Sony DCR-SR100 Camcorder Review

A burst function records a series of stills in 0.5 second intervals. The larger the resolution, the fewer images you can take – only three at 2016 x 1512. A separate exposure bracketing function captures three images in a row, one in your chosen exposure setting, one slightly underexposed, and one slightly overexposed. It’s a good feature to use in a pinch if you’re not sure how the exposure will look.

All of the manual controls and automatic controls are found in video mode, including white balance, exposure, program AE, spot meter, and spot focus. A flash, located directly above the lens, can be set to high, normal, and low, and also offers red-eye reduction. These additional features are good, but not enough to sell the camcorder as a replacement for a dedicated still camera.

The JVC GZ-MG77 captures stills up the 1632 x 1224 (2.2MP) onto the 30GB HDD or an SD card. It also has a flash and comparable array of manual controls, with the notable addition of shutter speed control. Last year's MG70 offered ISO settings of Auto, 80, and 160. We are not yet sure if the MG77 will include them too. Check back to CamcorderInfo.com soon for the full review.

Still Resolution(8.0)
We tested DCR-SR100’s still resolution by shooting an ISO 12233 resolution chart with 2016 x 1512, the largest size that the SR100 can capture, and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. In total, the camcorder yielded an approximate resolution of 797220.75.

The chart below shows how competing camcorders scored in video resolution. The DCR-SR100 finished moderately well against the other models.

Still Performance (7.0)
The stills of the DCR-SR100 are more or less identical to the stills of the Sony DCR-HC96 and DCR-DVD405. All having the same imager, they all max at out at 2016 x 1512, with a max widescreen still of 2016 x 1152. The image is very sharp (compared to the 640 x 480 video), but the colors are very washed out. There was a tendency in certain color panels to create gradients of color rather than flat colors.

The Panasonic SDR-S100 fared a little better, particularly the reds and yellows. The max resolution is only 1280 x 960, so the resolution cannot match, but even at commensurate sizes, the SR100 has the advantage, with a sharper image. Neither produces great color, but color levels are easier than apparent sharpness to manipulate in Photoshop.

The GZ-MG70, at 1600 x 1200, had much richer colors, though the color palette was not even; it leaned too heavily towards the blues.