Sony HDR-SR1 First Impressions Camcorder Review

The Front
Many of the design elements of the HDR-SR1 seem derivative of the DCR-SR100, though some major improvements have been made. The front of the HDR-SR1 features an F1.8 – F2.9 Vario-Sonnar T* lens with a 30mm filter diameter. It has a focal range of 5.1 – 51mm (35mm equivalent = 41.3 – 485mm). The lens is protected by an automatic lens cap which opens when you turn it on. Directly above the lens is a flash for stills, just as you’ll find on the DCR-SR100.

The first major improvement over the DCR-SR1, and a huge feature for us as camcorder fans, is the multi-function ring. It’s a nice, wide design, with a rough, textured grip for easy movement that allows for focus, exposure, AE shift, and white balance shift. Manual focus is crucial for shooting high definition, which makes flaws that much more apparent. It would be remiss of Sony not to include it, but a well-designed ring is something to appreciate.

The Right Side
The right side of the HDR-SR1 is busier than most camcorders. Usually, you'll find a flat surface to grip and not much else. Sony, however, has actually placed two of the most exciting features on this side. Towards the front of the right side, on the lens barrel, you’ll find the microphone jack hiding under a rubber port cover. Sony rarely includes mic inputs on their camcorders, so when they do we must give them credit (because when they don't were pretty hard on them). Clearly there is a demand from users who want prosumer features to accompany prosumer HD video quality. Above the mic jack is the flash on/off button.

The lens barrel portion of the body is approximately 1”, eventually giving way to the rest of the black plastic body. A wide, comfortable hand strap traverses the lower half of the right side. The large, flat surface of the body provides a sold grip. Towards the rear of the right is another great surprise – a dedicated headphone jack. Under the same rubber port cover is a wired remote jack. We never thought we’d see the day, but Sony is actually surpassing Panasonic in its pro-level features in the consumer market.

Overall, the right side has a smart, integrated design. There right wall is eay to grip, with a decent ledge across the top for your fingers to grab on to. A wide hand strap always helps, too.

The Back
The rear of the HDR-SR1 looks more like the HDR-HC1 than any other camcorder. The battery pack takes up most of the real estate, but its open design does allow for expanded battery packs – always a plus. Underneath is a battery release mechanism.

Above the battery pack is the viewfinder (0.27”, 123K), which can pivot up about 45 degrees. The HDR-HC1 had this movement, but the HDR-HC3 did not. It's always reassuring to see a smart design choice like this resurrected. The viewfinder does not extend out, however, so you’ll still have to hold the camcorder quite near your face when operating.

Directly next to the viewfinder, in the upper right corner of the rear, is the mode dial to toggle between video mode, still mode, and power off. The button is well positioned for the forefinger, though that space would have better have been allocated for the zoom toggle, which is given to the middle finger instead. Along the middle of the right side is the record start/stop button, in perfect position for the thumb. Overall, a clean, intelligent design.

The Left Side
The left side of the HDR-SR1is a busy place, full of lots of interface controls. Let’s start with the big LCD screen, an impressive 3.5” and 211K pixels. You should accept nothing smaller on a high definition camcorder, which requires a great deal of attention to focus. The company’s latest HDV camcorder, the HDR-HC3, has a 2.7” LCD, which we found to be one of the model’s weakest points. 3.5" LCDs have fallen out of fashion in the last few years, likely due to manufacturing costs and power consumption. The Sony DVD505 managed to get one, but the DVD405 did not. Panasonic's PV-GS400 featured one, but the PV-GS500 does not.

Along the bottom of the LCD panel, beneath the screen, are some redundant buttons that you may find more convenient here, like record start/stop and zoom controls, along with two other buttons: Home, which returns you to the first page of the menu, and One-Touch Disk, which automatically uploads video to a PC and begins the burning process to a full-size DVD.

The LCD cavity and area directly below are home to a number of features and a few surprises. On the left-center of the LCD cavity is the battery information button. Next to that is a switch cover that reveals – like some dusty candelabra in a haunted house – a whole host of ports along the bottom edge of the left side: AV (output only), component video (output only), and HDMI (a special port for high definition devices).

Also in the LCD cavity are a USB 2.0 port and a MemoryStick Duo card slot. Beneath the card slot, to the left of the AV, component, and HDMI ports is the DC power input. To the right of that input set is a button labeled “Image Restoration.”

But wait, there’s more. Sony managed to cram even a few more buttons onto the left side of the lens barrel. This is where you’ll find the NightShot on/off switch and Backlight button, as well as the Manual button, which turns the multi-function ring on and off. All in all, there are some very exciting features here.

The Top
The top of the HDR-SR1 is simple, by comparison. Towards the front, on the lens barrel, is the built-in stereo microphone. Behind that, hidden under a hard plastic port cover, is the Sony-proprietary Advanced Accessory Shoe: great for attaching mics and video lights, it only works with Sony-licensed products. Towards the back is the zoom toggle, a raised, textured button with good tension and feel. Our only problem is that it falls under the middle finger instead of the index finger. Sure, you can make the reach if you have to, but a little user research would have let Sony designers know how much better a different position would be. The index finger instead falls on the photo shutter button, located right behind the zoom toggle. Behind that is the top of the mode dial.