Sony DCR SR80
Sony has just announced the upcoming release of the DCR SR80, a standard definition hard drive camcorder with the following features:
* 60GB hard drive (up to 20 hours of video in LP mode)
* 680K Advanced HAD CCD with 1/5.5″ CCD imager
* Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar 30mm lens
* 12x optical zoom
* 800x digital zoom
* Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound support
* HDD Smart Protection system with 3G sensors
* one-touch DVD burn button
The DCR SR80 will be available in August, for an expected list price of $800.
Via CamcorderInfo.
Sony Press Release
For consumers who would prefer not to sacrifice capacity while recording high-quality video, Sony today announced three hard disk drive Handycam® camcorders.
The new DCR-SR80, DCR-SR60 and DCR-SR40 hard drive models have extraordinary recording times and eliminate the need to manage removable media, such as tapes or discs.
The 60GB hard drive of the DCR-SR80 camcorder captures up to 41 hours of video in long-play mode (3Mbps) or up to 14 hours of footage in high quality mode (9Mbps). The DCR-SR60 and the DCR-SR40 models have comparable recording times with 30GB of internal memory - up to 20 hours of footage in long play mode and more than seven hours in high quality mode.
“With the explosive growth of Internet blogs and vlogs, people are capturing more video and sharing their recordings in new ways,†said Linda Vuolo, director of marketing for camcorder products at Sony Electronics. “Our new hard disk drive camcorders’ simple connection to a PC will be beneficial for people who upload and share their videos online.â€
All three of the new camcorders are designed to capture the activity and spontaneity of life. They each use the HDD Smart Protection system, which combines physical shock absorbers, G-sensorâ„¢ shock protection and video stream buffering to help prevent data loss if the cameras are dropped or shaken. These new models also feature Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lenses for maintaining image clarity and color resolution.
So Handy To Have Around
The three hard disk drive units are supplied with a Handycam Station that connect the camcorder to a personal computer, television set or DVDirect™ DVD recorder with the supplied USB, AV and DC-in cables. When the Handycam Station is connected to a compatible PC, the system will detect and transfer new video content to the computer’s hard drive. The new camcorders are also packaged with DVD authoring software to edit video once downloaded to a PC.
One Touch DVD Burn
For those times when you want to take your video “offline,†the Handycam Station features a One Touch DVD Burn button that automatically burns video to a DVD via a PC. The Handycam Station is also designed to work seamlessly with the Sony’s new VRD-MC3 and VRD-VC30 DVDirect recorder models. With advanced synchronization via USB, the DVDirect recorders will automatically detect the camcorder’s newest contents and burn the footage from the DVDirect to a disc.
New Model Pricing and Availability:
* The 60GB DCR-SR80 model has a wide 2.7-inch wide hybrid LCD display with start, stop and zoom buttons, 12x optical zoom, a one-mega pixel CCD imager and an active interface shoe for attaching accessories such as an external microphone or light. It will be available in September for about $800
* The 30GB DCR-SR60 camcorder has a wide 2.7-inch wide hybrid LCD display with start, stop and zoom buttons, 12x optical zoom, a one-mega pixel CCD imager and an active interface shoe for attaching accessories such as an external microphone or light. It will be available in September for about $700
* The 30GB DCR-SR40 model has a 20x optical zoom, six hour battery life, 2.5-inch (4:3 ratio) LCD monitor and touch panel functionality. It will be available in September for about $600
Sony Handycam DCR SR80 Reviews
CNET has a review of the Sony Handycam DCR-SR80 and writes, “Image quality from the DCR-SR80 was impressive. We saw an impressive amount of detail for a MPEG-2 camcorder of its class. Images had relatively few compression artifacts compared to those of other hard drive camcorders, such as JVC’s Everio line. Colors from the SR80 were well saturated though slightly cool when shooting outdoors and a touch warm indoors, but still not as bad as some camcorders we’ve seen. … Sony’s Handycam DCR-SR80 is a respectable hard-drive-based camcorder if you don’t mind its touch-screen interface.” Link.
CamcorderInfo reviews the Sony DCR-SR80 and writes, “The DCR-SR80 performs as well as an entry-level DVD camcorder, which is hardly good enough to earn your dollars. Not only that, but you have to pay for the privilege of owning a new-ish technology, which always fattens the bill. We like the convenience of HDD, and we’re certain that it’s the next direction for camcorders, but until the manufacturers make it worth the price, there’s little reason to invest. The DCR-SR80’s great strengths are its size and its simplicity. Camcorders don’t get simpler than this (excluding the stripped down DCR-SR40). We also like the large, 60GB HDD and the analog-to-digital pass through. But the video performance was so poor that we have to recommend either considering the DCR-SR100 or abandoning HDD altogether. The under-$1000 market is not ready to earn your trust, or our vote.” Link.
