Sony DCR-SR300 Camcorder Reviewby Michael PerlmanPublished on May 16, 2007 3:28 PM 
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Sony’s DCR-SR100 (Review, Specs, $999) was one of the best camcorders of 2006, and it was an auspicious sign of things to come at Sony. Until that camcorder, JVC’s Everio line monopolized the consumer HDD space. The SR100 changed all that, combining image quality and ease-of-use in what was perhaps the best HDD model to date. Sony followed up in mid-2006 with several new entry-level HDD cams, and the first ever HDD-based AVCHD camcorder, the excellent HDR-SR1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99). Now at long last, a follow up to the SR100 has arrived in the form of the $999 (MSRP) DCR-SR300. It is certainly a likeable camcorder – just like its predecessor – and brings a larger imager, OIS, and Sony’s oh-so-cool Smooth Slow Record feature. Yet, we couldn’t help but notice that another Sony HDD camcorder, the HDR-SR5, sells for only $100 more and records AVCHD high-definition video. Perhaps Sony has finally saturated the market a drop too far.
The Front (6.25)
Up front, the DCR-SR300’s asymmetrical frame is accented by a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens protruding from the center. The 10x optical zoom lens has a filter diameter of 37mm and is capable of the following Focal lengths: 5.4mm-54mm, 40-400mm (16:9, 35mm equivalent), 49-490 (4:3, 35mm equivalent), 37-370mm (4:3, still images), 40-400mm (16:9, still images). To the left of the lens lies a side-mounted digital still image flash. Though the placement of the flash shaves additional plastic off the top of the SR300, we prefer the embedded top-mounted flash found on Sony’s HDR-UX1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $729.95) for its even distribution of light and space-saving design. Directly below the lens is the remote sensor, and that just about wraps it up here.
The Right Side (4.0)
Sony’s DCR-SR300 design team must have collaborated in a sterile, windowless room, and the right side of the SR300 proves it. With only a hand strap and set of ports to speak of, the SR300 is not an electrically aesthetic camcorder, though it appears to be reasonably idiot proof. The plastic oval port cover located on the far left is home to the A/V out terminal and remote jack. The port cover itself is rugged, despite its thin plastic strips anchoring it to the SR300’s body—just don’t perform any reckless torque tests on the strips. The SR300’s hand strap falls within the middle ground of consumer camcorder comfort. It’s thicker and stronger than the Canon HV20 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $903)’s, yet fails to deliver the cushy goodness of the Sony HDR-HC7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1128.56)’s breathable, padded design. The right side of the SR300 is significantly rounded to fit the natural arc of the shooter’s hand, and features a 2” smooth groove on the top for fingers to latch on to. However, on a camcorder this compact, we would have preferred a boxier shape to give us more to grasp. The groove on top is essentially useless because sleek plastic and sweaty fingers are the equivalent to oil and water. The SR300 was designed for two-handed shooters.
The Back (4.25)
Take a gander at the DCR-SR300’s big bad battery. Sony can afford to equip the camcorder with such a large pack because there is no viewfinder to fiddle with. In that case, the option to upgrade to a larger battery is highly attainable. The battery release switch is located under the camcorder, along with the docking station port. Directly above the battery pack is the horseshoe-shaped mode dial that features diamond-shaped grooves and packs dangerous style. Here you can shift between video mode, camera mode, and off. Below the mode dial, to the right, is the flash button, which is hard to access via thumb due to its close proximity to the edge of the battery. However, it’s nice to be able to toggle between flash settings from the back of the SR300. The long oval record start/stop button sits to the right of the battery and rests just beneath the thumb for easy access. At the base of the SR300, to the right of the battery is the DC input, housed by a small rectangular hinged plastic cover.
The Left Side (5.5)
This profile highlights the DCR-SR300’s junk in the trunk, or sizable battery. The thing juts out like nobody’s business. With the LCD closed, the SR300 will steep you in mystery, as there are no discernible features present—until you open the 2.7” wide LCD screen. Within the LCD cavity, you’ll find a bounty of buttons spread horizontally along the top: backlight, wide select, disp/battery info, Easy, and playback. Since the SR300’s shooting experience is fueled by LCD-based monitoring, it would make sense to embed these controls within the LCD cavity. Below the panel of convenience rests the NightShot switch, MemoryStick PRO Duo slot, and square playback speaker. A mic and headphone jack would have fared well within the LCD cavity, but alas, there are none to speak of.
The LCD screen features a vertical row of flattened plastic buttons—home, zoom in/out, and record start, stop. This is super dandy for point-and-shooters who like to get freaky with the LCD. Now about the LCD: it has a touch screen menu. We know what you’re going to say. You’ve read our reviews of Sony’s touch screen menus and will probably be able to sum it up to the T—smudgy fingerprints + small buttons + spot meter = ladles of frustration. Just give us a bigger LCD screen like the one found on the UX1, Sony, and we’ll reduce our grievances significantly.
The Top (5.25)
The top of the SR300 reveals how fat this little HDD machine is. At the head sits the 5.1 channel surround sound built-in microphone which falls right under the pinky and ring fingers, enabling you to muffle and distort your audio with the greatest of ease. The SR300 is not big enough for a top-mounted mic, Sony. Right under the microphone is the Sony brand-exclusive hot shoe, or “Active Interface Shoe,” compatible with no other brand add-ons aside from Sony’s. Its rigid plastic cover was yanked out within the first 5 seconds of handling, but it’s better than the Canon HV20’s detached accessory shoe cover. Toward the back is the HC7-like zoom toggle, which is smooth and responsive. The wide photo button sits behind the zoom, easily accessible for a quick snap.
