Sony DSR-300 Camcorder Review

by Robert C. Lang
Published on Jun 22, 2004 12:00 AM



In my 15 years as an event videographer, I have made some very good and not so good equipment purchases. I have used my DSR-300 camcorder for about 40 events and I can say, without question, this ranks among my very best video equipment investments. Ironically, the DVCAM format was my third choice among the new digital formats (DVCPro and Digital S being the others). Because I own the 4 Supercams, Panasonic and DVCPRO were my first choices. However, I found the AJ-D200 camera section to be inferior to the Supercam's (plus it had no ND filter). I believed that I would have had to step down to the AJ-D200 (and my handling tests confirmed that) to get a digital format. I found the AJ-D700 to be too costly (it is grossly overpriced) at about $21,000 fully equipped. Plus, for some reasons no Panasonic rep has been able to adequately explain, the AJ-D700 will only accept 63-minute tapes. I delayed over a year before purchasing a digital camera hoping that Panasonic would come out with something better than the AJ-200 but cost less than the AJ-D700. And from what I can determine, Panasonic has no plans to fill the $12,500 gap between those two camcorders.

My second choice was Digital S. In fact, I became so impressed with the Digital S format that I purchased the JVC BR D-85 Digital S deck (4:2:2) with pre-read to master to in anticipation of purchasing the JVC DY 700U Camcorder. However, I determined at NAB that the 19-pound DY 700U was simply too heavy for me to use as an ENG type camera. I also demoed the DSR 300 extensively at NAB and decided that it would better serve my purposes even though the DV format does not measure up to Digital S quality wise. (My Digital S recording deck was (and is) an excellent purchase decision. I create Digital S masters directly from DVCAM sources via the serial digital Interface (SDI). I am VERY pleased with the Digital S format).

I demoed the DSR300 at NAB for a couple of hours and was highly impressed with the features and picture quality. Its comparative light weight and its performance in low light were of special attraction to me. I asked the Sony reps what was the most apparent video quality differences between the DSR-130 and the DSR-300 because they seemed sooooo close in performance. One rep said that the 300 would probably be more prone to smear than the DSR 130 because it used half-inch chips. However, we (the Sony rep and I) could not get either camera to smear. As one rep told me, the DSR-130 is almost two years old - ample time for 1/2-inch chip technology to all but close the gap with older 2/3-inch technology.

I purchased the DSR-300 last May when it first became available. I have used it extensively since that time in a variety of situations, including weddings, seminars, high contrast outdoor events, low lit environments, etc. On one occasion I used the camera for the better part of 16 hours. I have used it on numerous occasions in excess of 10 continuous hours.

Pros:

The camera is light compared to our other cameras, the Panasonic Supercams. It is supposed to be almost 4 pounds lighter but it felt more like 2 pounds lighter, still a very welcome relief. Something you can appreciate on marathon-type shoots.

The Canon lens seems to zoom both faster and slower and is a lot quieter and more versatile than the Fujunons that I worked with on the Supercams. It utilizes a "hot shoe" on the camera, so no cable is needed.

The Auto Trace White Balance (ATW) is a dream come true. I frequently shot in an environment that had an unending mix of quickly changing lighting situations. I simply could not white balance each time that would have been normally required. On many occasions I activated the ATW; it worked flawlessly in overriding the current filter (I always attempt to use the appropriate filter but in some mixed light situations it is tough to be sure) and white balance settings to produce great colors. I periodically checked color accuracy as best I could under the circumstances with my field monitor (a Sony LCD).

The lithium ion batteries are a marvel. They appear to have excellent stamina and recharge quickly. It is extremely easy to remove and replace batteries from/to the camera and the charger. More about the battery system below.

Most importantly, the images captured with the DSR-300 are absolutely superb. Perhaps most impressive is the camcorder's performance in extremely low light. I have experimented with the gain controls that introduce very little perceptible noise even at 18 dB. But even in the most challenging situations, I found it optional whether to use gain.

I use a DSR-60 as a source deck to feed my Digital S deck and my Flyer NLE. In both cases the second generation product looks as good as the first generation.

The viewfinder provides a crisp picture and has lots of useful information, although some useful information was missing. This leads me to the cons of the DSR-300.

Cons:

The menu settings are numerous and a bit complicated. But I think I’ve got a handle on it. My difficulties in setting the menus may have led to the following problems:

The viewfinder lacks a continuously displayed voltage display for battery status. I have found such a display to be invaluable and it is something I have grown to depend on with our Supercams. On a couple of occasions I was surprised when the "low battery" indicator flashed. I was never surprised with this kind of warning with the Supercam because battery condition is continuously displayed. The DSR-300 does have an easily accessible menu switch, which allows battery voltage viewfinder display "on demand". I have become adjusted to this shortcoming and have found this type of display, while not as good as a continuously displayed voltage reading, is adequate. The lack of a continuously displayed battery voltage reading is one of the very few changes I would make to the DSR 300 if someone asked me for suggestions for improvements.

I cannot get the F-stop reading to appear in the viewfinder. However, I know another videographer with the DSR-300 who has been successful in bringing up the F-stop reading.

I have been unsuccessful getting the real time code to show up in the viewfinder, although I understand that it is recorded automatically on the tape.

Initially, I was disappointed in the operation of the auto iris. It doesn’t seem to respond as well to back lit or near back lit situations as the Supercam. The back lit button seems to over-compensate, washing out some scenes. I found myself using the manual iris more than usual (not a bad thing). However, in my last few shoots the DSR-300, auto iris has responded adequately, although I am learning to make better use of the manual iris ring.

The rubber eyecup easily comes off the viewfinder; I have removed it for fear that I will lose it. Likewise, the side door, which covers various switches, occasionally pops off. It is difficult to open the cover while the camera is on your shoulder to access the microphone switches. The pressure of the open cover against your shoulder can cause it to unhinge.

I have seen some criticism of the DSR-300 for not having a FireWire connection. Interestingly, it never occurred to me whether it had FireWire or not because I do not use my camcorders as playback decks, so FireWire and other output connections are not important to me. I do care if the DVCAM professional decks that I will be using to interface with other equipment in my suite support SDI (serial digital interface) and they do. Both the DSR-60 and the JVC BR-D85U decks that I use support SDI. They do not support FireWire. For better or for worse, consumer/prosumer gear supports FireWire while professional gear (gear marketed by the professional divisions of a particular company) is supporting SDI and SDI derivatives. Judging by the features (not by video quality because the prosumer DV gear also has great video quality), the DSR-300 is aimed at the lower to middle portions of the professional users market; a market that would be more interested in SDI than FireWire. The DSR-20 is a very nice play/record deck for DVCAM which does support FireWire. However, I did not seriously consider it because it does not support SDI and does not incorporate RS-422a interface, TBC, time code, and very importantly (to me), slow motion play back. The DSR-60 & 80, in addition to supporting SDI, also incorporate all these other features important to my business.

I would like to share my experiences with the DSR-300's native battery and charge system, the Lithium Ion BP models. The lithium battery is an absolute marvel and if you can afford to pay the extra bucks, they are the battery system to get.

Along with my DSR-300, I also own 4 Panasonic Supercams which utilize the excellent Anton Bauer battery system. When I ordered my DSR-300, I was tempted to get it configured for the Anton Bauer so I could utilize the 14 Anton Bauer digi paks I already have on hand. That would have saved me significant bucks. But one of the main reasons I purchased the DSR-300 was because of its light weight. I often shoot for 10-12 hours at a time and a lightweight, well-balanced system is essential; I didn't want to negate that advantage by sticking on a significantly heavier battery.

I purchased three BP-L40 with my DSR-300 three months ago. Several weeks ago, I purchased the BP-L60 ($435) and had a chance to use it twice this weekend. They are far and away superior to the nicads, which is saying something because Anton Bauer (the company and their products) is absolutely first rate. (Lead acids, even though very reliable, can't compete in this league).

The BP-L40 weighs 1 lb. 1oz. compared to the Anton Bauer Digi Trim Pak's 2 lb. 13oz. I would say that the Anton Bauer has maybe 10 percent more power. But still, the BP-L40 will power the DSR-300 for more than 80 minutes. The BP-L60 weighs 1 lb. 15 oz. and it has every bit of the power of the Anton Bauer "Brick" which weighs 5 lbs. and 3 oz. The BP-L60 will power the DSR-300 for more than 3 hours-the length of the longest DVCAM tape. I have no experience with the BP-L90, but I understand that it will run the DSR-300 for over 4 1/2 hours. For my purposes that would be overkill particularly since it adds more weight.

In addition to being light weight, the lithium ions charge very quickly, under an hour for the BP- L40, about 90 minutes for the BP-L60. You can readily use them before they are fully charged, something that will hurt the performance of nicads over the long run. And they have no memory, so no maintenance. The real question unanswered is durability. The Anton Bauer nicads are a tough act to follow. Only time will tell whether the lithium ion can approach that level of performance. But, so far so good.

In closing, the DSR-300 is a wonderfully complete package which produces the best quality I’ve seen this side of Digital S. Equally important, the DSR-300 is priced right. In what is available in digital format camcorders, it has limited competition. The JVC DY-700, also excellent, is also priced in the $12,000 range. Panasonic (indeed the DVCPRO world) offers nothing to compete with the DSR-300 in this price range. You would probably have to move up to Panasonic's 2/3-inch chip camcorders and pay $15,000 more in order to find comparable quality.

I understand that the DSR-300 has been in very short supply. I just checked with the outlet where I purchased mine: Columbia Audio/Video. They have one DSR-300 in stock. Check with Jim Simpson at 1-800-356-2184 x250 if you are interested. I paid under $11,000 for the system with the Canon 18x lens, three lithium ion batteries and a charger. If you can find one, it is well worth the investment.