Home Phone and Internet $60/mo
Sony's SteadyShot image stabilization worked well, but couldn't quite keep up with this camcorder's 20X optical zoom range. We found that it was effective to as much as about three-quarters of the zoom range. If you plan to shoot extreme close-ups, or long shots, you'll probably want to set up a tripod, unless you like that herky-jerky Blair Witch Project look.
Sony rates the DCR-SR40's battery life at 125 minutes for continuous recording, though you should expect slightly more than half of that during normal use. It's probably a good idea to get a spare battery if you plan to shoot for any serious length of time, or before you take this camcorder on vacation. Like most other Sony camcorders, the SR40 displays remaining battery power in estimated minutes remaining, which is more useful and convenient than the broken bar chart approach employed by some manufacturers.
Despite its smallish CCD and an effective pixel count of 340,000, we were impressed with the image quality of the DCR-SR40. While obviously not as sharp as the footage you'd get from a camcorder with more pixels, such as Sony's own DCR-SR80 or DCR-SR100 models, the SR40's footage still yielded an admirable amount of detail with few compression artifacts and well-saturated colors. Colors were a touch cool when shooting outdoors and slightly warm indoors, but not as bad as those of some other camcorders we've seen. As we mentioned in our review of the DCR-SR100, Sony seems to be doing a better job with MPEG-2 footage than JVC does, except for JVC's three-chip Everio GZ-MG505.
Still-photo enthusiasts who want to make 4x6 prints will want to steer clear of the DCR-SR40 or supplement it with a dedicated digital still camera. When printed at 4x6 inches, still images from the SR40 were rather blurry, with jaggy edges on curved lines and bland, though fairly accurate colors.
Overall, Sony's Handycam DCR-SR40 is a decent choice for an entry-level hard-drive-based camcorder. Tweakers and still-image buffs will probably want to move up the line, but casual shooters, such as those who just want to document birthday parties and the occasional holiday, should enjoy the convenience and conservation of leaving the tapes and mini-DVDs at the store.
- See more CNET content tagged:
- camcorder,
- Sony Handycam,
- Sony Corp.,
- touch screen,
- LCD
User reviews
- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 19 reviews
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
-
Showing 3 of 19 user reviewsSee all 19 user reviews
-
20 out of 24 people found this review helpful
-
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful
-
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
- See all 19 user reviews Write review
Sony Handycam DCR-SR40:
