still images when you`re not shooting video. The 3 megapixel ClearVid(TM) CMOS Sensor and Carl Zeiss(R) Vario-Sonnar(R) T* Lens with 10x optical/20x digital zoom provide outstanding image quality. And Super SteadyShot(R) optical stabilization reduces blur, giving you crisper pictures. Connect the camcorder to a Handycam(R) Station and you`ll be impressed by a new level of multimedia sharing that allows you to download and share video with a TV or PC via a number of interface ports. Or just hit one button and the one touch disc burning transfers your footage to DVD. The DCR-SR300 is more than a camcorder-it`s the future of home video recording.

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful.
Great Camcorder
By Gregory R. Daro
Pros: Excellent picture quality! Ease of use, convenient 4 mega pixel still while in video mode, easy connect base, and mpg video format right from the camera!Cons: Easy connect base (good and bad news), flash disabled with filters or lens, and a little slow to connect to the PC.I wanted ease of use, high quality picture, and good still performance - I got it all.I did the tech research on picture quality and the SR300 seemed to be rated the best by most of the experts. The CMOS capture device is what is used in very high end cameras, so I was expecting a decent picture.Here is the non-tech evaluation of the picture: on my Hi Def TV the picture quality from this camcorder is much better than normal TV picture and not quite as good as a high quality progressive scan DVD. It is better than I expected and I am VERY happy with the picture quality.The SR300 is easy to use and that is what I wanted. Point it and shoot. In video mode, it does 4 mega pixel pictures. While recording, you can capture 3 stills only. If you are in video mode and not recording, you can capture as many as you like up to the limit of the hard drive and/or memory stick. In straight still mode, it is a 6 mega pixel camera. If you are looking for super high quality still camera, this is not it. I went from a 2 mega pixel camera to this, so I am pleased with the quality and I don't have to always carry two cameras around. I am using this to capture kids and this is just what I need.The camera will record stills to the hard drive, so you do not need to have a memory stick. I purchased a 2 gig ultra II, kind of a waste since the camcorder can't write to the stick as fast as the stick operates, I could have saved some $$ with a less expensive stick, or no stick at all. A 2 gig stick gives you 600 pictures at 4 mega pixel.I like the base, it makes it easy to have the camera ready to use. The thing I don't like is that you must use it to transfer video and stills to your computer from the hard drive (cable included). This can be a pain. You can connect the camera directly to the TV to watch video (cable included).When you attach a filter or an auxiliary lens, I bought a wide angle lens, the flash is disabled. This I do not like.Video from this camera is in mpg format, the same used for DVDs, so your DVD software does not have to convert the files. Also, this camera will write directly to a DVD recorder. I created a DVD with my , directly from the camera using the Disc Burn button and it included both video and pictures.I am able to quickly make DVDs using Nero without converting the files. This cam also connects directly to a printer using Pict Bridge feature.This is an expensive camera that had everything I wanted: easy to use; good quality video; compact size; and good still pictures. Sometimes you need to spend the extra to get what you want.I also bought the Sony ACC-FH60 accessory kit that includes a camera case and a second battery, check it out.

52 of 54 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent first impressions
By Mohamed I. Talaat
I've been using it for a couple of days, and I love it. The harddisk is a gift, once you get used to it, you'll never want to use tape again. The USB 2.0 transfer to your computer works like a charm and it's pretty quick even for very large files, also because the video file types are mpeg, dvd authoring software doesn't take forever to compile a dvd, it's very quick.There are a couple of simple, yet powerful editing features using the camcorder itself. The interface is pretty intuitive, and the touch screen is very accessible even for my thick thumbs. The video picture quality is excellent in medium light, but weak in low light still 'far better than my previous Canon ZR70 though'. The stand still camera is not that good, compared to my current Sony P8.I love the slow motion feature, unfortunately it can only capture 6 seconds, also taking photos while you're video taping is an excellent feature, but you can only take 3 photos during shooting videos. All in all, I'm very happy with all it's features, also the surround sound works pretty well.I didn't give it 5 stars because the camera doesn't come with a USB port, or video output options on the camera itself, I have to dock it in the docking station and then connect it to my PC, which leaves me with a choice to either put the docking station beside my PC to move the files, or beside my HD TV to watch the movies on the Camera, not sure why Sony at least didn't put a USB port on the camera directly, pretty annoying! Also, there is no way to capture video using this camera, although that was kind of a standard feature in any cheap mini DV cameras, now I have to think of getting a video capture card for my computer if I need to copy any of my recorder programs from my DVRs or previous tapes to DVD!

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful.
Worth every penny
By Adoom
I'm not a professional, so this camcorder is the best thing since sliced bread.I'd rather write a review that someone can actually read and get some value from, so if you're one of those people that insists on comparing everything to an extremely expensive pro camcorder, just stop reading now and go away.If you want something that will shoot crisp clear video footage of your family and life experiences, this is the camcorder for you. No, it's not HD but I honestly don't feel that it's worth paying 2x as much for the marginal (if even noticeable since this camcorder shoots video at 3.1 megapixels) difference in video quality. 6.1 megapixel stills are the icing on the cake, and I have yet to deplete the battery (if you're planning on shooting hours and hours of video, just get an adapter or the optional battery that will give you up to 6 hours of life).

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Low Cost Sony HDR-HC5 4MP MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Buy Sony HDR-HC5 4MP MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Sony HDR-HC5 4MP MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom Product Description:

• 2-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor; choose between HD & DV recording formats
• 4-megapixel still image capture; Super SteadyShot image stabilization
• Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens; 10x optical zoom/20x digital zoom
• 2.7-inch widescreen Clear Photo LCD Plus
• Memory Stick Duo media slot

Product Description

Sony's HDRHC5 HD DV Camcorder makes it easy to capture perfect digital video, every time. Capture high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) video to a MiniDV cassette. Record every detail of every moment, with the 10x optical/80x digital zoom and Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* Lens. As you record video, you'll also take still pictures at the same time with the 4.0 Megapixel still image feature. Snap spectacular 2.3 Megapixel photos while filming in dual record mode. The HDR-HC5 even slows down the audio. Get it all and get it in high definition with this amazing camcorder. Professional quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* Lens - advanced optical multi-layer coating, with less glare and flare with increased contrast 2.7 widescreen 16 - 9 hybrid LCD touch panel -- rotates up to 270 degrees for multiple viewing angles Smooth Slow Record - Increase the frame rate from 60fps to 240fps, capturing smooth slow motion Record an audio track to narrate what is being seen in the video Multiple scene selection modes, plus fader and picture effects One-touch wide angle shooting; manual focus; on screen zoom & record buttons Dual Recording - While you record high definition video, you can also capture 2.3 Megapixel still images directly to a Memory Stick(R) Duo (up to 2304 x 1728 resolution) Super SteadyShot(R) compensates for camera shake without compromising picture quality Cinematic Mode adds a frame film-like effect to video -- perfect for creating home movie masterpieces Tele Macro Function handles close-ups without casting a shadow on your subject i.http://amzn.com/dp/B000M3EP4W/?tag={ucomicscom} (IEEE1394) interface for easy connection to camcorders, digital VTRs, capture cards and PCs Active Interface Shoe for adding accessories while directly providing power & two-way communication InfoLithium battery with AccuPower(TM) Meter System Multilanguage m

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
Very impressive for home video use
By S. Field
I am writing this as someone who is not a true videophile, but who nonetheless pays some critical attention to picture quality and ease of use. I have no interest in making any videos other than reasonable quality family videos. I have owned a SD miniDV camera for 7 years before buying this one. The picture quality was observed on a Sony SXRD 60" HDTV using component cables. I didn't have the HDMI cable with the mini connector to try out a digital connection.I bought this camera last week and tried it out during a Memorial Day trip with the family. The picture quality is extremely good. It's not quite as good as a top-notch HD feed (such as Discovery HD), but appears to me to be equal to most HD channels we receive over Comcast cable. Another poster said the quality is not much better than DVD, but for me this is clearly not the case--it's *much* better than DVD. Although in some detailed reviews online there are still images showing interlace artifacts, in viewing running video I have been unable to notice any effects of interlacing at all, even in fast-moving objects. Pans work well, with no objectionable artifacts or lagging. For outdoor scenes the picture is really stunning. Indoors at night, with ordinary light levels, the picture is not as good, with a graininess that is especially apparent on objects with a smooth texture, such as painted walls. Still, the picture is acceptable to me.The camera has lots of features, mostly accessable from its touchscreen display. However, you can set the camera in "easy" mode, which selects a reasonable set of default settings. I confess that's the only mode I used, and the results were impressive. As I learn more about the camera I may fiddle with more advanced settings.The camera can also take decent still photos, not up to par with a good digital camera but perfectly acceptable for when you don't want to lug around a separate camera. One cute feature is that it's possible to take still pictures in 16:9 mode while filming. This doesn't interrupt the filming, and the pictures are stored on the Memory Stick. Up to three such pictures can be taken in any filming sequence (from start to stop).[Added 6/4/07] I have used the still camera some more. I compared the 16:9 pictures taken in video camera mode to those taken in the standard 4:3 camera mode, and I couldn't see any significant differences in quality (other than the 16:9 being wider). This in spite of the fact that Sony states the 16:9 mode pictures have an "effective resolution" of 2.3 Mpixels while those in 4:3 have a resolution of 4.0 Mpixels. (Note that, as far as I can tell, the camera doesn't actually have a 4 MP sensor, but uses some sort of interpolation to get 4 MP.) I also compared these pictures to ones taken with my 2001-vintage Canon Powershot digital camera; those from the Sony HDR-HC5 were clearly better. HOWEVER, the low-light capabilities of the Sony still camera modes is very poor, much worse than its low-light video capabilities. In ordinary indoor lighting the pictures are very grainy. Even in outdoor shots, faces that are in shade have a certain graininess. So in good light the stills are fine, but in low light they're not very good. [End]The battery life was OK. I estimate I got an hour or so from the included battery. This was enough for shooting perhaps 30 minutes of video under real world conditions.I was able to read in and edit the video using iMovie HD on my Mac. I couldn't send it back to tape because of a FireWire problem with my computer, but I assume it would look just as good as the original.Overall, I can heartily recommend this camera to anyone who cares about picture quality, but is not an advanced videographer needing special features. For instance, there have been some complaints about the lack of a manual focussing ring, but in my daily use (and my 7 years with my SD camera) I have never felt the need for this. Now I'm waiting for inexpensive HD-DVD or Blu-Ray burners!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
Exceptional HD Camcorder
By DF
If you have an HDTV at home and appreciate the HD quality channels, this camcorder is a must companion for your family and your HDTV. It is compact and user friendly with lots of useful features and the HD (1080i) video quality is stunning. We've just used it in an indoor birthday party at a kid's gym with typical indoor lighting and the HD video quality played back on our 42" HDTV was superb without an expensive HDMI cable even but with provided component video cables instead. Although it was not 5.1 surround sound audio quality but it had well exceeded our expectation of an HD palm camcorder under $1K. Normal operation can be easily controlled by either the hand holding the camcorder or the other free hand directly on the LCD touch screen. We haven't yet tried the 4MP digital camera function which uses Memory Stick Pro Duo. All in all, this is an outstanding HD compact camcorder and is what we had expected from a Sony consumer product.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
HDR-HC5 Review
By Victor W. Michnowicz
So far I have found this to be a great camera. Here are a few of my observations so far.Video Quality: The video quality this this takes is great. However, there must be sufficient lighting. In a dimly light room, for instance, the video accumulates a fair bit of grain. But by adding a few more lights, or taking it outside on a nice day, your videos will rival that of broadcast HDTV.Sound: Like most all camcorders the sound is very average. And the only mic's available are proprietary Sony mic's. One must upgrade to the HC7 to get the real mic inputs.Features: This camera comes pretty packed. There are manual settings for exposure, focus, white balance, and a few others as well. And all of these, for better or worse, are adjusted through the touch screen interface that I personally love. Some of the buttons on the screen are small, so those with bigger fingers may have trouble navigating the camera.Battery: I get about an hour of real recording time with the built in battery. It's enough to get through a Mini-DV tape, but not much more.Other: The "Smooth Slow Record" is garbage. Yes, it does record 3 seconds of video extremely slow. But the video quality makes YouTube look like HD... It is bad. The Night Shot is pretty cool and works just as described. The effect is only as good as the built in IR light, so you can see maybe 15' in the dark. The touch focus feature is really cool. Just touch on the screen where you want the camera to focus, and it does it automatically.Recording on Mini-DV tapes seems quite antiquated, but it does get the job done. It is a proven standard and pretty much any decent video editing program can handle it. The hard drive camcorders out there that record in AVC-HD do not currently enjoy as much compatibility as HDV, so that is why I when the tape based route.Overall, this is a great camcorder. It could use some "real" manual features, like a dedicated focus ring, but those kind of features seem to be reserved for cameras in the 4 digit area. The video quality is also great in the right conditions. Definitely recommended.

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