Sony DCR-SR220 Video Camera Review

For work I needed a video camera, so after much consideration and advice, I opted for a Sony DCR-SR 220. Mostly on the recommendation of a professional videographer friend. I told him I wanted, light, easy to use, good quality and under a thousand dollars – this is what he suggested.

I do not see the point in listing the technical capabilities of this camera – most people I know (including myself) does not have the eyesight to tell the difference between 4.0 megapixels and 4.3 ☺ What really concerns me when buying a camera is overall image quality, lens quality and ease of use. In this case, this particular Sony Handycam passes with flying colors. Easy to use doesn’t even come close.

They label it a “super steady shot,” and if I have a criticism – it is very difficult to hold this steady at any sort of zoom. It does have some super duper (technical term) steadying software, but I heartily advise a decent tripod if you are attempting to shoot using the zoom facility. I guess part of the reason it is hard to hold steady is the light weight.

Considering it weighs only about one and a half pounds – even with the extra long life “actiforce” battery fitted, the quality and specifications are amazing. The photo quality is incredible for something that costs about $600, the video quality, even in HD is incredible, and the interface is intuitive. It has a 60 GB hard drive which will hold about 25 hours of best quality recording, although you can also record to memory sticks if you prefer.

The photo here is taken on my Sony, although I cannot upload a video here – and I refuse to hand over ownership of anything I own to some one like youtube. As you can see, the quality is good enough to compare favorably with many of the still cameras on the market.

As an introduction to video, I can recommend this camera for a number of reasons. For a start it says Sony on the label, and much as I may disagree with their corporate philosophies, they make excellent consumer electronics. I have owned this for about a year now and so far so good. What I will say is – be prepared for the videos to eat your computer when editing them. Managing video files is an art form in it’s own right that requires substantial computing resources.

Happy shooting.