Any opinions on the Sony SR36E HDD camcoder?

Question

Does anyone have this particular camcoder, or has used it? I'd appreciate any reviews/comments.

Thanks

Answer 1

deciding on a format to suit your style is a tricky proposition. most people are getting Hard drive cameras without thinking of the implications of the design. i will keep using mini dv tape myself until the bitter end as i think they are still the best format for low budget film making. you can use them in many HD cameras and will offer better archival storage and far superior image quality compared to DVD and HDD.

also, what sort of shooting are you looking to do? indoor studio? or outdoor sporting events etc. many cameras are good for one but might be lacking for the other. try to find something that suits your needs and work out features you may find useful. eg - night vision sounds great but it's highly unlikely that you'll use it regularly. but if you found something with decent mic inputs and separate sound controls you may find that FAR more useful.

consider you applications, decide your format and look at how much you want to spend. make a short list then try them out.

good luck to you.

PS - for the record, I use a sony hvr-v1p. it is an amazing cam and looks as good as super 16mm film.

Answer 2

If you don't mind the heavy compression applied to the video (which results in reduced video quality), and if you are not planning to record loud audio, then it is probably OK... but if you want best available video quality you need to get a miniDV tape based camcorder with some sort of audio control. Check through the Sony line - some of their cameras have a "Normal" and "Low" mic gain switch - use "Low" for loud audio. Most of the other manufacturers do not have any mic gain, so recorded loud audio is horrible.