In terms of build quality, the Sony DCR-SR68E leaves very little to complain about. The video capture button is placed towards the rear while the still image capture button is placed just behind the zoom rocker. The placement of the image capture button feels a little out of place though, making you stretch the index finger to reach it. The major plus points are the camcorder's massive 60x optical zoom and 80 GB of recording space. It also features an SD card slot that supports an additional 32 GB of memory. Being a mid-range camcorder, the SR68E does not support recording in HD, but offers three recording modes- high (20 hours), standard (29 hours) and low (61 hours). The Sony SR68E has eight scene modes, plus an auto mode.
The camcorder also features an integrated LED that allows you to capture video even in pitch darkness. The SR68E has a responsive 2.7-inch touch screen that's quite vivid and crisp, but only under the shade or indoors. View it under direct sunlight and the screen almost turns into a mirror. The camcorder performs quite well and delivers a decent blend of color and contrast. Unlike other camcorders that we have tested, the SR68E does a very good job at maintaining the overall saturation of blue and red tones. Skin tones were also close to perfect and the captured video were quite sharp and detailed. There isn't much noticeable color fringing, except when the video is shot under direct sunlight.
However, the fringing does amplify when you zoom into the subject. Even though the camcorder features 60x optical zoom, it cannot be considered as one of the best because the image stabilizer really struggles to maintain a steady frame when shooting at high zoom rations. The camcorder performs well under low light, but it struggles to focus when zoomed quickly. Apart from a few minor issues, the camcorder does a good job overall.
Sony Handycam DCR-SR68E Specifications:
- Dimensions(WxHxD): 56x65x115mm
- Weight: 300g
- Video format: MPEG-2
- Sensor size: 1/8 in
- Focal length: 1.8-108mm
- Optical/Digital zoom: 60x/2000x
- Still image resolution: 0.8 megapixel
- Storage media: 80 GB HDD
