Sony HDR-SR7 AVCHD 6.1MP 60GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Average customer rating:

Great camcorder that can still be improved

Works perfectly with a Mac!

I purchased the 100 gig hard drive version.. HDR-SR8

Takes outstanding video but sometimes hear hard drive clicking

Best camcorder I've ever owned

Sony HDR-SR7 AVCHD 6.1MP 60GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Photography
Binding: Electronics

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Sony VCTD580RM Remote Control Tripod for Sony MiniDV, DVD, HDR-UX1, HDR-HC1, HC5&HC7

Sony NPFH50 H Series Actiforce Hybrid InfoLithium Battery for most Sony Camcorders

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Product Features:

Record high-definition (AVCHD) video directly to a 60GB HDD

ClearVid CMOS sensor; Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens

2.7-inch widescreen hybrid touch-panel Clear Photo LCD Plus display

Simultaneously capture video and 4.6-megapixel still images while recording. 6.1 megapixel still images as camera only

Includes Handy Cam station; one touch AVCHD disc burn with optional accessory

ASIN: B000PQJGFO

Product Description

Shoot in unrivaled high definition clarity directly onto a 60GB hard drive with the ultra-compact HDR-SR7 high definition Handycam(R) camcorder. The HDR-SR7 lets you record remarkably clear and detailed high definition video onto its convenient 60GB internal hard drive using a professional grade Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens. A 10x optical, 20x digital zoom easily brings the action extra close, while Super SteadyShot(R) optical image stabilization reduces blur from camcorder shake. Take command and get creative with manual control for focus, exposure, shutter speed and white balance. View your shooting on the 2.7-inch wide Clear Photo LCD Plus display, featuring touch panel SwivelScreen(TM) technology. Shoot and view exceptional video, with stunning detail and clarity (1080 lines of resolution, HD Mode or 530 lines of horizontal resolution, SD Mode). The CMOS Sensor requires less power for longer battery performance. The HDR-SR7 is capable of recording and playing back both High Definition (HD) and Standard Definition (SD) video recorded on the built-in 60GB Hard Drive. Optics/Lens - 35mm Equivalent, 40-400mm (16 - 9 Camera Mode), 49-490mm (4 - 3 Camera Mode), 40-400mm (16 - 9 Memory Mode) & 37-370mm (4 - 3 Memory Mode) Shutter Speed - Auto, 1/2 - 1/500 (Scene Selection Mode) Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T Lens Type Wide (16 - 9) 123K Pixels Viewfinder PictBridge Inputs and Outputs - Remote Jack Stereo Mini, Analog Audio/Video Output, USB Ports 2.0, Digital Audio/Video Inputs & Outputs, HDMI, Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr) Output and Headphone & Microphone Input Dimensions - 3 x 3 1/4 x 5 7/8 inch (75 x 81 x 149mm) Weight - 1 pounds 6 ounces (610 grams) with supplied battery

Customer Reviews:

Great camcorder that can still be improved.......2007-12-25

Picture quality is much better than the last camcorder I bought which was a JVC non-HD camcorder. In good lighting, this camera looks really good. In low light, sometimes it looks decent. In really low light, you need the night vision turned on; you can see everything but it looses almost all color. I did get an "Buffer overflow" error filming a loud rap performance. My film major friend tells me it happens to all digital camcorder with loud music. The build-in mic captured sound well and seemed to cancel out most of the noise during the concert. I really enjoy the fast frame rate filming, it allows u to slow down time, but only last about 12 seconds. Overall it has been great. I've decided to use this camcorder and make home movie on my wedding coming in 6 month than to hire professional videographers. I think this camera will be fine for that. Oh last problem with this camcorder, and all other AVCHD camera is that I don't know how to share it with friends yet. I can burn it on DVD, but I don't want to have to burn one for ever one of my friends, and YouTube seems to public and looses a lot of quality. I'm still waiting for a web service that can handle AVCHD. I would recommend this to anyone. Btw, I bought this for $999 in Nov 07. I'd wait for price drop if you can. The older model is now like $600, so I imagine this model will be too in another 6 to 9 months.

Works perfectly with a Mac!.......2007-12-23

Crystal clear imaging. Excellent night filming. Christmas lights in lovely downtown Littleton, Colorado look PERFECT, and you can clearly see people walking 4 blocks away at night while filming Christmas lights. Excellent zoom. TINY camera! Plug it into a Mac, open iMovie, start the camera and select "Computer" from the camera's intelligent menu system, and import any or all clips right into iMovie. A no-brainer! Viewing clips in the Finder's "Cover Flow" works perfectly too.

I purchased the 100 gig hard drive version.. HDR-SR8.......2007-12-21

I ordered the HDR-SR8 from Sony's website. I just received it, and am giving my non-expert opinion on my experiences so far on the HDR-SR8 page... I think that the HDR-SR7 is identical to the SR8 except for the hard drive size, but I thought I should put my review on the correct page.

Takes outstanding video but sometimes hear hard drive clicking.......2007-12-12

This camera takes great video. I originally ordered the HC7 but couldn't deal with the tapes. It took me back to the VCR days. It took great video as well but I can't say I noticed much of a difference between tape and HDD. I'm sure the professional can but it satifies my needs and then some.

Low light isn't a big issue. If the lighting is too low it does have a lot of noise but simply turn on your indoor lights and it's plenty of light. Outdoor video is spectacular. I took some video of some flowers in my wife's garden with the Telemacro function on to blur the background. It looked like some of the video on Discovery HD. Everyone I show it to is very impressed.

You will need an external hard drive to store this stuff. One hour of AVCHD video is approx. 7 gigabytes so your computer hard drive will run out of space fast. I still have a Pentium 4, 3.0 Ghz processor with 1 GB RAM. It's fast enough to use the stock software but I will probably have to upgrade if I'm going to do any serious editing. This stuff can be taxing on your system.

Overall great and I would recommend this camera. Also impressed with Amazon's return policy on the HC7. No restocking fee like the brick-and-mortar stores.

Best camcorder I've ever owned.......2007-12-07

After doing months of research, reading product reviews and going to camera stores for hands on comparisons I finally settled on the Sony HDR-SR7. The best investment I could have made. I used the night vision function to film Halloween night activities, The HD is beautiful and crisp and it's ability to film low light events is unsurpassed.The 60 GB hard drive has more than enough capacity, Hours of recording time I haven't even come close to running out of memory. I've used this unit now for about 2 months and have no complaints at all.

Sony DCR-SR82 1MP 60GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom (Handycam Station Included)

Average customer rating:

I wish I Could Have Liked It...
So far, So Good
Good Item, But noprice diff on Thanksgiving day too
***COOL GADGET WITH FEW DISAPPOINTMENTS***
Excellent value and easy to use...

Sony DCR-SR82 1MP 60GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom (Handycam Station Included)

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Photography
Binding: Electronics

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Accessories:

Product Features:

60 GB built-in hard disk drive; record up to 40 hours
1-megapixel Advanced HAD CCD imager; Super SteadyShot picture stabilization system
Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens; 25x optical/2000x digital zoom
2.7-inch widescreen touch-panel SwivelScreen LCD
Handycam Station included; one-touch disc burn

ASIN: B000M3I7DC

Product Description

The DCR-SR82 Handycam(R) Camcorder captures video on the internal hard disk drive and keeps the action close & personal with the amazing zoom. That's why the DCR-SR82 Handycam(R) Camcorder contains 60GB built-in hard disk drive storage and allows you to capture up to 40 hours of recording time (LP). A brilliant 2.7-inch Touch Panel LCD display keeps the controls at your fingertips while a 25x optical and 2000x digital zoom makes sure you catch all the detail. And when it comes time to share your memories, it couldn't be easier with the one touch disc burn capability and the Memory Stick(R) Duo media slot. The DCR-SR82 puts the simplicity back into shooting and sharing your videos. Handycam Docking Station Built-in Stereo Microphone Recording and Playback Times - Approximately HQ 14 hours, SP 21 hours, LP 41 hours Video Actual - 670K Pixels Still Actual - 750K Pixels SteadyShot Image Stabilization White Balance - Auto, Indoor, One-push and Outdoor Minimum Illumination - 4 Lux (0 Lux with Super NightShot(R) Plus Infrared System) Low Light Capability - Super NightShot(R) Plus Scene Modes - Beach, Candle, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Snow, Sports Lesson, Spotlight, Sunrise & Sunset and Twilight Analog Audio/Video Output Digital Audio/Video Inputs and Outputs 35mm Equivalent - 41-1189mm (16 - 9 Camera Mode), 43-1075mm (4 - 3 Camera Mode), 39-975mm (4 - 3 Memory Mode) Lens Aperture - f1.8-3.2 Exposure - Touch Panel (32 steps) Filter Diameter - 30mm Focal Distance - 1.9-76mm; Telemacro Mode - 430mm Shutter Speed - Auto, 1/60-1/4000 (Scene Selection Mode) Power Consumption - 3.0W (LCD) Battery Type - InfoLithium(R) with AccuPower(TM) Meter System (NP-FH40) Power Requirements - 7.2V (battery pack), 8.4V (AC Adaptor) Video Recording System - NTSC color and EIA standards Compatibility - Windows 2000 Professional, XP Home and XP Professional Dimensions - 2 7/8

Customer Reviews:

I wish I Could Have Liked It..........2007-12-27

Pros: 60GB HDD, No Viewfinder, Touchscreen LCD, Feel, Image Stablization
Cons: Nasty Video Quality, Confusing Menus (compared to previous sony cameras) Only docking station has a USB port, bad low light, useless modes.

Video Editor: Sony Vegas 7.0 + DVD Platinum (AMAZING!)

I got this camera for Christmas, with hope. As a young, short film maker (14 yrs. old), I know more about cameras then the average joe. I have had many Sony products, and loved them. I've had two Sony camcorders -- I will never buy one again.

I previously owned a Sony DCR-HC26 -- a miniDV camera, and I loved it. Cons of it, changing tape, 320x240 video recording is unacceptable.

The Sony DCR SR-82 records in a larger video resolution, as it is mentioned in the specs for this camera on multiple websites. There have been many comments on its low-light performance, but figured I could work around it when i make my movies with proper lighting, etc. When I opened the box for this camera, i was so excited because i loved the 60GB HDD (hard drive)= BIG PLUS!!! I recorded the family from time to time, in dark lights, bright lights, and even my refridgerator (very bright).

I hooked up the software for the camera, and its ACCEPTABLE.

The video, in all lighting condtions (bright, low, super bright, high exposure, low exposure, etc) had a purple and green grain to them. Not little grain, huge spots. This is highly unacceptable, for it to be sold for the price it is.

When editing my movies, i had to stretch (automatically does it) the old MiniDV video. Even then the video quality STILL looked better then this cameras. I returned this camera today, and I am buying a Sanyo HD700 instead.

I'm sorry Sony, your cameras are unacceptable for the prices they are sold for.

I really wanted to like this camera, I really did, but I couldn't!

(PS-- this camera isn't good for family videos, etc., because no matter the lighting, its bad video quality. ALSO Windows Media Player 9 can't even support the Mpeg Codec (maybe just my computer), which is a real hassle. I had to watch the videos through the Sony software.

So far, So Good.......2007-12-25

I bought the product during Black Friday. Saved plenty of time and money buying from the site. Approx $300 I saved buying from Amazon compared to any store on the infamous Black Friday. Anyways, I paid for regular shipping and it came within 4 days. I received an email saying the product would be delivered on a certain day and it was. No problems with the packaging or the items itself. So far I used it on a couple occassions and I am completly satisfied.

Good Item, But noprice diff on Thanksgiving day too.......2007-12-25

Item is good. But could not find any price difference though bought on Thanksgiving day.

***COOL GADGET WITH FEW DISAPPOINTMENTS***.......2007-12-24

I was very excited when I received this camcorders. It's the most convenient handicam I'd seen. very compact, and easy to manipulate. However, it just did not live up to my expectations or the hype I had heard. I noticed that the quality of the video, even in HQ setting is grainy and a bit washed off. To make things worse, in low light or indoor setting the video captured is very disappointing. You can see yellow and green spottings throughout the screen. Also, when you move the camara, the picture drags behind you. The voice quality is very poor. While you can hear the person taking video, you can barely hear the people you are trying to hear unless you are in a very quiet setting. I just didn't expect that one of the newest sony products out there would give me similar results as my panasonic camcorder that I had bought 10 years ago.. SORRY SONY, THIS ONE DID NOT LIVE UP TO MY EXPECTATIONS.

Excellent value and easy to use..........2007-12-24

I am very please with my video...I had spend weeks looking at sites for the best option, after a while I decided to buy this one...belive me you will not regret it is extremly EASY to use plus is more easy to down load what you tape...

My wife is also very excited about it, 'cause is easy to carry and easy to use. The OEM battery does not last more than 90 minutes, so if you are a heavy user you may want to buy the 6.5 spare battery, personaly I have not ever videorecorded more than 90 minutes...This guys at SONY realy are putting a lot of effort in making technology more friendly...

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

Average customer rating:

Far from perfect.
Good product
it's a wonderful camera
We are loving it!!
Decent camera, but I hate the format.

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

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Photography
Binding: Electronics

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Accessories:

Product Features:

30 GB built-in hard drive; record up to 20 hours
Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens; 40x optical/2000x digital zoom
2.5-inch touch-panel SwivelScreen LCD
Super SteadyShot picture stabilization system
Handycam Station included; one-touch disc burn

ASIN: B000M3LJ5U

Product Description

The DCR-SR42 Handycam(R) Camcorder captures video on the internal hard disk drive and keeps the action close & personal with the amazing zoom. That's why the DCR-SR42 Handycam(R) Camcorder contains 30GB built-in hard disk drive storage and allows you to capture up to 20 hours of recording time (LP). A brilliant 2.5-inch Touch Panel LCD display keeps the controls at your fingertips while a 40x optical and 2000x digital zoom makes sure you catch all the detail. And when it comes time to share your memories, it couldn't be easier with the one touch disc burn capability and the Memory Stick(R) Duo media slot. The DCR-SR42 puts the simplicity back into shooting and sharing your videos. Handycam Docking Station Built-in Stereo Microphone Recording and Playback Times - Approximately HQ 7 hours, SP 10 hours, LP 20 hours Video Actual - 260K Pixels Still Actual - 340K Pixels SteadyShot Image Stabilization White Balance - Auto, Indoor, One-push and Outdoor Minimum Illumination - 3 Lux (0 Lux with Super NightShot(R) Plus Infrared System) Low Light Capability - Super NightShot(R) Plus Scene Modes - Beach, Candle, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Snow, Sports Lesson, Spotlight, Sunrise & Sunset and Twilight Analog Audio/Video Output Digital Audio/Video Inputs and Outputs 35mm Equivalent - 39-1560mm (16 - 9 Camera Mode), 36-1440mm (4 - 3 Camera Mode), 36-1440mm (4 - 3 Memory Mode) Lens Aperture - f1.8-4.1 Exposure - Touch Panel (32 steps) Filter Diameter - 30mm Focal Distance - 1.9-76mm; Telemacro Mode - 430mm Shutter Speed - Auto, 1/60-1/4000 (Scene Selection Mode) Power Consumption - 2.6W (LCD) Battery Type - InfoLithium(R) with AccuPower(TM) Meter System (NP-FH40) Power Requirements - 7.2V (battery pack), 8.4V (AC Adaptor) Video Recording System - NTSC color and EIA standards Compatibility - Windows 2000 Professional, XP Home and XP Professional Dimensions - 2 7/8

Customer Reviews:

Far from perfect........2007-12-26

I've had this camera for 5 days now and am not too happy with the video performance. I have an older Sony TRV118 Super 8 camera and the video on it is at least as good as this one. Forget about taking nice videos unless the lighting is VERY bright. Outdoor videos are semi fair if you don't mind a bit of fuzziness. The bottom line is that even in the best lighting situations the videos are not all that great. I paid 450.00 for this camera and wish I could have tried it out first. I think that Sony put most of their money in the hard drive feature and dwindled on the most important components, being performance. By the way, forget about the still pictures. Those cheap 5.00 keychain cameras take better pictures. Over all, I'm stuck with this camera unless I want to return it to Amazon and take a big hit on the refund. I'll just keep it and maybe use it on those really bright sunny days.

Good product.......2007-12-26

It's a good product, it lives up to Sony's brand image. It's very compact. It's easy to carry. Good quality video is being captured...

it's a wonderful camera.......2007-12-24

I like this camera so much for it's easy to use+it's SONY. You'll never be sorry if you bought it&learned how to use it.

We are loving it!!.......2007-12-24

We purchased this camera on Nov 26th and till now we have had only good things to say. All the noise about the unclear resolution is fine but who is looking to shoot a movie? This one is pretty good for the regular stuff like a outdoor picnic or to capture some memories of friends who come visiting..and we think its super cool for that. It's light weight and fits nicely. But do buy it with the long life battery and life is peaceful. Amazon is great because we got a further price reduction because the prices dropped slightly within 30 days of purchasing this. So all in all its a good buy!

Decent camera, but I hate the format........2007-12-15

I purchased the Sony DCR-SR42 a couple months ago as a replacement to my older mini-dv camcorder. I was very excited about the fact that the camera had a hard drive and assumed that transfer to my computer for editing would be a breeze...I was wrong.

I am a Mac user (macbook) and found out pretty quick that the mpeg-2 coding of the dcr-sr42 is not supported. It took me awhile, but I finally found a few programs to convert the video into the correct format to view and edit from my Mac, but it's really time consuming and not at all what I was wanting.

Until Sony recognizes and creates a solution to the unsupported format of its camcorder, I would recommend other HDD camcorders, and also urge you to find out before you buy if your computer can play the format recorded by the camcorder.

Sony HDR-SR5 AVCHD 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Average customer rating:

Pleased with camera but there is something to loose
Good, but far from perfect
Great picture, but AVCHD format prevents editing
Best HDD camcorder
Editing is a mess

Sony HDR-SR5 AVCHD 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Photography
Binding: Electronics

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Accessories:

Product Features:

Record high-definition (AVCHD) video directly to a 40GB HDD
1/3-inch ClearVid CMOS sensor for high-quality HD or SD images
2.7-inch widescreen hybrid touch-panel Clear Photo LCD Plus display
Professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens
Easy one-touch disc burn; Handycam Station included

ASIN: B000PQH1YW

Product Description

Capture life's most precious moments in the purest, most detailed picture available. The compact and capable HDR-SR5 high definition Handycam(R) camcorder lets you experience the world of high definition. Professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens and 10x optical, 80x digital zoom keeps everything close and clear. Switch between video modes to capture video in HD or SD (standard definition) on the built-in 40GB hard drive. You can even use the Dual Record Mode to capture exceptional still pictures and video with stunning detail and clarity (1080 lines of resolution - HD Mode or 530 lines of horizontal resolution - SD Mode). Optical stabilization achieves a higher level of smoothness without the video degradation that mars some digital stabilization systems. Easily control zoom and record buttons from the LCD screen's frame. Super NightShot(R) automatically adjusts shutter speed to increase picture brightness and clarity so you can shoot without much light and capture subjects from up to 10 feet away. InfoLithium with AccuPower(TM) Meter System (NP-FH60) Battery Type 35mm Equivalent Optics/Lens - 41.3-485mm (16 - 9 Camera Mode), 50.5-594mm (4 - 3 Camera Mode), 40.4-404mm (16 - 9 Memory Mode) & 37-370mm (4 - 3 Memory Mode) Scene Modes - Beach, Candle, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Sports Lesson, Spotlight, Sunrise & Sunset, Twilight and Twilight Portrait Inputs and Outputs - Analog Audio/Video Output, USB Ports, Digital Audio/Video Input & Output, HDMI, Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr) Output, Remote Jack, S-Video Outputs Dimensions - 3 x 3 1/4 x 5 5/8 inch (75 x 81 x 140mm) Weight - 1 pounds 3 ounces (540 grams) with supplied battery

Customer Reviews:

Pleased with camera but there is something to loose.......2007-12-26

I got this camera and pleased with it's look, video quality and ease of operation. I shoot some video inside the house and outside, I was pleased with it's outdoor quality, unbeatable recording and audio recording is more than perfect, audio doesn't annoy you like when you are speaking behind the camera and someone talking in front is well balanced and clear. I had problem with this with my old camera that it picked my voice too loud and others are still soft.

There is something to learn from experience that this camera works great indoor with some kind of lights only, I tried with soft white bulbs and it works better than my expectation (ofcourse I don't expect cameras to work great with low indoor light and people who complains about it are expecting too much from the cameras). But it sucks when you use yellow-red bulb light. Still thinking what could be a better choice for it?

Still-photo-camera is great asset to it, with built-in flash, it is great even though I chose less than 2MegaPixel resolution, pictures appears sharp. Sony is not a great technology to capture the exact/natural colors but it makes the picture more colorful with it's own selection of colors (I am a canon user for last 2 years and I think Canon and Olympus are generating more natural colors than sony). I Felt that small flash is not good enough for outdoor pictures in night (you definitely need an external flash and this camera has provision for it).

Missed the view-finder. I still wish if the camera has view finder to give me an alternate to LCD screen. I believe it's matter of getting used to it.

Super bright night-shot, it converts almost everything to black&white, hence though it's powerful than most of the cameras, not useful in most of the cases.

Camera lens is what puzzled me. If I put it in still-camera mode it gives me a wide angle coverage but if I change it to video mode it covers less widen area. With that I strongly feel that one needs a wide angle lens, otherwise it's almost impossible to shoot indoor.

As someone already mentioned, menus are not user friendly and I agree 100% with him.

What pleases me is the great video quality. I took the videos of this snowfall and with HD quality, it appears like watching the live video. Even without HD the quality is high and watching on 32 inch or less, it appears the same. I could snap pictures while recording the video. While I am still exploring the features, I recommend it for the people who are looking for a more outdoor shooting than indoor (with less light). It can be a too costly for newbies who don't know how to use most of the features and change everytime according to needs. Semi-professionals people will always find it a great buy.

Good, but far from perfect.......2007-12-13

I've been using this camera for almost 3 months now. I really like the quality for the most part and having the video go directly to a digitized format is awesome. However, I do have some serious problems with a few things.

1. No USB connection on the camera body.
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Now, I really don't understand why they didn't add a port as important as the one for the USB connection directly on the camera body. That is basically the only way for you to transfer the video files directly to your computer. It seems like either of the ports for the A/V Out or the Component connection (which I hardly use) could have been left to the base if it was a space issue, or perhaps even the mini-HDMI port (which I think they should have included an adapter to standard HDMI for).

If they HAD included the USB port on the camera body, there wouldn't be a need for the base at all. The more I think about it, the more nonsensical it seems. Of course, perhaps there was some engineering issue that made it more feasible....but for $700 bucks, I don't want to have to make excuses for them or figure out why they made something more complicated when it could have been so simple.

Also, although the newer versions USB seem to be overtaking firewire, they could have put that type of connection on the base rather than additional component and A/V ports which are already on the camera body.

2. Shooting in low light has lots of noise.
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I thought the CMOS sensor on this camera was supposed to eliminate noise in low light situations, but from what I can tell, shooting outside at night or even in dark rooms, there's plenty of noticeable noise in the dark regions of the video image, even when shooting at the highest quality level, HD XP. I don't know if it's something I can have checked out, perhaps my sensor just isn't working properly, but in any case, that's been somewhat of a disappointment for me.

What I expected was video quality like that in the movie Collateral, which had lots of great night shots using HD cameras. Maybe that is a bit too much for a consumer camera, but still, I expected more.

Also, another problem that I've found with night shots, is that the auto-focus has a really hard time getting zeroed in on the right area. I usually have to end up focusing it manually if I want a consistently clear shot at night.

3. The bundled software doesn't convert to an uncompressed format.
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Since AVCHD is a relatively new format, I was certain that they would have a feature in the software to convert clips to some more universal uncompressed format. But the software that comes with the camera only has the option to export the video to MPEG2, which creates a clear loss in quality. So, I don't understand why they wouldn't make it easier for us to convert the video into some more widely used format with that losing that HD clarity. I know there are third party applications that do this, but Sony should have provided this feature with the camera.

Additionally, working with the AVCHD format is a pain in general. In order to view the video on your computer as a video file, you have to import it using the Sony Picture Utility software that comes on a CD-ROM with the camera. When it imports the files to a selected destination folder, you actually get 3 files for every video clip you've shot. The extensions are 'm2tsm', 'modd', and 'moff'. The 'm2tsm' file is the one that actually contains the video data (I had to assume since it's always the largest). I'm not sure what the others are for.

Even after you've installed all the provided software, you can't just double click a video file to open it. You have to "Register" the folder the video files are in in the Picture Motion Browser. Only then can you view your video. They have a program called 'Player for AVCHD', beut it stupidly only plays the video on your camera harddrive, and doesn't even have an option to directly open the files on your computer. Personally, I've found the software to be more cumbersome than useful. The program doesn't have an option to move folders, so if you do move the files, you have to re-register them and delete the old folders from the Picture Motion Browser yourself. While it's nice in someways to keep things organized, it's not really that helpful. And the editing features made available are almost completely worthless, unless all you want to do is split a clip in two.

Despite it's shortcomings, I still think it's a decent camera, although I really wish they had better software with more editing features. Still, I think it's worth $700 or so for the clear image (in daylight) and the convienice of having the video go directly to a harddrive. Despite it's shortcomings, this might actually be the best HD harddrive camcorders on the market, but having not had the opportunity to try any others, I can't say that for sure. What I can say is that it's good, even if it's not perfect.

*I had to edit this because I kept thinking of other things I had problems with. And the more I thought about the file format situation, the more annoyed I became. So I think I would have to modify my recommendation and say that you should just wait until future versions to buy this camera when they improve the software or just try out another camera altogether. Considering these other difficulties, I think I would have to drop my rating to a 2 out of 5 stars.

Great picture, but AVCHD format prevents editing.......2007-12-12

The picture quality and features on the camera are great, BUT...

Sony shot itself in the foot when it decided to push the AVCHD video format. You are forced to use Sony's substandard software tools; there is no good conversion story if you want your video in MP4. WMV, or any other format. So, Adobe Premiere (which I use for all my home editing) is useless, as is Edius, Ulead VideoStudio, or anything else.

After reading about the quality, I bought this camera to take video of my son's wedding. Now, about all I can do is make a raw video onto DVD of the footage and give away copies, as opposed to putting together something nice for them.

If all you're going to do is shoot video, and play video from the camera to a TV, then go ahead and buy it; if you have any intention of bring the footage into a computer, then avoid this camera like the plague.

Best HDD camcorder.......2007-12-09

Best HDD camcorder that is not HD. I have owned tape and mini DVD camcorders in the past and they are a burden to say the least. 40 GB HDD is plenty space for recording. Colors are great and the 6.1 MP pictures are pretty good too. Only thing to remember is to manually adjust to Outdoors/Indoor for more accurate colors. It isn't a big deal but it will improve overall video. I personally love the infrared video capability, even though is a green video it is always good for filming were a light would not be practical ( like a baby's face when sleeping,etc). Overall, great camcorder, love the LCD touchscreen it is way better than I tought and the video on low light is decent altough I wish it was better. Hope it helps.

Editing is a mess.......2007-12-07

Sony HDR-SR5 AVCHD 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
Plays back awesome video with HDMI onto the HDTV. Editing though is an absolute mess, included software next to worthless and the usual sony quirkiness is definitely messing up a good product. One more thing CMOS is not an approximation for CCDs. Buyers please be aware.

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

Average customer rating:

good
Very Nice Video Quality, Its also 4.1 megapixil stills not 2.1
functionality: win some, lose some
A great Handycam
This Camcorder is not so great because...

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

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Photography
Binding: Electronics

All Digital Camcorders | Camcorders | Camera & Photo | Categories | Electronics

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Accessories:

Product Features:

40-gigabyte hard drive stores over 25 hours of long-play video or over 8 hours of high-quality video
2.1-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor for crystal-clear video and still images
10x optical zoom; 80x digital zoom
2.7-inch widescreen touch-panel Clear Photo LCD Plus display
Handycam Station included

ASIN: B000M3GJKU

Product Description

The DCR-SR200 is the best of both video and still worlds. Its dual record mode even lets you take 2.3 Megapixel photos while recording video. The Megapixel technology enhances your digital videos and digital still photography performance. Carl Zeiss lenses have an advanced optical multi-layer coating for increased contrast. The DCR-SR200 will also record in Dolby Digital 5.1ch surround sound with a built-in microphone. Enjoy your personal home movies the way you experienced them while recording. The 2.7-inch Wide (16:9) LCD screen provides excellent viewing clarity with improved resolution. A unique Shock Absorber protects the Hard Disk Drive from physical damage. Super SteadyShot(R) Picture Stabilization System Super NightShot(R) Infrared System Scene Modes - Beach, Candle, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Snow, Sports Lesson, Spotlight, Sunrise & Sunset and Twilight SteadyShot Image Stabilization Built-in 5.1 channel microphone 35mm Equivalent Optics/Lens - 41.3-485 (16 - 9 Camera Mode), 50.5-594mm (4 - 3 Camera Mode), 40.4-404mm (16 - 9 Memory Mode) and 37-370mm (4 - 3 Memory Mode) Shutter Speed - Auto, 1/2-1/500 Compatibility - Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, XP Home and XP Professional Dimensions - 3 x 3 1/8 x 5 7/8 inch (76x78x149mm) Weight - 1 pounds 2 ounces (535 grams) with supplied battery

Customer Reviews:

good.......2007-12-27

1.I can't use 4M mode in still picture
2.Not good at night video capture.
3.All others are good.

Very Nice Video Quality, Its also 4.1 megapixil stills not 2.1.......2007-12-22

I have had this video camera for a about a year now and its the best camera i have owned so far. The video is very nice quality inside and outside. I have had dvd video and 8mm and this is by far the most convenient and best recording. it takes ok stills but my digital camera takes awesome pictures so keep your digital handy. I am giving this a 5 because of video quality and ease of use. If i included the quality of digital stills i would give this a 4 star. But then again your buying a video camera the stills in my opinion are just bonus. Enjoy.

functionality: win some, lose some.......2007-12-10

Just so you know where I'm coming from, this DCR SR200 replaces a 9 year old Sony Hi-8 camcorder. Of course this one is super light, getting video from the camcorder to the computer is effortless, the quality is light-years better, and the camera feature is handy to have. I shoot mostly fast action (hunting), and the slightly quicker autofocus is a big help. I've looked at a lot of camcorders and Sony as a brand has the fastest autofocus around.

I was surprised that startup time was not that much faster (about 5 seconds). And when the SR200 goes into idle mode you must turn the top switch off and back on. On the old camcorder, pressing the record button woke it up. That feature would be nice to have back.

It doesn't perform nearly as well in low light as the old one, and a lot of hunting happens at dawn and dusk. (Night shot is useless since all the color is lost.) The old one compensated and still kept pretty good color, but the SR200 starts washing out when the sun sets.

I actually like the bulky battery that others complain about, because if it wasn't there, my thumb would not land on the record button.

A great Handycam.......2007-11-26

This is my first handycam and I did good amount of research before buying this one. Gives very nice and clear picture as well as crystal clear sound in recordings. Easy to use interface, handy, not much weight and amazing picture quality. When you carry this, you dont need to carry camera to capture pictures as it has 4 MP camera built in which is good enough for most occassions. Flash for the camera is also pretty good and works very well when needed. Transferred all recordings and pics to my computer with just click of a button without much hassle and wait. it took very short time to transfer everything to my PC. I never used direct disc burn so I am not able to say anything about that. But in all this is the product worth buying if you ever consider about buying Handycam. Hats off to Sony !!

This Camcorder is not so great because..........2007-10-20

The sirens song of a HD based Camcorder was too much to resist. Based upon hours of research I too finally settled on the DCR-SR200. Not quite as high resolution photos as the SR300 but sported longer battery life and CLEARLY a step above the previous models and other vendors. How could I go wrong - look at all these 4 and 5 star reviews. I can't speak for their experiences but I'm going to tell you mine. So pull up a chair and get comfortable b/c the ride is going to get bumpy...

I've spent the last 6 months using this device and feel compelled to return to where I purchased it and share the good the bad and the ugly news.

The Good News: I'm not going to drill on the obvious benefits of HD based camcorder. If you like not having to replace tapes/DVD in your Walkman; you are surely going to enjoy not having to do this with a camcorder - FINALLY.

Videos: The video it takes is good in full daylight. (Warning see below!)

Photos: Takes nice 2 or 3 MP plain photos in full daylight. (Warning see below!)

Camera Controls: I personally don't mind the touch screen controls. Occasionally I just use the tip of a small finder to invoke the functions more accurately.

Software: Wow! It works with Vista. The software that comes with it does a fantastic job of simplifying copying images and movies from the camcorder to the PC in a organized fashion. Its not saying much - click - copy to new folder with today's date. But its brain dead simple.

The Bad News: I'm not trying to SLAM this camera out of any kind of mean spirited vengeance; my goal here is to level set buyers expectations based upon my 6 months experience actually using this device. I do feel a bit of buyer's remorse b/c this camera is NO WAY a 4 or 5 star device like I was lead to believe by all the other reviews. Not in million years would I say that I got my $700 dollars worth. Had I known this I surely would have gone to a higher priced model to get the quality I was expecting.

Zoom and Lens - No disrespect to Carl Zeiss - This camera has a really crappy lens configuration. I'm no f'stop expert - but what I do know is even when I zoom all the way out - I have to stand really far back to get a group shot b/c the field of view is quite limited. Translate that into lens mm/mm speak if you want; but that's what you get. The optical zoom is so lame. Its like really really lame. My old Minolta SLR, Sharp VL-A10U and Cannon S30 set the benchmark for what I expect in field of view and basic effect of hitting the optical zoom in/out. This thing stinks in comparison. Sure you can turn on digital zoom with about 10 clicks on the touch pad and go like 80x more...but that's the point - I was sold a Carl Zeiss lens. Nothing in software makes up for the fact the field of view is so limited. I think someone slipped a decimal point during the design calculations b/c this is a total total let down. Maybe the Sony engineers took a crumpled up design paper out of Carl's trashcan and unfolded it and used it.

Videos: The video camera ONLY takes "good movies" in broad daylight. The video stabilization feature causes a sort of "heat wave" ripple effect when you pan across scenes. Its kind of annoying b/c the camera apparently can't figure out that its not canceling a "vibration/shake" and its panning and the image should stream horizontally across the viewfinder. Get ready - The minute you are not in full lit daylight - Oh I don't know, say taking a movie of a birthday party indoors of a cake with less than 70 candles on it. You will find the video is, how shall we say, horrible. Absolutely snowy and all faded out as this device completely fails to realistically capture the moment. What a LET DOWN! My 7 yr old $308 tape camera SOARED at moments like this! You do have an option - turn on night mode! OOOH-Yea! Now your guests eyes appear as large black circles effectively you are now filming zombie vampires under a pale green light; effectively recreating a Night Stalker episode. $700 bucks - no indoor birthday parties?

How about taking a few minutes of video of the first few weeks of a newborn child sleeping to send to distant relatives? Well just be sure to turn on all the halogen lights so you can get this shot too. Or you can choose the night shot mode mentioned above. Depending on how soon you do or don't want them to visit...maybe so.

Photos: OK at first you think - Cool! I don't have to bring 2 cameras any more! A camcorder and still photo camera all in one! Mostly WRONG! The still camera has absolutely NO FEAURES - NONE! Did you want sepia mode for a "old time effect" while posing at a national landmark? Did you want landscape mode to capture a vast panoramic scene or portrait mode for close up? Forgetaboutit! None. Not one. It stinks! From the company who makes a decent SLR'esque still cameras couldn't we get 1-2 features accessible from the software touch screen as an upgrade? PLEASE? I don't' count selecting flash/no flash and 3MB or less as camera configuration choices. I'm talking real features here and this thing has ZIP - Cero! Oh yea - and while in movie mode - you can snap pictures too. Of course you don't get flash anymore; and you can only take 3 shots while filming. Not 4 mind you, all scenarios under all conditions only need 3 according to Sony. When you stop the move; it takes a few moments to stream the 3 photos to disk/memory stick. I have both flash stick and HD; you would think we could do both in parallel; they almost accomplish it; but some engineering limit I'm sure made 3 the count. Why is this an issue? Assume you are taping your kids' ballet. And you take 2-3 photos during the movie of child #1. Then you keep the tape rolling to have a full video of the event. Child #2 comes on and you only have 1 photo left in the chamber; and you click it off when they weren't looking just this way...Hmm...where is my $130 7 MB still pho