Sony HDR SR12 - Expert Reviews

Award: Editor's Choice!

Review summary: The popularity of hard disk drive standard definition and high-def camcorders continues to climb. Nothing beats the storage capability of a HDD video maker-just think, you can...

Pros: Full HD 1920 x 1080 120GB AVCHD HDD Camcorder

Cons: Expensive ; weak low-light performance

Review summary: Sony's HDR-SR12 camcorder - and its sister model the HDR-SR11 (RRP $1999) - differ only in the capacity of their built-in hard disk drives (HDD), with the SR12 having twice the capacity of the SR11. Both models include some of the technologies ...

Verdict: Video clips recorded with the test camera were sharp and colourful with well-contained saturation levels, particularly in the HD modes. With the default settings, exposures appeared to be pitched at capturing shadow detail and highlights were ...

Award: Editor's Choice!

Review summary: sony handycam hdr-sr12 review: A little cheaper and a bit more capacious than its predecessor, Sony's top-dog consumer camcorder is the one to get should you have the desire to go high-def.

Pros: Great image quality, Vast storage capacity, Big, crisp LCD screen, Easy to hand hold for extended periods

Cons: Battery only good for 90 minutes, Touchscreen menus require familiarity, 10.2-megapixel claim is all marketing

Verdict: A little cheaper and a bit more capacious than its predecessor, Sony's top-dog consumer camcorder is the one to get should you have the desire to go high-def.

Award: Recommended!

Review summary: The HDR-SR12E is the latest HD camcorder to join Sony's hard disk-based range - and we like it!

Verdict: The HDR-SR12E exudes quality. It has Sony's characteristically solid build and is packed with clever design features. We still love Canon's HF10 for its smaller size, lower price and use of convenient flash memory. It also has a few more manual ...

Review summary: The noteworthy performance Sony HDR-SR12 is largely due to the new 1/3.13-inch ClearVID CMOS sensor featuring Exmor technology and the new Bionz processor. These technologies have been in use on some of Sony's professional camcorders and its DSLR ...

Verdict: For all the great intentions with which we buy camcorders, most people rely on Auto mode most of the time rather than getting bogged down with manual controls. Sony has never slouched in this category, offering excellent automatic responses to changes ...