- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 14 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Very happy with it"
Pros: Easy to use, image quality, great low light ability, great specs vs price ratio
Cons: Um... no viewfinder?
Summary: A note about me:
First, I consider myself a technology addict. I research everything, probably way too much, and I like to know everything about what I'm buying. Secondly, I am an amature photographer, and once upon a time, I worked in a retail store, selling cameras and camcorders, so I consider my knowledge to be above average. After my son was born, I decided it was time to get a camcorder.
About the Camcorder:
What first drew me to the SR200 was the hard drive. The hard drive can hold several hours of video and is very easy to use. I did not want Mini-DVD due to their short recording times and high price. And, while MiniDV cassettes have the potential for higher quality video recording, it is the older technology on its way out and its not as easy to use. I see memory card camcorders as the wave of the future, and, within a few years, memory cards will have the capacities to take over the market... but I didn't want to wait a few years.
The next thing that drew me to this camcorder was its 1/3" CMOS sensor. The recording quality of this camcorder is great! Most consumer digital camcorders use a 1/6" (or similar) CCD sensor, but at the higher end you'll find either larger 1/3" sensors or camcorders that use 3 seperate sensors. These larger sensors deliver better results in low light with much less "noise" in the final picture. I was tempted by the Panasonic SDR-H200 in the same price range which uses 3 CCD sensors, but I have an affinity for Sony. If you're seriously looking at the Sony SR200 though, check out the Panasonic which has its own stand-out features.
The lens quality on this camcorder is also very good. While some may complain that the zoom is a mere 10x when some camcorders are getting over 30x, consider this: if you want more zoom, you're going to need a bigger lens. Small camcorders with large zooms have small sensors which impacts the camcorder's picture quality and low light ability. A camcorder with a large sensor and a 30x zoom would not be compact enough for most people and would cost much more. 10x is plenty with the type of recording I want to do, besides, I wouldn't be able to hold 30x still without the assistance of a tripod (steadyshot doesn't work miracles).
Ease of use is a big part of the equation as well. With the included docking station, this camcorder is a snap to use. Although I know how to import video the hard way, and convert it and edit it, that doesn't mean I want to do it every time. Plus, I want other people to use it, so an easy learning curve is very important.
In conclusion, this camcorder fits my needs wonderfully. The lack of a viewfinder might present itself as a negative in the future, but it hasn't yet. Other features like 5.1 surround and 4mp stills are icing on the cake and didn't really sway my purchasing decision. Your results may vary though, so my advise is to do your research. Go to the store and play with the displays. Determine what features mean the most to you. If you're not truely happy with the performance of a product, you're not going to use it, so what's the point of buying it?
Where to buy
Sony Handycam DCR-SR200:
$790.79
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$790.79 | Yes |
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