I've been using it for a couple of days, and I love it. The harddisk is a gift, once you get used to it, you'll never believe that you've been using tape before. The USB 2.0 transfer to your computer works like a charm and it's pretty quick even for very large files, also because the video file types are mpeg, dvd authoring software doesn't take forever to compile a dvd, it's very quickly. There are a couple of simple, yet powerful editing using the camcorder itself. The interface is pretty intuitive, and the touch screen is very usable even for my thick thumbs. The video picture quality is excellent in medium light, and ok in low light 'far better than my previous Canon ZR70 though'. The stand still camera is simply top notch, compared to my current Sony P8.

I love the slow motion feature, unfortunately it can only capture a couple of seconds, also taking photos while you're video taping is great, but you can only take a couple of photos during shooting videos. All in all, I'm very happy with all it's features, also the surround sound works pretty well.

I didn't give it 5 stars because the camera doesn't come with a USB port, or video output options on the camera itself, I have to dock it in the docking station and then connect it to my PC, which leaves me with a choice to either put the docking station beside my PC to move the files, or beside my HD TV to watch the movies on the Camera, not sure why Sony at least didn't put a USB port on the camera directly, pretty annoying! Also, there is no way to capture video using this camera, although that was kind of a standard feature in any cheap mini DV cameras, now I have to think of getting a video capture card for my computer if I need to copy any of my recorder programs from my DVRs or previous tapes to DVD!

Pros: Excellent picture quality! Ease of use, convenient 4 mega pixel still while in video mode, easy connect base, and mpg video format right from the camera!
br /
br /Cons: Easy connect base (good and bad news), flash disabled with filters or lens, and a little slow to connect to the PC.
br /
br /I wanted ease of use, high quality picture, and good still performance - I got it all.
br /
br /I did the tech research on picture quality and the SR300 seemed to be rated the best by most of the experts. The CMOS capture device is what is used in very high end cameras, so I was expecting a decent picture.
br /
br /Here is the non-tech evaluation of the picture: on my Hi Def TV the picture quality from this camcorder is much better than normal TV picture and not quite as good as a high quality progressive scan DVD. It is better than I expected and I am VERY happy with the picture quality.
br /
br /The SR300 is easy to use and that is what I wanted. Point it and shoot. In video mode, it does 4 mega pixel pictures. While recording, you can capture 3 stills only. If you are in video mode and not recording, you can capture as many as you like up to the limit of the hard drive and/or memory stick. In straight still mode, it is a 6 mega pixel camera. If you are looking for super high quality still camera, this is not it. I went from a 2 mega pixel camera to this, so I am pleased with the quality and I don't have to always carry two cameras around. I am using this to capture kids and this is just what I need.
br /
br /The camera will record stills to the hard drive, so you do not need to have a memory stick. I purchased a 2 gig ultra II, kind of a waste since the camcorder can't write to the stick as fast as the stick operates, I could have saved some $$ with a less expensive stick, or no stick at all. A 2 gig stick gives you 600 pictures at 4 mega pixel.
br /
br /I like the base, it makes it easy to have the camera ready to use. The thing I don't like is that you must use it to transfer video and stills to your computer from the hard drive (cable included). This can be a pain. You can connect the camera directly to the TV to watch video (cable included).
br /
br /When you attach a filter or an auxiliary lens, I bought a wide angle lens, the flash is disabled. This I do not like.
br /
br /Video from this camera is in mpg format, the same used for DVDs, so your DVD software does not have to convert the files. Also, this camera will write directly to a DVD recorder. I created a DVD with my , directly from the camera using the Disc Burn button and it included both video and pictures.
br /
br /I am able to quickly make DVDs using Nero without converting the files. This cam also connects directly to a printer using Pict Bridge feature.
br /
br /This is an expensive camera that had everything I wanted: easy to use; good quality video; compact size; and good still pictures. Sometimes you need to spend the extra to get what you want.
br /
br /I also bought the Sony ACC-FH60 accessory kit that includes a camera case and a second battery, check it out.
br /

I'm not a professional, so this camcorder is the best thing since sliced bread.
br /
br /I'd rather write a review that someone can actually read and get some value from, so if you're one of those people that insists on comparing everything to an extremely expensive pro camcorder, just stop reading now and go away.
br /
br /If you want something that will shoot crisp clear video footage of your family and life experiences, this is the camcorder for you. No, it's not HD but I honestly don't feel that it's worth paying 2x as much for the marginal (if even noticeable since this camcorder shoots video at 3.1 megapixels) difference in video quality. 6.1 megapixel stills are the icing on the cake, and I have yet to deplete the battery (if you're planning on shooting hours and hours of video, just get an adapter or the optional battery that will give you up to 6 hours of life).

The DCR-SR300 is a very good BASIC camcorder. It's basic in that it includes very few manual controls. The camera is designed for ease of use. With that said, it takes pretty good videos... not nearly as good as the high end high definition DV models, but still pretty good.
br /
br /What is nice about the camcorder (and all of Sony's HDD line) is that you can treat the camera as a storage device under USB. Unlike other camcorders, Sony stores its data as mpeg2, so they are likely to be immediately useful (if you can play DVDs on your computer, you can use the files).
br /
br /Another nice feature is the camera. This is probably the first mid-range camcorder with a decent still image capability, mainly because it boasts of a 6M pixel quality. The camera will allow you to store up to 3 camera stills at 4M pixel while filming (which is also a nice feature).
br /
br /What's not to like? No microphone input apart from Sony's proprietary boot... so you HAVE to get your add-ons from Sony. Also you have to put the unit into its dock (included) in order to pull files from it.
br /
br /The build microphone is only so-so.
br /
br /Image wise, it's not a 3 CCD, it just uses a pretty large CMOS and does support Optical Image Stabilization. My thoughts on those features.. yawn. I'm sure it makes some difference, but it wasn't jaw dropping in my opinion.
br /
br /The lens is an excellent Zeiss Sonar T* ... one of the best, but the optical zoom is merely 10x... if there is any good news, the camera only goes up to 20x digital zoom, but digital zoom is ALWAYS lousy, so this is actually a good thing (and you can disable the digital zoom of course).
br /
br /The camera has a night vision mode. This is also a nice feature for shooting in complete darkness. If you don't mind the typical green night vision look, this can be really nice for capturing very hard to see things.
br /
br /I purchased the larger capacity battery... one things good about an HDD camcorder versus DV-tape is that you can't shoot hours and hours of video... but IMHO, Sony ought to included the higher capacity battery because of this. Definitely a recommended upgrade.
br /
br /Is this the best HDD camcorder out there? Possibly. Is it perfect? No. If you need the convenience of the hard drive, then I recommend this camera. If you want a really good quality camera, you might want to look a high definition DV like the Sony HDR-HC7 or similar (or their more expensive professional line of course). If you are a newbie (like me), then the simplicity of the SR300 is appealing... lack of features can equate to ease of use.
br /
br /The SR300 beats the SR100 spec wise except on features where the SR100 (if you can still find one) has the SR300 beat... this is typical of most Sony devices (1st generation devices tend to be packed with features).
br /
br /In conclusion, this is a good easy to use (if not a bit pricey) entry level hard disk camera. If priced a bit less, this camera would be easier to recommend.

I have been shopping for over a year looking for a nice digital camcorder, and finally had decided to get the SR-100 only to find it was discontinued. Then I found this Sr-300, purchased, and have never been happier. I'll break it down for everybody:
br /
br / - 40g Hard Drive is a dream come true. Instant orginization, instant viewing, and, if you so choose too, instant deletion. No media = no hassle, the only media you really need is a Computer with a DVD burner in it and a blank DVD and your set - One Touch Burning is very quick and easy.
br /
br / - Image quaility is excellent, except in low lighting, however this has been a common problem for camcorders since the early days. The picture comes out a bit grainy, but overall does not affect the quality of the video. This problem can also be resolved with a simple video light. (See the pictures that I posted for examples.) I believe sony makes one that will automatically turn on if the lighting level is low. The camcorder also acts like a digital camera, in that you can choose you scene selection, anything from beach to snow to twilight. You can also do black and white as well as other neat settings.
br /
br / - Still Images are even better, 6.1 megapixels is awsome for a camcorder, and you can set it just like any other digital camera with scene selection, etc. Easily switches between camera mode and recording mode with the flick of a switch. The camcorder can also take 3 stills WHILE recording, without messing up the video. Awesome if ya wanna capture the moment on both film and pictures. This cam in handy for me when I was filming some seals at the Zoo the other day.
br /
br / - The one thing I have heard complaints about from many sites is the handycam station. This thing is actually a blessing, not a curse. It is very small, lightweight, and it extends the life of your camcorder. it does this by allowing you to plug into the staion itself for charging, transfers, etc, instead of plugging directly into the camcorder, which I think cuts down on wear and tear. The cam does have A/V output and a D/C input on it, so it is still possible to plug in directly.
br /
br / - Provided software is ok. Not very much editing power to it, would reccomend seperate software if you really want to edit your videos. the main thing is the one touch software, which is very nice if you wanna burn a quick dvd.
br /
br / - The touch screen is nice. Allows for easy navigation through all the menus, which all give an explanation for what each setting affects/does. Plus using a touch screen is really cool :D
br /
br /The only other con is that the battery does stick out, however you must remember this is a small camcorder, they did the best they can, and it really does not get in the way at all. Sony does make a smaller battery thought, so there is some hope for that.
br /
br /All in all, its great and I highly reccomend this to anyone wishing to just film life's funniest and awkward moments. If you are not trying to be a professional cameraperson, and just want something easy to use, the Sr-300 is it for you. If you are trying to be a professional, then they make a $3,000 one which would probably suit your needs.
br /
br /5 stars for both quaility and price paid.

I wanted a hard drive camcorder because I'm tired of messing with DV tapes. This is the camera for me. I bought and returned similar models by Sany Panasonic because of blurry video quality. This camera's video quality is near-HD. In fact if someone told me it was HD I'd believe them. Operation is easy. Not so wild about the touch screen menu. I'd rather have the joy-stick button. But it takes OK stills and great video. The USB 2 interface is a dream and for that reason alone I'm wild about it.

This is our first camcorder. We spent a lot of time researching and reading reviews before making our selection. We want to thank each of you who took the time to write a review on this site, believe me when I say it greatly influenced our decision. The camera is light weight and easy to hold. The screen size is very good for "old eyes" and we really like the touch screen feature. Do take the time to download and read the owners manual. We actually printed ours out and put it in a ring binder. This camera will do a lot of really neat things if you know how to use it. If you are going to a lot of still shots with this camera you need something other than the basic program that comes with it. Get a good photo program to handle the still shots, we use adobe, but there are many out there. I think this camera takes as good a still shot as my Kodak 5mp still camera and am very pleased with the shots I am getting with it. For movies we use the Windows movie maker, I'm sure there are better programs out there but it is simple to use and already on the computer. We also use a "smart cards" for still photos, easier to download to the computer as it has a card slot. Don't know why sony elected to make their cards so you have to use an adaptor, we just use the standard size, same cards we use for our Kodak. We have had our share of messed up video and still shots, but not once has it been the camera's fault. We really used the camera a lot over the holidays, and can see a real improvement over the course of several weeks. This is a great camera, we anticipate many years of use and enjoyment. Highly recommend.

I am not a audio/video specialist; however after spending weeks researching camcorders, I decided to purchase the SR300. I used it on a family outing at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis--recorded the entire presentation and duck march (you really have to go to understand). Also, shot some stills of the family. We are very pleased as to the quality of the recordings and the stills...I think Sony's software that is included is really good--the interface to burn DVDs and media arrangement (this is done is a very cool calendar format) is neat. If you buy this product, you will not be sorry.

Save so much time instead of transferring to the computer from 8mm and you can delete and edit as you go unlike dvd models. I don't feel that I have to be choosy of what I record because there is so much space and I can delete if I don't like it. The touch screen is awesome and easy to navigate. There are not many video effects but the quality makes up for it. Still image capturing is a bit of guess work trying to snap the shot and you end up snapping a different shot. For still image I still use my digital camera, but the still image quality of the camcorder is really nice if you can get a good steady shot. Over all, I love it and take it everywhere with me since it's small enough. Not crazy about the battery life but have not yet experienced a dead battery when shooting.

I'm using my camera to record a festival in the night, and the quality of the image is excelent. It has low level noise and a very detalis scenes.
br /

The SR300 is a fantastic camcorder for the price and the still shots are amazing. Definitely worth the buy. I am no professional. All I was looking was for a convenient camcorder that is easy to use. I researched for days and was torn between CCD and CMOS, Brands and all other technical details and features that I probably will never use.
br /
br /Finally the convenience of not having to use tapes or DVD's and Some of the technical specs lead me to the SR 300. I love the touchscreen operations. The ease to copy files over to storage disks quickly is conevnient (Offcourse, I wish I did not have to use the shoe for that). The video quality was great both indoors and outdoors. However in complete darkness, The camera struggled to focus ...... my eyes did too.
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br /

I have enjoyed every minute of this camera, I never ever been even remotely frustrated with it after 8 months of flawless operation.
br /
br / The first night I did a test recording of my dogs and in what is considered low light conditions. After I stopped recording, I placed the camera on its docking station and INSTANTLY transfered the video.
br /
br / It was a great feeling being able to immediately watch and edit that video on my computer. Not only that, but the low light quality was great. It wasnt grainy or blurry.
br /
br / The still shots this camera delivers are pretty incredible. I got a chance to take pictures( not even in macro mode) of a dragonfly. When it was downloaded to the computer, the picture was so clear I could see the most incredible detail of its wings and eyes. It was awesome.
br /
br / I even got a chance to film HOURS of family video for my father in laws 60th birthday. We made a Roast event and comedy skits for him which we burned to DVD. It could have only been done so easily with this camera.
br /
br / Summary:
br /
br / 1.) Rocording and transfering to computer is a breeze.
br /
br / 2.) Still Pictures are great.
br /
br / 3.) Hard Drive size gave me 8 hours of continuous recording in high quality mode.
br /
br / 4.) Fits easy in the hand and is not cumbersome.
br /
br /Only downfalls:
br /
br / 1.) Once video has been removed from the camera, you cant put it back on.
br /
br / 2.) Stills taken while recording can be lower quality. The flash does not go off so make sure you have plenty of light.

I bought this camera because I was tired of lugging around both a camcorder and a hi resolution digital camera. I have had it for a month now, and it fits well for what I wanted. The photos are very sharp and the video is what you would expect from Sony. I do agree that not having a view finder is a disadvantage, but overall I am very happy with this camera. The best part about Sony products are the rechargable batteries. The camera tells you how much time you have left, and the batteries actually work for the amount of time you need them to. Other cameras I have owned have been nightmares due to poor battery performance.

I'm a Mac user and was having a hard time finding a hard disk camcorder that would work with Macs and Mac software. Long story short: Have an Intel based Mac, load the most current OSX software, (not necessarily Leopard) and invest in ILife 08. This Sony DCR-SR300 has worked seemlessly for me.
br /
br /Also, in my opinion, all this negativity about IMOVIE 08 is (rhymes with "pull" and "Hit"). I'm finding it quite innovative and fun to use.

When you first take this camera out of the box, it seems too simple. It seems like you must be giving up function in favor of simplicity. I'm sure that people are going to complain about the optical zoom, but really, I do not feel that I have given up anything that I care about.
br /
br /Amazon's price was far below that of any other merchant I would have seriously considered.
br /
br /The software and interface work with my Vista set up, without any of the problems I get from some other programs, but the software is a little clunky.
br /
br /CMOS vs CCD? I will say that I like the video quality that I get...can't comment on how the CMOS imager figures in there.
br /
br /Battery life and battery life display are both excellent.
br /
br /Touch screen display takes some getting used to, but in the end it's better than the old ways of doing things, particularly for a hard drive camcorder.

It is a good camcorder but it has the following problems:
br /
br /1.- the battery life is very poor, you must buy another battery.
br /2.- the pictures that you take in movie option, are very diffuse.

Hi ,
br /Whoever going to purchase this product what can i say for you about this product is its simply superb.Its really really really very very very good.
br /Dont get hesitate just go for it.Before buying this product i reviewed various hdd models of all the brands i could find finally this was the best model from sony.But if sony launches the same features with viewfinder then it is helping out a lot.
br /But just wait for good deal as i have done.The average best deal you get this product is in between 700-725.
br /E N J O Y ! ! !

I have now been the owner of a DCR-SR300 for just over two months, and have no regret in buying this. Though it is my first camcorder, I found it easy to film, take pictures, download and burn my dvds. The immage quality for still and video is amazing, and I have now filmed wild life, family and car/bike races. Everybody who has seen the quality wante dthe details of the camera so they could alos get it. My best buy ever.

The camera takes nice, sharp video and can survive a 60-70mph downhill skiing journey at 10 degrees F (not sure what the windchill was, but it was cold!) and still function like a champ. If I had to choose one feature to complain about, it would be the auto-focus...blurs the image too often and takes 10-45 seconds to clear up in some situations. Our video of Xmas morning was quite blurry at times (as were my eyes : )...but overall I truly am more than pleased with the camera in manual mode. The touchscreen LCD panel is an awesome touch : ) and is easy to use.
br /
br /I recommend purchasing a tripod/lense/cleaner kit as well if you don't already have the equipment, especially the carrying bag...don't want anything to happen to my new favorite camera.

This purchase my first try at a digital video camera (our last was a VHS camera nearly 20 years ago). So after reviewing options about digital tape and mini-dvd, it seemed that the disk drive camera would be the better option. This has proved to be the case. This camera is easy to use. I am able to record quickly with virtually no waiting. File transfer was easy (home XP), and I created a dvd on my computer very easily. I have no regrets on this purchase. Quality of the image is great. I would have liked an eyepiece option, but the screen works fine.

This is a great camera. I absolutely love it. The still pictures it takes in photo mode are fantastic and the video as well as the audio quality is very good. It has trouble in lower light situations. Gives a grainy image in low light, which is to say in the house in the morning when some lights should be on but aren't or at dusk. I bought the light that goes with it so that isn't a problem anymore. Battery lasts a long time and the cradle is such a good idea. When the camera is in the cradle it is charging and hooked up to the computer. Instant viewing of videos just shot or make a dvd right after shooting.
br / You can take pictures while shooting video but they are not nearly as good of quality as when you have it in photo mode.
br / The only improvement I could think of that they could do is have the light built into the camera.
br / Here's a heads up---- I got a battery off of Ebay for $23. The NPH100 equivalent. It had a dumb cord that had to plug into the camera and then I found out that the camera wouldn't charge that battery at all ???? Sent it back and got a reasonably priced SONY battery off of Amazon.com which worked great.

The DCR Sr300 replaces my Sony Digital 8 and has not disappointed. The HDD uploads via USB cable at impressive speed ( 2 minutes for one hour of video). The file format is recognized by DVD authoring software ( another real time saver). The supplied software is very user friendly and intuitive to use. Video quality is superb. The supplied NP FH60 battery affords 100 minutes recording time; spend the extra $$$ and purchase the NP FH70;however it only supplies 170 minutes of recording time, not the 6 hours stated on the promo (to be fair to Sony, the DCR SR 300 manual clearly makes this point). Have not tested all the fancy features yet, but initial impressions are very positive. Am glad to be unburdened by buying/converting/storing endless tapes. Highly recommend this Camcorder at first blush

I did a lot of research on camcorders with a hard drive. I chose this model and it lives up to everything that I thought I was buying. It is easy to use (recorded my son water skiing as I was driving the boat) and takes great video even when moving.

I have had this camera for over four months. I bought it primarily to record my daughter's various performances. I was concerned about recording in low light, the sound quality and ease of downloading, as well as the actual quality of the video. I would give it 5 stars for everything, except the sound quality, which is good, but not great. I don't think you can expect the quality to be great without separate recording equipment. "High quality" footage is surprisingly filmlike. The camera is very easy to use - I've only had to refer to the documentation a couple of times, for instance to download. Making a DVD is a snap. I like the touchscreen and don't mind the docking station. I'd rather have the camera be as small as it is so I can throw it in my purse. And it is light enough to shoot a two hour show without a tripod if you have a steady enough hand. I never thought it would substitute for my point and shoot digital, but the pictures are good enough to do that, as well. I would definitely spend the money again, if I had it to do over.

The camera takes nice, sharp video and can survive a 60-70mph downhill skiing journey at 10 degrees F (not sure what the windchill was, but it was cold!) and still function like a champ. If I had to choose one feature to complain about, it would be the auto-focus...blurs the image too often and takes 10-45 seconds to clear up in some situations. Our video of Xmas morning was quite blurry at times (as were my eyes : )...but overall I truly am more than pleased with the camera in manual mode. The touchscreen LCD panel is an awesome touch : ) and is easy to use.

I recommend purchasing a tripod/lense/cleaner kit as well if you don't already have the equipment, especially the carrying bag...don't want anything to happen to my new favorite camera.

Very light weight, easy to use. I was a little surprized that I would have to turn a knob in order to do still photos, (and hence exit video mode,) but otherwise, it's been good. Haven't really tested the still photo feature since it is somewhat inconvenient, and I haven't gotten used to it yet. Am having difficulty with the auto focus feature, not focusing all the time in the "easy" mode. Sound is good, though I noticed that if people turn their head away from the camera, they can't be heard nearly as well, and in some cases, can't be heard at all if they are "soft spoken." Rechargeable battery is rather large (more box shaped than rectangular, therefore, less easy to stow away in a camera bag) but gives a good 90 minutes of use before needing recharge. I like that it segments each video whenever the pause button/record mode button is pushed..as this allows me to delete the not-so-great parts.

We had a 5 or 6 year old camcorder that was heavy and out of date with todays camera technology.
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br /Three weeks ago we were preparing to go on a two week cruise through the Panama Canal and I did my research and decided to purchase this camera for our trip. Let me tell you it was wonderful. We got the camera about 4 days before we left and my husband read up on the instructions. The camera is very easy to operate and we loved the fact that it took videos as well as digital pictures. The hard drive is so big there was plenty of room on the camera for all our pictures. We took over 400 pictures on our trip and only used less than 20% of the hard drive. The pictures are great and we came home and hooked the camera up to our 40 inch TV and watched all the pictures and they were great. Camera was light (about 3-4 lbs) and easy to carry around. Battery lasted at least an hour and a half while we videoed going through the Canal and stopped to charge it for 1/2 hour and had 55 minutes of battery to go back and film more of our trip through the Canal.
br /
br /Amazon's price was also at least about $[...] less than everyone else.
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br /We are very pleased with this camera and would recommend it to anyone who wants to upgrade and have both a video camera and digital camera.

Its a wonderful gadget . I just love it !!
br /
br / I use it mainly to record my lectures and review it later on.
br /It's helped me a lot ..
br /
br / On Birthday Celebrations its a great Camera ( 6.1 MP ) and a Video Camcorder too.
br /
br /The Video is awesome with the recording of 4 GB of Video for 1.5 hrs of recording. Thats huge , you do need a bigger Hard Drive if are gonna save it on your Laptop.
br /
br /Only Concern : Touch Screen.
br /After reading a few reviews before and after this product, the touch screen of the camcorder is a bit of a concern . After using it for too long it could turn black. ( Since, we have to navigate using our fingers )
br /
br /So, I Purchased a stylus for it and its the only con for this product.
br /I feel the Camcorder is worth every $ I Spent on it !
br /
br /Pros
br /6.1 Mp Camera with Flash
br /120 minutes of video recording time ( continuous )
br /
br /Cons
br /No Stylus - ( Must Buy for Longer Life Of Touch Screen )
br /Less Recording Time Of The Battery

It's awesome! The 10x optical zoom proved more than sufficient for my purposes. The interface is pretty easy to play with and the buttons on the device are on perfect locations, that you don't have to strain yourself at all, while shooting movies, or changing options or reviewing clips. I don't like the night mode that much, but it still works decently.

We bought this camera right when it came out in spring of 2007. It worked great for a little over a year. We loved having both a digital camera and a camcorder in one small camea. After the warrantee ran out we started having problems. First the LCD screen stopped working because the connection had cracked. We hadn't dropped it or anything. After paying lots of money to get that repaired, it worked well for another couple months and then something with the lens stopped working and it was all black. We sent it for repair again and dumped more money into it. We've had it back a couple weeks and now the docking station isn't working. Again, we didn't drop it or anything. It worked one day and didn't the next. So now I can't get the images off the camera. Very disappointed with Sony on this product. Next time I will definately buy an extended warrantee.

Camera is easy to use. Takes great pics and video. Pics during filiming are not as clear as choosing to take pics only. The 6.1 pix pics look great. Shutter speed is good. Transfers media easily to the computer. I have not used the camera DVD burn option yet. The software the comes with the camers looks like it will make the burning easy.
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br /

Pros:-
br /Delivered ontime and in perfect condition.
br /Easy to use touch screen interface.
br /Hard disk makes tapes and dvd's unnessesary.
br /Good picture in night mode.
br /Egonomically the camcorder is very nice. Comfortable to hold.
br /Records in standard mpeg format so transfering and playing files is easy.
br /Supplied software cataloges all media in monitored folders and shows them in calender format. Very nice to finding the files you want.
br /
br /Cons:-
br /Low light shooting isnt as good as with my old sony 405 dvd camcorder.
br /Picture isnt as good as with the sony 405 dvd camcorder. Its still a good picture though.
br /
br /
br /Minor Annoyances:-
br /Now view finder so you have to use the screen to record.
br /
br /The battery that comes with the camcorder only lasts about 90 mins. This doesnt sound to bad but when recording your kids opening presents on christmas day beleive me you wish you had more battery life.
br /
br /You need the supplied docking station to charge the camcorder and to connect to the pc to transfer file off.

I've had this camcorder for 6 months now. Video is excellent even on my 52inch LCD HD TV!! Pleasantly surprised. Sony does not sell them anymore, not sure why. I paid under $800 for mine.
br /
br /You wont regret the quality. Easy to author dvds (NO CONVERSION needed). Takes me 20 min to make a FULL dual layer dvd.
br /
br /The new HD camcorders are tough, the new HD form at needs to be converted which takes HOURS/DAYS to make one Video DVD.
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br /You wont be dissapointed.

I have been using my Handycam for a year now and I still love it. Just like most Sony products, it has great sound quality. I would never buy a camcorder based on its ability to take still pictures (because I have another camera for that) but I have to say that the still shots are pretty good. Transferring video to my laptop is simple and the 40 Gig is a huge hard drive! This has been a great camcorder for home videos. Only problem I have had is if I put it on a tripod and try to leave it to shoot on it's own, it does not refocus quickly leaving some scenes blurry for up to a full minute. Because of that I dropped a 'star' from the rating.

Excellent choice
br /Video - great
br /still photos - very good
br /40GB Hard Disk - Cool
br /Display, Touch Screen - nice...
br /Battery could have given which can last bit more. Currently it lasts for 100 - 120 mins

I made the transition from Hi-8 to Hard Drive Disk (HDD) after an intensive review of all available options. Consumer Reports recently reviewed this camcorder and placed it at the top of it's list.
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br /Very good low light video...and excellent outdoor video.
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br /The still photography is not that good when compared to the same megapixel resolution taken from my digital SLR camera (as expected). Some reviews led me to believe I was in for a treat when I used the camera for still photography.
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br /Overall I am very pleased. I recorded an entire week of family vacation; and still have 50% hard drive space remaining. The one-touch DVD record button allowed for EASY transfer off all videos for the grandparent's copy.
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br /Highly recommended.

Pros: Easy to use, great pictures
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br /Cons: over 3000 meters (9800 feet) can ruin camera. Can't drive the freeway west of Denver!! Owners manual is poor. Camera has no external microphone jack. Can't film from an airplane in turbulence or from a vehicle on a rough road without potentially damaging hard drive.
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br /If all you want is to shoot lots of video around home, this is a great camera. However, it is not for the serious outdoors person, and none of the reviews I read talked about that before I bought the camera. Also, there is no map of the features in the owners manual. It has the picture and numbers, but no description! You have to search through the pages to find where that number is discussed.

The DCR-SR300 digital camcorder takes great video and still images even for the novice user. The battery life is exceptional and the drive will hold plenty of video for most activites or events. The docking station and software are very easy to use and make data transfer a snap.
br /The zoom could be better, but works well in most settings. The two negative things that I have found about the camera are the absence of a view finder (the lcd must be open to see what you are shooting) and the start/stop button on the back of the camera is not in a good place (I found that using the one on the lcd panel is much easier).
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I am using this camera to record indoor sporting events. I have found that the camera is simple to operate (7th and 8th grade students here!) and the visual quality is excellent compared to other cameras we have used. It is simple to download the video to my PC and even easier to make a DVD from the downloaded files. All in all, I am very pleased so far with this purchase.

This is the only camcorder one would ever need. The picture quality is better than I expected even in low light. Without zooming, every face out of 40 was clear and you could tell who each performer was. The touch screen display keeps the user informed so that you know exactly how much disk is left and the battery condition, no guessing. This was a big event and the first time with hands on the camcorder. I wondered about the sound quality as I had not had time to order the accessory microphone. After the performance and a quick battery charge, I hooked up to the wide screen and theatre speakers. The results were amazing, clear, full screen movies and clean stereo sound, like having the orchestra in the family room. Next day I took some stills and discovered that the SR300 does as well as my 7.1 Olympus. The unit is light but takes some time getting the correct grip and finger position while recording or snappin shots. The touch screen is 100% ok. I had shopped on line for this model and found some suppliers playing price games. After wiseing up I realized that Amazon was very competitive and delivery was great, 2 days. Im satisified.

Work have like to run on my mac out of box,but main problem is cannot find option to remove date/time
br /stamp from played back movies,very annoying to see this so large on all playback with seconds changing.
br /Would like to be able to just add date at beginning on video then remove like on my old vhs camcorders. Dennis

Ok.
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br /So I went into purchasing this model with the wistful hope that Apple would eventually support hard drive camcorders in its iLife software. Just about every camcorder--especially the hard disk models--seems to come with "support" for Windows, albeit really bad software written by the camcorder vendors themselves or some third party who could care less about whether anyone uses it. So when I got this camcorder, to my dismay I was unable to use the camcorder properly on my Mac. The MPEG-2 files did, indeed, show up on my desktop (as an auto-mounted drive) but were otherwise unusable. Well, perhaps this is not completely true. I was able to view this camcorder's files by using the VLC Player (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/)--a freely available (and apparently Open Source) program that doesn't suck. Unfortunately, this program is truly a view-only solution and not intended for editing/transformation of any kind. (I also tried ffmpeg and ffmpegX for OS X but, tragically, the audio gets lost in translation in all of my experiments. NOT VERY USEFUL!)
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br /I actually went ahead and installed Sony's supplied software for Windows on one of my spare Windows systems, which I keep around precisely for situations like the present. To my amazement, there is no perceptible way in the Windows realm (using the supplied software) to save the files in another format. Shame on you, Sony. But what the hell? You really can't blame Sony. As far as I can tell, just about every camcorder vendor goes ahead and ships their mediocre software with the tacit understanding that Windows users will pay the toll--just like Apple's users do--to Microsoft (to whom these vendors are still enslaved) so they can read their files, and possibly convert them.
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br /Back to the future (i.e. the Mac). iLife '08 just got released! This camera is one of the supported models out of the box, along with models from JVC and Panasonic. I actually bought a Panasonic (SDR-H200?) but ended up returning it because I couldn't connect it to any of my computers. The Panasonic support guy tells me it was a defective port, blah, blah. Anyway, I think the Sony is a better model--even without a true 3CCD sensor. (Dude, you're getting Zeiss lens. Superior optics DO matter.) I really like having the docking station and not having to disconnect the battery to transfer my photos. I also like the touch screen menus. Great to see I can get this capability outside of the iPhone universe. The DCR-SR300 is a true joy to use, and I'm just overjoyed that I can use this with my Mac.
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br /In case anyone wonders why I gave four stars instead of five, I'm in the academic business and don't just give the grades away. The camera itself is probably worth 5 stars. Sony loses a star just for being themselves. Please, Sony, stop going out of your way to make your cameras unattractive to Mac and Linux users. While we're under 10% as a group, I think you can use every percent you can get.
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This is definitely a good product, the video quality is good but the low light has made shooting at nights a little less worthy. But that's not what I'm going to share today.
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br /I've purchase this on 2nd April, 2007. Today its August 12th and this camera is already spoilt. Yes SPOILT. The screen is black, only able to see slight silloette, and the power shuts down abruptly.
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br /This started yesterday and when I did not open the screen fully, the color was still alright.
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br /I believe its the connection between the flap which is causing this problem, but this shouldn't happen. Especially when you've purchase this in USA and stationed abroad.
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br /I'm not too pleased with the after support either. I'm very dissapointed with the outcome. Maybe mine was a bad apple in the batch. This product is clear of any falls or external influnced such as heat etc but Sony failed.
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br /But it still breaks down. That my friend, is not worth the hassle. Sony's products has always been up to standard until now.

The Sony camcorder is a very good product, I am very satisfy with the purchase.

The still images the camera takes look very nice, but I have problems with the movies it records. I finally got past the mpeg2 problem by buying the mpeg 2 quicktime plugin from Apple ($20) although iMovie 08 could import them too. No matter what I do the image quality of the movies is very grainy when run at full screen. I thought it was the conversion that imoview was doing so thats why i bought the quicktime plugin. Now there is no conversion at all, i can play the movies directly in quicktime. when i play the movie at a size suitable for web pages they look great, but if i play them at full screen, they look horrible.
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br /SAVE YOUR MONEY AND BUY A minDV recorder! the image quality on those recorders is SO MUCH BETTER.

I have found the camcorder in question to be of excellent quality and I am absolutely satisfied with the results.
br /However in your ads. about this camcorder you have not mentioned any where the the product is compatible with NTSC colour system TV if used directly with TV of NTSC system.
br /Since I have to use this camcorder in INDIA only, this wonderful camcorder
br /unfortunately will be of no use to me . This problem would have not been there if I had known that it is not workable in India.
br /Please let me know as to how you can help me to get out of this problem.
br /As far as the product is concerned,it is a wonderful camera giving excellent result and I would love to retain it.
br /Hoping to have a favourable prompt reply.
br /Thanks
br /SAtish Sehgal
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br /xcellewnt results and I would love to retain.
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UPDATE-I purchased the HST1 mic,and solved my loud music woes up to 112db avg.c-weighted,anyway,the external mic rolls off at 150Hz,so the bass is lacking,but I,m Happy.I love my new Camera.I have owned it for a couple months now.The video is great.The built in Camera mic is great up to 105db.But recently I tried shooting video at a rock concert,and had a couple problems.First the Camera doesnt like high volume music.The memory was having a hard time writng to the hard disc,and keep getting "buffering overload" warnings,and would have to restart the video.And the Audio track was completely overloaded and distorted.-((This was Corrected with the external HST1 Mic-))Its so bad the the whole video ended up in the garbage. But I kept the pictures ,of course.The mic reference was on the LOW Setting,but it seems Low isn't low enough.Be advised,this is very loud music ,probably closing in on 115-120db at the camera.Other than this problem,I love the Camera so far!! Some camera's are good for loud music,The Hard Drive seems to have problems-buffering overload- at avg.112db,or louder,at camera.Maybe the vibration is causing the problem.Disabling the drop sensor did nothing to help.

I bought this Camcorder from Amazon 2 months back and I am not happy with my purchase. Sony should make camcorders with Good video quality, they should understand camcorders are for shooting videos and not still picture. Sony added lot of good features with this camcorder but the video/picture quality is the worst. Daylight out door videos has come out with average quality. The indoor low light videos are very grainy. You can't do much with the software which comes with the camcorder. The one touch burn will work only for once for a specific video clip.
br /I had taken this to India during my vacation otherwise I would have returned it. I strongly advice every one not to buy this product. It is not worth paying around 800$ for this camcorder. I have used old mini DV camcorders 5 years back with better picture quality and with time sony should improve its technology to offer camcorders with better video quality especially the low light performance.

right out the box easy to use and with 6.1 mp stills a great back up to my digital camera. a great cool easy to use camera

I almost didn't chose this model because of the 10X ZOOM. The first thing that I spotted five minutes ago when I opened the box is that the DCR-SR300 says that it is actually a 20X ZOOM! I thought that I should pass that information on.
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br /I decided to give it 5 STARS because:
br /(1)The review required that I give it a rating in order to post this review!
br /(2)Because of the 20X ZOOM!!
br /(3)And it's a reasonable guess that I will continue to feel that it's a 5 !!! George

I just got this and returned it the next day. Main reason is that the battery sticks out like soar thumb. The video and still picture quality is great however I could not get over the look and feel of the camcorder .