Sony Handycam DCR-SR80 Reviewed
A review of the Sony Handycam DCR-SR80 hard-drive-based camcorder has been posted over at CNET. 'The DCR-SR80's somewhat boxy design is far from sexy, but its gunmetal-ish color is more attractive than the silver plastic of the DCR-SR40. To Sony's credit, there's not a lot you can do, design-wise, with a big 12X optical zoom lens, a hard drive, and a 2.5-inch LCD. Measuring 2.8 by 2.7 by 4.6 inches, it's neither large nor small, but at 13.8 ounces with the included NP-FP50 680mAh rechargeable InfoLithium battery installed, it's fairly lightweight and comfortable to shoot with for extended periods of time.
Some users outright hate Sony's touch-screen interface, while others love it. If you've never used one of Sony's touch screen camcorders, you should definitely try one out before buying. Even fans of the system may find the SR80's 2.7-inch wide-screen LCD a bit cramped, and as with any touch screen, fingerprints build up fast. Three buttons to the left of the screen let you zoom the lens in or out and start or stop recording. Plus, since the LCD-mounted zoom buttons have a fixed zoom speed, they're a nice counterpoint to the zoom rocker, which provides a variable speed option.'
Read: Sony Handycam DCR-SR80 - CNET