Sony DCR-SR40 Camcorder Review

by David Kender
Published on Dec 11, 2006 11:00 AM

 
Intro Performance
Format Tour
Auto / Manual Controls Still Features
Handling and Use
 Audio / Playback / Connectivity
Other Features Comparisons / Conclusion
Specs/Ratings
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Ease of Use (9.25)
The user's manual for DCR-SR40, DCR-SR60, and DCR-SR80 runs a mere 35 pages, making it perhaps the shortest user manual on the market today. This brevity is justified, as these three camcorders are among the simplest devices ever to hit the consumer market. A cliff’s notes version of the manual could be written like this:
 
  1. Turn camcorder on.
  2. Press Easy Button.
  3. Begin recording.
  4. Voila!
In other words, if you are a point-and-shoot user, who likes to shoot video informally without bothering with manual controls, you’ll find the DCR-SR40 to be a very welcoming device. This ease of use is very much in character for a Sony since they specialize in designing camcorders with a learning curve of approximately 30 seconds. Because this camcorder records direct to its HDD, it is even easier to use than a DVD camcorder that requires onerous steps like inserting and ejecting discs. With an easy backup feature that facilitates footage transfer to a PC, the SR40 and its siblings are practically plug-and-play. 
 
Among Sony’s many ease of use features is the touch screen menu. In order to make their camcorders as easy to use as possible, Sony employs a full-text menu structure that pretty much spells out all the options available on-screen. Making a selection is done by touching icons on the screen, rather like an ATM machine or airport kiosk. 
 
The drawbacks to touch screens include that they make terrible manual control interfaces and lead to fingerprint covered displays. Yet for the broad point-and-shoot market, a menu that won’t intimidate Aunt Betty may be preferable to one that offers superior manual control. Simplicity is Sony’s forte, and you’ll find it in spades on the DCR-SR40.
 
Handling (7.0)
The Sony DCR-SR40 is about as simple to handle as a camcorder gets. Not only does it offer the famous Sony ease of use, but there are hardly any features to be found on this camcorder. Turn it on, point it at something, and hit record – that was clearly the core principle in the camcorder’s design.
 
The handling problems occur when you want to step outside of the ease of use box. Manual controls are few and far between and require you to use the touch screen controls. While they do speed up menu navigation, touch screen controls tend to make things like manual focus difficult (see the Focus section above). Also, the 2/5” LCD screen makes the touch screen buttons smaller on this camcorder than the SR60 and SR80, which have 2.7” screens.
 
The body is small, overall, which can make it difficult to keep a stable shot. The electronic stabilization suffices up to 2x – 4x zoom, but after that you’ll want a tripod or smooth, steady surface.
 
 
 

DCR-SR40 in its base
Portability (9.5)
The Sony DCR-SR40 is highly portable – certainly one of its selling points. HDD camcorders are the essence of portability. With no tapes or DVDs to carry, this can slip into a small bag with a charged battery and be good to go for nearly 2 and 1/2 hours of continuous recording. It’s the same size as its step-up cousin, the DCR-SR60, but slightly smaller than the DCR-SR80, by virtue of that model’s larger capacity 60GB HDD. If ultra-portability is very important to you, the Panasonic SDR-S150 is even smaller, saving on the space occupied by the HDD by recording to SD and SDHC cards. The Sony DCR-SR40 measures 69 x 71 x 117 mm (2 3/4” x by 2 7/8” x 4 5/8”) with a total weight of approximately 390g (14 oz.) including the battery pack, making it larger than pocket size, but smaller than the most consumer camcorders of any media type. The included Handycam Station does make this camcorder less portable simply by adding an extra device to your bag, but that’s only if you plan on archiving or editing away from home.
LCD/Viewfinder(6.0)
The Sony DCR-SR40 is equipped only with an LCD screen and lacks an EVF (electronic color viewfinder), like the DCR-SR60 and DCR-SR80. This camcorder was designed for simplicity and compactness, and Sony clearly determined that an EVF was not a vital feature for the point-and-shoot target market of this camcorder.
 
The LCD screen measures 2.5” with a 4:3 aspect ratio, and a resolution of 123K pixels. This screen is small relative to many other consumer camcorders that feature a 2.7” widescreen LCD. It’s especially small considering Sony is the company that has led the charge towards LCDs even larger than 2.7” by implementing 3.5” screens on many higher-end Handycam models, like the DCR-SR100. For efficient operation of the touch-screen interface, a 2.5” will feel very small and cramped unless you’ve got tiny fingers and video game-guru dexterity. Technically, the screen is very good, however, featuring Sony’s SwivelScreen technology which prevents the image from solarizing at viewing angles that would challenge most screens found on consumer camcorders from other manufacturers.
 
Battery Life (14.6)
The DCR-SR40 ships with the NP-FP50 battery, which should have a charge time of about 125 minutes. We tested the battery ourselves by leaving the LCD open, turning the image stabilization on, and leaving the backlight off. In total, the battery lasted for 145 minutes and 45 seconds (2 hour, 25 minutes, and 45 seconds) which give the SR40 a comparatively long recording time using the included battery pack.


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