Sony DCR-SR80 60GB 1MP Hard Disk Drive Handycam with 12x Optical Zoom

this camera is good with the two exceptions:
1) they should have used avi instead of mpeg2
2) the camera is below DV quality

We bought this camcorder in 2006, it's perfect for us! The hard-drive can store many hours of video and the zoom is great! The 12x zoom is so good that the 1MP still shots can actually look somewhat impressive (but don't get rid of your digital still camera!) I can't imagine how awesome the 25x zoom must be on the new 2007 models. The DCR-SR60 is easy to use, so don't worry if you're not very tech savy. It's simple to transfer video from the hard drive to a PC, and not too tough to burn video onto a DVD with an external DVD burner. Our only complaint is that it sometimes takes a second or 2 for the color to adjust when the light changes, and the video can look a little funky during those times. We don't use the camera in dark areas much, so we've been happy with the overall performance.

This Handycam is Great for only one reason - the 60gb hard disk. It means never having to worry about tapes or DVD etc. It's small and light.

I returned a Sony DVD handycam which malfunctioned within the first 30 days of receiving it and bought the SR80 instead.

I'll focus on the negatives:

a) VERY POOR low light performance. Shooting indoors is a pain. For example - you try to shoot a dance floor in a night club - forget - this camera can't deliver. I am about to purchase the light attachment hoping to alleviate this problem. The only way to get halfway decent low light shots it to shoot in a party mode where the image loses all sharpness.

b) The original lens that comes with this camera ahs a very narrow focus - it's like you have tunnel vision. I bought this in time for my daughter's 6th birthday party and the results were terrible. It was impossible to get a decent shot unless I was at least 10 ft away from the subject - and I am talking about trying to get more than one person in the frame. I bought the wide angle lens for about $40 and this has made a lot of difference. The lens however is not sharp when you have zoomed out to the max. I also found that I cannot use the camera in most conditions without the wide angle lens. Why Sony would sell a camera with such a poor lens is beyond me.

c) Sound is OK. It's supposed to be Dolby Surround. It provides only mono sound with the Bluetooth remote sound attachment.

d) Super night shot is useless beyond a few feet. Trying to shoot our Christmas tree was a nightmare. The wide angle lens also blocks the infrared light that is supposed to light up what ever.

e) 1 mp Digital stills: Why do they even have the option? Results are terrible. There a cell phones which shoot better pictures?

Pros:

1) Image stabilization is excellent.
2) I already mentioned the benefit of having the large hard disk.
3) Good battery life.
4) Nice wide LCD makes it easy to operate even for people with big hands.
5) Easy to navigate interface.
6) Hot shoe for external attachments like additional light and Bluetooth microphone device is necessary.
7) Day light shots are great.

I bought this camera directly from the sony store paid $650 on March 7, 2007. Amazon was selling it for $350 more than what i paid for it. Buy direct from Sony and save. The guy at the counter tried pressure me to buy the extended warranty, i declined. Sale guys make more money selling equipment warranty then the camera itself. Camera works great, i also bought the $20 stand which i use for my sony digital stills camera. You can't go wrong with this product.

Bira Rai

BiraRai

I have used an older Sony 8mm camcorder for years. Nothing digital about it. Transferring tapes to my PC involved a third party converter. I had graduation to go to the next day that I really wanted better quality video of. I looked at the other brands and decided Sony had done me well for years. I liked the features. The hard drive made purchasing and carrying media go away. The camcorder has a more powerful zoom than my old one. The picture quality is great. Battery life is outstanding. 16.9 is great. Moving video to my PC is amazingly fast. After my purchase I saw Sony has a new model DCR-SR82 available soon. It has more zoom and can use memory cards. There is a limit to the amount of zoom you can use. At 800x it's still hard to keep the picture steady with a tripod. The 82 I think has 1000x. I haven't found a lot places to use that much zoom. I was able to get clear up close video of the people speaking at the graduation across a large auditorium with about half the zoom this unit has. The sound was great too. There was a sound system in the auditorium. I have no regrets buying this camcorder. If you intend to record for more than an hour and a half at one event get the larger model 90 something battery and use the one that comes with the unit as your backup. There is the auto settings and then, for the more qualified, many manual settings. There is an infra-red setting for low light video. My final answer; buy this camcorder.