Description

The DCR-SR68 features a built-in 80GB hard disk drive for extended recording, as well as a professional-quality Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar® lens, which delivers sharp, high-resolution images, an LED video light, and a powerful 60x optical zoom that lets you capture extremely tight shots, even from far away.

Customer Reviews

 Excelente Cámara! - Aug 24, 2010

La compré después de dar de baja mi anterior Handycam Sony, inicialmente mi decisión se basó en la grata experiencia que tengo usando productos SONY, sin embargo poco después de hacer la compra me inquietaron ciertos comentarios bastante negativos respecto a la cámara. No perdí la calma y esperé pacientemente a tenerla en mis manos y probarla y una vez que sucedió puedo dar fé de que es una excelente cámara, que podría ser mejor... seguramente pero si es lo que necesitas entonces deberías optar por una cámara semi o profesional.
Excelente imagen en condiciones optimas, la imagen va desmejorando en condiciones de poca luz pero tampoco es un facotr determinante, la imagen sigie siendo buena, lo que si me extraña es el sistema de estabilizacion de imagen que en versiones más antiguas era evidentemente superior, por otro lado no posee una interfaz para conectar con un tripode con control remoto y tampoco trae control remoto, detalles que pudo haber tomado en cuenta el fabricante, por lo demás una muy buena camara, la transferencia de imagenes y video es sencilla y rápida y el software con el que viene facilita mucho las búsquedas y archivo.

 Very disappointed - Aug 21, 2010

I have owned a few Sony Handycams in the past and was always pleased with them, but this Handycam is awful. Of course the battery that comes with the camera only lasts about an hour before it needs to be recharged if you are using the camera a lot. The picture quality is awful, my Sony CCD-TRV118 Hi8 Handycam has better picture quality and more functions than the Sony DCR-SR68. The Sony DCR-SR68 doesn't even have a remote control, it's 2010 how about giving us something. I noticed when you use the telephoto on the Sony DCR-SR68 you can hear the motor when you play back what you have recorded. When I installed the software for the Sony DCR-SR68 on my computer it actually caused a lot of problems, my computer is fine now that I uninstalled the software. In my opinion the Sony DCR-SR68 is only good for use as a paperweight. I definitely wasted my money on this camcorder, I can't even get rid of it no one wants it.

 Not what I expected - Jun 14, 2010

I had been looking for a second video camera, one with a sizeable internal hard drive to store a lot of footage. I was partial to Sony, having purchased many Sony products over the years that gave good service. I did my homework and checked out reviews and Tech websites. Finally I settled on this camcorder. When it arrived, I was excited to test it out. I took some footage of my garden, about one minute. Then I downloaded the clip into my computer. Gasp! It didn't look crisp and clear. It looked hazy and fuzzy. To compare, I took a comparable video with my other camcorder and downloaded it into my computer. Much different. Better! Crisper! Clearer! What I had been used to. The second camera, let me say, is also a Sony, but one that uses mini-video-tape. I compared the size of the files downloaded on my computer, each roughly one minute long. Whereas the file from the old Sony was about 276 MB's, the file from the new camcorder was about 75 MB's, about one-fourth the size, more compressed. No wonder!! I called Sony, and registered my complaint. No comment or suggestion on how to improve performance. I called Vanns, the vendor, to arrange a return. The only good thing about the transaction was the great service from Vanns. A prompt refund. No questions asked. Of course, I had to pay the return postage. I saw some very glowing reviews on this product before I bought it. The only thing I can say is these people probably had nothing to compare the quality of the video to. Otherwise, I can't imagine how anyone can think that this is a camcorder that delivers high-quality or even decent-quality videos.

 A $349.00 mistake! - Jun 05, 2010

A $349.00 Mistake! Purchased the Sony DCR SR-68 Handycam new from Amazon and had the opportunity to record about one hour of video under a variety of indoor and outdoor conditions during a recent six week trip. Much of the video turned out to be of extremely poor quality due to a number of apparent engineering deficiencies including a puzzling inability to focus in other than ideal light conditions and when using the zoom feature, inadequate compensation for bright light resulting in washed out video, and the fact that the LCD display is virtually impossible to see when attempting to frame a shot in daylight conditions. The Handycam has no viewfinder so all video must be framed using the LCD display. Any type of action shot is extremely difficult if not impossible. It is simply not possible to maintain contact with the subject using the LCD display because of glare and reflection. The scene selection and delete features proved to be the most useful because of the large number of shots that were unusable. My 9 year old Sony Camcorder is a bit more cumbersome but takes better video and is much more user friendly.

 Great portability but small screen - May 22, 2010

A very light and portable camera - truly purse size.
Very easy to use.
Only downside is the very small screen size.

 Poor replacement for my big old Sony Camcorder - May 19, 2010

I have been searching for a replacement for my Sony DCR-TRV310 Digital 8 which is a great camcorder but difficult to carry around when traveling. I do a lot of video editing on my older Sony Vaio RS530G PC, running on XP SP3 so I ruled out the new high definition cameras. I bought this camcorder in a store so I could return it easily if I did like its performance or format. In short, I missed the viewfinder; the LCD screen was impossible to see in sunlight and actually reflected a glare. The touch screen menu although easy enough to figure out was also difficult to see outdoors in sunlight and kind of cumbersome to go through the menu. It is akin to press one if you want English, etc. The video quality was poor with a bluish, grainy quality. Low light indoor video was very dark and amber. Actually my Sony Cyber-Shot takes better videos. It does not offer much in the way of faders/transitional effects or manual controls. I downloaded and printed the entire manual because the one supplied in the box was a pamphlet and offered no real technical advice beyond charging and powering up, shooting and burning to DVD. My ability to edit the video format was the biggest disappointment because my editing format of choice to trim video clips is Click to DVD and that is not compatible. I have small hands and still found the arrangement of touch and manual controls to be awkward. The still pictures I took outdoors were better than I expected.
I wish I could put my old Sony on a diet. After trying this out for a few days it went back to the store and I believe I will stick to tape and buy the Cannon HV40.

 Great for business - May 07, 2010

After a lot of searching and comparing I decided to purchase the sony handycam dcr-sr68. I was starting a documentary business and did not have a lot of money to get going, so cost was a factor. I am extremely happy with the quality of video I get from this lightweight camcorder. Highlights: very lightweight, cost effective, incredible 60x zoom, great battery life (recorded over 4 hours and the battery was still going strong), very easy to use with the touchscreen, takes still photos that are good (not great) quality, easy to use touchscreen, software that comes with it makes it easy to convert the files to wmv files and you can burn directly to a dvd in one touch, internal memory is amazing-80gb internal and you can also add a media card. I recorded 4 hours and didnt even use half of the space. Downfalls: recording sound outdoors is not so good. You can hear yourself well, but others not so well. Indoors it is great. Overall, very happy!

 good - May 07, 2010

camera is great, only drawback is the website said it would send a free memory card with the camera...did not get it.

 Camcorder purchase - Apr 24, 2010

I couldn't believe Sony came out with a large hard drive camcorder, a zoom capability beyond my expectation and the famous Carl Zeiss lens. My only disappointment was unavailabile extra batteries. I like to have two on hand, especially when an electrical outlet is not nearby.

 Sony Handycam is ok - Apr 15, 2010

I bought this with 3 basic needs, 1.I wanted something compact, 2. I wanted the capability to take pictures. 3. I wanted it to have a night vision light. You would think these 3 things would be easy to find in many cameras at a decent price range, but they were not! So how did this fair up? This camera is one of the most compact, even smaller than I expected. 2. It's picture taking ability I was least impressed with. It was pretty grainy. 3. The night vision light was pretty weak, but hey I expected that for such a small camera. The battery life with the standard battery was about avg. 4 hrs. As far as working the camera, it was VERY simple, figured it out in 5 minutes w/o reading instructions, needless to say, there are VERY few menu screens, touch screen is kinda nice, but would also liked to have the capability to tape w/the viewfinder closed. All in all, i'm pretty happy w/the purchase, just don't buy it if you want it to take good pictures, i've had phones that took clearer pictures.

 Great Camcorder - Apr 05, 2010

I was trying to decide between this and the ZI8 camcorders. The ZI8 was cheaper and HD but didn't offer as much. I was able to try out both of them at a local store and was very dissatisfied with the ZI8 so ended up getting this one. I couldn't be happier. The only thing this one doesn't offer is HD, which is a shame, but for the price it's a great little camcorder. It may be a little hard to use for guys with large hands but it's not that bad once you get used to it. Great quality, great zoom, built in light and zoom mic, multiple shooting modes. The software that came with it doesn't work, and from what I've read I'm not the only one that has had trouble with it. There are plenty of free programs online that do work however and do a much better job anyway so it's not a problem.

The one thing that I was highly dissatisfied with was the way Amazon packaged it to send it to me. Horrible packaging job. All they did was put the small camcorder box into a box twice its size and shipped it out. No bubble wrap, no Styrofoam peanuts, no tissue paper, nothing. The camcorder box was left to bounce around and be jarred all the way here. I'm very surprised nothing inside had been broken by the time it got to me.

 sony DCR-SR68 80GB hard drive camcorder - Apr 01, 2010

have not used the camcorder for anything big, but what I have taken has been very clear and easy to use even for me as I am not hep on all the new gadgets, It is very small and cute, I love it. I am using it next week on a trip so will know better then, but as of now would buy it again.

 I like this digital video camera! - Mar 30, 2010

I bought this camera for my work, and I'm very glad I did. The camera itself is easy to use, the video is as good as you can get without going pro, and the sound is great. My only complaint is that the software it comes with is not as user friendly as it could be.

 Very Nice - Mar 27, 2010

Very Nice camera.

Pros:

Controls are intuitive.
Battery charge time is minimal.
Video and sound quality is good. It's not HD, what do you expect?
Software works seemlessly with Windows 7.
Portability. (Fits in your pocket)
Zoom, focus and adjustments to different lighting conditions are fast.

Cons:

Software could include a couple more options, like alternate soundtrack capability, and the e-mail function is a little vague.

Summation: Well worth the price. If you want HD quality, this may not be for you. If you want ease of operation and portability, look no further.

 Sony DCR-SR68 - Mar 12, 2010

I love this camcorder, small but powerful. I first used this camcorder for a singing competion, and the quality was awsome. As I reviewed the video on my computer I felt like I was right there. Great video and pictures in low light and the face Detection technology is great. Easy to download to the computer.

 Poor video quality--overall not good - Mar 11, 2010

I purchased this camera at a store, believing the SONY brand name and previous good reviews about similar Sony camcorders. There are several flaws to this product.
Cons
1. Picture quality is very poor, Indoor and outdoor pictures in good light appear with a bluish tint all over. If you wear a white /gray cloth it appears bluish on video. Like wise the sunlight coming inside your house through window /blinds all appears light blue!! Even with good lighting the quality of images are very bad, lacks sharpness, This in comparison to my old Panasonic PV GS120 is not even close to true color. If you view the pictures on a TV screen it will definitely appear lacking the sharpness. If you are transferring the video to computer using the supplied software it appears very blurry and grainy.
2. There is no way you can charge the battery when camcorder is in use even if there is a spare battery because the battery charging is done hooking up the AC adapter to the camcorder! This seems really stupid. Sony could have made a battery slot on the AC adapter to do this.
3. There is no separate viewfinder. So if the LCD is broken- everything is gone.
4. Audio quality does not seem to be that good but average.
5. I can not find the resolution of the camera for still shots, nothing is mentioned in the manual either. You can not shoot a still picture while recording the video, you have to capture it from the video shots already made. Yea the resolution does not matter in that case.
6. Battery life approximately less than an hour
7. The LED for lighting seems silly


Pros
1. Small size, you can carry in Pants pocket
2. Provision to use SDHC card instead of the "Sony's own" memory stick duo only. I have not used one yet though.
3. LCD is very clear and sharp (good resolution), and it responds well to the touch.
4. Video transfer is quick and easy once the basic Sony software is installed. I would use some other software to edit it though.
5. 80 GB storage space is great
6. The Sony software has a calendar to see events on a chronological order, that looks great if you are time conscious about the video
Overall I am not satisfied with this camcorder. I will return it soon.

 Unacceptable picture quality, poor focusing - Mar 10, 2010

I bought this at a store, not Amazon. I read good reviews about earlier models, and was a bit hesitant to buy this camera because a few people said the video quality was bad. I took the risk, but they were right. The video (and digital picture) quality are unacceptable. Even in decent lighting, the pictures are very dark and grainy, as if they were taken by an old webcam. Even at high quality, there was no improvement. Also, the autofocus was very poor and did not adjust to fast-moving subjects. Don't be fooled if you try it in a store; the LCD screen has great resolution (better than an iPod) but when you see the video on a computer screen (even when not blown to full size) or on a projection screen, the video quality is so bad. It looks average on a traditional TV. And the zoom mic also does not capture sound effectively. I was going to use this for business videography, but it would have been embarrassing to use this camcorder. I suspect similar camcorders (i.e. 1/6 CCD) may have similar inferior quality. The size, zoom quality, and touch screen might be nice features, but my Canon A570 digital camera from four years ago took better video.