Sony DCR-SR45 30GB Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom

Best yet camcorder--excellent hard drive, zoom and pc transfer...and compact...only setback...low pixel on still pics. However, still a great buy!

i'll make this short. why does Sony insist that you use their software to download these video files? it makes transferring an absolute HEADACHE. i work off several different machines and forget about giving others my video. it's a nightmare; am tempted to trash this thing.

I had put the purchase of this device off for over a year because it is such a big investment and I did a lot of research prior to the purchase. I made the plunge prior to the family roadtrip and I haven't regreted it once. The camera arrived two days before we left and I never had to take the time to figure it all out. The kids did it for me and showed me on the road. I am amazed at the simplicity and easy of carrying! I love the size. We used it hard for ten days of touring California and it never missed a beat. I purchased the additional battery which was recommended and we charged both batteries each night. Battery power was never an issue. Downloading the video was easy as well.
If I had to mention one con, it would be that the power switch was a little difficult to turn. Other than that I am extremely satisfied with the product and highly recommend it.

This is a great little camera for the price, but be forewarned: it will not replace your digital still camera. The maximum setting for stills is 640 x 480. This is one of the lowest settings on my Canon A540. The SR45 is about half the price of my old 8mm, so I wish now that I had spent $100-$200 more for the SR65 or SR85 which both have higher quality settings. Even so, there are many great features: easy to learn and use, no more tapes, easy to transfer pics/videos to a laptop or DVD, the "Quick On" button remembers your current settings and powers down into a standby mode. Beware: there is no viewfinder, so recording in bright light is almost impossible.

The Sony DCR-SR46 could be better.

Only 3 types language you can choice......

Hard to find the menu you want to.

I'm return it today.