Sony DCRSR37ES Handycam Camcorder
DCRSR37ES – Digital Camcorder with Built-In 60GB HDD from Sony
The hard disk drive is a relatively new digital video recording media, but it is a one that is worth checking out. You can enjoy a lot of advantaged by opting for a camcorder with the media as HDD and this is because you can enjoy a lot of advantages. One of the major advantages of the camcorder is that, they have no extra costs that are associated with recording video and some of the other advantages include higher memory, easy viewing and simple editing. The following review is on one such camcorder using HDD media, the Sony DCRSR37ES Handycam.
Design:
Light and compact:
The Sony DCRSR37ES Handycam being an entry level model of the DCR SR series, still managed to pull up a very light, compact and stylish camcorder. It comes in quite attractive aluminium like silver and matte black finish, with the sliver part dominating the finishing. It has a 2.7″ hybrid LCD display which is touch-sensitive too. Being extremely compact, it is suitable for any kind of environment. The physical controls of the camcorder are of textbook design with the start and stop buttons being at the back and the zoom rocker up in the front of the shutter release for the snapshots in photo mode. The hand strap is comfortable, but we feel that it is a little low and since the HDD camcorders have become so light, there is barely a bump encasing it, making the camcorder’s body, mostly the lens.
Buttons and controls:
You will be able to find the battery jutting out from the back and just beneath it along with the Memory Stick Pro Duo card slot and the power input. In the front, just below the lens, there is the AV output that is hiding behind a small door. Once the touch screen display is flipped open, you will be able to find an array of buttons in the body cavity for power, on and off the display information, direct to DVD recording, changing over to the playback mode and an easy button that locks down the camcorder’s few advanced features. In addition to this, you will also find a button that automatically adjusts the exposure for the backlit subjects and an uncovered USB port.
Ease of use:
The ease of use is also very high in this Sony DCRSR37ES Hybrid Camcorder partly because of the touch screen based menu navigation and also partly because of its dearth of shooting options. This type of menu system will be very handy for consumers who do not like to make many changes to the standard settings. Though the system is very responsive, it can be very confusing for the novice users who are new to Sony handycam menu systems. Pressing over the menu gives you access to the context sensitive shooting options and to get into any other set of features, hit over the home button. One of the major issues that you would face with the menu system is that, you might not know which function rests where, however Sony has offered the manual with the menu tree, but for day to day shooting, looking at the menu each time will be not a pleasant task to do. With more practice, you will not have any of the above mentioned troubles with the menu system.
Features:
Not much option:
Since the camcorder had mainly designed for the sake of hassle free recording, the DCRSR37ES does not have a lot of shooting options. You are offered with some more scene options if you want to be specific and the same applies for white balance. Total control of the focus and exposure can be got by touching the spot on the screen you would like the camcorder to get its information from.
Incredible zoom and lens:
Sony has equipped DCRSR37ES with an incredible 60X zoom range. This extraordinary zoom range would get even the most distant objects fill in the frame. We were honestly dumbstruck to see such clear and amazing set of details and packed up close up shots. This is also aided by the handycam’s high quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens. This lens is specially recommended by professional photographers for offering precise colour, excellent contrast and an unbelievably low distortion at any focal length.
Picture Motion Browser:
Managing all your clips can be very easy with the Picture Motion Browser that is included for free with your camcorder. With the help of this software, you will be sorting, searching and editing the clips just in seconds.
Mammoth Hard Disk Drive Capacity:
The selling point feature of the DCRSR37ES tape-less camcorder is that, it comes with a massive 60GB hard disk drive that can record upto 45 hours of high quality standard definition video. You also get to use the HYBRID recording on an optional memory stick.
Other common features:
Some of the other common features included in DCRSR37ES handycam too include SteadyShot Image Stabilisation, Face Index and Film roll index that allows you to make very quick and easy searches and also the One Touch Disc burn and easy backup via the USB2.0 high speed connection.
Performance:
Ready in an instant:
Being a low end camcorder, the DCRSR37ES puts up a great performance. The instant on feature gets the camcorder instantly ready and up for getting those special moments by just opening the LCD display. Though this is a very common feature, it is good to have it though. Though the autofocus is quite responsive, when the camcorder is zoomed out, the autofocus is left hunting for focus especially in the low light areas and conditions.
Video quality:
The overall video quality is soft. You will be able to get the ultimate sharp pictures in TeleMacro mode. You will be able to notice a lot of noise and digital artifacts until they are scaled down to smaller dimensions. The colours look bright and white balance is good too. Shooting in the low light areas, you will find that the video is of decent quality but then, there will be quite a lot of noise. Unfortunately, Sony’s DCRSR37ES handycam did not manage to maintain its decent performance in the still shots shooting also, we recommend to use your camera phone for this handycam.
Clear audio:
The audio is quite clear with Sony’s super smart microphone. It eliminates the background noise and all the other off camera noises to the maximum when you are focussed on your subject.
Warranty:
Sony DCRSR37ES Handycam Camcorder with Built-In 60GB HDD comes with one year limited warranty for parts and labour.
Battery:
A fully charged battery of DCRSR37ES will give you about 11.5 hours of life. But if you are switching on and off continuously, this rate will reduce considerably. Since the stand-by battery drain is very low, you can always be ready to catch that special moment.
Verdict:
It is very true that you will be able to get a camcorder with better performance for a few more pounds, but the Sony DCRSR37ES HDD camcorder justifies its cost. The standard definition videos are also very less demanding to play and edit on an average system and they are very inexpensive ones too. In fact, with DCRSR37ES you are just trading off the quality of video for the sake of higher storage and 60x zoom. And on the positive side, it is light weight and easy to use. All that we are trying to say is that, when you are paying for Standard definition, you can expect only SD and not HD.
Some other popular handycam from sony are Sony Handycam DCR-SR290E,
Sony HDR-SR11E and Sony HDR-TG7VE. You can read reviews and find specification details in this website.
Sony DCRSR37ES Digital Camcorder – Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | Sony |
| Model Name | Sony Handycam DCRSR37ES |
| Camcorder type | Tapeless |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 68 x 60 x 105mm |
| Weight | 300 gm |
| Display | 2.7″ Hybrid LCD Touch Screen |
| VIDEO FEATURES | |
| Formats Supported | Standard Definition, MPEG2 |
| Video Signal | NTSC color, EIA standards |
| STILL IMAGE FEATURES | |
| Still image resolution | 6.1 mega pixels |
| Compression of still image | JPEG |
| Recording Media | Memory Stick DUO |
| Image Size: VGA | 640 x 480 |
| Specific features | Still image recording on Memory Stick Still image recording on internal HDD Memory Stick PRO Compatibility Index Playback PictBridge compatibility |
| AUDIO FEATURES | |
| Audio System | Dolby Digital 2ch |
| Built in Microphone | Stereo, zoom microphone |
| Specific features | Built in Speaker |
| CAMERA FEATURES | |
| Image Device: Size | 1 / 8″ CCD |
| Image Processor | BIONZ |
| Number of Pixels Gross (K) | 800 |
| Shutter Speed | 1/3-1/3500 (including Scene Selection) |
| White Balance | Auto / Outdoor / Indoor / One-push |
| Scene Selection | Twilight, Twilight Portrait (Still Image), Candle, Sunrise & Sunset, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Beach, Snow |
| Specific features | Advanced HAD technology, x.v.Colour, Full Range Auto focus, Manual focus, Spot Focus, Spot Meter, SteadyShot (Image Stabilisation), Camera Noise Reduction, Auto Slow Shutter, Colour Slow Shutter, Backlight compensation, Telemacro |
| LENS AND ZOOM | |
| Lens | Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar |
| F | 1.8-6.0 |
| Filter Diameter (mm) | 30 |
| Zoom Ratio (Optical) | 60 |
| Zoom Ratio (Digital) | 2000 |
| Precision Digital Zoom | No |
| PORTS AND CONNECTIVITY | Audio Output, Video Output, S-Video Output, USB Output |
| Software | Picture Motion Browse Editing Software |
| Package contents | Sony Handycam DCR-SR37ES, quick reference guide, camcorder, instruction manual, product registration CD, rechargeable battery, multi AV cable, CD-ROM and European warranty card |
| Warranty | One year |
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