Digital Trends

The left side is dominated by a flip-out 2.7-inch touch screen widescreen monitor rated 123K pixels versus 115K for the MG505; the JVC is not a touch screen but has a joystick to move through the menus instead of your fingertip. The Sony screen has wide/tele zoom controls on the side as well as a start/stop button. Even though there are only a few K pixels separating them, the Sony appears much more accurate and detailed. Guess there’s more to LCD screen technology than pixels…

 

When the screen is open you have access to several controls including Easy, DVD Burn, Wide Select and Disp (Display)/Batt Info (Battery Info). You also find a small speaker but forget about a surround experience with it. On the body below the screen is a Back Light Compensation key, NightShot On/Off and a compartment that covers the A/V and USB out and DC in ports.

 

The rear of the SR100 has a pull-out color viewfinder with diopter control, something totally missing from the JVC. This is a life-saver if your screen wipes outs in bright sunshine. You’ll also find the battery which is rated 45 minutes in real world use. Be prepared to buy some spares if you plan to take seven hours worth of video at one time. Also here is the mode key for choosing between video, stills or playback. I really don’t like the placement of this dial since it can be easily moved as your index finger moves from the zoom and snapshot keys. Oh well, nothing’s perfect—or even close to it. There’s a record stop/start button and lights to indicate your current mode setting. The bottom only has tripod and accessory mounts. Surprisingly, the SR100 does not have a memory card slot—Memory Stick Duo, SD or otherwise—something the JVC offers. The MG505 wins for that one just for convenience sake.      

  

The DSCR-SR100 comes with the basics—an AC adaptor, power cord, A/V and USB cables, a remote and a rechargeable lithium ion battery (NP-FP60) that’s rated 45 minutes in typical use, similar to the JVC. In other words, expect to buy a spare like the NP-FP90 that works for almost two hours. The 108-page owner’s manual is O.K. but filled with the cutesy anime-influenced illustrations. At least it was translated into English. The software CD ROM has ImageMixer for HDD to help you edit and burn discs.

 

After the battery was charged it was time to put the DCR-SR100 through its paces to see if we could fill the 30GB HDD.

 
Image Courtesy of Sony