5 comments about Sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom.

1. This camera is very easy to operate, light weight, compact and the features for a small camera a nice. I had an earlier version of this camera and a new feature is the lens cap it slides into a comopartment and does not hang off the camera. Great zoom easy to reach controls. Great camera for the average user to record family vacations.



2. This camcorder is not compatible with a usb cable so you cannot put video onto the internet. Unfortunetly this is why I bought the camera so I wasted my money.



3. I bought this camera two weeks ago. I like it, but the only draw back is, you cannot connect it to a computer, because there is an ilink port, but there is not usb cord that is compatible with it. If anyone out there has a camera like this, let me know if I am right or wrong about this. Thank You



4. I like almost everything about this camera except one thing. COLOR SATURATION IS LOW. I wonder if it is just MY camera or are the others like this? My previous JVC DV Cam had much better saturated reds and blues than the Sony. The HC52 has good clarity, good stereo built-in sound, with little if any machine-noise. For the great price, I think the extras make the deal.. Like touch screen menus, built-in lens cover, and 40X zoom. The image stabilizer works, albeit mildly. I noticed that the sunrise/sunset mode enriches the colors.. however the focus is fixed for distance only and can't be over-ridden manually in that mode..so, thus far I can't seem to manually get more saturated colors, therefore it loses 1 star.



5. The product details are not mentioned properly but over all product is excellent Condition and good price

5 comments about JVC Everio GZ-MG330 30GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom (Silver).

1. I ordered this camera before starting a 2 month vacation. I got it about 5 days before leaving on the trip, so had very little time to get used to it. Fortunately it is an easy to use camera. I've been using it for nearly a month and still have plenty of memory left on the hard drive. The only time I notice any shaking in the video is when I need to zoom in to the maximum.
   I would recommend this to anyone looking for an easy to use, reasonably priced digital camcorder.



2. Camcorder is very light and compact. 1st one that I have ever used. Very easy to use. Definitly get an additional battery. Was on vacation for over a week with it and the middle tier battery lasted the day perfectly for me. Shaky when zooming way in. Image is good, low light a little problematic. Over all works great. Data transfer to computer very fast and included software is decent. Great value.



3. I purchased this camcorder to replace my first Sony camcorder. I loved my Sony, but it was 5 years old and started having problems. I have used this camcorder several times to video my children playing. I have hooked it up to the television and played back the video. I love it. I am not an expert on camcorders. I only purchased this one so my children would be able to see themselves grow up. I have not had any problems with it. I purchased a second camera for my mother in law for her video needs also. I love the fact that you don't use a tape. There is no fast forwarding or rewinding. If I want to delete a clip, I just highlight it and tell the camera to delete it. If I want to go to a specific clip, I just highlight it and the camera replays that clip. To turn it on you just open the LCD Screen and to turn it off, just close the LCD screen. Highly Recommended.



4. I bought this camera for my father in law who was taking a 65 day cruise and always had an interest in video but would never buy it for himself. I was able to help him get started over the phone since he lives
   6000 miles away. At 79 years old I wasn't sure if he would be able to work it. He did it and loves everything about it-as excited as a boy with a new toy. I will get to see the results over X-mas and will follow up at that time.



5. Product works well.. the touch sensor took some getting used to.. still photos are a little difficult as the camera does not compensate for hand shakes. otherwise it works perfectly.

5 comments about Panasonic HDC-SD9 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

1. The camera is a technical marvel. I've been wanting an HD camera ever since they came out. The HDC-SD9 has not dissapointed me. Five years ago you'd have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to get video this good. Now the downside.
   
   The files are kept in a complex file structure on the memory drive. I wasn't able to copy the MTS files from the /STREAM folder and play them on my T61 Thinkpad. I tried downloading various CODECs and stuff, but wasn't succesfull. I finally loaded the HD Writer software from Panasonic and that worked. But when I exported to MPEG the result was lousy.
   
   I haven't tried editing software with it yet, but I know this much. It will be another two to three years before this format plays in all the media players. But I can't see this format failing so I'll be glad I have my kids in HD later on.
   
   Bottom line is that the technology and price are right, but file-format ease of use is still a few years away. You'll love making videos, but you'll hate post-production.



2. I'll start by saying that I did what seemed like endless research and tried out every camera in this range before ultimately deciding on this one. What I hope to do with this review is share my experiences and hopefully provide the kind of information I wanted to see when I was doing research.
   
   Now, about the specifics of this camera. It's a 3CCD model, which was one of the major selling points for me. I do a lot of outdoor shooting of high action sports (rock climbing), and this camera surprised me with it's quality and it's ability to capture colors so accurately. The 3CCD design also means that if you're going to be doing some blue/green screen effects that you'll get a better key. It's build quality is very solid; and by that I mean it doesn't seem flimsy at an point. The the automatic lens cover is wonderful. It has 4 recording quality modes, and a 24p cinema mode. I use the HA1920 mode, which records 1920x1080i60 resolution at 16Mbps AVCHD and works out to 2 hours 8 minutes on a 16GB SDHC card. While I don't use the 24p mode shooting action sports outdoors, I have tried it indoors and it really does give a cinema-like feel to the video; it's a nice feature to have. I'm using this card Transcend 16GB SDHC CARD (SD 2.0 SPD CLASS 6) with Co Card Reader, and the included card reader tends to transfer files slightly faster than the USB connection on the camera does; plus-it allows you to charge the battery while you're importing the video. The optical image stabilizer on this camera is nothing short of amazing. It records consistent jitter-free footage, even while hanging from a rock face 30 meters above the ground. The zoom is also VERY smooth, and there is absolutely no zoom motor noise picked up by the microphone. The intelligent shooting guide, and the other assist features are great.
   
   Pros:
   -Amazing quality video
   -Superior optical stabilization
   -Intelligent shooting guide
   -Battery life is very good, often better than the manual quotes
   -Smooth zoom/zoom noise not picked up by microphone
   -Uses SDHC cards, which are cheap enough to keep a few on hand
   -Editing is easy on OS X. iMovie imports the video into it's amazing user interface, and the Final Cut products let you browse and select which video to import using the Log and Transfer window (Shift+Command+8). I prefer importing the footage into the Apple Intermediate Codec using Final Cut, then importing to iMovie if I want to browse it quickly.
   
   Cons:
   -Extra batteries are expensive.
   -You can't use the camera on AC power and charge the battery at the same time.
   -The thumbstick is awkwardly positioned, but you get used to it. It's kind of like playing tetris with the controller sideways.
   -AVCHD can take a while to import if you have a slower machine(I don't but I can see how others might become frustrated).
   -Manual focus is essentially impossible to use effectively.
   
   Other Thoughts:
   This camera has 3 few user-assist features that I found helpful.
   1) Zebra stripe mode: This will put zebra stripes on the screen to help you identify areas of the video with poor exposure.
   
   2) Wire frames: These can be set to various sizes, and they help you to center your shots.
   
   3) Intelligent Shooting Guide: With this active, the camera will warn you, on screen, if you have any serious errors going on such as panning too fast, incorrect contrast settings, low light mode, etc. It even pops up the on screen menu, and skips to the screen where the option it recommends is located. For example, I was shooting outdoors and I walked into a bike tunnel, the camera recommended I activate low light mode and it skipped to the proper menu, so all I had to do was press a button to confirm. You can also ignore it's advice and it won't keep nagging you. A very helpful feature, useful for both novices and advanced users.
   
   One last thing to consider, when you convert the raw AVCHD footage to Apple Intermediate Codec or ProRes 422 the resulting files are going to be massive. Make sure you have an external hard drive to store this stuff on. As far as transcoding the raw AVCHD to AIC or ProRes422... some may say that you will lose quality, etc. This is nonsense, AIC and ProRes422 were created for this very purpose--to make editing high res, high bitrate video more feasible on modern machines. They were designed to preserve quality, and ProRes422 is even touted as being visually lossless. If you wanted to edit raw AVCHD you would need a 8-core machine.
   
   Summary:
   While I did list a few cons, they pros FAR outweigh them, even to the point where I can forget about the cons altogether. For the features and the quality this camera provides, I think it is an excellent buy.



3. I liked it very much.
   i bought it to capture moments of my new born baby, and its fantastic, very light, easy to handle, good looking, good quality pictures.



4. The camera is very impressive, intuitive and small. The quality of the picture is excellent. Playback is easy. It was good choice.



5. I 've read a lot of reviews before purchasing this camcorder. Excellent video in sun light, even overall it 's a little bit yellowish to my taste. Amazon is best price, and they refund me the difference when the price went lower in within 30 days after purchase.
   
   Low light is OK. and I found it better than the JVC HD camcorder that my brother has. Extremely low light is not acceptable.
   
   I do not have time to test the 5.1 audio on my NAD receiver.
   
   Insert the SD card in to a playstation 3 SD slot and there you go. Or copy the files to a DVD and watch it thru the PS3 bluray drive. HD resolution!
   
   Go for it! Small size and picture quality will make you happy.

5 comments about JVC Everio GZ-MG330 30GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom (Blue).

1. I ordered this camera before starting a 2 month vacation. I got it about 5 days before leaving on the trip, so had very little time to get used to it. Fortunately it is an easy to use camera. I've been using it for nearly a month and still have plenty of memory left on the hard drive. The only time I notice any shaking in the video is when I need to zoom in to the maximum.
   I would recommend this to anyone looking for an easy to use, reasonably priced digital camcorder.



2. Camcorder is very light and compact. 1st one that I have ever used. Very easy to use. Definitly get an additional battery. Was on vacation for over a week with it and the middle tier battery lasted the day perfectly for me. Shaky when zooming way in. Image is good, low light a little problematic. Over all works great. Data transfer to computer very fast and included software is decent. Great value.



3. I purchased this camcorder to replace my first Sony camcorder. I loved my Sony, but it was 5 years old and started having problems. I have used this camcorder several times to video my children playing. I have hooked it up to the television and played back the video. I love it. I am not an expert on camcorders. I only purchased this one so my children would be able to see themselves grow up. I have not had any problems with it. I purchased a second camera for my mother in law for her video needs also. I love the fact that you don't use a tape. There is no fast forwarding or rewinding. If I want to delete a clip, I just highlight it and tell the camera to delete it. If I want to go to a specific clip, I just highlight it and the camera replays that clip. To turn it on you just open the LCD Screen and to turn it off, just close the LCD screen. Highly Recommended.



4. I bought this camera for my father in law who was taking a 65 day cruise and always had an interest in video but would never buy it for himself. I was able to help him get started over the phone since he lives
   6000 miles away. At 79 years old I wasn't sure if he would be able to work it. He did it and loves everything about it-as excited as a boy with a new toy. I will get to see the results over X-mas and will follow up at that time.



5. Product works well.. the touch sensor took some getting used to.. still photos are a little difficult as the camera does not compensate for hand shakes. otherwise it works perfectly.

5 comments about Canon FS10 Flash Memory Camcorder with 8GB Internal Flash Memory and 48x Advanced Zoom.

1. I ordered my camera just before I left for France. It came 4 days before I left so I had very little time to figure out how to use it. It was a snap. The videos are clear except in low light. The zoom is great. And the still pictures were better than my digital camera. I love the camera. I haven't had time to use the software to make a CD so I can't rate that.



2. First of all let me state that i spent 2 weeks researching camcorders before buying this one. Many mixed reviews on many different sites.
   
   What sold me on it was the fact that there's no tapes, dvd's, or other moving mechanisms to wear out, other than the zoom. No moving parts means batteries last longer. The mic input was a big plus as well as being compact.
   
   Upon arrival i was amazed at the size and weight. After trying it out there were a few downsides that could be fixed.
   1.The biggy for me was no lens threads for adding filters for effects or for keeping mist and dust off the lens while shooting. I found a few universal lens adapters but the were too bulky for the cameras small frame. I decided to try something. The barrel of the lens measured at 34mm so i found a 34mm to 37mm silver metal step up ring on ebay for $2. Now i used hot glue on the threads of the step ring and quickly placed it into cameras the barrel. Fit perfectly and looks as if it was always there and if i want to remove it, why, who knows, the glue will just peel off the inside of the barrel leaving no marks. Now i can attach uv filters, wide angle lenses...etc.
   2. No hot shoe. Ebay once again...found a cold shoe handle that attaches to the camera and gives me a place to attach a led spotlight and an external mic...cost-under $15
   3. $80 for a replacement battery?!? You gotta like China. You can get exact knockoffs that work just as good as the original with a wall charger for $15 - ebay
   4. Kind of grainy in low light. First of all it's not a night vision camera so you should have some sort of light source to begin with. Even in Hollywood they use lighting. Think people before you complain! Attached a led spotlight and it does the trick for me.
   5. Saves as an .mod file but pc or editor won't recognize it. There's a free program called sdcopy that converts the files to usable/editable files in seconds.
   
   Outdoor video is awesome! Bright, crisp colors. Indoor is great as well with the right lighting. This camera is great! Battery life is incredible! I fit 2 hours of footage in the highest quality filming mode on a 4 gig card. Footage is easy to edit and looks great on dvd. I highly recommend it! The only reason i didn't give it a perfect score was i had to invent a lens adapter...but it can be done quick and easy!



3. I bought this as a replacement for my Sony MiniDV camcorder. The video quality is roughly the same using the default settings. However, because I can adjust many more settings on this, I end up shooting better video than I could have with the Sony.
   
   I also like the smaller size (you have to see this to believe it) and the flash memory (no moving parts equals faster response and longer battery life).
   
   I mostly use the camcorder for filming my kids and then uploading it for my parents to watch (they live overseas). It's perfect for that. I download the video to my MacBook Pro, edit in iMovie 08, and then publish to my MobileMe Gallery. It's a very fast and easy process.
   
   Oh, and finally, I loved the price! All this for only $385.00.
   
   I've owned this camcorder for 6 weeks and taken quite a few hours of video and so far can't think of anything I don't like about it.



4. This is exactly what we were looking for. We were tired of mechanical camcorders that eventually break down and tapes that fail. The Canon is small, lightweight, and the battery lasts a long time. I added a second 8GB memory chip and we have hours of video between dumps to my computer. I haven't tried editing the video files yet and will add that review later.



5. It works with my macbook! I was a little concerned when I first tried to install the software. I did not think it was going to work. iMovie recognized the files straight from the camera though.
   
   1) Plug the camera into the electrical socket
   
   2) Make the camera switch set to "play video"
   
   3) Choose the "printer/PC" option on the camera's screen
   
   4) Launch iMovie, it recognizes the camera!
   
   I did not end up even needing to install the software it came with. (ImageMixer 3 SE or the Digital Video Solution Disk Ver.30.0)
   
   I realize this isn't really a review about the camera itself, but I was stumped for a few minutes on how to use the software on my mac... which it turns out I did not need to.
   
   The camera itself seems to be working great so far .... but I only just got it today. Clear picture and audio. So far so good.

5 comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

1. The camera is very easy to shoot, watch footage on a TV, and the images are great. However, the software is awful. Every time I try to start it, I get an error message. I was able to transfer the files to my computer and then open it with a free software I found online (just google the extension of the video file and it will pop up). Otherwise, it's a great camcorder for the $.



2. If you own a mac DO NOT get this. If I had known that this company was still in the dark ages and was not pc and mac compatible I would not of bought this. As for the the camera in its own use it is a 3 given that is fairly easy to use but if you are looking to do more professional work I would not buy this, but even if you get an okay video of your child's soccer game it can't go onto your mac.



3. i did my research and this [at the time] is the best deal for the camera. the best part about it is that i ordered this two days ago and it came in the mail in less than 48 hours, i only had standard shipping! the panasonic h40 is the best in its class for low price good quality hard drive camcorders, I highly recommend it. FIVE STARS, trustworthy seller and great product.



4. No sure what the person was talking about when they said this camcorder does not work with a mac. I have been using this camcorder with 3 different mac models since April 08 without any problems. This is a great camcorder, very easy to use and best of all it moves video to a mac without any problems. Trick/tip use iLife 08 and you will love this camcorder and the ease of moving your video's.



5. I absolutely love this camera. We had a mini-dv camcorder before
   and it was very difficult to transfer video to my computer. This
   camcorder is a snap - just connect and download.
   
   Don't try to use the included editing software. Ulead VideoStudio 11
   and Serif MoviePlus X3 work great. Easy to learn - inexpensive.
   
   The battery recharges in about an hour and a half, and takes
   about an hour of video on a charge. Easy.
   
   The video stabilization is marvelous. No shake. Smooth zoom.
   
   I was put-off by the several negative reviews, but purchased
   anyway. Don't believe the nay-sayers. This is a great camera.
   
   The 40 gig hard drive will take about 9 hours of video at the
   best setting. That's enough to bore the pants off all of
   your family and friends. Wide screen and crisp on our 37"
   flat screen LCD-TV.
   
   It's a winner in my book.

5 comments about Canon HG10 AVCHD High Definition Camcorder with Optical Image Stabilizer.

1. It was August 10th, 2008 when this camera's price got lowered $100-$150. I had to jump on that deal asap, and I haven't looked back since. The quality is everything you would deam of, and the sound, despite what some reviews say, is great. There are some things to consider before buying though. The battery that it comes with will only last around 2hours...(Maybe a little more if you lower the quality).. Also, the packaged software doesn't have a lot of editing options. It is basically just cut and put on DVD..If you are on windows, you might want to check out Pinnacle Studio Plus ($90...which isn't bad at all)..Also, I had some problems with getting the activation code for the Corel software. I am guessing that the website is only up during business hours, because the next day I was able to connect and get the code...So, if you are having trouble getting the activation code...Take a deep breath...try again the next day at various times, and you should get through eventually. If not, you can call support and get the run-around by Canon and Corel...Their customer support (When dealing with this software) is insulting...but then again, so is the software...heh..All in all, though..The video and sound is beautiful! Just try to activate the software during business hours or get better software all together. With this price, you seriously can't go wrong.



2. Overall I've enjoyed this camera, but there are a couple of shortcomings:
   
   1. AVDHD codec (.m2ts file extention)is not supported by the majority of popular players and editing software, including WMP and quicktime. Additoinally, the software included with the camera, which ostensibly provides basic viewing and editing/disc authoring functions, is terrible to the point of being virtually useless. If you buy one of these cameras you will need to buy some fairly expensive editing software if you plan on viewing your footage on anything besides the camera itself.
   
   2. Some parts of the camera have a cheap feel, such as the pull-away dust covers over the aux microphone and output jacks - these do not fit snugly on my unit and will come out of position, exposing the jacks, just from shaking the camera. The selection dial next to the screen is too small for average man-size fingers and it's action has a loose, undapened (cheap) feel to it. Although I can't complain with the performance of the camera, it's dissapointing that a product that purports to be made in Japan has such a low-end feel to it.
   
   3. Will not store still photos to the HDD!! What is that about? I don't understand why Canon not only forces you to use a serperate storage media for stills, but also chose the 'mini SD' format (halfway between standard SD and micro SD), which is arguably the rarest of card formats around. Even sony's proprietary 'memory sticks' are easier to find. The only way I could get a 'mini SD' card for my HG10 was to buy an adapter that accepts a 'micro SD' card.
   
   Aside from these few complaints, this is a great camera and I have enjoyed using it to record hours of precious memories with nary a glitch in performance. Good battery life and brilliant picture quality in either HD mode. Considering it rivals some cameras in the $1000 range for performance and features, this is an excellent value. The OIS is possibly the best feature, and it quells the jitters from hand-held shooting even at the lense's longest focal lenth.



3. the camecorder is great , but softwear truly sucks, after hours of fighting with the Corel product I give up, do not even download into your comp. just throw it away



4. In the past I have been quite loyal to Sony products. I bought this after reading great reviews about how this is superior to Sony. Additionally, I gave in to the lower price. However, although I think this camcorder is worth the price I paid, I do not agree with others that it is the greatest camcorder ever. The auto mode over corrects in back lighting situations and the color cannot compete with the vibrant color of Sony. In some situations it doesn't even feel like HD.



5. Canon HG10 AVCHD High Definition Camcorder with Optical Image Stabilizer
   This light and easy to carry camcorder is amazing, and the price was unbeatable! The images are sharp and clean, and it's very easy to use, with very little help from the directions (which I keep handy in case I get stuck, because I'm constantly finding new things it will do - things I wouldn't miss if Canon hadn't thought of them, but which I'm really happy to discover. Truthfully, I'll probably never use all the features, because I'm an amateur, but it's nice to know they are there and that you don't have to learn all the technicalities of advanced use in order to get good service from this great camera. I love being able to store tons of stuff right on the hard drive so that I'm not pressured to process the videos to make room for more. That fits in with my busy, crazy life! The battery life is very satisfactory as well. I'm sure this video camera will give me years of great service!

5 comments about Sony DCR-DVD610 DVD Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom.

1. I purchased this camcorder a few days ago for my dad, I must say I am quite impressed with it. I compared the Canon DC310/320, Panasonic VDR50, and the Sony 610/710. I went to the store biased in favour of the Canon based on the specifications alone. But what a huge disappointment the canon cameras were. They look cheap, the plastic is cheap, the buttons are flimsy, the buttons next to the screen were tiny and the on screen info was not clear at all. Canon's design department needs to wake up, I have tried quite a few canon entry level/mid range products in the recent past and have come up very disappointing with design and build quality. To make things worse, there was noise all over the place, indoor light wasnt great, but the dark carpet had light green and red spots all over on the LCD. The zoom action was quick. The one aspect where Canon trumps is that it has optical image stabilization, not found on the sony. This is a huge help when you go closer to the telephoto end of things, its impossible to keep the sony still at telephoto.
   
   The Panasonic looked much sleeker than the Canon, had a nice feel to it, felt a tad heavier as well though, some might find it a bit heavy for its size. The screen looked sharp, the menu system was ok, everything seemed just about fine. But the colors seemed a tad unnatural, and slightly over saturated. I tried to go fiddle with the settings, but I could never get the colors to look natural.
   
   The Sony has a very appealing design, the materials look of high quality, the fit and finish is excellent. Power up is quick, the touch screen is very responsive and so much easier to use compared to the dot sized rocker switch on the Canon. The LCD was sharper, the colors were natural although a tad dull looking (never a bad thing, you can always add saturation later depending on your subject). The camera gains up and down really quickly based on the lighting conditions. Indoor focussing speed is not very good, but it gets there. Quick movements can lead the video to just get out of focus. Nightshot plus is useful only when there is very little light, otherwise it over exposes like crazy. Even if you have bulbs or stuff indoors, you can manage without nightshot plus.
   
   Outdoors video is fantastic, I couldnt see many compression artifacts, details were there, I could make out the leaves on the tree clearly, the colors werent bleeding (A major issue with a previous samsung dvd camcorder i tried). I tried the Memorex DVD-RW format disc and it worked fine. Format takes 6-8 seconds (which is quite fantastic IMO). Finalizing the disc took more than 6 minutes. Not sure if this was because of the media. I will try other discs and see if I see any improvement. One annoying thing with this camera is the pop up message that shows up with you insert a non-sony disc. This can be very misleading since its pretty much just blatant advertising on sony's part saying "Use Sony Media". But it goes away in a few seconds. Ppl might think its an error or that other brand discs are unusable. Another thing is the clever marketting of battery life on the box stating "9 hrs" in a big font and below that in ultra tiny fonts it says "Using F__100 battery, with LCD off). The battery that comes with the camera is the F__50 that manages about 90 minutes of recording time. These sort of marketting schemes are sometimes why I get irritated with Sony. But nevertheless, the product is good. If you are looking for a DVD camcorder in the 300$ range, this is the one to get. If you want a marginal improvement in video quality, the 710 offers a slightly boosted pixel count. I didnt get to see both on a television screen so I cant tell you how much of a difference there is, but on the LCD screen I couldnt tell the difference, which is why I settled for the 610.



2. Sony DCR-DVD610 DVD Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical ZoomVery good optics and ease of recording. I still have a lot to learn about how to use the camera, but so far I like it. I tried to use the LP feature because what I used it for did not require a high degree of definition. The owner's manual says it will record 120 minutes on a disc if there is not a lot of start and stop. In fact, it lasted only about 60 minutes with no start or stop after the first start and the last stop. I would also have liked the ability to plug in a remote microphone to avoid ambient noise and get the speaker's voice more clearly. Over all, however, very satisfied.



3. I just have it for a month. So far it does what supposes to do. The resolution is a bit low but I didn't expect much for this price. I still have a problem with memorystick. It didn't work properly. I returned and got a replacement and still didn't solve. So be careful if you think you would rely on the Hybrid function on this camera,you may be disappointed. I also found out that it's not compatible with the high speed memory stick.



4. The biggest drawback of this camcorder is that it uses Sony 3" Rewritable DVD+RW. And it has only 30 minutes storage capacity. So after every 30 minutes you need to change the DVR. Now who will use a camcorder with just 30 minutes of one time recording capacity? These are the days of hard drive based camcorders where most competitors use a 40/60 GB hard drive which gives around 1000+ minutes of video. Unfortunately Sony decided to use them in their high end camcorders.



5. Great camcorder. Easy to use, small enough to carry in coat pocket vs bag, very light. No cons yet. I used reviews on Amazon to decide my purchase. Also Sony products are dependable.

5 comments about Sony HDR-SR12 10MP 120GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. Using this to records kids events, etc. Works fantastic most of the time. Camera does have some trouble at sporting events at dusk/early evening. Seems to have trouble focusing during these times. Awesome picture, features, etc. The software bundled does a pretty good job of importing videos. That is about all it can do. I am struggling to find real editing software for AVCHD. Thinking of just going with SONY Vegas based on comments from friends and coworkers. These videos eat up a LOT of disc space. Now looking for a new computer with MASSIVE processor/memory/storage WITH a Blu ray burner. It should not be this difficult. I am shooting everything full HD. Why else buy an HD camera right? My only recommendation is to shoot the essential moments you need. Else you will pay for it editing (trying to) out all the undesirable frames.



4. everything was just perfect.
   Amazon shipped very fast, i really love the camera, and recommend to everyone.



5. This is a good camcorder but it definitely needs Firewire. Amazon lists it as having I-Link which is Firewire but it doesn't. A little slow to transfer data to your computer with USB.

5 comments about Sony DCR-SR45 30GB Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom.

1. I've had this camera for the first few weeks and I am still in the process of learning how to use it. However there are a few things I can comment on. First, it is correct that the absence of optical vewfinder is a real problem with sunlit bright scenes: you just cannot see what you are filming, the LCD is not strong enough to fight the glare from the sun, so you are left blind.
   The software that comes with the camera is bizarre, in the sense that it describes various operations but without any explanations as to what they really are or why it is good to have them, or what it does in the end. For example, following the downloading of the images into one's computer, the software goes through "analyzing" the videos. I still do not know what that does and why this is good to do. (When I download the images via MS, there is no such requirements, and I can still use the images, play the videos, make them part of Premier Elements clips, etc.) Plus the extra files (.modd and .moff) that are created are anybody's guess as to why they are useful. Bizarre, bizzare.
   
   Another negative, although I did not read this from anybody else. The strap that allows to hold the camera while filming is too small for my hand. In other words, when my right hand is through the loop I cannot easily have access to the control (record, zoom, etc.) I am trying now to rig something up that will allow full flexibility, but at the same time prevent the camera from slipping through my fingers and falling. (Note: my hands are standard size for a 6 ft adult but are also strong)
   
   On the plus side; (1) the stability system is quite good, you can actually film maximum zoom (with an added telelens) and get a viewable image. (2) Another plus is the touch screen control. This is convenient (when there is no sun!)and the user interface is not too bad once you have read the manual. (3) This is one of the rare cameras for which you can find different lenses, such as tele, fisheye, or wide angle, so you can play more. (4) I also found that the still images that the camera takes are not bad at all (at least using the hard drive to record them on). I am not using this really because I have a SLR to does a much better job, but the results from the video camera are quite OK.
   
   Overall I still have a ways to go to get to use it well. But this camera is OK, particularly when one is coming from an analog technology.



2. Its worth your money..i'm satisfied with the product though the picture is little grainy but its easy to handle...but if you watch the movie on the t.v. screan, its good!the sound quality is perfect! what else can you get in such a low price?....its cool!!



3. This is a good Camera for the price, but I think you should find a better one for additional $70-100. It's compact, has a very nice zoom and HD capacity, accepts MS cards and has a useful touch screen that allows you to access all functions. But it has a very limited CCD, that doesn't allow you to have very high resolution recordings. The movies look nice in the small 2.7 screen, but it will be not so good for presenting in bigger screens, like a 32" LCD or higher.
   
   If you like Sony, I recommend you to look for DCR-SR65 or better.



4. bought this cam for the arrival of our little boy. everything seems pretty good, the still camera is not very good - quality wise, but it's not a still cam, it's a video cam. we've had it just over a month and all seems well so far.



5. We have an aging Sony Hi 8mm and tired of buying tapes. Two friends have the Sony DCR SR42 that this model replaces. Sony improved on a great product!
   
   It is easy to operate, has great sound and quality video recording, light weight, and priced right. Not great for taking still photos, but then it is sold as a camcorder not a still picture camera.
   
   If you are looking for a good camera for vacations and catching family moments then this is a perfect camera. If you are looking for a professional quality camera, then drop $2000 and buy one.