Sony HDR-SR12 / SR12E

477 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
usability (269)
image quality (167)
portability (76)
price (69)
size (59)

Negative
memory (21)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 477 reviews of Sony HDR-SR12 / SR12E. The average rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average rating of 4.0/5 for other Camcorders for all reviews. Reviewers really like the size and price. The portability and image quality also get good views, whereas comments about the memory and battery are mixed.

usability, image quality, portability, price, size

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Camcorders the Sony HDR-SR12 / SR12E is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 90/100 = Excellent quality.

See all Sony Camcorders

Review analysis

(Based on 477 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(53% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (33% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews (7% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews (1% of reviews)
Show all 2 star reviews (6% of reviews)
Show all 1 star reviews

Features

usability
Show positive (79%)Show negative (21%)(Show all)

image quality
Show positive (95%)Show negative (5%)(Show all)

portability
Show positive (61%)Show negative (39%)(Show all)

price
Show positive (70%)Show negative (30%)(Show all)

size
Show positive (75%)Show negative (25%)(Show all)

More features

Showing 416 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

Disclaimer:

Below is a list of reviews for this or similar products. If you think this grouping is wrong please click here to flag.
Read more on our FAQ’s page.

Showing 1 - 288 of 416 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (59)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Sony HDR-SR12 / SR12E

alaTest has collected and analyzed 68 user reviews of Sony HDR-SR12 / SR12E from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.6/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other Camcorders on Amazon.co.uk. Reviewers are impressed by the durability and price. The portability and image quality are also appreciated, but some have doubts about the memory.

usability, image quality, portability, price, durability

memory

100% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Sony HDR-SR12 / SR12E

alaTest has collected and analyzed 210 user reviews of Sony HDR-SR12 / SR12E from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.2/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.9/5 for other Camcorders on Amazon.com. People really like the size and durability. The price and image quality also get good comments, whereas reviews are divided on the portability. The viewfinder and memory get critical views.

usability, image quality, price, durability, size

color, memory, viewfinder

90% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Expert review by : Jim Feeley (pcworld.com)

Sony Handycam HDR-SR12

The Sony Handycam HDR-SR12's big differentiator is its built-in 120GB hard drive, which holds more than 14 hours of video at its highest quality setting. Both the image quality and the storage capacity are impressive, but unless you need to record...

Huge storage capacity ; Excellent video quality

High price tag ; Records only 60i video

The 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.

Oct, 2008

Read the full review

Expert review by : Jackson Lynch (wired.com)

Review: Sony HDR-SR12

The world of amateur video cameras has become like some sort of nauseating spin on the Zipper. On one end of the spectrum there are...

Excellent AVCHD video quality got better this time around. Extra-wide 3.2-inch touchscreen LCD is a big bonus. Outstanding sound quality

Massive internal hard drive makes it somewhat chunky and a bit of a load to carry. The Easy button should be bigger and easier to find. And it should be red. Yeah, red and all glow-y

Aug, 2008

Read the full review

Expert review by : Phil Ryan (cnet.com)

Sony Handycam HDR-SR12 review: Sony Handycam HDR-SR12

Sony Handycam HDR-SR12

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

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

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

Jul, 2008

Read the full review

Expert review by : Phil Ryan (cnet.com)

Sony Handycam HDR-SR12 review

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...

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

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

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

Apr, 2008

Read the full review

Expert review by (electronicsme.com)

Sony HDR-SR12 HD

As with most of Sony's products, you will pay a bit extra for the features, high performance and quality that one has come to expect from Sony. But the price is not that much different from the competition, so the HDR-SR12 is still a good value for...

Full HD (1920 X 1280) recording at 16Mbps5.6 MP video, 10.2 MP still image resolution3.2 in LCD touchscreenBuilt-in face recognition technology120GB hard drive with hybrid recording

The Sony HDR-SR12 is Sony's highest-end high definition hard drive camcorde

Jan, 2009

Partner Source

Read the full review

Expert review by : David Kender (camcorderinfo.com)

Sony HDR-SR12 Camcorder Review

The Sony HDR-SR12 ($1,399 MSRP) is the company's third generation AVCHD camcorder recording to hard disk drive (HDD). The SR12 features a new CMOS sensor and DSP touted by Sony to be the best yet, along with a huge 120GB capacity. It is joined by the...

The Sony HDR-SR11 and HDR-SR12 (identical in all things but 60GB and 120GB HDDs, respectively) are great camcorders. This third generation of AVCHD camcorders, including the Canon HF10 and Panasonic HDC-SD9, are finally shedding the poor reputation of...

Mar, 2008

Read the full review

Expert review by : Alfredo Padilla (camcorderinfo.com)

Sony HDR-SR12 First Impressions Camcorder Review

The Sony HDR-SR12 is Sony's highest end high definition hard drive (HDD) camcorder for 2008. It has an incredible capacity of 120GB. The step-down HDR-SR11 is identical in all respects save the smaller, 60GB HDD. That increased storage takes on new...

Jan, 2008

Read the full review

Expert review by : Vincent Frogameni (brighthub.com)

Sony HDR-SR12 Review

The Sony HDR-SR12 is perfect for any video and photo lover. Find out what the HDR-SR12 comes equipped with in the video, photograph, and features categories.

The Sony HDR-SR12 is an impressive camcorder, although it may not be the best option in its price range. Try it before you buy it to make sure this camcorder suits you best. With all the features that this camera includes, though, this is a solid...

Mar, 2011

Read the full review

Expert review by : David Kender (washingtonpost.com)

Sony HDR-SR12

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...

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...

May, 2008

Read the full review

Expert review by : David Kender (reviewed.com)

Sony HDR-SR12

The Sony HDR-SR12 ($1,399 MSRP) is the company's third-generation AVCHD camcorder recording to hard disk drive (HDD). The SR12 features a new CMOS sensor and DSP touted by Sony to be the best yet, along with a huge 120GB capacity. It is joined by the...

Mar, 2008

Read the full review