I would have paid a couple extra dollars more if Sony made a 4 or 5 mega pixel version of this model, however I still believe this is by far the finest hard drive camcorder out there at present, and I am very pleased with it to this point. It's lightweight, compact, has a quality look, feel, and is easier to use than I expected.

Regardless of what you hear from others, USB 2.0 is faster and more standard now than a firewire port when it comes to transfering large size movie mpg files from this camcorder. So there's no need to be concerned about it not having a firewire port.

TECH NOTE: I upgraded my five year old USB 1.1 PC to USB 2.0 by adding a new PCI card with three USB 2.0 ports on it, and then ran an internal usb cord from inside that new card to the inside front of my PC, and plugged it into a new four port USB 2.0 hub (which comes with the pci card as a kit) which then snaps into a vacant drive bay there. It all works perfectly now with easy front bay access and very fast file transfers. The transfer speed difference between USB 1.1 & 2.0 is very substantial, and worth the upgrade if you know what you are doing.

Playback sound quality is very clear and impressively accurate with no camera background noise interferences. The picture quality is perfect at its highest setting on my eight year old S-Video 27" Sony television. The optical zoom is fast, precise, quiet, and adjustable for a slower zoom rate on the fly. The stability of the recorded image is excellent. During playback, the quality of the color, lighting, and motion of the image was very accurate even at dim living room lighting levels.

The LCD screen is a touch sensitive screen, though convenient, will also be subject to smudge and fingerprints and possibly wear over time. It would have been better if there was an additional way to toggle within the setup menus without using the touch screen. If there really is a way to do that, then I haven't discovered it yet. When the LCD screen is not opened, you can still look at those menus through the viewfinder, but there's no way that I could find to scroll/sort through them.

The accompanying battery seems to work well. It doesn't weaken as rapidly as I expected with normal use. It recharges quickly, however it must be done while attached to the camera unless you purchase a separate plugin charger. The camcorder always shows exactly how many minutes are left in the battery life when I was recording, and a higher minutes number when I was simply playing back or configuring the menus. That is very cool. The DVD authoring software that comes with it is minimal at best, but should suffice for standard use.

The ability to customize the internal menus within the camcorder for frequently used commands is a great idea, but I couldn't get it to do it exactly the way I wanted it to. I also would have liked to use that third top level window tabbed menu for my frequently used options rather than a user playlist. I could not find a way to show time remaining in a video clip file during playback. It would have been better if there were additional ways to sort through your recorded media files than only by calendar day (such as by file name).

There are also some other minor areas which can also be improved, but the superiority of the strong points I named more than make up for any of my mentioned nit-picky annoyances. There are also many other strong points about the camcorder that other reviewers here have already touched on.

This is the very first camcorder I ever bought mainly so I can record our new baby's progress, and transfer old vhs tape clips. So I am very glad I waited for this type of model. Even though it's still early, it's been very impressive so far, and I give it five stars.

Advantages:
1. No tapes or mini-DVD's; record straight onto hard drive
2. Many hours on the hard drive, even in HQ
3. Beautiful colors & resolution
4. Easy to delete and edit clips
5. Records standard MPEG video (easily edited/manipulated)

Disadvantages:
1. No firewire output to computer (USB only; see below.)
2. No headphone output
3. Included software easy, but not powerful
4. Comes with cheap composite video cable; premium S-video cable addn'l cost

I've sorely needed a camcorder for some time now, but I also wanted to avoid a future of buying and storing and fiddling with drawers full of tapes or mini-DVs... so I looked into hard-drive camcorders. Reviews of the exisiting hard-drive camcorders out there were quite mixed, at best - problems with image quality, compression, adaptability to video editing software, etc. So I held on, (unfortunately missing the opportunity to film my kid's first birthday and first steps, etc.) and I bought this machine as soon as it was finally released (initially only to Sony stores) in mid-April. It is surpassing my expectations thus far.

I really do like shooting video directly onto a hard drive. I don't have to worry about wasting tape/miniDVD space, running out of tape, or finding the right spot on the right tape, etc., so I find that it really frees me up to shoot video whenever I'm inspired - and just delete (immediately or later) if the clip isn't interesting. Very liberating. Deleting segments is very easy, just as easy as on a typical digital camera. The clips are organized automatically into folders based on date/time, and within each folder, clips are selected for viewing on the touch screen (or via included remote control), referenced graphically by the first frame of each clip. Simple. One can watch/listen to clips on the 2.7" screen (and speaker) integrated into the camcorder, or hook the camcorder up to TV or computer for playback/preview of unedited footage - resolution is excellent on my 40" LCD TV. I was wondering if I'd be disappointed in the resolution on my big screen, especially considering that nice compact high-def camcorders are now in the $1500 and less range (none with hard disk drives, though), but I'm not disappointed at all; video looks great and crisp straight out of the camcorder - especially since using the "premium" S-video cable I bought for about $35 (which should really be included in the package, I think.)

Creating quality DVDs was my real goal, though, ie. sharing the results with family/friends, and creating a long-lasting archive. Using the included software, I've created a first DVD of about 25 minutes of various length segments of video, mostly of my 15-month old daughter running around and being extremely cute. The DVD looks and sounds surprisingly clear and colorful and vibrant, even on my 40" LCD. The included software makes it fairly straightforward to import video from the camcorder's hard drive onto my computer's hard drive, for editing and authoring DVDs of video. It knows which clips have been imported already, and imports only those that are new. One you've decided what you want on the DVD, it comes out with menus and all, very cool. I haven't yet tried the even simpler "easy-DVD" burn feature, as I've been into editing the clips somewhat before putting them on DVD; I don't know what those results look like. Also, for Mac users, the instructions do include some comments about using the footage with Macintosh computers (I haven't tried that yet.)

Shooting with the camcorder is a breeze. Nice slow smooth zooms are possible, and become easy once you get the hang of it. I was worried that there would be a lag time to initiate recording (after pressing the "record" button) but there is none really. It feels pretty good in my hand. I haven't dropped it, and don't plan to, so I can't comment on whether the hard drive fails with trauma.

Some comments:
1. My computer doesn't have USB 2.0 input (which is the standard for the past three yrs or so), and I've had no luck with various adapters, so the lack of firewire output is rather annoying to me personally, and causes importing of clips to my computer to be rather time-consuming (though easy). It seems silly that Sony is abandoning firewire output on this machine, just like Apple has abandoned it on the newest Ipods. Sucks for me; though my computer is a great but oldish HP with fast Pentium 4 processing, it only has USB 1.1 support. For most of you, though, importing via USB 2.0, it should be quite fast.
2. Sound recording is very good, but I wish the camcorder had a headphone port. Oh, well. Perhaps it's a blessing, as now I have no reason to plug my head into headphones all the time.
3. The included software is really nice for getting the video from camcorder to computer, but editing is primitive at best. I'm waiting for my video editing software suite to arrive at my door (I chose Sony Vegas Platinum, based on reviews); I hope it works well. Compatibility should not be a problem, as the video files are saved, on my computer, as MPEG video files, which are a fairly standard platform.
4. You'll be tempted (like me) to start buying software and accessories (mic, extra battery, new computer with superfast processing speeds, etc.) so save a few hundred (or thousand) for those. Included battery lasts for almost 2 hours of use.

Overall a very nice machine, with a lot going for it. I'm very happy to own it, and I'm using it frequently with minimal problems thus far. I wish it had firewire output and a headphone jack, but it's great even without it.

My seven year old Sony DCR-PC100 miniDV camcorder is beginning to show signs of wear, so I figured it was time to buy a backup unit. I didn't want to relive the miniDV tape experience for two reasons: the multi-step and time consuming DVD transfer process and the inability to instantly access particular portions of the tape. I briefly considered DVD camcorders, but I don't trust their reliability (I'd hate to spend all day on a wedding video and then lose my footage to "finalization failure"). I also don't like the limited and tedious DVD editing process and I can't live with 30-minute recording times (I occasionally like to set my camcorder up for long-term unattended recording). The Sony SR100 appears to be the perfect solution. I can burn footage to DVD with the click of a button, or I can edit and then burn (the supplied "ImageMixer" software is pretty basic, but adequate for my needs). I can also access any of my clips instantly, as is the case with any hard drive. Of course I don't know yet how reliable the HD will be, but I've put a lot of mileage on a lot of hard drives and haven't had one fail yet. With the optional NP-FP90 battery, the Sony will record (unattended) for 7.5 hours - in HQ mode! You could actually use it as a baby monitor cam. The NP-FP60 battery that came with the unit is providing about 2.5 hours of operating time. In terms of video resolution, sound and color, the SR100 is exceptional...clearly superior to my DCR-PC100. I would label still picture quality as "very good", but I won't be using that feature much. The zoom rocker is smooth and easy to use. The viewfinder is bright and clear. The menus are intuitive. I didn't think I'd like the touch screen, but I do. One nice feature is being able to designate which area of the scene you want to spot meter (or focus) on by simply touching that part of the screen. So far, I love this camcorder and would recommend it without reservation.

Addendum: The battery times I gave earlier are for "playback", not record. The supplied battery (NP-FP60) should provide about 1.5 hours of recording time and the NP-FP90, about 4.5 hours.

I am very happy with the new camcorder. Buy one. I had first ordered a Panasonic VDR-D300 Mini DVD camcorder. It used the small DVDs and only stored 18 minutes on each one. Reading the manual told me I did not want that camera, so I returned it for Amazon (I love their service) and purchased the Sony-SR100
br /
br /I took practice shots outside and inside, zoomed in and out, took close ups of flowers both in wide angle where you can get to 1/2 inch away and telephoto that you must be 2 feet away. Everything was always in perfect focus.
br /
br /Each scene shows up on the LCD as a thumbnail. You can play time all or anyone of them, you can play the last scene instantly after you take it and delete if you want. You can make a play list by selecting only those scenes you want to play, and if you want you can rearrange the scenes in any order you want. Still pictures also are shown as thumbnails. You select which one you want to see.
br /
br /This is all done on the LCD screen, which is a touch screen.
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br /I then plugged into my 60 inch TV and played the pictures. They were crystal clear. MUCH better than those still pictures I took in Africa with my 6 Mega pixel Minolta. Those look good on computer, or printed, but not so hot on TV.
br /
br /I then plugged the camera into laptop and made a DVD of all the scenes on the hard drive without loading them into the computer first. I then played the DVD on the TV and it was the same as when directly from the camera
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br /I then imported all the images camcorder hard drive into the computer and edited them. You can delete or edit them as you wish. Each scene shows as a thumbnail and you can play each one. You can also cut out frames or a group of frames.
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br /Great camera and easy to use. I figured out all of the above in about an hour.
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br /If a person does not wish to edit, then you just point and shoot and put all the unedited pictures on a DVD and that is it.
br /
br /The 30 gig hard drive will hold 7 hours of pictures, so that is more than enough for a long trip. I have two lithium batteries that each last about 120 minutes. They recharge in two hours. As you take pictures the readout is always showing you how much time you have left on the battery.
br /
br /I am sure on my travels I will be taking mostly video and also still pictures with my 6 megapixle camera but a lot less of those than before.
br /
br /This camera also takes still pictures and it also has a flash. They seem to be good quality when viewed on the TV.
br /
br /For pictures when it is very dark, it has an infrared light. I have not tested that.
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br /This is an amazing product, and I find dealing with Amazon to be the best. I had one price for this camera $300 less, but when I tried to buy it, they called and asked if I wanted the parts other than the body. They tried to offer it to me complete for $100 less then Amazon, but after that sad experience, I did not want to do business with them.
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I found this camcorder works great with a Mac -- but you have to download and install two pieces of software first: (1) MPEG Streamclip for Mac OS X, which is free. Do an Internet search for the URL. (2) the MPEG-2 codeck for Quicktime form the Apple online store ($20); Quicktime Pro ($30) might also be required--not sure. I already have it. After installing both pieces of software, connect to the camcorder through the USB connection. The camcorder will show up as a hard drive "No Name." Find your video files on "No Name" and drag them to your Mac. Then use Steamclip to open your movie files. I use these settings: compressor h264 when converting to either .mov or mpeg-4. I get beautiful results.

The camcorder itself is great to use. Video is high quality. Even the 120 X digital zoom was not really so bad. The sound is terrific. Menus are easy to navigate, but I tend to forget where some settings are. Am getting better with practice.

First of all great Camcorder. Quality is great even in low light. Transfer to my PC is easy and quick. Overall the best camcorder I've used.
br /
br /So why 3 stars? Simple, Sony has a poor policy when it comes to replacement batteries. Basically in the new models that are being shipped their HDD camcorders will only run on OEM batteries. Even if the battery is compatible and works after 10 seconds an error message comes up and says ... .."Use the InfoLithium Battery Pack"
br /
br /Although the battery exceeds specification of Sony and is would work fine I contacted Sony directly and they told me they are no longer allowing non-OEM batteries with their HDD camcorders.
br /
br /Poor decision. I will have to purchase one of their replacement batteries because it is honestly a great camcorder but be advised that you'll be paying a premium for additional components.
br /
br /If anyone knows a work around for this I would love to hear it. I purchased the non-OEM battery through batteryheads.com on Amazon.

I am more than satisfied with my new DCR-SR100. It has exceeded my expectations. It is very easy to use and the video quality is very good. The still camera quality is not as good, but I didn't buy this camera to take still photos. I highly recommend this camera.

We ordered a camcorder online, from another website before our 3 month old was born. It took over a month to get to us, and when it arrived - all the accessories where in the box - BUT NO CAMERA~! Horrified we called - and the company blamed UPS! We waited and waited - and finally just asked for a refund. We decided to wait for this Sony after all the reviews we read online. My husband bought this for Mother's day. This was a breeze through Amazon - and upon opening the box and turning the camera on - we were amazed. The on screen function to navigate is wonderful! Like a digital camera! We put our daughter to bed before I opened the gift. The lights were out. I wanted to film her right away. So I laughed that the camera has Night Vision - and as soon as I said that I looked at the camera and there beside the LCD was a little button for Night Vision (how easy was that!!!) The functions offered on the screen touch are as easy to scroll through as your cell phone!! The playback feature on the screen is as easy to use as recording. The surround sound is a wonderful addition (have read that the blue tooth microphone is wonderful for plays and events!! but a little pricey) We love the all around ease and user friendliness of this camera!

This is my first camcorder. I've waited patiently for the last two years until I found a camcorder that fit my needs:
-Compact
-No new media to deal with
-Easy to use
-good video quality
-nice assortment of accessories ie. water housing, wa lens, and bluetooth mic

I waited for the first set of user reviews to come in, then I ordered mine from Adorama (at about $100 less than Amazon). I received the camera two days ago and so far have been very impressed with how user friendly it is.

First, I really like the 16:9 ratio, the backlight button and the user friendly way the lcd buttons work with the camera. The spot focus/metering seem to work very well and it can all be done on the fly while recording w/ three taps of the lcd. There is also additional record and zoom buttons located on the outside of the lcd which will allow you to record and zoom even if you're not holding the camera in a standard way. It is also very easy to organize your clips in camera w/ playlists and the transfer to the computer is intuitive and very simple.

Picture quality is above average (about what I expected)and if all of this is still above your head, there is an easy mode which I don't think I will be using.

All in all I'm very happy with my purchase.

This camera is so perfect for taking along family vacations. The quality is superb, compression quality is definitely good. There are some aliasing that's noticable, though.
It's very easy to use, I can let my [...] cousin use it and not worry about her breaking it.
Image stabilization is not perfect, though, so when panning you need to be real stable. Or else use tripod.
Of course the plus point is its hard drive, definitely more than enough for my purposes so far. File transfers is uber-fast, 5GB via USB 2.0 in under 5 minutes (it's about 1GB/minute). The files are easily editable. Drops fine into Premiere Pro 2; I haven't even bothered using the software that came with the camera.

THe DCR-SR100 Sony Hard Drive camcorder is an excellent choice. I was worried about the reviews on similar models made by JVC so I decided to go with the Sony. I've used it for about a week now and can't say I have any worries. It's an excellent product with great features. My wife wanted a point and shoot camera and camcorder in-one unit, and I wanted something that would handle all our needs. This camcorder does the trick.

So far the quality of the video and audio is outstanding. The Dolby surround-sound microphone along with the Carl Zeiss lens make an amazing combination. And I am soooooooo glad I got a digicam with a hard disk - so much faster and easier to download, while allowing 7 hours of high-quality video without changing anything. I would recommend people buy a spare battery so you can have one charging while using the other one, especially if you're planning on taking many hours of video at once. The software only lets you cut parts of scenes out - it does not do much else We will probably get other software to be able to insert titles for each scene when we create the DVD.

I've finally found a camcorder that I really enjoy using and best of all I don't have to buy additional media i.e. MiniDV Tapes, DVD's. IMO, I believe that flash memory for digital cameras killed off most film needs for the average consumer and I think that Hard Drives will do the same for camcorders.
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br /The DCR-SR100 is much better than my previously owned HDD camcorder, the DCR-SR60. The increased imager size really helps out in the low light conditions. The camcorder is similar in size to the SR60 and both are very light and easy to handle. The SR100 has a built in flash and much better resolution for stills than the SR60. The SR100 also has the upgraded Zeiss T* lens which has a special coating for increased light diffusion performance. One big difference is that the SR100 has a viewfinder and the SR40, SR60 and SR80 do not, this can prove invaluable in very bright, daylight situtions. The picture quality is great in the day and very good in the low light conditions.
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br /This Camcorder is really marketed for the ease-of-use consumer, much of what I am. Many people complain about the camcorder's heavily relied upon touchscreen and menu interface. For me, its not a big deal; I set everything up and then use it as a point-and-shoot camcorder.
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br /Zoom is adequate for this camera 10x optical and 120x digital, never liked digital zoom as it always looked grainy and seems useless to me.
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br /I'm not too hot on Sony's proprietary "Active Interface Shoe" that only accepts Sony attachments i.e. camcorder lights, microphones, etc. It appears that this is Sony's business strategy for everything they do i.e. memory sticks, Beta, Minidisc, etc. I have Sony's wireless bluetooth attachment and it works without any problems.
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br /The software included is very easy to use but appears limited in it editing capabilities. I burn directly onto the VRD-MC3 without any problems.
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br /One issue for people who live or visit places located at exremely high altitudes is that the hard drive can fail if the air density gets too low. There is a little disclaimer in the manual of this. My understanding is that because the hard drive requires air pressure to work correctly that at very high altitudes, the air pressure falls and hard drive implodes. Several mountain climbers, skiiers, snowboarders and pilots (of small non-pressurized cabins) can tell you that their hard drive based mp3 players have failed for these reasons.
br /
br /Hope this helps

I bought this camera with the blue tooth microphone option for a little more than a month. The following are my quick assessments:
br /
br /*I bought this camera because it is a hard drive version.
br /*The camera did not perform to my expectation from Sony.
br /*The video quality is good but I seen better with old tape model.
br /*Still pictures are ok, but this is a video camera. Many 3M pixels digital camera produces better still pictures.
br /*Sometimes auto focus did not work; I have to zoom in and out a few times for it to work.
br /*The zoom button feels flimsy, I am concern that it would break.
br /*Sony should give better software with this camera.
br /*The battery has to be charged with the camera plug in, external charger is an option.
br /*The blue tooth microphone is a plus; it is very clear. Great to record school events where the kids are up on stage and the camera is way at the back of the theater (which sometimes can be very noisy).
br /*There are two settings with the microphone: it can be set as a center channel which the microphone at the camera as the surrounding channels or only on by itself (and it can be turning off completely).
br /*Can plug in a head phone into the microphone blue tooth receiver at the camera, good option in a noisy environment and you can actually hear the sound at the remote microphone which is very clear.
br /
br /It is a good camera. I do not have any experience with any other hard drive model for comparison.
br /

I specifically bought this HDD videocam to streamline the process of creating and sending DVDs of our daughter to her grandmother who lives across the country. With the ease of recording onto a spacious medium (i.e., no messing with tapes or DVDs) and the simplicity of transferring the results to my PC and DVD, this is a first-rate product.

Hi
br /
br /This is a nice camera , very easy to use , record , play and make DVD's.But there seems to be an inherent problem with the LCD display.Mine stopped working after a week.As every operation is using the LCD touch screen ., you cannot do anything without the display.
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br /SO , its a nice camera , if it works. Take a chance.
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br /I googled after the camera failed , then i saw lot of complaints , i wish i had done that before buying.
br /
br /regards
br /Anand

This camera works great. The picture quality is amazing, even when played in a high definition TV. Burning into a DVD was a breeze. Many people complain about the included editing software, but I liked it. It gets right to the point, which is passing your memories on to a DVD. If you are looking for a state-of the art video editing software, then do get something else. But if all you want is a simple way to burn your videos and don't want to mess with editing video on a computer, then the included image mixer software works fine.
br /
br /Here's the bad stuff:
br /Within two weeks and for no particular reason, the camera refused to focus. Zooming in or out did not make a difference. An error message came out on the screen. the owner's manual identified it as a malfunction that could not be fixed, so I sent it back. Sony must have problems with their zooming technology on all their cameras because that same thing happened to my cybershot digital camera, only it did it 3 years later instead of two weeks. The camera sounds like it has a motor stuck on first gear and it will just not zoom at all. This is the second time it happens to me, so I'm just going to stay away from Sony cameras. I'm lucky that this happened to me while I still had time to get a refund. It's sad because, again, Sony's picture quality and ease of use get shadowed by these kinds of malfunctions. If you do decide to get a Sony camera, get some kind of service plan or extended warranty! You'll need it!

I have been looking at the hard drive camcorders since they came on the market. I wanted something that was very easy to transfer to a computer without swapping media in and out. I waited until they had a little while to shake out (its been about a year now). I've heard many picture quality problems with the JVC line. I was considering the lower line of Sony's but went with this model because of the 3MP CCD. The camera is easy to use. The touchscreen works well and I leave most settings to their 'Easy' (default) settings. The still photo's are excellent. The microphone is very sensitive which is good. Low light, indoor shots were weak until I got a supplemental hot shoe light. It is very nice to just shoot and go and not worry about capacity. I had no problems with the battery running out so have not yet gotten a second battery as some have suggested. I have yet to use the video editing software but, given prior reviews and from what little I've used it, I expect to get a different package.
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I bought this camcorder couple of months back and Life is really cool. I had a sony hi-8 prior to this. What a bif relief from tapes. Also the t* lens is awesome. I see a huge difference in the picture quality. The s/w that comes with sony is not that great but still copying from handycam to my laptop is a breeze. when it comes to still pictures the 3 MP photos were great when compared with a canon s500 5 mega pixel camera, maybe cos of the t* lens. One thing this handycam misses is the ability to take still pictures while recording. But you know this is first a handycam. So i am ok with it.
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br /I dont think i need to purchase another handycam in 5 years.

Great camcorder, great quality photos and video. User friendly, and the touch screen is a plus, but a word or warning, the software is less than good. You need to purchase 3rd party software to be able to utilize the easy burn features easily or end up using tons of dvd-r to store your video. There are no options to compress files.

I have had this camcorder for three months now; got it from amazon along with the bluetooth mic. I am impressed by the image quality and its overall features. When i bought this, i knew that it used MPEG2 but assumed easy conversion to mp4... oh boy, how wrong i was! As others have mentioned, MPEG2 is a very lossy compression and it is also a proprietary format, so you need to shell out more bucks to get good transcoders.
br /another big issue i have with the camera is the lack of an external mic input; i frequently record small live concerts - it is not possible to use the stereo output from the mixer for audio. The next best (very bad) option is to place the wireless microphone near a speaker - that obviously has severe limitations like mono only, external noise etc.
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br /Overall, the camera is a good buy, if you are dealing with very amateur home movies; not for any kind of editing/audio recording.
br /I have no opinion about the software provided as i work on a mac.

The DCR-SR100 is an easy to use camcorder without the worry of carrying around tapes or DVD's. The 30GB capacity is more than enough for the average vacation and if you carry a laptop you can always clean out the HD to the laptop. The sound and video quality are great (watch out for those background comments, the camera will pick them up!) and the touch screen is adequate and easy to get used to.My only complaints are the short battery life with the standard battery and the lack of a built in light. There is a light that functions as a flash in camera mode, but filming in low light situations is not recommended unless you use the nightshot feature which films with IR not in color. I highly recommend upgrading to a larger capacity battery to reduce recharging breaks although the camera does recharge in less than 2 hours.

I purchased this camcorder less than 2 months ago. Overall I am happy with the performance of this product.
br /1. The video recording is very nice in the daylight or in bright light but tends to deteriorate in the low light surroundings. I wish an in-built flashlight would have been there.
br /2. The audio recording is superb (havent tried the bluetooth microphone yet). The in-built speakers play the audio fairly well.
br /3. The picture quality for still images, as expected, is not great because its just 3MP. So, dont expect too much from the still images, especially, if taken in dark or low light surrondings.
br /4. The optical zoom makes the picture quality appear grainy after 7x or 8x of zooming. The performance is fairly good when recording a video but worsens for still images.
br /5. I love the touchscreen and the vast menu options.
br /6. 30GB of hard disk space is enormous which is one of the primary reasons I purchased this camcorder

I bought this camera through Amazon as soon as it was released by Sony last year. I've lugged it all over western Europe as well as right here at home in the good 'ol USA and all I can say is it has performed FLAWLESSLY! One of the huge advantages it has over some of the other brands is the fact that it HAS A VIEWFINDER! Doesn't sound like a big deal but shooting in reflective bright daylight can render the screen pretty near useless; not the camera's fault. Just the nature of the screen. The touch-screen controls are simple to use and arranged logically. Definately buy a higher capacity battery than the one supplied; you'll be needing it!

I bought this camera mid november. It was very easy to use and does a fine job with regards to picture quality. I have not done any editing as yet hence I cannot comment on that. The reason for the one star rating is that even though I have used this camcorder carefully and minimally, last week the lcd screen became very dim. I had to use the viewfinder whilst recording. I looked up the sonywebsite for help and followed the few hints they gave to no avail. the backlight is on, the screen brightness is all the way up etc. I called sony several times but couldn't actually talk to anyone due to waittimes of atleast 20 minutes. I looked up their site on recalls etc and they admit that several of their models have had issue with the LCD screen. My camcorder is not on this list but I'm sure they'll update the list real soon. Some problem with the CCD. Its hard to use the camcorder with only the viewfinder when all the commands are on the touch screen LCD which is so dim that you can't see IT!!! Nice job Sony!

This is my 4th sony, and I've had zero complaints and repairs in ten years. To me they have the best functionality, clarity and dependability when it comes to camcorders. This one however, is over the top, even for sony. It's more like a recording studio. I've only had it two weeks, so I still haven't figured out all the advanced configurations and editing. But from what I've seen so far, if you're itching to upgrade, this is the model to choose. Well worth the money.

I received this camcorder in time for Christmas. I'm extremely happy with the product. Video is crisp and the motion control is great. I really like the ability to take the old VHS-C tapes from our old camcorder and be able to record them directly onto the Sony DCR-SR100 and record them to DVD in just a few easy steps. No video capture card needed. The camcorder has not given me any trouble at all in the two months I've had it. The night shot function is really cool, and the pictures it takes are not bad either. I would recommend a HDD camcorder over any of the others, including the DVD camcorders, just because I don't have to worry if I have any blank media, and no worries of recording over tapes. Just grab it and shoot, no looking around for media. I only wish that it had a 12-20x optical zoom like the lower models have, though 10x is sufficient for what I use it for.

I've had the Sony DCR-SR100 for about 1 month now. Needless to say I am very happy with this purchase. No tapes. No mini disks. No worry about running out of disk space. I also got a great price on Amazon. The only thing that could be improved is the speed in which it downloads video to a computer/dvd. Other than that, its a great buy.

This camcorder's quality and features far exceed my JVC Evario 3CCD's quality and features, plus it cheaper. But I'm returning it in favor of my inferior JVC Everio GZ-MC500 because it's too heavy and bulky. Also, it's obviously a camcorder, whereas the JVC looks like a still image camera which has allowed me to videotape people when they thought that they were being photographed (they act more natural).
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br /I am so disappointed that Sony could not make this camcorder more compact. For now, I'll have to just wait for technology to advance to where they can create the JVC-sized camcorder with Sony's HD line quality. *sad face*

The camcorder meets or exceeds my expectations. Great picture, clear sound, the touch screen controls are great for someone who would otherwise need to use eyeglasses to read and use the small buttons on other cameras. This system also allows for cascading menus.
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br /The down side?
br /The camera only records sound in a Dolby format. This cannot be dissabled. When one uses the USB cable to download movies, the sound cannot be played with normal Windows movie programs, it must be converted with the included software.
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br /The included software is pretty basic and non-intuitive for Windows users. It could stand some improvement.

What attracted my wife and I to this is the large, 30GB hard drive. She takes *tons* of movies daily of our twin babies, and we still only have to clear the hard drive about once every three months.
br /
br /Also, since it uses a hard drive, I love the speed and versatility you get when transferring movies. The included software allows you to burn everything to DVD with literally just a press of a button...it even compensates for when your movies span multiple DVDs. Perhaps the best part here is that you are not bound to buying custom/proprietary mini DVDs or tapes to take your movies...only to spend even more money copying those to a DVD, VHS tape, etc., just to be able to view them or make a backup.
br /
br /A little tip...when you back up your movies, ALWAYS back up to multiple places, and preferably multiple media. (Because if you are a new dad, the LAST thing you want to do is lose the pictures/movies of a new mom's babies!!)
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br /For example, I have an external USB hard drive that I plug into my computer to make a backup of everything on the camcorder. After that, I use the one-button feature to burn to DVD. (I generally don't back up directly to my computer, since that will just clog up the hard drive rather quickly.) Then, to keep the DVDs organized, I use the Casio CW-100 CD Label Printer...very quick and easy to use.
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br /This "multi-factor" backup approach will give you a comfortable safety net, so that if your kids want to be cute and hold a really strong magnet to your backup hard drive (essentially erasing it), you still have your DVDs. And if they want to see what happens when they hold a lighter to the DVDs, you still have your hard drive backup. :-)
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br /One thing that isn't the greatest is that the camcorder runs ONLY on its battery. Plugging it in just charges the battery, as opposed to charging the battery in parallel with powering the camcorder. (So basically, if your battery is dead, you have to wait until it is charged enough to use again.)
br /
br /Furthermore, there is no charger for the battery (at least none that comes with it)...it has to be attached to the camcorder to charge...so you can't just buy another battery to have easy, continuous use.
br /
br /But even with these minor deficiencies, this is still the best camcorder on the market. It is certainly one of the pricier ones, but it is worth every penny since in the end, it saves you money from all the other junk you'd otherwise have to buy.

This is a great camera, I have had it a couple of years now and it has been great. Battery life is outstanding, sturdy build and great options. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is (a) it does not have a manual focus button on the case (its buried in menus) and (b) it does not have a memory card slot. I believe the new models have addressed both of these issues.

I bought this video camera because I desired a neat, tidy way of storing digital videos. It is very good for that. And I also used it to copy a VHS onto DVD. Didn't know I'd appreciate that capability as much as I do. The microphone is exceptional and the video quality even in low-lighting is pretty good. I struggle getting great stills with it though - the delay between clicking the button and actual capture is too long for my liking. Maybe there is a setting to address that - I'm still learning my camera. I also find that with my hand under the safety strap, using the buttons is awkward and not comfortable. Red-eye has been a chronic problem for me. There is a way to prevent it, but you have to remember to set the setting for it first - and I never do until it's too late. Great product over all. Software does the job but not with any sophistication.

This is a dream come true for me. I have been looking for a video camra and still camera all in one for a long time. Thank you Sony!! The video is great and easy to transfer to PC with software and the stills are great also. A must buy for an all in one unit!! The down side is that Sony has dicontinued the product?? Get it while you can.

Simple to use for amateurs. No more video tapes or clumsy mini-DVD's. I would recommend to buy a DVD burner with this to put all of your video on.

I really love this product and i got it at a great price.

We love this camera. It is easy to use and we love the videos.

I bought this in preparation for a new baby my wife and I were having. The image quality is fantastic! It really does take great videos, not grainy at all. I've read so many bad reviews of other hard drive camcorders I wasn't sure if I wanted to get one or not, but this was a great purchase. Very easy to use, the software isn't as bad as everyone says it is. It's not great, but not bad. Overall a great way to keep memories of our new baby.

I've enjoyed learning to use the Sony HDD camcorder. The controls are very intuitive. The video and still image quality is excellent.

I have really enjoyed this camcorder. The sound quality is much better than any camcorder I have used before. It is very easy to use; every member of my family can operate it. I am also pleased with the still shots even at 3MP. There are no tapes to buy or keep track of and downloading the images is a snap. The camcorder is relatively expensive (it's a Sony) but it has been well worth the money. I was suprised at how small and lightweight the camcorder is. This camcorder is fantastic.

If you are looking for a Digital Video/Still camera that will release you from the worries of disposable media, then look no further - this cams for you! I have been using it since the day I got it and let me tell you I could not be happier. The only one item thats a little annoying is that you need to turn on the red eye setting to make it available, and because of the many features, it's sometimes hard to find. I also keep resetting the camera somehow and loosing that setting, but thats about the only issue I have encountered. The Easy DVD burns content to a DVD with just a click of the button! I have the Sony DVDirect DVD burner, which is a GREAT complimentary item to have with any Sony media product.
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br /Thumbs up to Sony on yet another success!!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this camcorder! I have never been so happy with a camera purchase in my life! The hard drive aspect makes "capturing" to your editing software a snap! I am doing some work with a miniDV camera for my church and I am so frustrated about having to wait for the whole thing to capture real time...with this Sony it literally takes SECONDS to transfer files from the camera to your computer!
br /This camera has allowed me to become a "cinematographer extraordinaire"!!! It takes beautiful footage and is very portable! I can even carry it with me in my purse (I recommend a camera bag though ;o)). The touch screen is easy to use, and there is another zoom button available on the other side of the camera (my biggest fear was that I was going to need to use the touch screen to zoom...but that isn't the case).
br /I really really love this camera and recommend it to all my friends and family for home videos as well as professional purposes (I use it for webcast footage, business meeting footage and amateur film production footage). I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! I give this camcorder two thumbs up!
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This is my very first video camera, so maybe I am a little bit ignorant on this matter.
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br /To make it short: The camera itself is great, easy to operate, clear images, sufficient battery time, more than sufficient recording time.
br /
br /You can also easily plug the camera into a TV, and whatch your video recordings nicely on the "big screen".
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br /But then you load down to a DVD (very easy), and what you get is a bunch of MPEG2 files, which on the DVD stop at the end of each file for a short time, and then break, before the next file starts. This is not a video, this is a "slide show" of individual scenes. Very, very disappointing.
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br /I don't know what to do. This is not what I expected from a video camera, especially when it offers "easy download direct to DVD".
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br /Do I have to edit these MPEG files, and how can I make them come together to a "whole" video without these annoying stops? The operating manual does not offer help. except that it states in a single sentence that, yes, you have these stops at the end of each file when watching the DVD.

After reading the reviews of this and similar camcorders, I knew that the features were far-and-away, light years ahead of the JVC and any camera in its price range. Thankfully, this was accurate and it has outperformed anything I have seen to-date. The picture quality is beautiful in all but poor lighting; the sound quality is excellent and it's simple enough that my 6-year old makes videos all the time. I am not exaggerating. This is how intuitive the DCR SR100 is. Extremely fast startup keeps you from missing those precious moments.
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br /Overall, an outstanding value. Get one!

I got the camera today and was pleased to be able to take movies in my living room at night, lit only by two floor lamps. Despite the low light, which my DSLR could not handle at all without a flash (camera meeter reading of 1/5th of a second at f4 and ISO 400), I got good color on the video.
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br /This camera has a relatively large chip - 1/3rd of and inch compared to 1/6th of an inch for many other cameras. That helps it get good colors and clear pictures in ordinary indoor light.
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br /This is a camcorder for those who like auto, as most controls are buried within menus. It could use a few more buttons, dials and controls on the surface.
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br /

I have had this unit for almost a month. It is a replacement to my old 8mm Sony Camcorder. The Hard drive recording is very convenient. The recorded video was nice clear. The built-in image stabilizer was great. It was the right decision to purchase this one rather than the DVD base camcorder. I was able to record a complete 1.5 hours of soccer game without having to change the DVD disc. The still picture was not as great as a stand alone digital camera. Without the docking station, viewing, or transfering recorded video was kind of a hassle. Overall, I am happy with the unit even though it is a little pricey compared to the JVC brand.

I like this camera so far. Its really our first experience with a video camera. Its very easy to use. The software is easy to use to transfer the video to the computer. I HATE the software, if you can call it that, to edit the video. I'm going to have to go buy some. The sound quality is wonderful. It picks things up very lifelike. The video quality is good and it has a nite shot feature that works in total darkness. We are going to buy a light for it and I expect that will improve the semi dark recording. I didn't like the idea of a touch screen but after using it its very convient. Overall a nice camera but I wish it came with better software.

it's just a little bit heavy and I think you'll need to get and extra battery.

I bought this SR 100 two months ago and I have taken many videos of my new born. The video is beyond excellent. I changed the settings to LP because the files are so big. 5 min of recording I get a 1/4 gig file size!!
br /As far as the digital still pictures I was very disappointed. It is a 3.0 MP and I expected to do as good as any 3.0 mp camera especially that it has a special lens. I think it has do to with the type of processing that is not up to speed. From reading the reviews and sony's website, it sounded that the 3.0mp is amazing but to come to find out it sucks. I was hoping this replaced my 4.0 MP c-4000 Olympus but that is not the case. I carry both with me. Anytime I need to take a digital photo, I pull out my c-4000 and anytime I need a video, I pull my SR-100.
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br /Sony, Please improve on your still pictures. I was hoping to use only one unit for both my video and still!
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br /Thanks
br /Frank
br /Houston TX
br /

This camera is very easy to use and takes gorgeous video. We haven't had a chance to really put it through its paces yet, but from what we've done so far, it's a standout.
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br /The quality is impressive. Menus are intuitive and easy. The touch screen, which I didn't think I'd like, is more functional than I anticipated. Best of all, no more tapes!

Took me 3 1/2 hours to get software installed (instructions are BAD - had to fiddle around for a LONG time to finally get software installed). Once installed, I copied movies to computer hard drive. Guess what? No sound. Burned to DVD - put in DVD player - NO SOUND. This camera has sorely disappointed. Its virtually useless.

The camera is very easy to use. The only problem I've had was with the software it came with. I really needed a manual for the software in order to know how to burn DVD's etc. Other than that, the picture quality is outstanding. I'm really glad I bought it.

Resolution is very good, sound is acceptable, you don't have to carry tapes, etc. BUT, editing your movies is a nightmare! The software provided is almost useless, I have tried with Ulead's MovieFactory 6 Plus and with Windows Movie Maker with no results, and finally I could do some editing with Adobe's Premiere 3.0, but the final product is somehow jerky, as if the speeds of the PC and that of the DVD player were different,no matter what I do, and the most you can get is a 30 minute or so movie; beyond that you will need a super PC to do it. Should I have known these facts I would have purchased a mini DV model.

This camcorder does capture good video. But the main drawback is that it records in MPEG2 format (DVD quality). Initially its nice and easy to capture video and watch it on your computer by downloading the files using the USB 2.0 connection. It gives you instant gratification. But after capturing 4 or 5 hours of video, you will notice that your videos aren't so great as you expect it to be. Its not the fault with your camcorder. Its because all of us shoot extra footage, unwanted scenes, shakes, etc which we want to edit. You may want to add a title or two, add transitions, add backgroud music, combine your photos with the video, etc. Basically you may want to edit your footage. Its here when you find the major drawback of this camcorder. The MPEG2 quality video is not good for editing. The video quality is so compressed that you won't have sufficient bandwidth to edit the video.
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br /MPEG2 is a LOSSY compression technique used to compress large video files into smaller files that can be fit into a 4 GB or 8 GB DVD. Since the camcorder compresses the video and then writes to the hard disk, the source file that you download to your computer is already compressed and has lost much of its data during the compression. If you edit this already compressed file, you lose more data during the process thus resulting in poorer video quality.
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br /When you edit these videos, add some transitions or special effects, increase/decrease brigthness or noise, etc, the newly edited video loses further clarity and thus makes your video look ugly and pixelated.
br /
br /In summary please don't buy this camcorder if you are serious about your videos and would like to edit them. But if you are not bothered about editing and want to watch your unedited footage forever, then go for it.
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br /That said, if you still think you want to go for this camcorder, please read the review on its other features:
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br /1. Super NightShot Infrared System: Not a useful feature. Its amazining to initially see how this camcorder is able to "see" using infrared light. But the moment you shoot your subject using infrared light, you never want to shoot again as they will appear like devils when shot using this infrared light. Remember infrared footage appears almost black-and-white and not color. And the subject's eyes really look like devil.
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br /2. 2.7-inch wide SwivelScreen LCD display with touch panel capabilities: . Its a good feature if you always want to shoot in widescreen. In fact I would suggest you to shoot in widescreen only as all future TVs and current LCD/Plasma TVs are widescreen. You can future proof your video by shooting widescreen.
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br /3. Digital still photos: Please don't rely on this feature. The best photos from this camcorder as as good as the worst photos from any popular digital camera. Technology has still not matured to the point where a camcorder can shoot as good as a digital camera and vice versa. Megapixels alone are not enough to shoot good pictures. This camera has 3 MP CCD. But the photos come out only as good as an old 1 MP digital camera.
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br /4. 10x optical/120x digital zoom: Optical zoom is very good. You can handle upto 10X optical zoom without a tripod. Any more zoom requires the use of a tripod. Don't use the digital zoom feature. Turn it off. As mentioned above, MPEG2 compression already makes the video bad in quality. The digital zoom further makes it worst.
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br /5. Professional-quality Carl Zeiss lens: Yes its good. The image quality is truly great. No doubt about it.
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br /6. Super SteadyShot picture stabilization system: Good enough to avoid small vibrations caused when going on a ship for example. But not good enough for the shakes encountered when walking with the camcorder. Don't expect to get great footage in such conditions. For great footage, you must still rely on a steady hand or a tripod.
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br /7. On-screen zoom and record buttons: Not an useful feature. The camcorder tends to shake more when you use these zoom buttons on the LCD because the LCD is always projecting outside when shooting video. Hence you shake the camcorder more when you touch the LCD than when you touch the camcorder's body.
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br /8. USB 2.0 interface: Good interface. Fast enough to download 30 GB in 1.5 hours. Firewire interface would have been great. But USB 2.0 is also good enough
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br /9. Image Mixer Software: Very useless software. The free Picasa software from Google is far better in organizning your videos and pictures than the software that comes with this camera. Forget about this software.
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br /10. InfoLithium battery with AccuPower meter system: Great battery life. I could shoot for upto 1 hour 20 minutes with one battery. Remember we always don't shoot continously in everyday life. We turn the camcorder on and off repeatedly when shooting. This battery last for 1 hour 20 minutes during normal shooting as explained above. If you shoot continously you may get longer battery life.
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br /11. DVDDirect compatibility: This feature allows you to directly burn your video and photos to DVD. I don't think this is a very useful feature. Its always better to download to computer, and burn only the good files and photos to DVD instead of burning all of them.
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br /Overall summary. Buy this camcorder only if you are not serious about editing the videos. Its a good buy for point-and-shoot-and-view pleasure only. In my opinion, a mini-DV camcorder (DCRHC42 for example) is still a better bet than a DVD or hard drive based model. The only inconvenience in a mini-DV model is that you have to be a bit techy to download video to computer. If you are ok with that, the mini-DV still provides good value for money as its far cheaper than DVD or hard-drive models.

Picture - amazing.
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br /Sound - much better than I expected.
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br /Sony service - abysmal. I was unable to burn more than half of a DVD until I figured out for myself that I had to change the "workspace" from my boot drive (C) to a different drive (D) with more room for temp files. Sony "service" was awful - this should have been fixed in seconds, but after 20 minutes of asking questions, the guy puts me on hold and hangs up on me. It also could have been fixed via email, but they insisted I call them. Why? Not enough room for temp video files on Drive "C", change the workspace to Drive D. Easy - for me, now that I figured it out for myself.
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br /Otherwise, the camera is everything and more. It's a LOT smaller and lighter than I ever imagined too. I upgraded from 8mm tape, so the upgrade was unbelievable - but, try to figure out your own problems, unless you want to talk to someone "who ain't from around here" for a while instead of fixing your problem.
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br /Don Ward

THE MORE I DEAL WITH THIS THE ANGRIER I GET!!!
br /
br /I bought the VRD-MC3 and the DCR-SR40 because of the way you advertised how you could directly record from one to the other.
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br /Not seeing the coded fine print footnote that DOES NOT STATE DIRECTLY THAT ' you can NOT record directly from the DCR-SR40 to the VRD-MC3 on a duel layer DVD"
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br /That is stupid!
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br /Why would anyone build a video system with a 30 GB drive, then say it is compatible with a burner that they make and then make the largest medium that burner can burn NOT compatible with the video direct record system?
br /
br /When are you going to fix it?
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br /I have always thought Sony was "top of the line" but i have been severely disappointed with the last 4 Sony products I have purchased and I think I'm gonna start doing something about it.
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br /NO THANK YOU!
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br /Bruce A. Clark

I recently purchased this camcorder and was really excited about getting my hands on it. I found that it takes beautiful video and still images. The problem I had is after importing the video to my PC. The playback would run for a few seconds then stop. Is seems to be due to the 5.1 channel audio. Being fairly computer savvy, I re-encoded the video and the choppy playback went away. The problem is that the newly encoded files blew up two to three times their original file size (or I would lose video quality). I found it even more of a hassle to get the video onto my Mac which, in my experience, should have been EASIER. Not to mention the fact that I had to buy a $20.00 MPEG-2 add-on for QuickTime just to get the Mac to play the files. Not wanting to spend the rest of my life re-encoding video, I decided to send the camera back.

My opinion: If you have a really nice Windows PC the camera will likely make you very happy. If you have a lower-end PC or a Mac, stay away from this camera.

We bought this camera on a Tuesday (not from Amazon). Went on honeymoon two days later and on the second day of the honeymoon it malfunctioned. Could not be repaired. We couldn't film anything or take any pictures.
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br /We called Sony, and were told that because it was not purchased in the USA they will not honor the guarantee, even though it was a product malfunction.
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br /For the price and the brand I expected better. Because of this I have no films and no decent pics of my honeymoon as I had to settle for using disposable cameras.

Unless your already proficient in video editing, DO NOT BUY this camcorder. You must know how to edit and change the format of the files, otherwise you cannot put it on youtube or myspace. You can't pause the video without started a new one. The clips do not seam together unless you edit them to do so. I read the reviews but assumed I would be able to figure out the software that came with the camera. It's completely useless junk. You have to spend the money on something more advanced to see your video clips on anything but your computer.
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br /Also, unless your taping in very bright light the video is too dark to see. It does have "Nightshot" but that shows your video in green grainy worthless shots.
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br /I really regret spending the money on this camera.

I recieved this camcorder with much excitement. Our family was going to tape my 1 year old sons first Christmas. Everything seemed in order. I read and followed the instruction manual. I taped most of our Christmas activities.... then it died. An E:31:00 error appeared on the screen. I worked with Sony support. They said my only option was to format the hard drive resulting in loss of the video. Now we have nothing to show for this special time. I would not recommend this piece of junk to anyone. If you purchase a camcorder to capture special family moments, then this isn't the one for you. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU WILL LOSE YOUR VIDEO!

The lack of a firewire rates this item lower than the cheapest Sony
HandyCam. Windows XP Movie Maker automatically looks for a camera connection via firewire. The USB makes editing much more difficult. I am truly dissapointed.

Picture is OK. However it stops work after 10 hours shooting. Returned to Sony service center and was charged for $149 labor fee.

I have had excellent performance from my new camcorder. Unlike previous reviews, I have not found encoding to be an issue. I think my system is mediocre

I searched for the best price on the web because I couldn't locate this camera locally. I ordered it from another company first and ran into a lot of trouble. It was a questionable company. Once I got my credit card straightened out with that company I came immediately to Amazon because I have bought so many other items from them. The camera is great. I'm so glad I can tape for so long without messing with changing the little discs every 30 minutes or so. The quality is great, too. It arrived on my birthday. What a great gift to myself. I LOVE IT!