Sony Handycam HDR-XR100 camcorder reviews

Tuesday, July 21, 2009, 5:15
Digital Camera
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sony-hdr-xr100 Users have come to the realization that Sony’s AVCHD camcorder lineup comprises a variety of expensive camcorders. The HDR-XR100 camcorder is a member of this series of camcorders. This device is not as expensive as the rest of the models in the line up.

The camcorder is also not very attractive in terms of looks but is a solid performer. This model is a hard-drive camcorder and is available in a double toned black and silver plastic body. The price of this camcorder is not the least in the Sony’s AVCHD camcorder lineup. You can buy this camcorder at a price of $750.

As far as dimensions of this camcorder are concerned, it measures 2.8 inches by 2.8 inches by 5.1 inches. The camcorder is pretty heavy and weighs about 14.5 ounces. It features an Exmor CMOS sensor of the size 1/5-inch. The resolution offered by the sensor is about 2.4 megapixels. The camcorder features digital image stabilization. The touch screen LCD of this camcorder is 2.7 inches big and offers a native resolution of 163K dots.

The camcorder features a memory of 80 GB on its hard drive. The maximum bit rate offered by this camcorder is 16mbps. This camcorder offers a recording time of 7 minutes per 1 GB of space when you record video at its maximum resolution. This value on the hard drive accounts for a shooting time of about 9 hours and 40 minutes.

The camcorder features a rich 5.1 channel audio. The camcorder is pretty good to feel and can easily fit in your jacket pocket. The device is extremely easy to operate. The connections on the device lack a 3.5mm headphone/mic jack, but include a mini-HDMI port, USB port, and A/V port. The navigation on the camcorder can be done via the touch screen interface of the LCD screen. This screen is pretty easy to view, even under direct sunlight.

The device features Smile Shutter, face detection, and a variety of scene modes. The battery life is poor at a little over one hour under normal usage conditions. The video recording is good with colors displayed as bright and vivid. But fringing and noise in the shots is also visible most of the times. If you want to spend $600 on an HD camcorder, Sony Handycam HDR-XR100 can be a good choice.