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Sony DCR-SR300 Hard Drive Camcorder
 
Sensor: 1/2.9 in
Optical Zoom: 10 x
HD: No
 
#26
in Camcorders

Sony DCR-SR300 Camcorder
Review

By David Kender
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
Published on August 15, 2007

The DCR-SR300 is Sony’s top-of-the-line standard definition hard disk drive (HDD) camcorder this year. Its predecessor, the DCR-SR100, was a big favorite with its crisp video and supreme ease of use. This year, Sony tried to up the ante with an improved imager. Unfortunately, the shifting sands of the camcorder market no longer hold such a comfortable spot for Sony.

On paper, the most exciting step-up feature from last year is the larger imager, which went from a 1/3-inch to a 1/2.9-inch, 3.2-megapixel ClearVID CMOS. Although testing revealed a slight color improvement, it’s difficult to spot the increase in quality. In truth, most upper-end Sonys of the last few years have produced beautiful video. It might be wise to save your money and track down an older DCR-SR100.

Sony aims for an ease-of-use aesthetic: simplified one-touch controls operated through the 2.7-inch touch screen LCD. Take, for instance, the Spot Focus and Spot Meter features. When activated, you simply touch the area of the screen you wish to have properly focused or metered (brightened), and the DCR-SR300 does the rest. Easy to understand tools like this make Sony a dominant player in camcorders. Even if you never plan on hitting anything but the power button, the DCR-SR300 will keep you covered. The automatic responses are excellent in moderate indoor and outdoor lighting. Just be sure to keep your eye on the screen in low light shooting – that’s when the auto focus is most likely to fail.

Conversely, the traditional manual controls on Sony camcorders are typically lacking. Power-users looking for aperture or shutter speed control will be disappointed. The touch screen has strikes against it, as well. Sure, it’s easy, but try manually focusing when the screen has greasy fingerprints all over it. Also, the touch screen is not terribly sensitive, so the onscreen buttons have to be large. With all the options and features packed into the DCR-SR300, this means pages and pages of menus to scroll through. You’ll generally see more efficient menu designs on camcorders with a joystick instead of a touch screen.

The Sony DCR-SR300 comes equipped with a 40 GB internal HDD. The capacity is hardly impressive compared to other HDD models, which is why Sony offers the upgraded DCR-SR300C with 100 GB storage. The standard 40 GB drive holds 9.5 hours of video in the highest quality and 28 hours in the lowest quality, though being the smart shooters you are, you would never record in anything but the best quality, right? All footage is compressed in the MPEG-2 format, which is easily imported onto almost any computer and editing software. The camcorder ships with a rudimentary editing program if you can’t wait to get started.

Other key features on the DCR-SR300 include guide frames to help you line up your shot, zebra patterns to warn of overexposed areas, and the NightShot mode for that notorious greenish look in low light.

The Sony DCR-SR300 is a fine choice for someone in the market for an upper-end, easy-to-use standard definition camcorder. The HDD recording medium reduces the headaches of DVD camcorders, which create constant fears of running out of space or scratching the disks. At $1,000 MSRP, you’re paying a premium for the convenience, but the video quality speaks for itself.

For a more in-depth review, visit the Sony DCR-SR300 Review at our partner CamcorderInfo.com
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