Sony DCR-SR62 30GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom (Handycam Station Included) by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony DCR-SR62 30GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom (Handycam Station Included)
Digital camera Review: This is a great little camera.
Summary: 5 Stars
This camera is so small it's hard to believe you can get such a great picture from it. There are many features to learn about, but the picture quality is awesome!Digital camera Review: Sony does it again!
Summary: 5 Stars
Having used a Sony Hi8 camcorder for 9 years, I was more than happy to go with Sony again. I have been very impressed by the camera and the ease with which I can now transfer movies to computers and DVDs. I take a lot of family video and the camera is perfect for that purpose. Not having a separate viewer can make outdoor shooting more challenging, especially if zoomed up. Getting an extended battery is definitely worthwhile! The still picture feature is better than I expected based on what I saw on online reviews. I can see it coming in handy, even if it is only 1 megapixels in resolution.Digital camera Review: Overall, pleased so far with the camera
Summary: 4 Stars
I spent several weeks reviewing camcorders and trying to decide which brand/model as well as which format. For ease of use (no media to carry/swap out), speed of start-up and capacity I decided on a HDD model (and now, after having taken quite a few videos, some of which didn't come out that great as I was playing around and experimenting, I'm even happier I chose this format). I've been happy with many other Sony products I've owned, and at the lower price range of HDD cameras the features/abilities/drawbacks are about the same accross brands so I went with Sony again.
My budget was limited considering I was shopping for HDD camcorders, but the DCR-SR62 is a step up from the base model and provides better resolution. Ultimately, the biggest drawback is still the video quality (hence 4 stars; even though this is at the lower end of HDD cameras it isn't cheap and could have a bigger sensor)...but I knew going in this wasn't a three sensor or HD model; I wanted a memory maker with small size, ease of use (my wife and I both find it a snap to use) and decent picture quality, and this camcorder delivers on these points. The picture quality on a computer screen is good...playing back on a normal size TV is where I can tell it's a smallish sensor, but even then it's acceptable. Plus, I haven't tried burning to a DVD or playing too much with manual settings, so there may be ways to improve the picture even more.
The rest of the camera is great; I like the design, for it's size it feels solid, the optical zoom is plenty for me (I don't bother with digital zoom), the screen is a nice size and the menu's are easy to use and well laid out. The image stabilization seems to work, but so far I've found I don't need it so I keep it off (I read it has an affect on image quality when turned on, but I don't know for sure that's true). I've also tried the nightshot feature, but haven't recorded with it yet...it seems to do okay in low light on it's own, plus low light ability wasn't a big concern for me; with the active shoe I can add a video light if I decide I need one.
So overall, I'm satisfied, my wife is satisfied, I didn't break the bank to get it, and we can carry it anywhere (I have a very small bag that holds the DCR-SR62, it's cords and accessories as well as a compact digital camera) and capture memories of our newborn daughter, which is all I was looking for out of a camcorder in this class. So if your needs are the same as mine, I think you'll be very pleased with the DCR-SR62; if you absolutely need top-end video quality look elsewhere and be prepared to pay top-end prices...but for the price this model is great.
Digital camera Review: Smart and cute
Summary: 4 Stars
I got new SR62 last month. It is small and cute. It is very user friendly.
It is worth getting it.
I love it
Digital camera Review: Good for the portability, but you can get better picture from other Camcorders
Summary: 3 Stars
First of all I really need to say that this is a really nice camcorder depending on what you like.
Pros: This is highly portable. You cannot beat the size, it is like carrying a picture camera. If you buy one of the larger batteries you can record non stop for about 12hrs in low def. mode. You can actually store about 20hrs of video. The larger battery charges in about 1hr and it is ready to go again. The video quality is not the best, but it is not bad either. Once you have the software set up in your computer, the upload to the computer takes about a couple of minutes depending on how much video you have. It is a lot faster than the capturing of Hi-8 and DVD camcorders. The software is really easy to use and to the point. The nightshot plus function is awesome in low light situations. This little camera is one of the best in low light settings for a hardrive camera. The only way that you can get a better video quality in low light setups in a harddrive camcorder is to buy the high definition camcorder that cost over a thousand dollars. For the price it is really nice. Also, you will never need to buy extra media for your camcorder, you don't have to worry if you are going to be able to find the media on vacation.Even when other media will go out of stile, such as HI-8 and eventually DVD, your memories are in digital format. In the future you will have no trouble tranferring all of your videos from digital format in your computer to blu-ray or HP's high definition disks. If you plan to be gone on vacation for a several weeks you could easily fit 20 hrs of video into your camcorder, forget about taking 5-10 extra accessories. Did I mention that it is next to weightless?
Cons: The video quality is lower than even Hi-8 digital camcorders. The cheapest, best picture comes from camcorder that record to DVD. I will use this camcorder for small outings, camping and where I'm not too interested in incredibly sharp images. Like I mentioned above, the video quality is good, just not as good as other currently available camcorders. I plan to keep using my Hi-8 camcorder every time I'm interested in higher video quality. Another bad thing is that the battery included with the camcorder only gives you about 1 hr. 40 min. of recording time and then you have to recharge it. (I highly recomend the purchase of the bigger battery). Here is another thing that is a little bit annoying: every time that you pause recording, the camcorder "chops" the video. Let me explain what I mean, when using a HI-8 or a DVD camcorder and you pause, then the media pauses and it does not "chop" the image. Those will only "chop" the image when you shut down the camcorder (instead of pausing) and then begin recording again later. This will be significant when you tranfer your video to DVD from your computer. When you transfer all you capture videos to DVD, every time you paused recording you will have a pause in the DVD. This is not so on HI-8 or DVD, where the video usually flows flawlessly unless you have shut down recording and started new. Here is another thing that I believe Sony could have done better, the video quality is not as good as others, but certain video editing software can increment the video quality, at least as the DVD burning goes (such as NERO 2007), sadly the Sony software does not. In other words the Sony software will give you a nice video burning, but NERO 2007 will give you a better one. (Here I again bring back the comment that the video quality is not as good as HI-8 and DVD camcorders).
I give the camcorder a 3 stars out of 5 because I really like it, but it was well below my expectations. I decided to keep it since I don't have to buy any more media for it. The video quality is good enough for my every day use, special occassions I will use my HI-8. If you don't mind having a little bit lower video quality, this is the one for you.