Sony Handycam DCR-SR68 – Shorter In Terms of Performance, Than HD Model
Thumbs Up:
The Sony Handycam DCR-SR68 comes with a 120 GB hard drive, straightforward operation, a compact size and in that small size it has a 60x Zoom lens.
Thumbs Down:
The Sony Handycam DCR-SR68 has apparent fringing on subjects and delivers soft and noisy video. The only image stabilization for the camera is the electronic image stabilization, the camera doesn’t even have mic and headphone jacks.
The Whiz Kid Speaks:
Manufacturer: Sony
Price range: $349.00 – $349.99
Part Number: DCR-SR68
Dimensions (H x W x D): 2.6 x 2.2 x 4.2 inches
Weight: 9.9 oz
Operating System Support: MS Windows 7, MS Windows XP SP3 and MS Windows Vista
Media Type: Flash card & Hard disk drive
Resolution: 720 x 480 megapixels
Shooting Programs: Beach, Snow, Sunset, Candle, Fireworks, Sunrise, Portrait mode, Landscape, Twilight portrait and Twilight mode
Image Stabilizer: Electronic (Steady Shot)
Digital Video Format: MPEG-2
Exposure Modes: Automatic & Program
White Balance Presets: Outdoor and Indoor
Still Image Format: JPEG
Supported Flash Memory: SD Memory Card
Features: Touch-screen control, PictBridge support, Backlight compensation, USB 2.0 compatibility and Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel) recording
Software: Sony Picture Motion Browser and Drivers & Utilities
Cables Included: A/V cable and USB cable
Power Device: Power adapter External
Supported Battery: Sony NP-FV30
Razzle Dazzle:
The Sony Handycam DCR-SR68 is available in three color choices of red, silver and blue, but its counterpart the DCR-SR88 is only available in silver color. The overall design of DCR-SR68 is pretty small and catchy. The control layout on DCR-SR68 is trademark camcorder pattern with the start/stop button positioned at the rear end of the camera and the zoom rocker situated on the top of the camera. In general terms the size of the camera is equivalent to the size of a cola can. The positioning of hand strap is something that looks like can cause a little bit of problem, but it actually did not. One another interesting thing about the camera is that despite having such huge storage space of 120 GB the camera doesn’t have a single bump. Though, this could be attributed to the light and small hard drives available these days. Located on the top left of the camera is the power input of the camera, besides the hard drive. The battery of the camera can only be charged inside the camcorder.
Inside Dope:
The Sony Handycam DCR-SR68 the hard drive based entry-level standard-definition camcorder by Sony. The camcorder comes with plethora of catchy features, but the some that caught our attention includes its big size Megazoom lens, reasonably small size and humongous storage capacity, but more than anything else the fact that all this comes at a price tag of $400 was the thing that got our attention. Even operating the DCR-SR68 is pretty easy, mentioned that you are familiar with the operation of digital cameras. Though, there is endless menu system for DCR-SR68, but there are not sufficient shooting options for the operators. Just like most of the other camcorders from its class the video quality result for the camera is pretty usual, particularly if you are planning to watch them on full screen large HDTV or if you are a high-definition content fanatic.
The controls on the body of the DCR-SR68 include a button to switch between video and photo modes positioned at the top of the battery cabin. Then there is the memory card slot positioned under the battery cover and battery and at the base of the camcorder. The memory slot here is compatible with both the Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD/SDHC cards. Located right at the front and under the lens of the camera there is a small door which covers the proprietary AV output; although there only is composite cable included with the camera, but still you can get a S-Video cable. For the operation of lens cover there is a slider located on the right side of the camera, but if you are trying to operate it while your hand is in the strap then it can be really tricky.
The performance delivered by Sony Handycam DCR-SR68, considering the low status of the camcorder is pretty imposing. There is an instant option for the camera, which enhances the performance of the camera by turning the camera on and off pretty fast. The battery for Sony Handycam DCR-SR68 offers continuous shooting of 100 minutes, although the time may vary depending upon the number of times you turn the camera on and off. The video quality of the camera is pretty noisy and soft.
Nitty Gritty:
The Sony Handycam DCR-SR68 comes with humongous storage space, huge Megazoom lens and all that at reasonable price. But to cut down the price, a little compromise has been made here and there, and once you take a deep look at the camera you will find that spending a little more on an HD model would have been a more sensible decision.
