Sony DCR-SR300 First Impressions Reviewby Matt CullerPublished on Jan 16, 2007 12:00 PM
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Ease of Use
Sony camcorders are relatively easy to use considering their excellent automatic controls. This is the case with the DCR-SR300, and users can engage the Sony’s Easy mode (via the "Easy" button in the LCD cavity) to basically lock the camcorder in auto mode. The new menu system, introduced in mid-2006, has made ease of use even easier with a smarter arrangement of buttons that group manual controls by common purpose. Also, for the touch screen menu system to be truly effective, it would have been nice to have a 3.5” LCD screen rather than 2.7" that is included. There's still a decent chance of reaching for one button and hitting another when the screen is this small.
The Easy button is located here in the LCD cavity.
Handling
The DCR-SR300 weights 560g (1 lb. 3 oz.) with its supplied battery The DCR-SR200 and DCR-SR300 are substantially bigger than the DCR-SR62, DCR-SR82, and DCR-SR32. When they first hit the market, HDD camcorders were marketed almost exclusively for the enhanced portability that their new media allowed (just look at the first of JVC’s Everios). Now it seems that marketability has grown to include the video/still hybrid ability and video quality of these camcorders, at least in Sony’s case.
The DCR-SR300 is not all that portable, but this makes its handling better. My big hand fits around it well, and it feels more snug and secure there. While the DCR-SR300 doesn’t necessarily look as pretty as JVC’s first Everio, the jutting battery pack that hangs off the back the DCR-SR300 makes for better stability. This is the new H. Stamina battery included on almost every new Sony camcorder for 2007. This new battery not only adds more stamina to the camcorder’s recording duration, it also provides a welcomed anchor point for my thumb.
I like this camcorder’s zoom toggle. It’s an example of a good Sony zoom toggle. It is smooth and easy to grip for variable speed zoom. What I don’t like about it is that it is lined up with my middle finder rather than my index. I can achieve better zoom control with my index finger.
One of the most important upgrades from the DCR-SR200 to the DCR-SR300 is the inclusion of Super SteadyShot Optical Image Stabilization, as opposed to Super SteadyShot (Electronic) Image Stabilization. This is the same stabilization system found on the HDR-HC7 and the HDR-UX7. This, along with the imager upgrade, are the main reasons for the rise in price between the DCR-SR300 and the DCR-SR200, and these upgrades are well worth the price. Electronic image stabilization comes at the cost of picture quality as the effective pixel count is reduced. The addition of optical image stabilization not only corrects the jitters but does so without compromising image quality through the use of a gyroscope on the lens.
Menu
The Sony DCR-SR300 ships with a menu similar to last year's AVCHD camcorders, the HDR-UX1 and the HDR-SR1. It’s still a mixed bag. While we appreciate the new thematic organization of buttons, the space between buttons, the color palette, and the arrangement as a whole, there is a big usability issue that all of these camcorders, including the DCR-SR300, share. When users enter the camcorder’s Camera menu to change a manual control for instance, they immediately exit the menu system once a change has been made. To make additional changes, users must enter the system anew. This negates any time-saving the new menu design would achieve.
That problem aside, the new menu groupings are much smarter than in year's past. Because the menu groupings are not in a long, linear list anymore, you may have to spend a few minutes tackling a learning curve, but it'll payoff in the end.
LCD and Viewfinder
The Sony DCR-SR300 ships with a 2.7" 211K pixel LCD, as does the DCR-SR200. The two models below this, the DCR-SR82 and the DCR-SR62, also feature widescreen LCD screens, but they have a reduced resolution. I don’t think this should be a big selling point for the camcorder, as the increase in pixels doesn’t really make that big of a difference. 211K is still at the short end of the stick and is considered a minimum resolution on digital still cameras. What I really wish is that this thing had a 3.5” LCD screen like the HDR-SR1. An upgrade like that would help make up for the lack of viewfinder.
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