Sony DCR-SR35 Owner Review

by izzy

The Sony DCR-SR35 feels very light and easy to use. I bought it only to make small videos of family occasions, and it does the job very well. The camera is very light and compact which is great.

The image of the photo shots are not that good - a bit like a phone camera. However the video images are fantastic the zoom is brilliant. The scene selection is easy no more forwarding and rewinding to find your scene.

I haven't used the dvd burner yet but I understand its a touch of one button.

The buttons are all very close together which is helpful when filming. Looks smart too. The zoom (40X)on it is phenomenal, though obviously if handheld when zooming to its maximum, you can visibly see the 'shaking'. I would suggest perhaps a tripod if you would be using the zoom like that.

The battery doesn't seem to last that long once you start recording or playing back. The amount of minutes that is shown as how much you have available doesn't seem to correlate to how much you actually use the machine, invariable you get a lot less time. However, the battery does hold its charge very well between uses. The manual does suggest which battery models would be compatible/appropriate for the camcorder.

Sometimes you can get a 'mirror effect' on the view window, making it a little difficult to focus on your object at first. But you get used to it and learn to ignore it. Furthermore, for me, I think it would have been good to have a 'stick' like those given for touch screen digital cameras to use on the screen. However rest of the features motivate you to buy when compared to lone disadvantage.

Note
The Sony DCR-SR35 offers a 30GB Hard Disk and a 40X Optical Zoom. This camcorder is hard to find today, but the Sony DCR-SR45 is a comparable camcorder.