5 comments about Sony DCR-HC62 1MP MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom.

1. Sony does not tell that you can't download your videos from the camera via the usb port. You have to us the Ilink / Firewire port; which ment I had to buy an $80 computer card and a $50 Sony cable. I regret this purchase.
   
   Shirley



2. We wanted a compact, easy to use camera with a reasonable optical zoom and this camera is just that. No bells and whistles (no audio inputs, no manual controls) but easy, nice pictures, and most important it's small. You must get a longer-life battery.



3. I dont understand why Sony did not include the firewire/iLink cable with this as without it you cannot transfer video to a computer. I had to shop separately for the cable once i discovered this. that's painful..



4. I have had an awful experience with this camcorder worse yet with Sony Custome Service. I shot multiple tapes of irreplacable content and discovered that the transport was defective and that the mic pics up a constant rumble. Sony customer service was completely unresponsive and refused to replace the camera but insisted a service call of indeterminate length was what was in order. They had me appeal to their "Executive Review Board". Their answer was a curt "Service take it or leave it" I won't ever buy another Sony product. I urge you to do the same. P.S. The cameras performance wasn't anything special either.



5. The video quality is great as is the audio. I use this camcorder for blogging and drum videos and it has not disappointed. Importing footage via firewire (sold separately for 10 bucks on Amazon) is seamless via Windows Vista.
   
   Other than a minimal battery life that comes with the camcorder, it's great.
   
   Cheers

5 comments about Sony DCR-DVD308 1MP DVD Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom.

1. I bought this because my Hitachi DVD camcorder failed to record my daughter birthday properly. This Sony DVD camcorder is entry level and does what it suppose to do. Don't expect the world from this unit. All I do is record my daughter and then send the copies to my distant family. They love it. I don't edit or do any special effects so an entry level unit is all I need. You get what you pay for.



2. Sony DCR-DVD308 1MP DVD Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom This is an excellent mini DVD camera which has now been discontinued. The recordings on HQ setting play back on an upconversion DVD player on a HD TV with very good picture quality. It has very good low light capablities. Do not use the nightshot feature unless it is necesary because this creates a greenish hued picture. I have used both the mini DVD +RW and the DVD -R. Both work fine. Great value for the money.



3. Is anybody user of this camcorder has a problem like i do? The movie quality turn out very good but the problem I have is that when I try to view it on my computer using windows media player its mute an it's very annoying. no sound and i get the messages " error downloading codec" and the movieSony DCR-DVD308 1MP DVD Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom keeps on playing with no sounds. No problem if I use the software that come with the cam but I need to edit the movie it won't work either to any movie editor software. PLEASE HELP! I am so desperate for help
   
   Thank you
   
   Sony DCR-DVD308 1MP DVD Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom



4. The picture is clear and recording is easy, the only bad thing is that the discs are so expensive. Deleting is simple and makes recording even easier, because if you don't like it you can delete it.



5. Before I bought this camera, I read the reviews of this one and others to compare and I even compared Mini-DV and Digital and thanks to the positive reviews on this camera (and it was in my price range) I bought it. I was not disappointed. I have only had it a month and I have used it many times. The mic pics up well, and the zoom works great (which I use for my kids sports). I have downloaded video to my laptop, and burned DVD's. I took the advice of other customers and bought the longer life battery. The only difficulty I had was in not understanding that formatting meant deleting what you had already recorded on the disc, so I now know. My laptop did not have DVD burning capabilities so I did purchase an external burner and everything works great. I would recommend this camera to anyone who has a budget but wants a quality camcorder.

5 comments about Sony DCR-SR200 2.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom.

1. First of all, this is a 4.0MP not the 2.1MP as described for still pictures.
   
   40GB Hard drive which you can record video as follows:
   
   For High Quality(HQ),you can take up to 7 hours of video.
   For Standard Play(SP), you can take up to 14 hours of video.
   For Long Play(LP), you can take up to 28 hours of video.
   Your only limit is the battery that comes with the camcorder which is only about 1 1/2 hour of video so its a good idea to buy an extra battery.
   
   The battery that comes with the camcorder says you can record up to 115 mins. on fully charged but that is for continuous recording.
   
   What I like:
   
   The 40GB capacity hard drive is more than enough for me.
   
   It has extra slot for memory stick duo or memory stick pro. SD card does not fit.
   
   Recording outside on sunny day. The video quality is clear and sharp.
   
   I recorded video at night in my family room which is well lit and the video quality is very good. (See my dislike on low light).
   
   One touch video to DVD. That means you hook it up your camcorder via the base that comes with the camcorder to your computer with DVD burner and USB connection or DVD recorder then just press one button and it start recording to your blank DVD.
   
   It comes with a basic editing software for video and still pictures. But, I ended up purchasing a $49.99 editing software so that I can add titles, make special effects, narration, etc.
   
   I like the fact that the camcorder is made in Japan. No offense to U.S. electronic products(if there's even any now) or any other countries. Japanese electronics are very good qualities.
   
   The controls and menus are on the LCD touch screen. That means it's pretty much most of the buttons you need for functions are in front of you.
   
   The 4.0MP still picture quality is acceptable and it has a built in flash on low light picture taking.
   
   Everything you need (except DVD burner/recorder and blank DVD Disc) to burn DVD is in the box.
   
   It comes with a DVD you can watch that gives you tips on how to record quality videos. I learned a lot after watching this DVD presentation.
   
   Dislike:
   
   The battery life. But that expected for a small battery.
   
   Recording on low light. I have one 40 watt bulb in my room. The quality is good when I'm close to the light but when I moved 4 feet turning away from the light source, it start to get grainy. My solution, I bought a $40 detachable extra light that is compatible with DCR-SR200. DO NOT buy a light that says "fits on all camcorders" because the shoe (where you attach the light) for this model is smaller than the standard shoe.
   
   When I'm using the extra light attached to the shoe, it significantly reduced the recording time of the battery by half. You can buy a light that has its own battery so that you're not using your camcorder battery or buy a higher capacity battery.
   
   The editing software is just a basic editing software. You can only delete portions that you don't want to record on DVD. You cannot add special effects, titles, fades, etc.
   
   You can only take 3 still pictures while recording video. And its only be taken on 2.1MP quality (which is crappy quality). Not the 4.0MP when you use the still camera function.
   
   NO viewfinder! It would have been nice if I flip the LCD screen 180° so that family members and friends can see themselves being recorded while I can look in the viewfinder to see what I'm recording. People tend to smile or do goofy stuff when they see themselves which add more fun to the video.
   
   In order to transfer your recorded video to your computer for editing, or to hook it up to your stereo TV for viewing, or DVD recorder for one touch DVD burn, you must use the base included where you sit the camcorder.
   
   Overall, I'm happy with this camcorder.
   
   



2. Happy with purchase. First video camera I have had. Low light picture is not great. Shipping took longer than I hoped.



3. Love this camera... Could not be more satsisfied with it... Would recommend it to anyone looking for a great deal!!



4. Works good in day time. Its not that clear if the background is dark. Can't able to shoot if it dark with a small lighting.



5. Great camcorder....I love the ease of use but my DVD player won't play the DVD that is produced by the 1-step burn feature. The battery that comes with unit is a piece of crap so be prepared another $100 for an extended life battery. Sony should be ashamed to put something that cheap with such a good product. Overall I'd highly recommend this camcorder!

2 comments about Sony DCR-SR220 4MP 60GB Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 15x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

1. When my miniDV tape camcorder finally died, I knew that I would be getting a hard drive based camcorder, but I didn't know it would be so hard to pick the right one out, so I did a lot of research and finally chose the Sony Handycam DCR SR220. My biggest concern with this model was that I didn't think the 15x optical zoom would be enough. The real selling points were the good sized hard drive, the better than average lens, the excellent video quality and really good still picture quality (4 mega pixels, which is a lot better than most camcorders). This camera turns on quickly and is very easy to use. The software that comes with it isn't terrible, but if you use Adobe Premiere and Photoshop you will probably stick with that. Getting the videos and photos to the PC is very easy and quick, especially compared to DV tape. This camcorder has some very cool features too, like night vision (video in total darkness). "Drop protection" which I thought might include a parachute :-) but it doesn't. It just moves the sensor away from the hard drive and locks in place as well as shutting off the camera. The manual does say that this can be turned off if you need too, in case you are taking video while you are sky diving. It also doesn't work well in non-gravity environments such as outer space. Overall I am very pleased with the quality, ease of use, and mainly the speed of using this camcorder as well as transferring video and photos to a PC. As far as the 15x zoom goes, I did try out the smart digital zoom up to 30x and it was actually better than the optical zoom on my old Panasonic camcorder, so I am satisfied with that. My only recommendation would to be purchase a spare battery and travel battery charger. The reason for this is that the battery can only be charged while in the camera and in the docking station, plus you always have a spare. I think anyone looking for a hard drive based camcorder that doesn't require super zoom features would be very pleased with this camcorder.



2. I actually returned the sony DCRDVD 308 and purchased this camera instead. I wanted a camera that worked decently in low light conditions. For the price and without having the camera look like I'm from the local news station, I'm very pleased. I was having problems with the 308 not being able re-focus after zooming in and zooming out in low light conditions.... but don't seem to have that problem with this camera. I don't use the night vison feature because that shoots pretty much almost in black and white-but very clear. The color in the regular setting even in lower light is pretty darn good (for a camera that isn't a 3cc). I usually shoot with a tabletop tripod but don't always have the opportunity to use one- and find that the built in stabalization has worked wonders. If you read the manual, you have a lot of options for different settings, too. I agree with the last reviewer, though. I did purchase an extra battery and highly recommend doing so.
   I film bands (mostly my husband's) and purchased the extra microphone with the stereo surround sound. It is worth the price! The sound quality is phenomenal! With the 308 I was having problems with lower frequency sounds (bass rhythms or deeper voices)picking up a hissing sound, but don't have that with the 220 even without the extra microphone.
   My only disappointment is with the picture taking function in lower lighting conditons-but I'm still working with that and plan to call sony to see if I can work a little more with the settings. But in daylight it takes decent photos. I programmed the camera so the photos go to the memory stick and the video records right to the hard drive. But I bought the camera for the video capabilities, which I have been very pleased with. I have had no problem downloading what I have recorded quickly right to my computer and then right onto a disc to view on my television.The camera is also very small, easy to handle and carry and very user friendly.

5 comments about Sony DCR-SR85 1MP 60GB Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom.

1. I just received this camcorder (DCR-SR85) and I am very happy with it! It is so small & lightwieght, plus it takes fantastic videos. The videos download very quickly with the included software, and are crisp and clear as any DVD movie that I have (standard definition). I stuggled with all the choices out there, but I am very satified with this product. I use it mostly to document procedures for work, but it is great for home movies also. I think it would be nice to have a larger mega-pixel camera in it (only 1 meg) since it is so small it could easily replace my digital camera also! I also purchased the extended warranty from Sony for only 89.00 (3 years), and an extra battery. This one is a keeper!



2. Maybe I got a dud, but this camera did not work at all for what I needed. First off, I was not able to use it, because it buffered itself every 20 seconds. I was only able to get about 3 minutes of video before it started buffering. Then, it would buffer about every 20 seconds, resulting in only short snippets of viewable video.
   
   Secondly, the lack of a mic gain setting screwed me. Yes, I was recording in a loud environment. The sound was very distorted and unbearable. This camera needs a function to be able to turn down the mic sensitivity.
   
   Didn't work for me.



3. This is a great camcorder. Having the video written to disk is great. We've had DVD camcorders and watched an entire day's filming at WDW wasted when the DVD wasn't readable when we got back from vacation.
   
   My wife likes using an eye view finder, but this camcorder does not have that. I have glasses so I've always opened it up and viewed it that way while filming. She also doesn't like the fact that you have to open the lens cap by hand, as it doesn't open automatically like our previous DVD camcorder.
   
   We bought this particular model for the 25x Optical zoom, and that works great. The included software is awesome too.



4. This little hard drive camcorder is awesome! A couple of these reviews are just so ridiculous. Just try it out and you won't be disappointed. The storage is enormous, the battery life is phenomenal and the videos are great! It's fun and easy to use!



5. This is one of the best camcorders I've ever dealed with. It's a big step up from a old VHS mini tape one. The hard drive makes it very convenient. With the charger station that comes with it, you can use it to charge and watch the video footage at the same time. I paid $550 which is quite a deal because it is a $700 camcorder. I do wish some more accessories came with it but that's okay. The zoom is great. For being only a one megapixel camera, it looks pretty good except when zoomed in. I would definitey consider this to all my friends.
   - real easy to use and great capabilities

5 comments about Sony DCR-SR42 30GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom.

1. I bought this camera recently to do occasional video shoot.
   I am no photographer or professional.
   
   I find this camera good in zoom. However it lacks the wide angle aspect of it. I do not find zoom to be very useful compared to 10X/20X standard zoom on other sony cameras. Only good thing about this is, you can directly connect to the pc and browse through your files.
   
   Overall, its a good camera for the price if you specifically want to use the zoom feature. Else, go for other camera may be with less zoom but with wide angle capability.



2. Had a great time using it on my trip to the South Pacific,(Palau).
   Very easy to use and tvery compact ,makes holding it a snap.



3. We purchased this camera at a national electronics chain, who shall remain nameless. We found it on here for $150 less! Give me a break!
   
   It's a great family camera, we use it to tape our baby as she begins exploring. It would also be great for family sporting events, vacations, and the like.
   
   Highly recommend!



4. This camera is a great value! It was cheaper than any of my local electronics stores. Very user friendly! Extremely happy with this camcorder. Just now working on making DVDs of the videos I have taken and its has an easy burn which I have not used yet. I am using Windows Movie Maker because I wanted to edit and create and the format the videos download onto computer works great with WMM. No complaints on this camcorder! I know there is an updated version of this but I'm not sure I would even bother spending the extra $$ to get it. This camcorder is great! It also switches between video and photos effortlessly! Great Buy!



5. This is a very slick little piece of electronics! It has got its own internal hard drive so there are no CD's to pop in and out. Fits to contour of your hand for better grip. Flip screen is sturdy and useful.
   
   The only thing I would list as cons would be the fact that its a tad bit pricey (but you do get what you pay for). And the camera itself takes a bit of time to get familiar with.
   
   But other than that, if you are looking for a high quality camera that has everything you could need, look no further!

5 comments about Sony HDR-SR11 10MP 60GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

1. I have had this camcorder for 2 weeks now and have shot hd video indoors and out in low and average lighting conditions. The video is superb. Stunning clarity. It is a huge step up from the Sony DCR-TRV 530 I used to use. The Touchscreen is easy to use, large, clear, and bright. Battery life could be better, but other batteries are available. The digital stills in some cases are better than with my canon s3is. Face detection and image stabilization work well. Viewing the stills or the footage on the computer or a tv are a snap. Burning archives to dvd was also. Itching to buy a blu ray player for my hdtv and home theater now!
   
   I would purchase an extra battery and charger. Got mine from us1camera for $1k, case, camera, extra battery and charger, 2 lenses, 3 filters, bag, tripod and more. Free shipping. Excellent camera, deal and service.



2. This is my first camcorder, but I did a lot of research before buying. Low light recording is excellent compared to JVC and other brands with HD resolution recorded on an internal hard disk.
   
   Buy the biggest battery you can find for this unit... the one that comes with it doesn't last long at all.
   
   Also remember that to enjoy HD video you shoot, you'll have to keep it on the camera or spend quite a bit of extra cash on a blu-ray burner.



3. This camera is awesome. The video pictures are outstanding, and the 10 meg. pictures are an added bonus, They are awesome too!



4. I write this review because I wish it had been written during the time I was purchasing my camcorder. I will summarize this review between the Sony HDR-SR11 vs. Panasonic HDC-HS9 as basically a toss up, but the little things of Sony leaned me to the SR11.
   
   First, let me say that I really did not want to buy Sony HDR-SR11, granted a Bravia TV is my LCD of choice, but I cannot stand their proprietary memory. Since this camcorder was not purchased for photos this was not a big deal. Though I commend Panasonic for using SD that can be readily found. Sony is pricey (though some may say justifiably so because of the quality) but competition is good for the consumers as we benefit through new, quality, and innovative features.
   
   A salesman from a particular store told me that Sony was good to get for camcorders, and I'd add Nikon or Canon are a way to go for digital cameras, anyway I digress.
   
   Having to see it for myself, initially I purchased the Panasonic HDC-HS9 and after a tough decision I had to switch for the small things mainly from software which I'll get to later, but first let me give a side by side comparison between the two after testing out each product for a couple hours about the features that matter to me at least. I will refer to the products as HS9 and SR11 for the remainder of the review.
   
   Appearance: I'd have to give it to the HS9 for being noticeably smaller. But the SR11 is not big (especially not 90's camcorder big), as I have a man sized hand, but the HS9 wins the compact comparison in this case. While we're on the physical appearance of it, I was disappointed in the HS9 placement of the external adapter. The battery must be physically removed every time you want to connect the adapter as the cable connector is behind the battery. Therefore you cannot charge the battery simply by pluging in the charging cable as you can on many products that you can usually do this and as you can for the SR11. And the HS9 forces you to use the external cable when transferring a video, even though this may make sense, but when you have a short clip and just took the battery off the charger, it's annoying to remove the battery and find the external adapter every time to do so. Bad placement of the external adapter on the HS9 unlike the nicely placed (as is with most camcorders, at least with a previous Canon ZR200 that I own) with the HS9. If size is an issue for you, the HS9 may be your choice.
   
   Video Quality: My opinion of the quality between the HS9 and SR11 was comparable. Between the two it's a toss up during daylight conditions as both are excellent, and the SR11 is stunning as your eye sees it, it appears on the screen, very nice. The HS9 records in a 1080p vs. a 1080i format, that may give the albeit slight edge in terms of theoretically video quality to the HS9. Though the software provided with the HS9 to play back these high quality videos ruins the superb video recording. I hate to say my eye didn't notice the difference between 1080p and 1080i though my correction lens aren't the greatest, mileage of your eyes matter perhaps.
   
   In low light conditions, the HS9 seems to record slightly brighter images which are decent, the SR11 are a bit darker, though look extremely realistic. A true toss up, and really based on personal preference and would have to say they're evenly matched for you to decide.
   
   In extremely low light conditions I found the HS9 surprisingly grainy. It seems to brighten up a extremely dark image thus resulting in grain. I have not recorded the SR11 in low light conditions other than finding a youtube video of a low light condition video and it seemed to keep it's realistic tone but remained dark. The HS9 seems to be on the right track to attempt to brighten up things, as the SR11 does not, but at this point I would have to say the HS9 was unsatisfiability grainy.
   
   Both were grainy in bedroom light condition when displaying directly from the camera to the TV (not recording, just displaying through the cables) though the SR11 might have had a slight lead when panning or moving the zoom in and out a bit more responsive, though hardly noticeable.
   
   Formats: The HS9 takes the lead in this regard as it has a 24 cinema mode, that records frames at 24 frames like some movies. Otherwise the HS9 records in 60 frames per second. However, the Pinnacle trial version could not handle the 60 fps mode and only the 24 cinema mode (though it said it was 30 fps). Though the HS9 software could handle its own 60 fps video fine, more later on software. The SR11 records it's videos in 30 fps
   
   Night vision between the two the HS9 uses a blue illumination for night vision and the SR11 uses the commonly known green illumination as often seen on TV. I like the green better, but the blue was a nice change and this did not affect my decision either way, though it was nice to have on both.
   
   Transfer to PC: Both transfer to your computer via a USB extremely quickly and at seemingly equal times.
   
   Sound: Both are 5.1, the sound is acceptable and nice on both camcorders, I would say that the wind cut function on the HS9 was nice to have and did seem to work, the SR11 does not have this feature, though I'd wish it did. I'd give a slight edge to the HS9 in this one, especially if you record in windy conditions often (soccer games perhaps), which I don't.
   
   Optical Image Stabilization: Both claim image stabilization, the OSI on the HS9 seems to slightly work better, though not noticeably. I think both still need to work on this.
   
   Face recognition: The SR11 impressed me with the facial recognition as it just works. Turn the camera on a person and a white box appears around a persons face and moves as the person does, always keeping focus on that persons face. The focus on the HS9 on faces seemed very good, though I couldn't figure out the white box feature, it might have had to been enabled through a button a readily accessible button at the very top, so not that bad, but the HS9 was automatic.
   
   Cables: Both have an ample about of cables that allows you to connect your camera to the TV with both RGB and Yellow and white/red audio cables.
   
   Remote: Both had remote controls, a definite plus.
   
   Software: This is where I must reluctantly gives this definitely to the SR11 or Sony. First, very few software handle the AVCHD videos at this time, so both Panasonic and Sony include their own software to retrieve the videos from the camera. The Panasonic software is a bit clumsy when it asks which folder you want to save it in, it's a bit manual where the Sony software detects when the camera has been connected, and simply asks whether you want to import all your videos, one click and it does, in a folder already created with an independent name. The Panasonic software called HD Writer had some additional editing capabilities to slice, merge, and delete unnecessary scenes and save to dvd and mpeg2 whereas the Sony had no editing features.
   
   Playback software: I really hope panasonic gets this point. Their playback software most likely did not use directx, where the Sony PMB or Picture Motion Brower does. What this does is use your video card when the HD videos are playing back video. At one point I thought there was something wrong with the camcorder because the playback would skip using the HS9 playback software, but after encoding it to another format, my native video player kicked in and played back smoothly. This really scared me thinking that there was something wrong with the HS9 when there was not, however my x2300 dual core processor was not able to handle the playback of the native HS9 videos alone. This is in contrast to Sony PMB software for playback that installed directx that utilized my video card so that playback of the native format of the camcorder was silky smooth. What's more the Picture Motion Brower is a nice video playback software that throws in additional calendar features of when a video was imported and such, a nicety that should be used with backing up as it's insanity to store large amounts of precious moments on a computer instead of constantly backup up these priceless moments on DVD's and such, those who have had hard drive failures know. Panasonic included a copy of Pinnacle trial version 11 for HD cameras, it could import the HD 60 fps videos, but did not encode them properly. The 24 cinema mode (or 30fps) videos has no problem in Pinnacle. The SR11 videos also were imported into Pinnacle with no problems. Once additional nicety of the Sony software is that you can make a still picture at any moment making a jpeg without importing it into an editing software. Though the HD Writer software has nice features to backup your videos, hard to use in other cases like loading the HD videos stored on your computer. Sony's Picture Motion Brower software is very good to view and backup, though a register folder option was awkward, why not just allow the ability to just drag in folders to register, always room for improvement I guess.
   
   Viewfinders: Both viewfinder display a clear image, though the SR11 has a touchscreen where the HS9 does not, though understandable with the price difference. I was disappointed I could not navigate to playback a video on the SR11 without using the touchscreen since the screen would get a lot of fingerprints, though there are less buttons to complicate things because of the touchscreen. Both have easy buttons to begin recording.
   
   The HS9 had a feature to offer advice how to record like turn on the low light feature (should have had a feature that this would turn on automatically) or you're panning to fast, this advice can be taken as good or bad.
   
   Zoom: The HS9 had digital zoom, but it would not work in 24 cinema mode, go figure, and was adequate. The SR11 had no such zoom, but the normal zoom was satisfactory, though not as far as the HS9.
   
   Conclusion: If you can tolerate the size of the SR11, and wind is not a major issue and are looking for a camcorder with excellent video in all light conditions, good sound, facial recognition, and easy and nice software then SR11 is a fine choice that I am happy with.
   
   The HS9 is a nice choice when size is an issue and windy conditions to utilize the wind cut feature, beware of extremely low light conditions and be wary of the battery having to be removed each time for the external adapter and native format playback skipping (it's not the camcorder, you're computer is too slow, just encode it to another format), there is no touch screen and there is a mini joystick that can be cumbersome as when engaging night vision is easier on the SR11 as opposed to the HS9 as well as low light mode.(though there is a price difference to offset the differences).
   
   I am enjoying the SR11 and things are drastically improved over the miniDV of yester-years. The only thing that I battle each day is why I didn't get the SR12.



5. This guy works very well. It can be a little bit clumsy with all the features available but the "simple mode" button takes care of that. Excellent video/audio. The included S/W is very good at downloading and converting the stored video. I have yet to come close to using up all the space on the drive but in case I do, I still have 8GB memory sticks. I recommend it to anyone who can afford it.

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

1. You will like this camera a lot until you hook it up to your computer, and then you'll be looking for new software. If you're already into AVCHD compatible software then it shouldn't be a problem. Figure out the software options and feel good about that before you buy, and you will probably love the camera. If you do figure out the best software option please post it so I'll know. You can find the manuals for this camera online to get more information before you buy. Google Sony esupport.



2. 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!



3. So far, great experience with this camera. The resolutions are a little misleading if you are an HD techo-babble fan. It says it supports 1920x1080i on the side of the camera, but there's no such resolution. 1080i content is 1440x1080, while 1080p is 1920x1080. If you don't care or don't know the difference then don't sweat it, but if you are looking for 1080p using h.264 then this camera isn't it.
   
   Back to the topic at hand. The information pages for this camera don't specifically say it is supported by Macs but I can confirm that it works with my Leopard install and that iMovie '08 detects the camera and offers to import the clips. This is all without having to download or install any software or drivers from Sony. If you are interested, the camera shows up as a mounted external drive and can be navigated like any other drive.
   
   iMovie cross-converts the .mts files to .mov files and puts them on your local harddrive. .mts files are super compressed and for a variety of technical reasons most video editing software can't handle them in that format so they have to be converted. This conversion ends up increasing the file size by about 5x.
   
   I've read elsewhere that the converted files can be up to 10x as big but the ones I converted this afternoon all came off the HD and onto mine in the new format 5x bigger in about 20 minutes. I'm on an 8 core macpro with 8 gig of ram so your conversion rates may vary, I have no idea how much hardware iMovie actually can take advantage of.
   
   If you have final cut pro you can also obviously edit with these newly converted files. It wouldn't even let me drop the .mts files into a FCP timeline as it will with some other flavors of h.264.
   
   The camera itself is a little off in its auto-white balance and its shutter is constantly a little too dark for my tastes but for the normal consumer I doubt you'll have any real complaints in there areas. The camera also has a built-in down convert to SD resolution with a simple RCA cable out of the camera and into your ancient tube TV.



4. This is truly a awesome and perfect camera. Being my first camcorder it is perfect because it is easy to use. All the functions are self explanatory and there are very few buttons to confuse you. I thought taking stills by just pressing one button was pretty cool. I didn't need to switch to camera mode. I also can barely even hear the hard drive, it's as if they put 120gig onto a flash memory. They have added the USB port onto the camcorder making the docking station an option now. Which I thought was the best upgrade from the SR11. It almost seems like they took all the bad reviews they had with the SR11 and fixed them with this model (SR12). I am very satisfied with this camcorder. Sony has came through once again. In addition, you can also move hard drive data to the flash memory if you like.



5. Just took this on a three week foreign tour and it does a lot of things amazingly well. I did a lot of research and am quite knowledgeable, and was originally going to buy one of the new units that runs on flash cards because I liked their size. But they made too many compromise -- one of the worst of them being a lack of a viewfinder. I've never seen an LCD screen that wasn't washed out in sunlight (and this unit, while better than most, is no exception), so you NEED a viewfinder. Besides which, you get a lot less jiggling holding the camera up to your eye than holding it at arm's length to view an LCD screen.
   
   The main caveat is its use of AVCHD as its recording format. This is another case of the hardware being ahead of the software. After extensive reading of the reviews of all the programs that currently exist, I've concluded that no one has yet come out with software to make editing this new format a simple affair. Sony's Vegas 8 (which costs $[...]+) seems, from the reviews and my limited testing, to come closest, but my expensive high-powered desktop (2 1/2 years old) stutters and chokes. AVCHD is highly compressed and requires a ton of CPU power. So, for now, I've decided to just show my raw footage to friends by connecting the camera directly to my HDTV, and wait until better software emerges or I'm ready to buy a new computer.
   
   The quality and versatility of the camera are great, however, and I'm glad I didn't compromise to get a smaller unit. The hard drive helps give you a good solid grip using one hand, and I loved being able to stop worrying about running out of space (120gb is a huge amount of shooting).

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

1. You do the research, read forever, go through web-page after web-page and so on... Went to the store and purchased the DCR-SR45 after trying-on a few different ones. WELL...I don't know what the others are complaining about. This is an extremly nice camcorder and easy to use and even easier to create DVD's in minutes. W/two little ones to film, i love the ease of use and ability to view it minutes later on the TV w/every one laughing. Highly reccomend it to families and even the tech savy guy that needs to impress w/out spending more than $500. A couple accessories and your making great movies.



2. [[ASIN:B00123UGXK Sony DCR-SR45 30GB Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom]I am truly impressed with the zoom and it's focusing ability.My only minor complaint is the "quick on button" is a little hard to find [ maybe could have protruded a little more ? ] Otherwise , totally happy with my purchase!



3. I bought this camera 2 weeks ago and I must say, it's really neat. The quality of the camera while recording at first was a little less than I expected it to be, but that's because I had the recording mode in LP (medium quality) so I put it at the highest (HQ) and everything looked fine.
   
   Honestly, the best things about this camera is that it's very small, can fit in the palm of your hand with ease.
   
   The next thing is the Night Vision mode, this is the best, I was able to record in TOTAL DARKNESS inside my house (w/ all lights off) and I could still see things!
   
   Last major noticeable thing is the fact that you don't have to keep changing discs every 30 minutes to record new video. You can record straight to the Hard Disk for up to 9 hours at the highest quality!
   
   Listen, if you're looking for a good quality, small compact video camera for under $500, get this. It's a really good camera and a really good deal. Thanks, Sony!



4. I got this a couple of weeks ago, I'm not sure how good the quality of the recording is but the camera feature, which is one of the big reasons I got it, was horrible. The picture quality was extremely grainy. I wanted to be able to have one device to both take pictures and videos, but that didn't work out. I'm returning this today.



5. I just needed a very compact camcorder to get rid of my bulky Hi8 SONY camcorder. I love this camcorder. It is easy to use. Only problem is that it does not have a view finder and you might need it at times to save battery or shoot at a sunny place.

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

1. I've never owned my own camcorder before, but THIS great device was TERRIFIC to start off with! My boyfriend kept saying, "I know you want a hard-drive camcorder, but this dvd one will be great for just recording small moments at the parties we go to -- It will help you get the hang of using video cameras before you move on to the higher-priced stuff."
   
   I agree!
   
   The camcorder comes with a "Tutorial Video Shooting" DVD that walks you through how to get the most out of your camera. It's pretty cheesey (especially the English version, wow), but whatever. :P I'm guessing it's translated from a different language? Haha.
   
   Anyway, the zoom on this is AMAZING. It's like I can get MACRO shots while standing across the room!! Wow, right?! That was some high quality chin stubble (from the test shots I took, lol!).
   
   It's always good to get a few starter mini-dvd's, just so you have more room to play around. That way, when you mess one up, you won't feel bad!
   
   The camera is super-light, by the way. I only way 95lbs, and I'm definitely NOT athletic. But this was incredibly easy to operate! I wanted to get something small and portable, so this is definitely a great option for me.
   
   Oh, and the "night-shot plus" mode is awesome! It takes good low-light shots with the normal settings, but you can set your camera to brighten up the shot with the touch of a button, or switch the "night shot plus" mode on! It takes video in ABSOLUTE DARKNESS. It's like NIGHT mode. It's intense. I turned off all of my lights and tested it out (complete darkness), and it lit everything up like magic! It doesn't use an actual LIGHT, so you can definitely creep around in the dark and test it out. LOL.
   
   You can film your FRIENDS in the dark. Haha.
   I definitely wanna' use this at parties!
   
   Right now, I'm looking into getting the starter kit on Amazon (it comes with a battery, a carrying case, a DVD+RW and DVD-R disc-set. The battery alone costs over $50, so the prices you can get through Amazon are amazing! I'll need a tripod too (which I'm also working on getting!).
   
   I suggest picking up these items as well as a wall-charger for your battery (just in case you plan to go out and need to charge your extras!). :D
   
   Thanks Sony for making such great products!



2. I am enjoying this camcorder. I am still learning how to use some of the many features. I got this just a few days before I took a trip. I bought an extra battery and charger to always be ready for what I want to do.
   I am very pleased. This is the first time I have had a camcorder.



3. Gave this camera as a wedding gift to a couple and the said that they love it.



4. This is a great camcorder. It's affordable, produces good video quality, NEAT nightshot mode, and zooms in very far.
   
   There are no cons, it's just a great camcorder.
   
   With every Sony product that I buy my satisfaction of their quality gets better and better. Their quality is really unbeatable. Their products are usually slightly more expensive than other brands, but trust me it's worth it. (my Sony tv is almost 10 years old and works like it's brand new, it's held up fantastically)



5. I hate this camera. When I use it in direct sunlight I cannot see anything in the viewfinder because of the glare. Is this a fluke or are they all like this? Would love to hear if others have this same problem. Best Buy will not take it back (thank you, customer no service), so I'd love to know if this is something Sony needs to fix.