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Sony Handycam HDR-SR12

Manufacturer: Sony Part number: HDR-SR12

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$739.00 - $1,299.99 at 15 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
4.0 stars Excellent
Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 10 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: Sony's Handycam HDR-SR11 and SR12 60GB hard-drive-based AVCHD camcorders deliver top notch performance and image quality.
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More stores below Shop B&H for BEST DEALS on CANON Camcorders! Canon HF100 $529 Top Seller SD HD Lowest Price on HD Cam! 3.3Mp Full HD Sensor 12X Optical Zoom Canon HF10 $634 Hi Def Camcorder 16gb Flash/SD Cam 3.3MP Full HD Sensor Image Stabilization Canon HF11 $829 32GB HD Cam 1920 x 1080 AVCHD SuperRange Image Stabilze 12x Optical Zoom
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CNET editors' review

Sony Handycam HDR-SR12

price range: $739.00 - $1,299.99

Reviewed by: Philip Ryan
Reviewed on: 04/10/2008

The good: Excellent video and performance; impressive still photos for a camcorder; adequate manual controls; nice CAM CTL dial; docking station included.

The bad: No wind filter; doesn't include mini HDMI cable.

The bottom line: Sony's Handycam HDR-SR11 and SR12 60GB hard-drive-based AVCHD camcorders deliver top notch performance and image quality.

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I used to think that hard-drive models would take over the camcorder market as miniDV slowly faded into the horizon. I've since changed my tune after using flash-based models, especially those that include some onboard memory. However, if you shoot a lot of video--or just don't bother to back it up very often--then a hard-drive model probably makes sense for you, at least until the flash-based camcorders start to include more onboard memory or the price of flash memory cards declines. Sony's Handycam HDR-SR11 is among the cream of the hard-drive AVCHD crop right now, and the same is true for its sister, the HDR-SR12, since the only difference between them is the size of their respective hard drives. (For this review, we tested an SR11.) The SR11 sports a 60GB drive, while the SR12 packs 120GB into its attractive HD-recording body.

That body design is quite nice, though it does have some quirks and comes across as chunky compared with most flash-based models. It's about the same size as a miniDV camcorder, thanks to its hard drive. Plus, that drive gives you a nice grip, while some flash camcorders have awkwardly designed grips. Sony placed the controls well, however, you will have to use the 3.2-inch touch screen to get to some important functions, which can be an annoying way to use a camcorder. The large size of the screen helps a bit compared with some other Sony models, but the screen is still fingerprint prone. The fingerprints can be distracting when recording, and if you try to change a setting while shooting, you'll likely end up jostling the camcorder while you make the change. Thankfully, Sony included a small button up front, below the lens, for backlight compensation, so you won't have to hit the menus for that.

Just above that button is the CAM CTL dial. It has a button on the front of it that lets you activate manual focus, exposure compensation, white balance shift, or shutter speed, though you can only assign one such function to the wheel at any given time. This wouldn't be the end of the world, but you have to dig pretty deep into the menu to assign something to the wheel. Sony didn't call the menu item CAM CTL, instead it called it Dial Setting. True, it's the only dial on the camcorder, but if you're going to label it the CAM CTL on the body, you should be consistent in the menu. My other main gripe about the body design is that Sony used a mini HDMI connector (Type C) instead of a normal-size connector. The mini cables are harder to find and more expensive. With a camcorder this size, Sony could have found room for a full-size connector. I did like the doors that cover the various connectors though. The doors are plastic and have nifty hinges and slides to get them out of the way while using the jacks. I was worried that the headphone or mic-in jacks might not have enough room, but after trying several headphones with various size connectors, I was impressed that all fit amply. An Active Interface Shoe (Sony's proprietary hot shoe) sits atop the camcorder so you can add one of Sony's microphones or video lights.

In a most welcome step up from last year's SR7, the SR11, and SR12 offer full 1,920x1080 HD capture, thanks to its maximum 16-megabit-per-second AVCHD recording mode. The other three AVCHD recording modes record at 1,440x1,080 resolution, like last year's models. At the top AVCHD quality level, you can fit up to 7 hours and 10 minutes of video on the SR11's 60GB hard drive. If you bring the quality level down to the minimum HD setting of 5Mb per second, you can fit up to 22 hours, 50 minutes of video. Stepping down to standard definition, you can record up to 14 hours, 40 minutes of video at the highest quality setting and up to 41 hours, 50 minutes at the lowest-quality setting. Double those numbers for the SR12's 120GB drive. The NP-FH60 lithium ion battery gives you up to 90 minutes of continuous recording time, according to Sony, though you should expect more in the range of 40 minutes to 50 minutes during regular use when recording to the hard drive.

High-resolution video capture demands a high quality lens and Sony didn't skimp. Sony included a 12x optical Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* f/1.8-3.1 zoom lens. It covers a 35mm equivalent range of 40-480mm in 16:9 mode, or 49-588mm in 4:3 mode. The lens focuses its light onto a 5-megapixel sensor that uses 2.86MP to capture 4:3 video, 3.81MP to capture 16:9 video, 5.08MP for 4:3 stills, and 3.81MP for 16:9 stills. The camera can interpolate the stills up to 10.2MP.

Video from the HDR-SR11 is quite impressive. Colors are very accurate and images are quite sharp. The camera's white balance does a nice job of keeping color casts out of your video in most lighting situations, and the camcorder is quick to adjust to changes in lighting types and levels when in the appropriate auto modes. Autofocus also locks very quickly, and the optical image stabilization is effective across the entire zoom range. Autofocus slows in low light, but it was still able to lock, even in very low light situations. I enjoyed using the CAM CTL dial for manual focus--it's much nicer than using the touch screen. The built-in microphone does a good job of capturing audio and can be set to zoom along with the lens. You can also notch the recording level down to low if you're in a setting with particularly loud sound. It's not quite as nice as some higher-end camcorders that let you adjust audio levels in multiple steps, but it's better than nothing, and appropriate for this level of camcorder.

Sony added face detection this year. The camcorder is fairly quick to notice faces and uses them to set exposure and focus. I tried it in a tricky situation, a diner, and it did a great job of locking on my friend's face and stuck with her when she moved around in the frame and kept the exposure correct for her face. Sony continues to include x.v.Color (their name for the xvYCC color space), though we have yet to see any appreciable difference, despite using the camcorder with the appropriate Sony TVs. The remote control included with the SR11 will likely make more of a positive difference than x.v.Color if you plan to attach the camcorder to your TV to view footage.

If you plan to watch, or edit your video on a computer, you should check out Lori Grunin's blog post on the subject of AVCHD and editing software. Sony includes its Picture Motion software with the SR11 and SR12, but it would be much better off including Vegas Movie Studio Platinum with a camcorder of this price. Picture Motion lets you view your footage, but it can only make extremely basic modifications.

There's a whole lot to like about the Handycam HDR-SR11 and HDR-SR12. It captures beautiful video as well as very nice stills, for a camcorder. If you're in the market for a hard-drive-based high-definition camcorder, you won't go wrong with one of these Sonys. If 60GB isn't enough for you, the HDR-SR12 offers a 120GB drive and is the same as the SR11 in all other respects.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 10 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 10

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10 stars

SR12 Absolutely Rocks!

by dhwlaw on April 9, 2008

Pros: Small size, bright, clear screan, intuitive to use

Cons: None so far

Summary: This camcorder truly does everything well in a great form-factor. Solidly built and very intuitive to use. Ample storage for HD content. It's great.

Summary: This camcorder truly does everything well in a great form-factor. Solidly built and very intuitive to use. Ample storage for HD content. It's great.

3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Awesome video - complicated software

by ksmith51 on July 3, 2008

Pros: Terrific HD and SD video; HDD media; Plentiful accessories

Cons: Complicated software; manuals not intuitive

Summary: I have finally become my father. I'm geezing. This is just a fabulous camcorder, but I'm way over my head trying to get my videos onto my PC ...

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Summary: I have finally become my father. I'm geezing. This is just a fabulous camcorder, but I'm way over my head trying to get my videos onto my PC and then burning the correct format DVDs to share with friends/family. Reading the "quick start" guide plus the PDF-format owner's manual on the included CD... almost made my head explode. And I've had a camcorder of various media and many types of film and digital cam in my hands since they were so big you needed a friend to help carry the components. I feel like I've traded my soul to the devil to get the latest/greatest technology. Of course, now I'm getting the, "I told you so!!" from my wife. I guess I should've accepted the simplicity (although less perfect video compression) of the last-most-current media, recording directly to mini-DVDs in the camcorder. Yikes!

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

My little friend

by Yrtti on May 8, 2008

Pros: Quite handy, lots of hard disk space, good looking, face regonizing is good when recording people

Cons: Would prefer wider lens, shuts down in loud noises, focusing issues when filming animals etc

Summary: I really like my camera, its neat, tiny and still makes this huge detailed video. It´s quite amazing, i think.

face regonizion is good feature when filming people. With

...

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Summary: I really like my camera, its neat, tiny and still makes this huge detailed video. It´s quite amazing, i think.

face regonizion is good feature when filming people. With animals (i have two cats) it sometimes finds animals eyes and can focus, sometimes it gets confused

lens is not wide enough, though it may be that i´m used to a wider lens with my Panasonic DMC-LX2K. Anyway i bought a wider lens for this. For a lens it´s too big and heavy and it´s still not that wide, only "normal-wide"...

I´m a drummer and this camera shuts down in loud noises...it´s not a good feature either Would be nice to record our gigs and rehersals without tweaking the microphone with duct tape.

120 gigs is a bit too much actually, you dont really need that much of a space with avchd. For example i have recorded 193 clips in three weeks and it still has half of it´s capacity left.

But in a nutshell, it´s very good point and shoot type of camera with full automation etc. you don´t have to trouble yourself to get a decent picture out of it, it takes care it for you almost in any case. With it´s massive hard drive there´s no way you run out of storage space, buy the NP-FH100 and you can record forever

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Very Nice, this is my first camcorder so sort of a novice

by Flightlevel470 on March 8, 2008

Pros: Having HD and all around quality, 120 gig hard drive

Cons: For the price I beleive Sony should incude the FH70 battery instead for the standard

Summary: This is my first camcorder and I am really enjoying it. I found it very easy to operate without having to go to the instructions. The inteface is simple with ...

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Summary: This is my first camcorder and I am really enjoying it. I found it very easy to operate without having to go to the instructions. The inteface is simple with a computer. I do wish that as I stated in the Cons that a longer life battery should be included in a high end piece of equipment such as this camcorder

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2 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Almost perfect! Just don't try to record a concert...

by insaneshayne on January 3, 2009

Pros: Recording quality is awesome as is the ability to take a snapshot of something WHILE recording video. The still camera functionality is actually quite good. Audio quality is great in either 5:1 or 2 ch stereo.

Cons: No audio level control. It gives you either "auto" or "low-level" but no ability to manually turn up or down levels.
This unit CAN NOT RECORD IN AREAS WITH HIGH NOISE LEVELS. It will go into error state. There is no workaround or fix for this!

Summary: Sony has made a great camera here. If you intend on traveling and recording along the way, this camera will be awesome because with the 120GB of storage you get ...

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Summary: Sony has made a great camera here. If you intend on traveling and recording along the way, this camera will be awesome because with the 120GB of storage you get up to 15 hours of record time at the highest resolution.
However, if you plan on recording something loud, like a rock concert or shuttle launch or something, forget it. The vibration from the low frequencies vibrate the unit's hard-drive and it freaks out. I had hoped the turning off the camera's "drop sensor" might override this, but sadly it does not. The only fix for this would be for Sony to put a solid state drive in it instead of the conventional "spinning platter" drive.
The camera doesn't allow you to adjust the audio record levels however the auto mode works well for most of what you'll be recording. Since the camera can't record in high noise areas you won't have too much of a problem with distortion...
Bottom line: If you're looking for a great handycam for shooting the sites, family or just walking around, it's great. If you're in a band (like me) and wanted to record your shows on a European Tour, save your money as you'll end up pretty angry at the end of your tour!

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9 stars

It just cant get any better than the HDR-SR12

by supra000 on December 27, 2008

Pros: am not a fan of touch screens i find them very unpractical, but trust me this one is an exception, it is very simple & user friendly.
all the buttons are perfectly set on the camcorder to match your fingers.

Cons: the lack of wind filter can realy bother you sometimes.

Summary: very easy to use, all the buttons are in there right place.
am not a fan of touch screens because i find it very unpractical, and trust me the sony ...

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Summary: very easy to use, all the buttons are in there right place.
am not a fan of touch screens because i find it very unpractical, and trust me the sony SDR-SR12 is an exception.
the image stabilaizar works great didnt have any problems there.
the picture taking during recording is a nice trick, love it.
importing images & videos to the PC was a piece a cake, the software was very easy to use.
one thing bothered me was that the camera didnt have a wind filter which causes blurr image for a short period of time if you are recording outdoors in a windy weather, but i guess having all in one camcorder like this you cand simply ignor this default.

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8 stars

Surely one of the best choice !

by YYFILMS on August 18, 2008

Pros: Nightvision, manual focus, 120GB

Cons: small sight, useless 5.1, heavy with FH100 battery,

Summary: The Sony HDR-SR 12 is surely, certainly the best choice you can make if you want to get a HD camcorder.

The colors are very nice, not perfect, but impressing.

...

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Summary: The Sony HDR-SR 12 is surely, certainly the best choice you can make if you want to get a HD camcorder.

The colors are very nice, not perfect, but impressing.
The nightvision is pretty cool, you don't really need flashlight.
The 120 GB space hard drive is more than enought !
The manual focus is enable here, pretty cool, but you need to practice a while.

Note that you must have a battery more, you will be fastly out of battery and not very efficient. I advise you to get the NP-FH100 even if it is a bit heavy, you're lifetime will be the best and no worry about it, don't buy the FH70 kit...

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9 stars

Sony delivered on this one.

by mcguyverii on April 27, 2008

Pros: Small, lite, and amazing color and detail.

Cons: Should have come with a stylus.
1 stars

The SR12 is overated and a disappointment

by scarface116 on December 18, 2008

Pros: 120GB Capacity
Viewfinder
3.5" LCD screen

Cons: Basic software provided. No HD Blu Ray software, trial version only supplied.
Disappointed in Image quality under various lighting conditions,especially indoors (Noise). The colours look faded as well.

The 10M pixel stills don't look it.

Summary: After reading alot of reviews I went to the retail store to see for myself. I compared side by side the SR12 with the Canons and the JVC HD30/40 ...

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Summary: After reading alot of reviews I went to the retail store to see for myself. I compared side by side the SR12 with the Canons and the JVC HD30/40 in the retail store under various lighting conditions and connected them to identical LCD panels. All camcorders were set to their out of box settings along with the identical LCD screens. The results were amazing. The JVC left the Sony SR12 and the Canons for dead. The JVC GZ-HD30/40 had a better image, sharper details and the colours on the JVC looked better.Also the JVC was not as noisy as the others especially under low lights.

I ended up purchaseing the JVC HD40 and I'm extremely happy with it. My friend has a SR12 and he even agrees with me when we compared the two models side by side ourselves.I definatley recommend that you all do this and see for yourself.

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0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

Best Camcorder Ever!

by koryman123 on July 19, 2008

Pros: Full HD, awsome video quality, awsome still images, Super Night Shot, Optical Image Stabalization, Dolby 5.1 Suround sound, good audio

Cons: Ther are none on this camcorder!

Summary: This camcorder gives awsome video and audio in one small package! If your looking for a Full HD Camcorder, the Hdr-Sr12 id the way to go!!!!!!!!

Summary: This camcorder gives awsome video and audio in one small package! If your looking for a Full HD Camcorder, the Hdr-Sr12 id the way to go!!!!!!!!

0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

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Sony Handycam HDR-SR12

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