The Sony DCR-SR80 is a new hard drive camcorder from Sony which though is a consumer product, it has all the functionality of a high quality Handycam akin to professional equipment. Since it’s a hard drive based camcorder, one doesn’t need to worry about storage material like tapes or discs. Thus Sony is offering true mobility as users wouldn’t be tied down with all the extra baggage! The camcorder also is able to capture 41 hours of video in long-play mode (3Mbps) or up to 14 hours of footage in high quality mode (9Mbps), which is not bad!

The Sony DCR-SR80 is a tough cookie as it sports the HDD Smart Protection system which is a heady mix of physical shock absorbers, G-sensorâ„¢ shock protection and video stream buffering. All these features prevent in data loss when the handy cam is accidentally dropped! The handycam features the renowned Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens and the included Handycam Station lets you connect to any source like a PC or a TV. The Sony DCR-SR80 feature a wide 2.7-inch wide hybrid LCD display and also sports an active interface shoe for attaching accessories like microphones etc.

The Sony DCR-SR80 display features buttons for start, stop and zoom buttons, so that navigation is easier! The handycam is capable of producing a total of 12x optical zoom and includes a one-mega pixel CCD. Sony for convenience has put a cool feature on the Handycam Station called One Touch DVD Burn button which automatically burns video to a DVD via a PC. The Handycam station also seamlessly works with VRD-MC3 and VRD-VC30 DVDirect recorder models which are also new. The 60GB DCR-SR80 model will be available in September for about $800.