Hard-disk-drive recording doesn't scare anyone anymore. Millions of people are now confident using and storing masses of digital data on computers. Take a look around as you travel to work, and you'll also notice that a hard disk lets you carry your music with you on MP3 players.

It's not surprising that the hard-disk-drive (HDD) format carries many hopes for the slumbering camcorder market, a market looking for the next revolution. Marry the ubiquity of hard drive with the excitement of high-definition recording and the right product could ignite consumers' imagination.

Sony is hoping to do this with the HDR-SR, a cam that blends high-def with HDD under the AVCHD banner. AVCHD is a new HD format, introduced by Sony and Panasonic, which can record on a variety of media including DVD, SD card, Memory Stick Pro and hard drive.

The HDR-SR1's price tag and specification sheet underline the intention that this is an enthusiasts' camcorder. From its substantial weight (720g including battery) to the clusters of external buttons, controls and sockets this is not a camcorder for the faint-hearted.

Even the camcorder's stylings don't really pander to 'cool' attractive design; the SR1 is about functionality and imaging potential. The extra weight makes this a solid, stable camcorder, but also one that is easy to shoot with. The external controls, ranging from a manual focus ring, zoom lever and photo record, fall easily to hand, and are large and responsive - as controls on a manual-feature heavy camcorder should be.

One slight concern is the location of the zoom lever so close to the photo record button. Early testing resulted in a few extra snaps taken when a slow zoom was called for! The camcorder features a high- quality Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar f1.8 button and NightShot function lens, definitely a statement of image recording potential.

Image Potential

Sony has been using CMOS sensors, instead of a CCD chip, in its recent camcorder releases, and the SR1 follows this pattern. The cam uses a 1/3in CMOS sensor. Clever design touches are evident in the built-in lens cover that opens when you power up the camcorder, and in the lever (found behind the LCD screen) that opens and closes a cover over the SR1's main sockets - making them easy to access when you need to connect a cable, but protects when shooting in the elements.