The internal (non-removable) 30 gigabyte hard drive is capable of holding up to 440 minutes (more than 7 hours) of high quality video, a very nice feature for those doing a lot of traveling. There are 3 recording modes, HQ (high quality), SP (standard play) and LP (long play).

The video playback is quickly accessed through the touch screen and allows you to view a thumbnail of each clip making it very simple to locate and watch your desired clips with instant access, thanks to the hard drive storage medium.

The still image viewing is accessed the same way, again showing users thumbnails, making it easy to quickly get around.

The Sony DCR-SR100 is an excellent solution for hobbyists, or travelers who want to capture great video and still images without having to bother with a lot of buttons. Being able to store large amounts of video to the 30-gigabyte hard drive is also an attractive feature, especially for those going on long trips that don't want to be lugging Mini DV tapes across the country. The lack of manual controls however, may leave some video enthusiasts a bit frustrated.

Model: DCR-SR100
Number of CCDs: 1
Pixels on CCD: 3.31 million
Video Effective Pixels: 2.048 million
Hard Drive Size: 30 GB
Video Format: MPEG 2
Still Format: JPEG
Focus: Auto/Manual
Shutter Speed: Auto
Lens f Stop: f/1.8
Optical Zoom: 10x
Focal Length: 5.1-51mm
Image Stabilization: Electronic
Manual White Balance: Yes
Viewfinder: Color
LCD Monitor 2.7": 123k pixels
Progressive Scan: Yes
Video In: Yes, Multi A/V
Video Out: Yes, Multi A/V
Microphone In: Yes (through Active Interface Shoe)
Manual Audio Level Controls: No
Headphone Jack: No
Speaker: Yes
Still Shot Media: Hard Drive
Flash: Yes
External Battery Charger Included : No
Battery Type: InfoLithium
On-Camer-Light: Yes
Accessory Shoe: Yes

• Crisp, clear picture
• Versatile
• Large Storage
• Compact design

• No headphone jack
• Limited manual controls
• Small record button

The SR100 is a great all-in-one, video and stills solution with 5.1 surround sound though it lacks greater manual control.

Brent Holland is a wedding/event video producer, and owner of a video production company.

$999
Sony Electronics Inc.
16530 Via Esprillo, MZ 7104
San Diego, CA 92127
www.sonystyle.com