Product Description

The Sony DCR-SR220 60GB Handycam camcorder delivers superb results using advanced Sony technology in a compact body. Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound is captured along with your video for a realistic viewing and audio experience.

A 2.3 Megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor,with Exmor technology and BIONZ image processor, captures vibrant, high resolution video and still images. The dual-record mode allows you to take 4 megapixel photos while you’re recording video directly to your choice of either the built-in 60GB hard disk or removable Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick PRO Duo media.

Features:

• 2.3 Megapixel ClearVid CMOS Sensor (with Exmor Technology) and BIONZ Image Processor
• BIONZ Image Processor
• Exmor Imaging Sensor
• Face Detection for Video Footage and Digital Still Photos
• 15X Optical / 180X Digital Zoom
• 2.7" Wide (16:9) Touch Panel Clear Photo LCD Plus Display (211K Pixels)
• Hybrid Recording to Hard Disk Drive or Memory Stick Media
• Dual Record
• Memory Stick PRO Duo Media Slot
• Quick On
• Built-in zoom microphone with 5.1ch recording
• Dolby Digital 5.1ch Recording
• Dynamic Range Optimizer
• Easy Handycam Button
• Professional Quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens
• Active Interface Shoe
• USB 2.0 Interface
• InfoLITHIUM Battery with AccuPower Meter System
• Stamina Battery Power Management System
• Battery Information
• Fader Effects
• Scene Selection Modes
• Picture Effects
• Face Index
• Film Roll Index
• Manual Focus
• One Touch Disc Burn
• On Screen Zoom and Record Buttons
• Progressive Shutter System
• Su

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5343 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Sony
• Model: DCR-SR220
• Dimensions: 1.23 pounds
• Display size: 2.7

Features

• Capture video to hard disk drive or Memory Stick media; 60 GB storage
• 2.3-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor with Exmor technology; Bionz image processor
• Face Detection for video and digital still photos
• 2.7-inch widescreen touch-panel Clear Photo LCD Plus display
• Professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens; Dolby Digital 5.1-channel recording

From the Manufacturer
From the Manufacturer

Superb results from advanced Sony technology. With a ClearVid CMOS sensor (with Exmor technology) and Bionz image processor, the DCR-SR220 Handycam camcorder captures vibrant, high-resolution video and still images that please the senses. Its dual record mode even lets you take 4-megapixel photos while recording video directly to your choice of either the built-in 60GB hard disk or removable Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick Pro Duo media.

HDR-SR220 Handycam Highlights

2.3-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor (with Exmor technology) and Bionz image processor Sony's newly-designed CMOS image sensor with Exmor technology delivers bright, vivid, and spectacularly detailed 2.3-megapixel (effective) video footage, as well as 4-megapixel still images -- all with prolonged battery life. Exmor technology captures images with high resolution and high sensitivity. In addition, the advanced Sony Bionz image processor improves camera response time and screens out noise so the signal from each pixel is as pure as possible.

Bionz image processor The advanced Sony Bionz image processor uses hardware-based Large Scale Integrated (LSI) circuitry that improves camera response time, screens out noise before RAW data conversion, handles Dynamic Range Optimization processing, and prolongs battery life.

Exmor imaging sensor Exmor technology captures video and still photo images with high resolution, high sensitivity, and exceptional detail. Advanced on-sensor A/D conversion yields rich tonal reproduction with high signal-to-noise ratio.

Face Detection for video footage and digital still photos Made possible by the Bionz image processing engine, Face Detection technology recognizes up to 8 faces anywhere in the frame and automatically controls focus, exposure, and color to help capture smiling faces brightly and clearly. Face Detection also helps make skin tones look natural without affecting other colors in the image.

15x optical/180x digital zoom The optical zoom helps to bring the action close up from far away. In addition, Digital Zoom Interpolation means that extreme digital zooming is clearer, with less distortion than previous types of digital zoom.

2.7-inch widescreen touch-panel Clear Photo LCD Plus display The 2.7-inch widescreen (16:9) LCD screen provides exceptional viewing clarity with improved resolution (211K pixels). The display rotates up to 270 degrees for multiple viewing angles, as well as provides sharp, detailed images for monitoring or playback. The widescreen format makes shooting in 16:9 mode and composing shots even easier.

Hybrid recording to hard disk drive or Memory Stick media Hybrid recording technology delivers a new level of flexibility for transferring your video footage and digital photos from the camcorder to compatible viewing devices. Record to the camcorder's internal hard disk drive, or choose instead to record to removable Memory Stick Duo media or Memory Stick Pro Duo media. You can even select from various dubbing functions to easily copy video or still images from the hard disk drive to Memory Stick media -- without using a PC. Images recorded or transferred to Memory Stick media can then be played directly on a PS3 or PC to share your memories with friends and family.

Dual Record While recording video in high definition, you have the ability to capture still images directly to Memory Stick Duo media (sold separately).

Memory Stick Pro Duo media slot Capture still images directly onto Memory Stick Pro Duo media (sold separately) for easy transfer to PCs for emailing, printing, or sharing with other compatible Memory Stick devices (sold separately).

Built-in zoom microphone with 5.1-channel recording Featuring Dolby Digital 5.1 Creator, the built-in zoom microphone focuses audio recording on your subjects in sync with the camera's zoom lens, helping memories ring true with clear dialogue and crisp, discrete sounds.

Dolby Digital 5.1-channel recording Record in Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound with the camcorder's built-in microphone. Recording in 5.1-channel surround sound allows you to experience your home movies with active sounds coming from all directions, so you can enjoy your personal home movies the way you experienced them while recording.

Dynamic Range Optimizer Powered by the exclusive Sony's Bionz high-speed processing engine, D-Range Optimization preserves image data in bright highlights, such as suppressing "whiteout" in skies. When shooting in backlit settings, D-Range Optimization reveals more detail in shadows, preventing "blackout." As a result, the captured image appears as natural as the original scene.

Easy Handycam button Using a camcorder can be intimidating for some people. With a press of the Easy Handycam button, most of the advanced features of the camcorder are "locked out," letting you focus only the buttons essential for recording.

Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens

Professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lenses are designed specifically for compact camcorders, and utilize precision ground optics to maintain the sharpness and contrast found with larger lenses.

Active Interface Shoe Sony's proprietary hot shoe makes it easy to use Intelligent Accessories, such as external lights and microphones, by providing power and on/off capability directly from the camcorder.

USB 2.0 interface The USB 2.0 interface provides an easy way to connect your camcorder to a PC for fast transfer of video and still images for editing.

InfoLithium Battery with AccuPower Meter System Unlike NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries, Sony's rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries are not subjected to a life shortening "Memory Effect," so you're free to charge the battery at any time. Additionally, Sony's exclusive AccuPower meter displays the battery time remaining in minutes, in either the viewfinder or on the LCD screen.

Quick On Missing an important scene can be frustrating, especially if the reason is because your camcorder is turned off. With the Quick On feature, the touch of a single button places that camcorder in Sleep mode. Another push instantly wakes the camcorder, so you'll always be ready to capture special moments.

Stamina Battery Power Management System When using the Sony InfoLithium Battery, the Stamina Battery Power Management System helps the camcorder prolong battery life for extra long continuous recording times from a single charge.

Battery information At the touch of a button, battery information is displayed on the LCD screen when charging and when the camcorder is turned off. When using the LCD screen or viewfinder, the display will show how much the battery is charged -- in 10-percent increments -- and the recordable time left.

Fader effects Enhance your personal videos by adding professional looking fader effects. Choose from Black and White.

Scene Selection modes Scene Selection modes make recording easy even when filming in challenging situations. Choose from Beach, Candle, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Sports Lesson, Spotlight, and Sunrise & Sunset.

Picture Effects Get creative when recording or playing back your videos with Sony's Picture Effect Modes. Effects available in Camera mode: Monotone, Pastel and Sepia. Effects available in Playback mode: Monotone, Pastel and Sepia.

Face Index Face Index makes it easier than ever to find and play back the right video scene. Using Face Detection technology, Face Index indexes your video footage according to the faces detected in each scene. When it's time to play back video, simply search for what you want by selecting from among the detected faces displayed in the index.

Film Roll Index Like chapters in a book, Film Roll Index helps you easily find desired scenes in video footage. When using this feature, the camcorder previews the beginning of scenes and can create scene indexes set at specified display intervals (3, 6, or 12 seconds and 1 or 5 minutes).

Super NightShot Infrared System With the Super NightShot Infrared System, you can capture video in total darkness (0 lux) up to 10 feet away.

Manual focus Manually adjust the focus of the camcorder using the touch panel. Manual focusing also allows the user to control the focus in difficult situations where either the environment or the subject does not allow the camcorder's auto focus to perform optimally, such as when shooting through a window or in a crowded environment.

One-touch disc burn Easily burn a DVD copy of your footage using the supplied software. Simply connect the camcorder to your PC via a USB cable and press the One-touch disc burn button.

On-screen Zoom and Record buttons For additional control of the camcorder, Zoom and Record buttons are features on the frame of the LCD screen. This allows for more flexibility when holding the camcorder, especially in overhead or low-angle shots.

Progressive shutter system A mechanical shutter system that provides progressive scan performance while utilizing an interlaced scanning system. Digital still images will be sharp and clear with excellent definition.

Multi-language menu Change the menu display from English to English (Simplified), Canadian French, Latin American Spanish, or Brazilian Portuguese.

---

Customer Reviews

I made the right choice with the Sony Handycam DCR-SR220
When my miniDV tape camcorder finally died, I knew that I would be getting a hard drive based camcorder, but I didn't know it would be so hard to pick the right one out, so I did a lot of research and finally chose the Sony Handycam DCR SR220. My biggest concern with this model was that I didn't think the 15x optical zoom would be enough. The real selling points were the good sized hard drive, the better than average lens, the excellent video quality and really good still picture quality (4 mega pixels, which is a lot better than most camcorders). This camera turns on quickly and is very easy to use. The software that comes with it isn't terrible, but if you use Adobe Premiere and Photoshop you will probably stick with that. Getting the videos and photos to the PC is very easy and quick, especially compared to DV tape. This camcorder has some very cool features too, like night vision (video in total darkness). "Drop protection" which I thought might include a parachute :-) but it doesn't. It just moves the sensor away from the hard drive and locks in place as well as shutting off the camera. The manual does say that this can be turned off if you need too, in case you are taking video while you are sky diving. It also doesn't work well in non-gravity environments such as outer space. Overall I am very pleased with the quality, ease of use, and mainly the speed of using this camcorder as well as transferring video and photos to a PC. As far as the 15x zoom goes, I did try out the smart digital zoom up to 30x and it was actually better than the optical zoom on my old Panasonic camcorder, so I am satisfied with that. My only recommendation would to be purchase a spare battery and travel battery charger. The reason for this is that the battery can only be charged while in the camera and in the docking station, plus you always have a spare. I think anyone looking for a hard drive based camcorder that doesn't require super zoom features would be very pleased with this camcorder.

Great for video-ok for photos
I actually returned the sony DCRDVD 308 and purchased this camera instead. I wanted a camera that worked decently in low light conditions. For the price and without having the camera look like I'm from the local news station, I'm very pleased. I was having problems with the 308 not being able re-focus after zooming in and zooming out in low light conditions.... but don't seem to have that problem with this camera. I don't use the night vison feature because that shoots pretty much almost in black and white-but very clear. The color in the regular setting even in lower light is pretty darn good (for a camera that isn't a 3cc). I usually shoot with a tabletop tripod but don't always have the opportunity to use one- and find that the built in stabalization has worked wonders. If you read the manual, you have a lot of options for different settings, too. I agree with the last reviewer, though. I did purchase an extra battery and highly recommend doing so.
I film bands (mostly my husband's) and purchased the extra microphone with the stereo surround sound. It is worth the price! The sound quality is phenomenal! With the 308 I was having problems with lower frequency sounds (bass rhythms or deeper voices)picking up a hissing sound, but don't have that with the 220 even without the extra microphone.
My only disappointment is with the picture taking function in lower lighting conditons-but I'm still working with that and plan to call sony to see if I can work a little more with the settings. But in daylight it takes decent photos. I programmed the camera so the photos go to the memory stick and the video records right to the hard drive. But I bought the camera for the video capabilities, which I have been very pleased with. I have had no problem downloading what I have recorded quickly right to my computer and then right onto a disc to view on my television.The camera is also very small, easy to handle and carry and very user friendly.

SR220 vs SR200
I first got a SR200 and then saw that Sony released a successor, SR220. So I returned the SR200, bought the SR220 thinking the successor will be better. The SR200 was a good camera, but I liked the grip and size on the SR220 better.

After I got the SR220 I compared the videos with some samples that I took from the SR200 before returning it. I was just disappointed. The details were far better in the older SR200 and there was less noise. I did notice from the specs that the CMOS sensor on the SR220 is smaller in size than the SR200.