Sony DCR-SR200 2.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
digital video cameras reviews
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List Price: $849.98
Our Price:
$609.20
You Save: $240.78
Features
• 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 |
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Sony DCR-SR200 2.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom Customer Reviews
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Great for "First Time" Buyer
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I intended to purchase a camera that would be used for interviewing people on the street, open-air preaching and church sermons. I searched around and finally settled on the DCR-SR200 from Sony.
My first impression when I got the camera was that it is small, light-weight, stylish and easy to operate. The camera was a gift, purchased from Bestbuy.com with 3 year protection plan for $99.99 incase something goes wrong with the camera.
Things I liked...
1) 40GB Hard Drive: Because the camera is not High Definition I didn't need a larger hard drive. I bought an external 500GB hard drive ($115) to transfer my videos so I don't use up my hard drive on my laptop. I keep the record mode at the highest quality "HQ" and then use the free software "Microsoft Movie Maker" available for download at Microsofts website to modify the quality and size of the file so that I can upload the video onto Youtube and other sites that have a limit on file size & time length. Editing is simple and self-explanitory.
2) Picture Quality: In the day time it is excellent. For non-professional use this camera exceeded expectations. In low light situations I was not surprised to see noise (grainy picture) in my videos. Unless you are able to purchase one of the much more expensive cameras with the 3CCD lens you will be unable to avoid the noise in your video unless you have plenty of exterior lighting or an add-on light accessory which I haven't purchased yet.
3) Active Interface Shoe: Because the camera didn't have a microphone input I purchased the Sony wireless microphone for around $160 from the local camera shop and it has performed well. I also found another shoe accessory that has a microphone input so I can plug in a microphone as well which i found at www.bhphotovideo.com. I plan to purchase a wide-angle lens in the near future which will widen the viewing angle.
4) Extended Battery: I purchased a Sony ActiFORCE InfoLithium H NP-FH100 battery ($93) on Amazon which gives me 436 minutes (7.26 hrs)of filming. Playback is longer because it takes less power to operate. I think it's somewhere around 650 minutes of playback time. Adjusting different settings will increase filming time alittle. The battery it came with gave me alittle over an hour of filming which i no longer use.
5) Touch Screen: Simple to use. It works flawlessly. Easy to use.
6) 4:3 or 16:9: I liked how I could switch between regular and widescreen video with a button on the side of the camera. Depending on the situation such as uploading to Youtube I switch to 4:3 so the picture is not stretched top to bottom. For DVD viewing I switch to 16:9 for the nice widescreen.
7) 10X Optical Zoom: Works great. I haven't found a need for more than 10X but if I did, i could purchase a tele-macro lens and attach it for more optical zoom. The digital zoom is a feature I don't understand why they offer because it is completely useless and deceiving to people that don't understand that digital zoom makes your video look aweful and extremely shakey with even the steadiest hand. It appears to be a marketing ploy that gives the impression that you can zoom in from long distances for that perfect shot. Optical Zoom is what you're looking for 10X or more. Ignore Digital Zoom performance.
8) Nightvision: Works in total darkness. Very impressed.
That's about all I can say about it. Nothing really negative to tell you about it. I also like the automatic lens cover which protect the lens when you turn it off. No need for a lens cover that you could lose or tends to dangle and distract. |
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Sony DCR-SR200 2.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom digital cameras, camcorders for sale