Sony HDR-SR12 10.2MP 120GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony HDR-SR12 10.2MP 120GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Digital camera Review: Some thoughts on HDR-SR12
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered this camera in mid-August, then used it on a 7-day trip to Cape Cod.
I rate this unit 5 stars because of its great picture quality and general ease of use.
Specifics:
1. Images were beautifully sharp and clear, just what I'd expected from a High Definition camcorder.
2. Image stabilization worked very well.
3. Autoexposure and autofocus worked well for me. Autofocus was quick and accurate. With varied lighting (full sun, heavy shade, back lit scenes), all images came out very well. Sometimes a manual adjustment would improve the exposure a bit, but things were fine with exposure set to Auto.
4. Mac users:
(a) You'll need iMovie08. A lot of camcorder forums describe additional software for using this camera with a Mac, but those threads are old. iMovie08 downloaded and converted the image files, and allowed editing, with no problems.
(b) Amazon's item description says it has "i.Link interface (IEEE1394)." I can find no iLink/Firewire connector on the camera or in the manual, but it worked fine with USB2.
5. The manual is short and not as informative as it should be; coverage of menu options is especially inadequate. I wanted to know about the HD capabilities, but all the manual says is you can shoot movies in High-Def or Standard Def. In the menus on the camera itself you'll find 4 video-quality modes, but there are few details.
6. The supplied battery (NP-FH60) will run 40 minutes of normal recording, per the manual. I had to restrain my shooting early on to conserve power, so missed several opportunities. I should have ordered a larger battery (like the NP-FH70).
7. It was hard to tell whether this camera had switched from "REC" mode to "STBY" mode when I pressed the "START/STOP" button; my last camcorder (also a Sony) had a larger button and more positive feel. I've never shot so much "pavement and pants legs" before (but beautifully sharp and clear), or missed so much action that I thought I'd captured. I'll be more careful in the future.
Digital camera Review: Sony SR12 - just get it - it's perfect!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had my SR12 for about a month now. It's a wonderful video camera with amazing HD picture quality.
I just shot a friend's daughter's wedding (for free - for fun) and he said it looked like it was done by a professional. Some of the darker dance floor scenes were a bit troublesome (slightly grainy/out of focus at times - most of it was great!) - everything was shot on full automatic mode with no light settings/adjustments - I'm still learning what this camera can/can't do).
It's still a great piece of technology. I shot many of my son's high-school outdoor soccer games - both daylight and at night under the lights - came out PERFECT! And WOW is it great just playing back on my HD TV. Amazing.
Now, for the software/editing issue: It's a non-issue. Get a computer. Not your 4-yr old P4. I've got a yr-old Quad Core - works great with Pinnacle Studio 12 Ultimate software. I burn DVDs AND Blu-Rays with this set-up and it looks fabulous!
Ask away if you have any questions. I learned from other people's comments and I'm more than happy to share.
Tony
Digital camera Review: Sony customer service is the issue
Summary: 1 Stars
Sony HDR-HC7 6.1MP MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
I do not own this camera but please see my review of the HDR HC7 camcorder under that model information on Amazon. While Sony is barraging the market with new and innovative camcorders which do produce stunning video, it is product quality that becomes the issue if the camera has a problem. Sony customer service is incredibly frustrating and poor. Warranty information does not disclose astronomical repair charges and should be embarrasing in comparison to the ten year warranties we are seeing on complex machines like automobiles. If your product is well designed, well built, and reliable then the warranty should include internal flash memory tracking of actual customer usage. 90 day labor and 12 month parts warranties are worthless for devices which sit unused by purchasers for most of their existence. At the same time, Sony's rush to saturate the market with new products seems to occur at the expense of reliability.
Digital camera Review: State of the art video camera - recording to hard drive is better
Summary: 5 Stars
Recording your HD video to a hard drive, or memory stick, really is a vast improvement over recording to tape. I just made the switch, felt just like when I switched from reel to reel or cassette to CDs...being able to scan through your video clips by viewing the first frame really enhances the usefulness of viewing what you captured versus hitting forward and rewind looking for a certain spot on tape. Sony has a one button feature that moves your video from the camera to a computer, incrementally, so was easy to get a copy of what was on the camera to a second device for backup every so often.
Biggest negative for me was position of camera in your hand, I found it harder to aim this camera comfortably at subjects versus the smaller DCR-PC7 format Sony I am replacing.
Digital camera Review: Superior Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
This camcorder is phenomenal! The shots are beautiful and clear - the auto focus is very intuitive. The sound is fantastic. I love this camcorder. This takes very high grade professional videos in HD. I love that it shoots in widescreen.
I haven't had any problems with the software it came with; but if you don't like it then you can rest assured that you don't have to use it much. The only thing I've used the software for is to open the videos; you can immediately and easily convert them to a different file type (using the software); then you can use any software you want to work with them.
I've seen a lot of people give bad reviews for items because they didn't like the software it came with. In my opinion that's a bit like saying you hate a cereal because you didn't like your free toy surprise. The software is a bonus; it's the company's way of insuring that the buyer is able to use every part of their new device. The free software discs aren't generally intended to be your primary video editing software - they're just included for convenience.
This camera so far is excellent; I'm beginning my career as a filmmaker and I bought this camera to help me make a high quality film portfolio for grad school. I was absolutely right to do so - this camera will definitely help me make high quality films. (I actually bought two because it's almost impossible to do an entire film with one camera, even with a dolly.) Both cameras work great!