| Article Index |
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| Sony HDR-SR1 AVCHD HDD Handycam Review |
| Page 2: Using the Camera |
| Page 3: Recording and Image Quality |
| All Pages |
Recording and Image Quality:
Whilst I’ve had the camera in my possession I have been making some short clips and playing them back on my PC as well as a 42” Panasonic HD plasma screen (which still can’t display full 1080i HD) and the image quality is outstanding. Because it is an interlaced recording you can see the interlacing sometimes in fast movement, 1080p instead of 1080i would be better suited for LCD and Plasma screens, but still the image is excellent.
This is thanks in a big part to the high quality Carl Zeiss Lens and Sony’s ClearVid CMOS Sensor which is found on most of Sony’s higher-end models these days. The lens gives 10x optical zoom, with the camera able to zoom in another 8x digitally (giving a total of 80x digital zoom), but I, like anyone who wants a decent looking image, would never use digital zoom as it ruins the image significantly, so I didn’t even bother enabling it.
Aside from giving the ability to record in 1080i HD, the SR1 will also take very good quality still images, up to 4.0Megapixel in 4:3 aspect ratio, or a still reasonable 3.0Megapixel in 16:9 AR.
If you want to take (good) photos while recording a movie, you can do it with the SR1, you don’t even need an additional memory stick like many other models (though you can use one if you wish) as it records it all to the hard drive at the same time. Images taken whilst recording video (call Dual Record) are at a lower resolution of 2.3MegaPixel for 16:9 aspect ratio and 1.7MegaPixel for 4:3. Still a very useable resolution and the pictures are of excellent quality. Even at full 10x optical zoom in a florescent lighted office there was no grainy appearance to the image at all, and the image remained crisp and clear. I have seen proper digital still cameras give more vibrant colours, but still images are always a bit of a compromise on a DV Cam, and here they are certainly better than average.
If you need some removable media for your still images the SR1 will accept Memory Stick Duo and Duo Pro flash memory, but you won’t be able to put any video on it, only stills, and no memory stick, not even a small one, is included with the SR1, they must be purchased separately.
A cool feature called ‘smooth slow record’ is built into the SR1, what it does is record at 4 times the usual frame rate for smooth slow motion playback. However, it only records 3 seconds worth of footage (for 12 seconds of playback), so it’d be great for analysing something like a golf swing but sadly not much else.
{mospagebreak title=Page 4: Conclusion}Conclusion:
The HDR-SR1 is a camera so filled with features it’s unlikely you’ll ever get around to using them all, yet it remains simple to use. The widescreen LCD is bright and displays vivid colour, and the touch screen function is easy to use and doesn’t require a special stylus (slender fingers are best however). Takes excellent photos for a camcorder and having the imagery recorded to HDD is excellent, so much better than using removable or optical media.
The only downsides I see are the lack of wind noise reduction and the overall size of the camera. Whilst it’s not a massive or ugly camera, it certainly is bigger and heavier than a lot of its competition, and can get tiresome holding it one handed for long periods of time.
Sony’s RRP for this camera is AU$2299, but can be bought online for under $2k including shipping. Whilst this is a lot more expensive than your bargain basement $400 DV-Cam the features and recording quality of the SR1 make it good value for money.
OzHardware Rating – 9/10
This product can be purchased one at www.techbuy.com.au
Direct Link: http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/67385/.asp
