We take Sony's pint-size entry level HDD camcorder and give it the runaround. Does it have what it takes? Find out in our full Sony DCR-SR47 review.
Review summary of the Sony DCR-SR47:
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 The entry-level Sony DCR-SR47 may seem different from the exterior this year, but not much has changed under the hood. The DCR-SR47’s flashy two-tone body and 60x optical zoom may be the ultimate beginner lure from the get-go, but we found a significant deficiency in the features and image quality departments. Sony’s decision to downgrade the sensor and pixel count baffled us, and it just hurt the camcorder in the long run. We were introduced to the same menu system and Playback functionality as the rest of Sony’s camcorder lineup, but at the end of our jaunt with the DCR-SR47, we were left wanting more. Much, much more. Of course we’re dealing with an entry-level camcorder here, but we’ve seen higher quality from Sony in the past. The best bet is to check out the Canon FS21 and Panasonic SDR-HS80 before waving the white flag and hopping on the HD express. Release: May 2009. Price: $360.
Pros: Compact size. Great HDD capacity and handy Memory Stick option. Easy to use.
Cons: Unimpressive image quality. Limited features. Short battery life.
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Full Sony DCR-SR47 Review:
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Design - Good
Size matters within the consumer camcorder world, and Sony has succeeded in shrinking their standard-definition HDD models significantly this year. However, the Sony DCR-SR47 cannot compete with the Canon FS21, which resembles a miniature lens barrel with an LCD screen tacked onto its side. The DCR-SR47 is still fairly compact, especially for a camcorder that packs in 60GB. It's also light as a feather and ships in a few alluring colors like Ruby and Navy Blue, which are major selling points.
We liked the Sony DCR-SR47's handling, thanks to its internal HDD ledge and fat zoom toggle. For a super compact camcorder, there was plenty to grab onto. We weren't too keen on the DCR-SR47's hand strap as it dug into our hand and failed to provide adequate padding. The DCR-SR47 also has an all-plastic chassis, and by the end of our shoot we noticed a few nicks and dents from being tossed around in our camera bag.
The Sony DCR-SR47 also made us work a little harder than most modern camcorders due to the manual lens cover, and the tiny Power button did not really serve any purpose. All we had to do was flip open the 2.7-inch LCD and the DCR-SR47 fired right up, even when the camcorder was powered off. When the LCD is closed, the DCR-SR47 does not run on standby power so there was no need to worry about battery power. External controls were minimal, but that's because the DCR-SR47 relies on its touch-screen LCD for most of the action.
Interface and Menus - Good
Sony is the only manufacturer to specialize in touch-screen LCD technology across its entire camcorder line, and the DCR-SR47 is equipped with a 2.7-inch screen. The LCD flips out and swivels around so we could point the camcorder at ourselves and record at the same time. We weren't very impressed with the LCD‘s 123,000-pixel display quality, but it resisted solarizing at steep angles. Unfortunately, the 2.7-inch screen rendered onscreen button-pressing quite the chore. The LCD is just not big enough to warrant the superior touch-screen functionality characterized by Sony's larger 3.2-inch screens, found on the high-definition HDR-XR520V and HDR-XR500V.
External buttons were limited, and the LCD panel was barren. All controls were located in the LCD cavity, but Backlight Compensation was the only useful image adjustment feature. Viewfinders are a thing of the past amongst consumer camcorders, so it's only natural that the DCR-SR47 is devoid of one. So, we had to rely on the menu system, which has remained unchanged for a number of years. Even Sony's top HD camcorders feature the classic Home menu structure, and the DCR-SR47 is no different.
We like the layout of the DCR-SR47's menu system, though certain options seemed out of place. The Camera menu contained all of our Manual controls while the Home menu was chock full of administrative options. One thing we didn't like was the fact that most of the Manual controls featured a large slider bar that occupied most of the screen, making it difficult to see exactly what we were adjusting. Playback was simple, as all we had to do was touch an icon and the corresponding video would begin playing in the entirety of the LCD. Fast Forwarding and Rewinding lacked the smooth control offered by a tape camcorder with its VCR-like functionality. For the most part, the DCR-SR47's interface is sufficient, but certainly not the best.
Shooting Features - Mediocre
There's nothing wild about the Sony DCR-SR47 when it comes to shooting features. This is an Easy Mode machine, and we don't even get Manual Shutter Speed or Aperture to fiddle with. Ease of use is the centerpiece of this table, and the DCR-SR47 is geared toward novices. All we had to play with was Exposure, White Balance and a few hybrid controls. Spot Meter, Spot Focus and Spot Meter/Focus let us touch the LCD in a particular location and the DCR-SR47 would automatically adjust the exposure or focus the image accordingly. Spot Meter/Focus combined both functions, and we found all of the touch features to work very well. The DCR-SR47's Manual Focus was a bit irksome because we had to continuously tap on tiny buttons to adjust the focal length parameters.
The White Balance options were fairly grim, offering Auto, Manual, Indoor and Outdoor settings. The DCR-SR47's Manual White Balance was accurate for the most part, but there were instances where we needed to adjust the control a few times in order for it to lock in the color temperature we wanted. Scene modes were the highlight of the DCR-SR47, offering Sports, Fireworks and plenty of other presets to suit unconventional shooting environments. We found most Scene modes to be just be simple White Balance tweaks, but Sports mode offered a quicker shutter speed to catch fast action. There weren't even a lot of Effects to choose from, and the DCR-SR47 limited them to Black and White Faders. No Smooth Slow Record this time around, which was one of our favorite features.
Easy Mode is definitely the way to cruise if you're a beginner, and the DCR-SR47's menus shrink while the font grows double in size. The Sony DCR-SR47 succeeds in performing all camera operations on autopilot, and most users will not even breach the borders of Easy mode. The camcorder also has a Zoom Microphone that actually works. Sound pickup ran parallel to wide-angle and telephoto zooming and the sound quality was not half bad. In Payback we could search by date, face or Film Roll Index, which divided clips into various segments in order to hone in on a particular portion of that clip. For beginners, the DCR-SR47 offers a sufficient arsenal of tools, but shooters looking to transcend Easy mode and basic manual operation will be looking for a new hermit crab shell immediately after purchasing the DCR-SR47.
Hardware and Connectivity - Mediocre
The Sony DCR-SR47 is saddled with one of the smallest sensors we've ever heard of on a consumer camcorder, a 1/8-inch 680,000-pixel HAD CCD with a 410,000 effective pixel count. On paper, this setup seems like it would be eaten alive by lowlight and exhibit far less detail and sharpness than most camcorders in its class. Well, truth be told, we were not impressed with the DCR-SR47's overall image quality, but we'll get tot that in a moment.
The Sony DCR-SR47's 60x optical zoom is one of its prime selling points, and the magnification we were able to achieve was highly impressive. However, it was extremely difficult to steady the DCR-SR47 at full zoom, despite the valiant attempts by the camcorder's SteadyShot Image Stabilization. SteadyShot worked fairly well at close-range, but the further we zoomed in, the rockier the footage became.
The Sony DCR-SR47 records MPEG2 video clips at up to 9Mbps in the highest quality to its internal 60GB HDD or Memory Stick PRO Duo. A rechargeable Lithium Ion battery provides the power, but you'll most likely need a backup pack because the one included with the DCR-SR47 was tiny and did not last long. Ports were difficult to locate, and we failed to locate the AV jack without cheating with the manual. DC and USB jacks round out the connectivity on the DCR-SR47, but dragging and dropping clips from the camcorder to our Mac was a simple operation.
Image Quality - Mediocre
Sometimes we get so swept up in the HD craze that we lose sight of its purpose, but after analyzing the Sony DCR-SR47's image quality, it was a no-brainer. We're not entirely sure the sensor downsize helped the DCR-SR47, for video clips lacked fine detail and low light was a sore subject. Of course, if you plan on using the supplied AV cables to view your footage on the big screen, that method will yield bottom of the barrel quality. Your best bet would be to burn video clips to a DVD and watch them at their native aspect ratio, but the DCR-SR47's video will not even be close to HD quality. The DCR-SR47 stumbled in shooting environments that specialized in a long depth of field and a lot of frame filler. Typical bright light scenes just looked like jumbled messes at times. The DCR-SR47 also struggled in low light and contrasts were poison to this little thing. The camcorder did exhibit a natural color palette and handled portrait and close-range subjects well, but if you're on the fence about HD vs. SD, we strongly recommend checking out the Canon FS21 and Panasonic SDR-H80 before taking the inevitable financial plunge.
We used Final Cut to export still Bitmaps directly from the timeline. Some frame grabs may appear interlaced.
Scene Test - Auto Glass
Sharpness Test – Big Green
Color Test – Fruit Bowl
All three video clips here exhibit different depths of field, and consequently we experience different levels of quality. We'll start with the last frame, which gives us the most detail and even exposure. Colors are slightly flat, and for the most part the Sony DCR-SR47 resisted over-saturating in most shooting environments. However, certain colors tended to explode, as we see in the first frame grab. During playback, the yellow façade of Auto Glass was overwhelmed by a hyper yellow aura. We also lost a lot of detail due to the significant depth of field coupled with the bounty of busy activity. Glare and blown highlights were the talk of the second video clip, but we were more interested in sharpness, which the DCR-SR47 pulled off most of the time. Onscreen footage looked fairly sharp, though overall resolution was not as impressive. Again, our best results were achieved in subdued lighting with shallow subject matter.
Detail Test – Hanukkah Pillow
Motion Test – Manhattan Skyline
When we did manage to bury the Sony DCR-SR47 into our subject matter, we were able to attain a fairly detailed, sharp image. The first frame grab is an example of the best the DCR-SR47 can offer in terms of aesthetic intricacy. Due to the 60-second shutter speed, motion was not bad at all. We captured the second video clip while traveling over the Manhattan Bridge on a Kawasaki at approximately 35 miles per hour. We get a taste of the DCR-SR47's rocky dynamic range, but the video clip was surprisingly well focused. There were times when the DCR-SR47 struggled to lock the focus in while the Image Stabilization was fighting with all of its might, but the fact that we were able to salvage at least half of the video clip means that the DCR-SR47 will be able to handle shooting environments that test its waters as this one did.
Zoom Test – Americana Diner Wide
Zoom Test – Americana Diner Telephoto
The 60x optical zoom was nuts on this camcorder. In the first frame, look to the far left of the frame and you'll be able to see the tiny Americana Diner sign. One full zoom later, and the sign engulfs the entire frame. At 60x, the DCR-SR47's Image Stabilization went into overdrive, and it was exceedingly difficult to tame the beast. Focus kept shifting in and out and the image danced around the frame as the Image Stabilization attempted to find its bearings. Let's talk about the first video clip, though. Detail was not to hot and colors were sucked into the blown-out skyline. The unfortunate signs of standard-definition have surfaced, though we've seen much better performances from standard-definition camcorders in the past.
Backlight Compensation Test - Roses
We tested the Sony DCR-SR47's Backlight Compensation, and as a result we were transported to Heaven. The background was blown-out significantly without Backlight Compensation engaged, so when we engaged it, the video clip looked like b-roll from a Guns N' Roses music video. There was also a thick black border along where the roses met the exploding background. Yikes.
Night Scene Test – Times Square
Low Light Test – Fruit Stand
Exposure tanked in low light, but we expected that from a camcorder with a puny sensor. Surprisingly, colors retained a majority of information, but noise increased and we lost a lot of sensitivity. Since the Sony DCR-SR47 is devoid of NightShot, there was no consumer solution to decreased illumination. Unfortunately, there wasn't much we could do to combat the darkness, and the DCR-SR47 remains a fair-weather performer.
Price and availability
The Sony DCR-SR47 is available now for $360.
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