Customer Reviews

Sony DCR-SR85 1MP 60GB Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I just received this camcorder (DCR-SR85) and I am very happy with it! It is so small & lightwieght, plus it takes fantastic videos. The videos download very quickly with the included software, and are crisp and clear as any DVD movie that I have (standard definition). I stuggled with all the choices out there, but I am very satified with this product. I use it mostly to document procedures for work, but it is great for home movies also. I think it would be nice to have a larger mega-pixel camera in it (only 1 meg) since it is so small it could easily replace my digital camera also! I also purchased the extended warranty from Sony for only 89.00 (3 years), and an extra battery. This one is a keeper!

This is a great camcorder. Having the video written to disk is great. We've had DVD camcorders and watched an entire day's filming at WDW wasted when the DVD wasn't readable when we got back from vacation.

My wife likes using an eye view finder, but this camcorder does not have that. I have glasses so I've always opened it up and viewed it that way while filming. She also doesn't like the fact that you have to open the lens cap by hand, as it doesn't open automatically like our previous DVD camcorder.

We bought this particular model for the 25x Optical zoom, and that works great. The included software is awesome too.

This is my first camcorder and I selected this after a careful study of exisiting models across various brands like panasonic, jvc, canon. This was fitting my budget with lots of required specifications. I did go to nearest electronics shop and had a look at it before ordering it and comparing it other models. I used it extensively in my recent trip to smokies and it was fantastic. Lots of space..I need not bother about space. Four days of usage and I was hardly using 10 gb out of 60 gb. Clarity was good. Wish I could explore all the features of it. I would recommend this to any new comers into the camcorder world.

I took my family to Hawaii and didn't want to haul around my old bulky Panosonic camcorder. So I was looking for something small and affordable (the trip already took most of my savings!) and found this on Amazon for under $450. I'm no expert with camcorders and I don't want to be. I just want to point and shoot great video for the memories. So I did a lot of homework by reading reviews. Also, Sony seems to be the professional choice. So based on rave reviews, I picked the Sony DCR-SR85 Handycam and it turned out to be just what I needed. I like the size as it fits right into my hand and is hardly noticable. The video and sound quality was beautiful, and the ease of use was so SIMPLE. Having a harddrive was really nice since I was accumstomed to changing those lousy tapes. With 60 GB I'll never run out of space.
Not everything is perfect, so my only problems or concerns are: 1) I can't help but jiggle the camera while fumbling to find the zoom button or the button to turn the camera off. This will probably improve as I get better coordinated. 2) The screen is very difficult to see in bright sunlight, so without a viewfinder you have to point and hope. 3) The camera doesn't automatically shut off when you close the screen. So a couple of times I THOUGHT I hit the off button and closed the screen but ended up with 30 minutes of my shoes, the dashboard and very boring conversation. But it was easy to delete. 4) The battery that comes with the camera is whimpy, so spend another $70 and get a 4 hour battery. Use the whimpy one for backup emergency. 5) The 1MP photo quality is garbage. But why buy a camcorder for photos when you can get a fabulous Cannon 8MP Powershot for only $150?
All in all, I love this camera and recommend it highly.

I purchased this product to replace my broken T1, which was sufficient for me to capture photos and video clips for my baby's growth. After very long research, and debating on another DC or Camcorder, I picked this one based on Amazon's reviews, and more likely, hoped the 1M still shot capability would be good enough, and also utilize the hybrid feature of this machine for my just-bought 4GB MS. Unfortunately, other than the compact sze of this camcorder, nothing was really pleased me: no view finder, just-so so video quality (unless in bright light or outdoor, which I don't use that much), very poor (soft) still image, the photo button will not aid to a stable picture, no snap shot feature during taping, hybrid function does not help a lot, because the 60GB HDD is larger enough for my applications, no thumbnail available for video clips (wondering why the format is different from T1); after all, the price is too high, even for a SONY! Good parts: video clip size is small, comparing to CANON, night shot mode is sharp! and Amazon has a pretty good service system, I've got full refund and bought a CANON SD1100IS instead, and loved it so far. so maybe in the couple of year, another camcorder, but HD for sure.

This is one of the best camcorders I've ever dealed with. It's a big step up from a old VHS mini tape one. The hard drive makes it very convenient. With the charger station that comes with it, you can use it to charge and watch the video footage at the same time. I paid $550 which is quite a deal because it is a $700 camcorder. I do wish some more accessories came with it but that's okay. The zoom is great. For being only a one megapixel camera, it looks pretty good except when zoomed in. I would definitey consider this to all my friends.
- real easy to use and great capabilities

It is a good handy cam, however I was not satisfied with video resolution. But at this price you can't expect more then that. Camcorder had a problem with zoom in and out operation, there was some mechanical noise and it was getting recorder in video. So returned it. Got full refund from amazon instantly... no troubles at all, Thanks amazon!

I purchased this model a few weeks ago and have been using it as I can. The one thing I'd read alot about was the viewfinder LCD screen can be hard to see out in the bright daylight and that is very true with it. It made the LCD Screen be just like a mirror. All I could see was my reflection. I emailed Sony and they suggested the back light should be turned on then. I haven't had another situation like that since so I'm anxious to try that and see if its any better. I did have one day that it was a little tough to see the viewfinder and I found that shading my eyes helped me see it better. I think video quality is very good. I tried the night setting and yes it might make things a bit greenish, but you can see so well. I would not recommend using it to take still photos. If you try to use it for that you are definitely going to need a tripod or monopod. The pictures were not that great at all. However, the more I'm using this camera, the more I like it! I think the software that came with it is pretty great. It hasn't been too hard to figure out, but then I've done a small amount of video editing with another program I use.. just minor stuff. I have ordered the SONY VRD-MC5 DVDirect® MC5 Multi-Function DVD Recorder which will allow me to Transfer home movies and digital pictures to DVD quickly and easily, without a PC. Connects with virtually any camcorder, VCR, DVR or digital camera. I'm very excited to try that out! All in All.. I'm very happy with this camcorder and I did a lot of research before finally deciding this one was the one!

The Sony DCR-SR85 is a very nice camcorder for a very good value. It has been discontinued and replace with another model, hence the good pricing out there.

The quality of its video and audio on an HDTV is better than expected, and it is very easy to use. I considered purchasing an HD camcorder as I have HDTV, but they are considerably more expensive and the file system is more difficult to edit and work with. The quality this camera generates is more than acceptable, and HD just wasn't that important to me.

A hard drive camera is the only way to go. The convenience of having 60GB of storage space (plus the Memory Stick) is wonderful. If desired, you can record your video or photos to the Memory Stick, remove the stick and easily insert into a USB card reader to view or transfer your pictures to your computer. Either way, you have to hook "something" up to your computer, so you might as well just use the supplied USB cable and transfer photos or video from the camera's hard drive. The camcorder acts just like an external hard drive when plugged in to your computer, and it's simple as can be to use Windows Explorer (file manager) to move (copy) the Sony's files to your computer.

One of the key items to keep in mind when looking at camcorders is the recording and file format it utilzes. The Sony DCR-SR85 records in MPG2, which is very easy to use and immediately compatible with Windows players, such as Media Player etc. There is no need to install the supplied Picture Browser software. You're actually better off not installing it. The video can be played immediately. Unlike some other camcorders, the Sony keeps the video and audio together in the same file. Some cameras have a separate audio track that makes editing more work. There are many ways to go to edit and burn to DVD if desired (Ulead DVD MovieFactory) that are far better than using the supplied software.

It's a terrific camera. Get one while there still available and you can get a good deal on them. You won't be disappointed.

I tried the Sony DCR-SR47 at the local BestBuy and I did not like the quality that much. BestBuy has this Sony DCR-SR85 on clearance at $550 and I tried to play around for 5 minutes and it was a big difference. The SR85 has 10x better picture quality than SR47 with similar options. I believe SR47 has lesser pixel than this camcorder. You can compare them on Amazon site by site. I got this from JR at $349 and nobody could beat that price. It's great camcorder, looks exactly as newer model SR47,SR67, and SR87 but provides more picture quality. Quality does count instead of model year.