Sony HDR-SR1 First Impressions Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Jul 25, 2006 6:00 AM 
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Handling
The general take on handling a Sony is that, if you’ve tried one, you’ve tried them all. And chances are, you found the experience a simple, if not pleasant one. Our biggest complaint about Sony camcorders is usually the touch screens. Given a choice between a touch screen and a good joystick, we would always take the joystick. The reasons for this are manifold: fingerprints smudging the screen, overly complex menus due to the need for large, touch-friendly icons, and the need to keep the LCD open all the time, thus draining power.
The HDR-SR1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99) addresses many of these complaints with the inclusion of its multi-function ring. As I’ve mentioned before, the ring has a great textured surface, making is easy to grip. The action on it is just right too, without too much give or tension.
The rest of the body handles very much like the DCR-SR100 (Review, Specs, $999). The right side makes for a good gripping surface, though the strap could have been placed a little higher to help center the weight. All the necessary buttons are within reach. The zoom toggle tends to fall under the middle finger rather than the index finger, which might have been fixed with a little rearranging of the photo shutter button and mode dial.
The viewfinder has been improved over that on the DCR-SR100, and is now able to pivot upwards about 45 degrees. Though the HDR-SR1 has a number of additional ports, they are all well-placed. The hideaway port cover for the AV, composite, and HDMI ports is particularly clever.
The larger LCD also makes for some handling improvements. Sony interface is largely dependent on touch screen buttons, which appear larger on this screen. Despite the panel's increased size, it did not seem to weight it more heavily to the left. Most users tend to steady the camcorder with their left hand on the LCD panel anyway. Thankfully, the engineers seem to have taken note of this fact and beefed up the hinge. Whereas many panels seem as though they might snap when you test their stress points, this camcorder (albeit a hand-built prototype model) remained solid.
LCD/Viewfinder
The big 3.5”, 211K LCD is one of the stronger features of the Sony HDR-SR1. A large, high resolution screen is a key necessity for shooting high definition video, where focus is important. The reduction of the screen size to 2.7” on the HDR-HC3 (Review, Specs, $969.99) was one of the biggest losses from its parent model, the HDR-HC1 (Specs, $2295).
Another reason that a Sony screen should be large is the touch screen function, which accounts for a large percentage of your interface with the controls. We’re not always huge fans of the touch screen system (due to problems with dirty fingerprints all over the screen), but they do have a fan base. The HDR-SR1 manages to avoid some of the inherent problems by offering a multi-function ring. If you can skip touching the screen for focus needs, so much the better.
The viewfinder is 0.27” and 123K. It pivots upwards about 45 degrees, which the HDR-HC3 cannot do. This is a substantial handling problem that I’m glad Sony took the initiative to correct. However, the viewfinder on the HDR-HC3 could not telescope out, and neither can the HDR-SR1. This is less of a problem that pivoting, so we’re not complaining too much. It could become more of an issue if you opt for a long life battery, which tends to jut out much farther than the included battery.