Review: Sony DCR-SR100 30GB

By Terry Sullivan
Hard drive camcorders have taken on the buzz that high-definition TV had last year, especially among early adopters. Until recently, though, only JVC had hard drive camcorders on the market. When CES 2006 rolled around, however, Sony introduced its own, the steeply priced DCR-SR100 30GB Handycam ($999.99 list), and instantly heated up the space. And although the DCR-SR100 has its share of issues, it's the best hard drive camcorder I've seen to date.
The DCR-SR100 has a 10X optical zoom lens and decent digital stabilization. The device has a very respectable 3-megapixel sensor for taking still images. It's also got a very nice 2.7-inch–wide, articulating, touch-screen LCD. Other features include a built-in flash and an intelligent shoe on top for adding accessories such as the recently introduced ECM-HW1 Bluetooth wireless microphone.

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Like the JVC hard drive camcorders, the DCR-SR100 also has a drop-detection sensor system, meant to protect the hard drive from shocks and sudden, jarring movement. Unlike JVC's camcorders, however, the DCR-SR100 doesn't turn off when that sensor is activated, a seemingly safer way to protect the hard drive. I did notice that the drop sensor appeared each time I tested this camcorder in different near-drop scenarios.
The DCR-SR100 is pretty big for a camcorder. At 3.4 by 2.8 by 5.9 inches, it's about 1.5 inches longer than the JVC GZ-MG77U. At 1.3 pounds, it's also about 6 ounces heavier than the 0.9-pound GZ-MG77U. That may not seem like much, but a few ounces can mean a lot if you are carrying the device for a long time.

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In my PC Magazine Labs tests, I found that the DCR-SR100 had somewhat better image quality than the GZ-JG77U. In my talking-head clip, I found the video to be well exposed, with good contrast and color. Sound was slightly better than that of the GZ-MG77U. Color was very accurate and vibrant without being oversaturated. The camcorder also performed well in low light, producing little noise and few artifacts. Overall, the image was clear and sharp.
In the action clip, the DCR-SR100 did a much better job than the GZ-MG77U did in quickly locking into autofocus. There was a bit of artifacting, especially on the signs we use in our tests. On the EIA resolution chart, the DCR-SR100 scored a decent 425 average lines of resolution, although miniDV camcorders have scored better. When set to its highest-quality mode, the DCR-SR100 can shoot 440 minutes of video. I found it quite easy to import the .MPG files into the Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 program for editing.

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The camera lets you shoot 3MP still photos, which is good enough for a nice 4-by-6 print. The 10X optical zoom lens has a 35mm equivalent of a 37- to 370mm zoom range. Despite the passable size of the pictures and the nice zoom range, however, performance is slow, and there was significant shutter lag as well as slow recycle times. But the GZ-MG77U offers still images of just 2MP, which is even lower quality.

The DCR-SR100's daylight image had little noise, but the flash test shot displayed more colored noise. Both test shots had decent colors that were fairly accurate and vibrant. I saw very little fringing, but both shots were soft throughout the image. Overall, the exposure of both the flash and the daylight images was decent. I found the flash coverage to be quite good.
I was surprised to find the camcorder scored 1,050 lines on our resolution test, which is very good for a 3MP camera. The boot-up took a little over 4 seconds, which is decent for a camcorder, but the 4.4-second recycle time was pretty slow. The most significant problem was the significant shutter lag, a common problem in hard drive camcorders.

I had wondered if the DCR-SR100, the first hard drive camcorder from Sony, would be good enough to be awarded an EC. Its high price and relative bulkiness held it back from that nod, but it's still the best hard drive camcorder I've tested.

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