Sony DCR-SR80 Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Nov 2, 2006 7:00 AM
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Sony’s DCR-SR80 is a simply designed camcorder, and like the rest of this model, the front is notably unadorned. The most prominent feature on the front end of the Sony DCR-SR80 is the large Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 12x optical zoom 30 mm filter diameter lens. The DCR-SR60 shares this lens, with a 3.0 to 36 mm focal length. When converted to its 35mm equivalent, the lens has a 46-628.5 mm focal length in 16:9 camera mode, a 48-576 mm focal length in 4:3 camera mode, a 43.6-523.2 mm focal length in 16:9 memory mode, a 40-480 mm focal length in 4:3 memory mode. The lens aperture measures f1.8 to f2.5, and the top curve of the lens delineates the front of the lens barrel.
At the left side of the lens are two sensors behind a dark plastic cover that permit communication with the remote control and enable NightShot/Super NightShot recording modes. A metal wrist strap loop juts forward from the camcorder below the sensors, as well as below and to the left of the lens. Sloping backwards, below the lens barrel, is the camera-mounted stereo microphone. That’s all there is to the front of the DCR-SR80 making this an extremely spare business end.
The Right Side (7.0)
Our “Tour de Simple” continues on the right side of the camcorder where we’re met by a matte silver face where one usually finds the tape or drive bay, among other things – but this is an HDD camcorder. The HDD is indeed enclosed by the right side of the DCR-SR80, but there are no features to speak of other than the big Sony hand strap. The strap spans the body of the camcorder from front to back, and slants downwards towards the front at about a ten degree angle to provide a comfortable shooting position. The strap is nicely padded, and adjustable. Combined with the compact size of this camcorder, the strap provides for extremely ergonomic handling.
The Back (4.5)
The back of the Sony DCR-SR80 offers a little more interest than the faces of the camcorder we’ve seen thus far. The main feature here is the vertically aligned battery pack, which occupies most of the lower left of the back. The battery release tab is adjacent to the base of the battery on the underside of the body. It’s a common place for a battery release, but one that’s blocked when the camcorder is mounted on a tripod head. Changing batteries can only be accomplished by removing the camcorder from the tripod, which could end up interrupting a shot.
Directly above the battery pack is the Power/Mode switch at about the camcorder’s center point is, which has a typical Sony design. Pressing the small green tab on top of the switch releases the dial, and allows the user to toggle between modes by rotating the switch to the right. In keeping with the simplicity of this model, there are only three modes available: Video, Still, and Playback. Three LEDs just to the left of the Power/Mode indicate which mode the camcorder is in. One additional tiny LED below the three mode indicators is labeled Access, and indicates whether the camcorder is using the HDD. When the Access lamp is lit, Sony warns that the battery pack should not be removed to avoid damaging the drive. To the right of the battery slot is the camcorder’s Start/Stop record button. The button is marked with a red dot, and is slightly elevated out from the back surface of the camcorder body making it very easy to locate by touch.
The Left Side (6.0)
A look at the left side of the Sony DCR-SR80 emphasizes the compact nature of this camcorder as the widescreen 2.7” LCD display occupies nearly the entire side of the body. The larger 3.5” LCD screen found on high-end models like the DCR-DVD505 and HDR-SR1 literally wouldn’t fit this camcorder, which offers some consolation for less screen real estate. This LCD features identical specs to its step-down siblings, the SR40 and SR60, as well as the step-up DCR-SR80 with a resolution of 123,200 pixels. This renders the touch screen controls cramped relative to a larger screen, but it’s a smaller and simpler camcorder than the models with a 3.5” LCD. This screen is mounted on a robust hinge, opens to 90 degrees from the camcorder body, and can be rotated through 270 degrees or folded display side out against the camcorder body for multiple viewing angles.
The LCD screen is opened by pulling a small ridge at the screen’s back edge, or via a small indent on the screen’s lower edge. A note of caution: the screen does not lock against the camera body like some models, so it could be knocked open accidentally. On the outside (left) edge of the LCD frame are three buttons that serve as secondary controls for zoom and Record Start/Stop. These screen-side buttons are useful when shooting two handed – with the left hand bracing the camcorder screen – or shooting in overhead or low angles, when the primary controls are difficult to operate.
The LCD cavity is the area covered by the screen when it’s closed, and users will find three buttons here. On the right is Sony’s trademark Easy button, which offers one-touch engagement of Easy Mode. To the left of the Easy button is the Disp/Batt Info button, which allows a user to toggle through various display options in camera mode, or access information about remaining battery and media remaining in standby mode. The last button, labeled Wide Select, allows users to toggle between 4:3 and 16:9 modes. Above the buttons is the on-camera speaker, for audio playback, and in the lower front corner of the LCD cavity is a tiny reset button. The reset button is inset into the camcorder body, and can be pressed using a paper clip to return the camcorder to its factory settings.
Below the LCD cavity on the lower edge of camcorder body is a Back Light button, which engages the BLC (Back Light Compensation) feature. To the left of this button is a plastic port cover that can be opened by pulling tabs located on its top or bottom edges. The tab on top is a good addition, as it allows a user to open the port cover even when the camcorder is mounted on a tripod head. The port cover itself opens wide enough to allow easy access to the Remote, AV, and DC-in ports that it protects. However, port covers of this design – and they are very common – have a tendency to catch and break off if they are treated roughly. The sliding port cover design found on Sony’s new HDR-SR1 addresses this problem with an elegant cover that is fully integrated into the camcorder’s body, and we’d like to see the feature integrated on more models in Sony’s consumer lineup.The Top (6.0)
Zoom toggle, photo button, NightShot Plus on/off switch, Active Interface Shoe. These four features round out the top side of the DCR-SR80, making for a clean looking – if rather squat – top profile. The two primary controls, the zoom toggle and photo button, are positioned just right of center near the back of the body, and can be comfortably reached with the right index finger during hand-held shooting. The pressure sensitive zoom toggle has Sony’s standard rocking lever design, and allows for a variety of zoom speeds. The photo button is just behind the zoom toggle and above the mode dial. This location, very close to the zoom toggle, makes it both easy to reach but increases the probability that it could be depressed accidentally.
Halfway up the camcorder body, where the lens barrel meets the right side is a simple on/off switch for NightShot Plus. Forward of the switch is the Active Interface Shoe which is compatible with Sony accessories. The shoe is protected by a hard plastic port cover that sits snugly in place when not in use, and is attached to the body by plastic connectors when open.
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