Sony DCR-SR35E Hard Disc Drive Handycam Camcorder with X40 Zoom

I bought this camcorder a few days before I went on a two-week holiday to Boston and New York, so I was looking for one I could learn to use fast, and which wouldn't need a bag full of extras (tapes, disks, etc) for me to forget or leave on the plane. This, then, was perfect for my needs.

Basically, if you know how to use a TV remote, you will be able to use this camera within 30 seconds of taking it out of the box. It's set up so that all the basic functions are immediately obvious. However, if you're the kind of person who needs to read the instruction manual first, this is still a great camera, because it's so simple and straightforward. The record button is under your thumb, the zoom is under your forefinger. Press once to record, press again to stop. There's no fiddling with tapes or disks. It records straight to the hard drive.

When I was looking at cameras, I had a checklist of issues, including the following:

BATTERY LIFE
The battery that comes with the camera lasts long enough to record about 90 minutes with judicious use. Judicious use means not leaving it switched on in your hand when not recording. It has a standby mode, but that drains power also. I bought an extra battery (the FH100), which provides 10 hours of recording time (I still had 3 hours left on it after my two week holiday). There are other models that don't last as long which are cheaper. However, the longer-lasting batteries are bigger, sticking out the back of the camera and adding more weight.

RECORDING TIME
This camera has three different recording modes. In the normal mode, which is good enough for most home movies (still decent on my 32"+ TV), the internal hard drive holds over 10 hours of video. In the better quality mode, it holds less. In the lesser quality mode (ideal for web-quality video), it holds considerably more. Plus you can bump up the capacity with extra memory cards, but in two weeks I didn't come anywhere near filling up the hard drive.

SCREEN / MENU
Many of the features of the camera are controlled by the handy touchscreen, which can swivel around 180 degrees. The menu system takes a little while to get used to, and at first it takes some determined tapping through the various menus to find the more advanced options. Deleting movies is a bit fiddly. However, watching them is very straightforward - two taps and you're watching what you just filmed. Each clip has a thumbnail, indexed by date (or by the camera's clever face recognition function!).

ZOOM
Though this camera has technology to negate the effect of shaky hands, this is less proficient when you use the zoom. The optical zoom can make things half a mile away look close by, and the ridiculous digital zoom (several thousand times!) even closer, but the higher the zoom, the more pronounced any shaking will appear. If you have a tripod, fine, but otherwise, the high zoom range is probably never going to be used.

ADVANCED FEATURES
The camera has autofocus and auto white balance, which are generally useful for the average home movie because you don't want to be fiddling with settings all the time. However, auto white balance is the bane of indoor filming, because it tends to make everything and everyone look a radioactive orange. Fortunately, you can shut this off if you wish. The camera has special modes that allow you to film in black and white, sepia, and also a fun feature that makes your video look like an old flickering 1920s movie. Just be sure to turn it off when you've finished with it.

STILLS CAMERA
The camera can take still shots with a second twist of the power toggle, but they're only about 1MP in quality, which is less than some camera phones now. If you want to take good quality photos alongside your videos, you'll need an extra camera.

SOFTWARE
The software, like the camera itself, is simplicity itself. Once installed, all it requires you to do is plug in the camera, and then it does everything else for you. With the press of a button, you can download all your clips onto the computer. It has two different means of creating your own DVDs (watchable with any reasonable DVD player). The most straightforward is just to press the button on the side of the camera, though this means selecting the clips you want on the camera's screen. Alternatively, do it via the software. My main problem with the included software is that it doesn't seem to allow you to edit the running order of clips. Still, many Windows computers come with a movie making utility that allows you to do this anyway.

ACCESSORIES
You get everything you need in the box (except maybe a bigger battery, depending on needs). You get the software on CD-ROM, you get the power adapter (from which the battery also charges), you also get the USB lead to connect it to the computer, and another lead to connect it to many TVs. The camera has a durable, adjustable handstrap, but some people might want to buy a shoulder strap too. Also in the box is a catalogue of other accessories, such as protective cases, and different lenses.

I'm quite a technophobe, not wanting a gadget that needs a science degree to operate, so this camera was perfect for me. What minor flaws it has have not impacted on any of my videos so far. I'm sure someone with more technical ability would be able to get more out of it, but as a great (and great value!) all-rounder, this camcorder is near-perfect.

I bought this at the beginning of Sept 2008. I was loooking for a camcorder for my wedding and to take on my hols. I went for the sony brand as after looking in shops and handling different models (e.g JVC, PANOSONIC) this was the most comfortable. It's very light weight and easy to use. The touch screen is excellent and allows for easier zooming in with less camera shake - although a tripod will help reduce shake even more. I couldn't believe how small and compact it is and the software was very quick and easy to upload using wndows XP. I was unsure if the quality would be any good once i conected the camera to a 42inch TV to watch video - however I was not dissappointed. Quality is good and great if what you want is to take holiday clips and view them back at home either on a laptop or TV. The large hard drive means its got more than enough space to record on and you can add extra memory by using a memory stick. I agree with all the comments on battery life and i have bought the NP-FH70 SONY original battery off amazon - this will give you a spare battery with about 3hrs use on(the one it comes with lasts about 1 hr).The cheaper models of battery are available but these plug into the camcorder via a wire - i didn't want to fath with wires etc so paid the extra for the sony battery that just slots in like the original does. This is an excellent littler camcorder and is reasonably priced compared with others for the large optical zoom and hard drive capacity. I would certainly recommned this , but leave enough in the budget to get a spare battery too!don't rely on it as camera though - get a seperate compact with higher number of megapixels and this will give better quality pics.

Sony DCR-SR35E Hard Disc Drive Handycam Camcorder with X40 ZoomI bought this camera as i was looking to upgrade my old analogue sony to HDD for easy of use and above all...no tapes!.
First off, as some who have got this model, i use it for paranormal work, you need a camera that records for a long time, and is easy and above all quick to use, and this one certainly is.
Its very straight forward, point and shoot, and in one touch of a button your reviewing scene by scene footage, which is a godsend as you dont have to spend time rewinding to the correct minute. The widescreen touchscreen is fantastic, and much better than the older SR32 model which this superseeds (and for some reason is almost twice the price!?).
Yes, you will need to buy another H series battery as a spare, but this is not a problem, and are on amazon for a good price.
Just one drawback folks!..the nightshot. On the old Hi8 and Digital8 models there were 2 ir sensor lights which was great, but on all the HDD models past and present, there is only 1. The nightshot is clearer than the SR32, but i would recomend the sony HVL-IRM IR light whith cold shoe, and once this is attached makes nightshot a joy!.
All in all a fantastic little camcorder for a great price, highly recomended if your a ghosthunter or just want a decent lower price camera.Sony HVL-IRM Infra-Red Night Shot Light For Cold Shoe.