Sony DCRSR45 Works for Me

I have owned two Hi-8 Digital Sony Camcorders since 1990. They have both performed very well. In recent years, I have been challenged to transfer all of my tapes to DVDs. This was alway a tedious process that involved hours of time and loss of video quality. The Sony DCRSR45 was my ideal compromise of price, quality, and functionality.

I am not filming the next feature film, but am able to video family events at a reasonable viewing quality and transfer to DVD with little time spent at the computer. With DVD+R prices down to a very reasonable level, this is the best deal I could find.

I enjoy the compact design of the DCRSR45. It is easy to transport and handle during use. The widescreen display with touch features make it a very easy to view and access functions.

I like the ability to use Sony ProDuo Memory Sticks in the camcorder. My son has a Sony PSP and the same memory works in both my camcorder and the game unit. I was also concerned about the possibility of a hard drive crash. Perhaps the Memory Stick will be my future memory system if the hard drive fails.

The 30GB hard drive holds over 11 hours of viewing if recording in the LP mode. I found this mode slightly grainy for the sport videos that I take from the press box of my son's high school field. Switching to SP mode was an improvement and I still get over 6 hours of recording. That will cover even a full day of games for me.

Overall, I am very satisfied. The camcorder is only 2 weeks old for me, so time will tell.