this one is okay and does it all fine but i did and would encourage you to up just once more to the dcr-sr82 level. but it is still okay. but do the 82 if you can afford it. but this one is fine if you don't care about little details and just want to record your kids and have fun. the 82 isn't way better but just higher quality lens, and picture takeing, and hard drive space, and someother option, but don't remember what it was.

Overall very good. Hard disk option is much better. Very good zoom. Easy to use in all sense.Softwares and handycam station nice feature. Battery life poor. Night pics not satisfactory.

I am disappointed. And I thought that I read all the reviews here and made an intelligent choice. Hah! Shame on me. First off, the video quality rates a B-minus; I have 2 other Sony camcorders, a Digital-8 (bought late '99 or early 2000, can't remember exactly) and an even older mini DVD. However, both have video quality far superior to this one.
I am about to leave for Europe and don't have time left to return this and buy/try) another one. Also, it was a chore to get this unit to sit snugly on the supplied power station.
Granted, I just began working with it this morning, and I am rather insecure when it comes to electronics.
One good point: the DCR-SR62 is charmingly light!
However, I am sorry I did not pay attention to what another reviewer here pointed out: the LCD screen is almost useless in bright daylight, and of course there is no viewfinder to overcome the glare. I bought it knowing there is no viewfinder, and had to actually shoot with it to realize how necessary it is.
I've tried its Super NightShot feature, and it's nothing to write home about. By the way, it does take photos on the hard drive, so you don't really need to buy the MemoryStick Pro right away, just switch the capture mode from video to photo; but bear in mind that the resolution is low. I had hoped that with this one camcorder I'd have a video and photo combo, therefore less gadgets to schlepp around. Especially air travel being as cumbersome as it is these days. Well, yes, you have a movie camera and a photo camera all in one, just not very good quality. If good digital photos is what you want, you will need a good digital camera.
If high quality DVD movies is what you want to record, prepare to spend a few hundred dollars more and get something worthwhile. I am sorry I did not.
Follow up on September 15: Returned it to amazon yesterday. Don't know how long it will take for the refund to be processed, so am left without a camera for now. But it just didn't cut it for me. I dusted off my old cameras, checked again the video quality, and could not justify the cost of keeping this one. Mind you, if you're in the market for your first camera, you might want to buy it anyway, for I see amazon com has just lowered the price from what I had paid. Video quality is poor only because I am comparing it to a Digital-8, and a very old (DCRPC1)mini-DVD camcorder. So, perhaps I am spoiled. At this point I want to save up and up the ante, so to speak.

I personally thinks this is a POOR CHOICE. I will explain below:
1.NO VIEWFINDER/HARD TO SEE LCD - We took this to the Bahamas. In the bright sun, at times I could not even see what I was recording because the small LCD was totally washed out. Sometimes I was having to guess at what I was recording (can't see the touchscreen controls either).
2.ZOOM IS ONLY ON LCD SCREEN - Ridiculous! There is no control for zoom on the camera itself like most all others. You must push on the LCD screen to zoom! Very cumbersome to zoom and hold camera steady.
3.VIDEO QUALITY - While not real bad, not real good either. The DVD405 is much better. My fault, i read this on some reviews and bought it anyway.
4.POOR SOFTWARE - I personally did not like spending a bunch of computer time trying to create a dvd. It is cumbersome.
5.TOO SMALL - The small size is nice but hard to keep from shaking (image stabilizer only so-so).
6.SLOW AUTOFOCUS- When you pan around, it goes way out of focus.

I sent it back (no problem with Amazon!) and bought the Handycam DCR-DVD405 and it is GREAT! Has a VIEWFINDER, ZOOM BUTTON ON CAMERA, MUCH BETTER VIDEO QUALITY, it is the RIGHT SIZE and it is EASY TO USE and make dvds. It is a snap without having to fool with a computer and crumby software.

I have been a long time video camera user, and this is my first time moving away from using tapes. I could not be happier. No more worring about what tape is in the camera, if it at the right spot. Just pick it up and go.
The 7 hours on the best quality it plenty of time and the download to the computer is easy.
I love the touch screen controls as well.
So far no problems.
I did think that the download to the computer would be faster... could just be my computer because I don't have a USB 2.0 connection, just regular USB. Still, way faster than having to play it in real time, and you don't lose quality.

La compré en junio 07, la usé ocasionalmente hasta diciembre cuando estaba en una filmacion de mi hija y se apagó y no prendió mas. Tenía como 20 gigas de filmación en el disco duro que son muchas horas de recuerdos. Anteriomente tuve muy mala experiencia con una filmadora digital JVC y quise cambiarla por la Sony justamente porque me fué muy bien con mi primera filmadora análoga Sony hecha en JAPON. La DSC-SR62 es hecha en JAPON pero es una basura. Definitivamente me iré por CANON porque me ha ido excelente con sus cámaras digitales. La calidad de filmación de la sony DSC-SR62 era regular pero suficiente para los videos caseros. No la recomiendo justamente por la gran capacidad que tiene de almacenar video y de perderlo tambien, como en mi caso.

Great Camera! Came when promised and everything works great.
Would have liked to know what all was in the box though (came with everything that you see on the manufactures web site). Works great for the kids school programs so far!
After the many hours or searching for the right camera at the right price I am very happy with this one.
I would definatly recamend this video camera!

Easy to use. However, you need to purchase another battery because the default one wouldn't last too long

The enclosed software does not support Mac OS.

The only software for Mac the will work with this format is Capity Mpeg edit, a horrible program that will run you an extra $200.

It is included with the JVC HDD camera.

I love SONY and the camera is nice but without the ability to put it on my computer the HDD is useless.

I have used a lot of camcorders - professional ones as well as simple, no frill ones for beginners. If you are out there looking for a loaded camcorder and have a good amount of money, then you are looking at the wrong camera. But if you are new to the world of shooting videos - you would love the Sony DCR-SR62! Its very simple to use - you would learn all that it has to offer in about 10 to 30 minutes of handling it. And its so sleek and small little thing, it would give your digital camera a complex! I loved the touchpad on the LCD panel and I did not miss the viewfinder. Also, the fact that its a hard disk drive camcorder means you don't need to pack all those miniDVs or DVDs around. 30GB means 20 hours of video and thats huge. The only conspicuous weakness is the battery life - 2 hours is really less and you better buy an additional battery. The lens is Zeiss and the camera is Sony. I don't think you should therefore worry about quality. A Value for money, absolutely!

This camera has good quality, yet you may have to convert the video format every time like I do, which can sometimes be a pain. It doesn't come with a neck strap, but that's only a minor thing. The touch screen is really nice and it turns on/off very quickly. It didn't take me very long to find out how to use it, so it is pretty simple. It has proficient audio quality, yet an external microphone would work a lot better. It will zoom pretty far and it has a "switch" lens cap, which will not get in the way of filming. Also, you can choose to film in widescreen or a standard 4:3 aspect.

This camcorder has Poor Low Light Recording based on 1) its specifications, and 2) other Customer Review complaints of poor low light recording, and 3) when compared to my very good low light recording F1.2 lens JVC GZ-MG255. I am giving this camcorder a low rating based only for its poor low light recording. This camcorder probably records okay in regular bright light.

The below are the specifications for this hard disk drive camcorder, and others:

-- JVC GZ-MG255: F1.2; 1/4" CCD Gross 2.1 MP, Effective 1.23 MP (I own and I recommend this.)

-- Sony DCR-SR200: F1.8; 1/3" CMOS Gross 2.1 MP, Effective 1.08 MP
-- Sony DCR-SR82: F1.8; 1/6" CCD Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.690 MP
-- Sony DCR-SR62: F1.8; 1/6" CCD Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.690 MP
-- Sony DCR-SR80: F1.8; 1/5.5" CCD Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.690 MP
-- Sony DCR-SR60: F1.8; 1/5.5" CCD Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.690 MP
-- Sony DCR-SR42: F1.8; 1/6" CCD Gross 0.680 MP, Effective 0.340 MP
-- Sony DCR-SR40: F1.8; 1/6" CCD Gross 0.680 MP, Effective 0.340 MP
-- JVC GZ-MG155: F1.8; 1/6" CCD Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.690 MP
-- JVC GZ-MG130: F2.0; 1/6" CCD Gross 0.680 MP, Effective 0.340 MP
-- Panasonic SDR-H18: F1.8; 1/6" CCD Gross 0.680 MP, Effective 0.340 MP
-- Panasonic SDR-H200: F1.8; 1/6" 3-CCD's, Gross 3x 0.800 MP, Effective 3x 0.640 MP. (Note: I think the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) 3-CCD's are in "Parallel", and are NOT "Additive", in other words I think 0.640 MP Red + 0.640 MP Green + 0.640 MP Blue = 0.640 MP Effective Color and NOT "1.92" MP.)

Note: "F1.2" lens is a larger aperture hole size that captures two times the amount of light than a smaller "F1.8" lens.
Note: For comparison purposes, "Effective" MP (Mega Pixels) are for 4:3 Aspect Only; and I am not using data for 16:9 Aspect.
Note: Low light comparisons are for using camcorder in "Automatic" modes (i.e. JVC "Automatic" mode, or Sony "Easy" mode, etc.), and not using any "Manual" night enhancement features such as shutter or aperture changes.

I have owned my JVC GZ-MG255 F1.2 lens camcorder since April 2007, and am very satisfied, and I say that my JVC GZ-MG255 is the best mid-priced camcorder for low light recording because it has the largest "F1.2" lens, which is the largest of all mid-priced camcorders. (See my Customer Review). My JVC GZ-MG255 F1.2 lens camcorder records very beautiful colors in bright light. My JVC GZ-MG255, when compared to the above other camcorders, records very good in low light.

Samiliar if not worse video quality as an old tape driven handy cam,only advantage is the HD, but you can get similar performance from other makes for much lesser.

This dcr-sr62 has worked great and the product was sjipped fast and in good condishtion.

Very much user friendly and great quality video. I love the product. I just bought 2 weeks ago, haven't tried to connect to my PC and download the video. overall I'm fully satisfied with the product.

I like these facts about this camera
1. Its a Sony
2. 30 GB of inbuilt storage
3. Compact size
4. Great zoom
5. Easy to transfer videos
6. Cool touchscreen

It as smaller than Panasonic H18 which I considered. I felt that H18 definitely had better picture quality when viewed on the camera screen. I never got to compare the outputs from both the cameras on a PC. Sony looked more state of the art camera, but H18 videos looked brighter (more like an HD camera).

Cons
1. Not so sharp images....definitely better than miniDV or DVD camera....but nothing great when compared to HD cams.
2. Costlier than other brands in similar category....again..this depends on how you view the value for your money.

All in all....I am having fun with this camera. zoom is grrrreat. battery life is over 100 mins...which is quite good.

This camcorder has Poor Low Light Video Recording. This low rating is only for its poor low light performance.

Below are the technical specifications from the official websites and official User Manuals:

Notes: F1.2 lens is larger than F1.8 lens. F1.2 lens captures twice the light than a smaller F1.8 lens. "Effective" MP (MegaPixels) are only for 4:3 Aspect, and not 16:9 Aspect. Low light recording comparisons in full "Automatic" mode, and not any "Manual" mode. Only comparing Standard Definition, and not High Definition, mid-priced hard disk drive camcorders. The JVC GZ-MG255 is the best, and has "Superior Low Light Performance", as JVC proudly advertises.

-- JVC GZ-MG255: F1.2 lens; 1/4 inch CCD, Gross 2.1 MP, Effective 1.23 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR200: F1.8 lens; 1/3" CMOS, Gross 2.1 MP, Effective 1.08 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR82: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.69 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR62: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.69 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR80: F1.8 lens; 1/5.5" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.69 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR60: F1.8 lens; 1/5.5" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.69 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR42: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective 0.34 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR40: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective 0.34 MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG155: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective ? MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG130: F2.0 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective 0.34 MP.
-- Panasonic SDR-H18: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective 0.34 MP.
-- Panasonic SDR-H200: F1.8 lens; 1/6" 3-CCD, Gross 0.80 MP X3, Effective 0.64 MP X3.

(New 2008 camcorders below:)
-- Sony DCR-SR85: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.69 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR65: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.69 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR45: F1.8 lens; 1/8" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective 0.34 MP.
-- Panasonic SDR-H60: F2.0 lens; 1/6" 3-CCD, Gross 0.80 MP, Effective 0.40 MP.
-- Panasonic SDR-H40: F1.9 lens; 1/6" 3-CCD, Gross 0.80 MP, Effective 0.40 MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG730: F3.5 lens; 1/2.5" CCD, Gross 7.38 MP, Effective ? MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG365: F1.8 lens, 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective ? MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG360: F1.8 lens, 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective ? MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG335: F1.8 lens, 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective ? MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG330: F1.8 lens, 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective ? MP.
== ==

This camcorder's Low Light Video Recording is not good, and therefore, gets this low rating. Below are the official Technical Specifications facts from the official websites and official Camcorder User Manuals, and so you can make your own logical decisions. ( "?" will be used if official data can not be found ):

Footnotes For Technical Specifications:
1) F1.2 lens is larger than F1.8. F1.8 is larger than F1.9, F2.0 and F3.5. F1.2 lens has larger aperture than F1.8 lens.
2) F1.2 lens is larger aperture and captures twice the light than a F1.8 lens.
3) "MP" = Mega Pixels = 1,000,000 pixels.
4) "Gross" MP is total number of pixels on CCD sensor, but not all Gross total pixels is used for video recording.
5) "Effective" MP is an industry standard, and "Effective" MP is actual number of pixels used for video recording through the lens.
6) Only listing and comparing "Effective" MP for 4:3 Aspect. ( And not comparing 16:9 Aspect. )
7) Only comparing low light recording in full "Automatic" mode. ( And not "Manual" aperture/shutter speed low light settings. )
8) Only comparing mid-priced hard disk drive camcorders in Standard Definition. ( And not High Definition. )
9) JVC GZ-MG255 has the best Low Light Performance due to its large F1.2 lens, and large 2.1 MP CCD.

-- JVC GZ-MG255: F1.2 lens; 1/4 inch CCD, Gross 2.1 MP, Effective 1.23 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR200: F1.8 lens; 1/3" CMOS, Gross 2.1 MP, Effective 1.08 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR82: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.69 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR62: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.69 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR80: F1.8 lens; 1/5.5" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.69 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR60: F1.8 lens; 1/5.5" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.69 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR42: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective 0.34 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR40: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective 0.34 MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG155: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective ? MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG130: F2.0 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective 0.34 MP.
-- Panasonic SDR-H18: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective 0.34 MP.
-- Panasonic SDR-H200: F1.8 lens; 1/6" 3-CCD, Gross 0.80 MP X3, Effective 0.64 MP X3.

(New 2008 camcorders below:)
-- Sony DCR-SR85: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.69 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR65: F1.8 lens; 1/6" CCD, Gross 1.07 MP, Effective 0.69 MP.
-- Sony DCR-SR45: F1.8 lens; 1/8" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective 0.34 MP.
-- Panasonic SDR-H60: F2.0 lens; 1/6" 3-CCD, Gross 0.80 MP, Effective 0.40 MP.
-- Panasonic SDR-H40: F1.9 lens; 1/6" 3-CCD, Gross 0.80 MP, Effective 0.40 MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG730: F3.5 lens; 1/2.5" CCD, Gross 7.38 MP, Effective ? MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG365: F1.8 lens, 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective ? MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG360: F1.8 lens, 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective ? MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG335: F1.8 lens, 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective ? MP.
-- JVC GZ-MG330: F1.8 lens, 1/6" CCD, Gross 0.68 MP, Effective ? MP.
== == == == ==

This camera takes good video quality and good picture quality (about 1MP). I bought this camera to possibly be a good all-in-one camera, pictures and video. The 30GB holds more than I need and it is easy to transfer to a Computer. My only problem at all with this camera is that it does not have a flash. I believe the Sony SR200 and SR300 have a flash. So, it turns out that for taking pictures indoors it is still better for me to use my other sony Camera. Other than that this camera fits all my needs and I think it actually works out better that I use this camera for video and the other for pics.

I was amazed at how this worked. The light for darkness blew me away. I wanted the next size up but this one was the better buy for the price.

Easy to use, good videos. We're not descriminating, so there's not much I can say that hasnt already been said. Takes great videos for the price; easy to use - right out of the box, we connected it to the TV to view the videos and were very pleased with the results. I especially like the fact that I no longer have to deal with disks or tapes.

Only problem is that these small handhelds are geared towards right-handed users. You cant really hold/use it with your left hand as all of the controls, and also the screen are on the left side of the camera. I suspect most of the small handhelds suffer from this problem.

Parents bought the camera and it was too late to return it. Pros: very light and easy to use. Everything functions very well. Cons: Image quality sucks and you must use the dock to transfer files to computer. For the image quality alone i would have returned this but i cant anymore. Would i buy again? for the price, definitely not.

We got this when we are expecting our first baby. It's rather easy to use overall. Videos are gorgeous and we couldn't be happier. It holds hours of video. However, the still photos are of VERY poor quality. Thank goodness we brought our regular camera to the hospital. We had hoped to only have to lug one piece of equipment around, but the photos simply are of poor color and very blurry. We also are unable to figure out how to upload the videos using just the camcorder. You have to have the base, which means another piece to lug along if you are uploading on vacation.