Sony Handycam DCR-SR88 – Big hard drive

Sum and Substance:

Thumbs Up:

Easy to use interface, compact design, big 120 GB hard drive, 60x zoom lens.

Thumbs Down:

Videos look a bit soft and noisy, subjects have noticeable fringing, only EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) doesn’t have jacks for headphone or microphone.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Sony Handycam DCR-SR88 has a 2000x digital zoom with Optical Sensor Size of 1/8″, 3 lux minimum illumination, videos are stored in MPEG-2 format, the camcorder has electronic image stabilizer, minimum shutter speed is 1/30 second, maximum shutter speed is 1/500 second. Shooting program options include Twilight portrait, Snow, Twilight mode, Beach, Portrait mode, Candle, Landscape, Sunset, Firworks and Sunrise. The effective still resolution is 0.34 megapixels, images are stored in JPEG format.

The camcorder has 120 GB internal hard drive and image resolution is  640 x 480 pixels for JPEG. The camcorder has zoom lens of 1.8 mm – 108 mm – F/1.8-6.0  with 1.8 mm – 108 mm focal length, lens aperture is F/1.8-6.0, and 60x optical zoom. Minimum focal length is 1.8 mm, maximum focal length is 108 mm. Additional features include PictBridge support, Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel) recording, USB 2.0 compatibility, Touch-screen control, Backlight compensation. The screen is 2.7 inches big and connectors for the device include S-Video output, Composite audio/video output and USB. Expansion slots include SD memory card and Memory Stick PRO Duo. Included cables are USB and A/V cord. The device is powered by li-ion rechargeable battery. The camcorder comes with one year warranty.

Razzle Dazzle:

SR68 is available in color options of blue, red and silver. But the Sony Handycam DCR-SR88 is available only in silver color. The controls are pretty much typical of a standard camcorder. On the device’s back, you have stop/start button and on the top there is a zoom rocker in front of the shutter release. The gadget looks just like a can of soda. The handstrap is a bit low but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable. This is because the hard disks are now light and small so these camcorders don’t have the typical bump. On the left of the hard disk, there is a tiny door which hides the power jack. You can charge the battery within the camcorder itself.

Inside Dope:

This is an entry level camcorder and records video in a built in hard drive. The highlights of this device is the small size, big storage capacity and also the megazoom lens. All this seems really tempting at a price of $400. The interface is also user friendly in spite of the menu system which seems endless. You won’t find much shooting options in here but this is not unexpected in a basic camcorder like this. Another typical features of such camcorders is the mediocre photo quality. This will be apparent if you are watching the videos on a large HDTV.

Sony Handycam DCR-SR88 is recommend if you are not too concerned about the video quality and just want to shoot no matter what. The camcorder has a megazoom lens and yet fits easily in the pocket of your coat. This video recorder has 120 GB of storage space and if you don’t need this big space, then check out the SR88 which has the same features but comes with an 80 GB hard drive.

The battery of the Sony Handycam DCR-SR88 protrudes from the back and above it, there is a button toggle between the modes of video and stills. There is a SDHC/SD and Memory Stick Pro Duo card slot on the bottom of the gadget. Below the lens there is a small door which hides the proprietary AV output and you get a composite cable and also an S-Video cord. On the slider’s right, you the lens cover which covers the lens and it is awkward to use once the device is strapped to your hand.

Sony Handycam DCR-SR88 has a touch screen and it is better than what we have seen in other camcorders in this price range. The screen’s left, you have virtual buttons which control the zoom lens and stopping and starting the recordings. This is useful if you are shooting through tripod. We don’t like touch based menu systems much because the buttons are very tiny but if you don’t make a lot of changes, you will be fine. On the bright side, the screen is responsive but the list seems to be never ending since everything is put up in a single line. You also get a user configurable menu screen which houses six items that you access frequently.

Sony Handycam DCR-SR88 has a megazoom lens and if you are buying this camcorder for that reason, be wary of the fact that it is not easy to shoot one handedly. You are better off with a tripod or some other stable support. The camcorder doesn’t have optical image stabilization, just electronic image stabilization but still it is better than having nothing at all. However, videos will shake a lot when you zoom out to the fullest.

Sony Handycam DCR-SR88 is basic camcorder made just for shooting and so there aren’t a lot of options put in. When we tested it, most of the times, we set the Auto for focus, white balance and scene selection. The results were satisfactory considering this is a basic camcorder. There are some options for scene and same holds true for white balance as well. You can control the exposure and focus through the touch screen.

Performance of the Sony Handycam DCR-SR88 too is good for this class of camcorder. You have the option to switch on the device instantly, all you have to do is open the LCD. This is seen in a lot of camcorders but still it is nice to have it here. Quality of the videos was a bit soft, and things got a bit sharper in the Tele Macro mode. Clips also had a some noise and also digital artifacts. You will have to scale down to YouTube sizes for a better video.

Nitty Gritty:

Sony Handycam DCR-SR88 has a big hard drive and comes with an easy to use interface but the video quality is mediocre. We will recommend you to spend a bit more and go for HD camcorder instead.

Popularity: 8% [?]