Sony HDR-SR12 / SR12E Expert Reviews

There's a whole lot to like about the Sony Handycam HDR-SR12. Not only does this shooter capture beautiful video to its impressive 120GB hard drive, it also shoots excellent still photos. If you're in the market for a hard drive-based high-definition ...

Excellent video and performance ; impressive still photos for a camcorder ; adequate manual controls ; nice CAM CTL dial

No wind filter ; doesn't include HDMI cable

If you're in the market for a hard-drive-based high-definition camcorder, you won't go wrong with this Sony. It delivers top notch performance and image quality

The Sony Handycam HDR-SR12 can record over a dozen hours of great-looking AVCHD video onto its 120GB hard drive, but it comes at a hefty price.

Although the Sony Handycam HDR-SR12 is a very good HD camcorder, it costs far more than HD camcorders that deliver similar quality and features. The key question for potential buyers is whether massive storage capacity and great-quality video hold ...

The marker has been laid down. Sony's pulled off another AVCHD stunner that will be hard to beat this year

The small downside is having to edit down 15 hours of probable fluff into something watchable. Thankfully AVCHD isn't the monster format it once was and most software packages will cope, but you'll still need a fairly hardcore PC to crunch all those ...

As AVCHD grabs an increasing share of the HD camcorder market, it's encouraging to see Sony providing the HDR-SR12 with a microphone input and dedicated headphone output, in addition to enabling full specification 1920 x 1080i high-definition video ...

What is strange, however, is Sony's continued use of only 50i interlaced frame scanning rather than the 25p progressive frame scan preferred by more discriminating users. It's a key feature that other makers - Canon and Panasonic, in particular - have ...

1920 x 1080 pixels

4.9-58.8mm and maximum apertures of f/1.8 at the wide setting and f/3.1 at full tele extension, this lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 40-480mm in 35mm format for 16:9 movie recording and 37-444mm for still pictures. Wide-angle coverage is ...

Sony's impressive HD cam has pretty much everything a serious user might need - great handling, dual-media recording, HDMI, mic input, headphone output and a viewfinder as well as touch-screen LCD. So why the absense of a 1080p Progressive mode?

The HDR-SR12 (like is lesser-endowed SR11 sibling) is a fabulous HD camcorder that generates hugely impressive full-specification 1920x1080 HD video pictures using the revolutionary AVCHD (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) compression system. Switch off the auto mode ...

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.

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

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

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.

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 ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

120GB inbuilt hard drive, memory stick slot for additional recording, vibrant high-definition video quality, 10.1Mp stills mode, solid picture quality in dim lighting

Price

The HDR-SR12E may be a little more expensive than most of its rivals, but it represents a bargain nonetheless. It ticks all the major boxes that make a great camcorder; including superb image quality and ease-of-use.