Sony HDR-SR12 10.2MP 120GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

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Manufacturer: Sony
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List Price: $1,299.99
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Record 1920 x 1080 Full HD video to 120 GB hard drive
10.2-megapixel still image capture
Face Detection technology for video and still images
ClearVid CMOS sensor with Exmor technology
3.2-inch widescreen touch-panel Xtra Fine LCD screen

Very close, but with a few problems...

Review Date: August 8, 2010

Reviewer: Nicholas A. Galladora, Gaithersburg, MD

I bought this camera months ago and love it.

There are some things that you need to know about it though....

The auto focus is HORRIBLE. I know that all cameras sometimes focus at the wrong point but this camera has a NASTY habit of getting completely out of focus for no good reason and it's a huge pain getting it back into focus. For $900.00 I want a camera that wont ruin small sections of the video.

Another irritation is that the editing software that comes with the camera (AVCHD Player or whatever) wont play the video even though I have a very fast PC. VLC and MPC both have it choppy (Codec problem)...I was AMAZED that Windows Media Player played the video crisp, clear, and at full frame rate. That's a win for Microsoft I guess.

Another thing is that I had the camera on a mount on my motorcycle and it had a buffer overflow in no time. This camera HATES to be on anything that's vibrating (such as on a car dashboard, etc). A bit annoying but an understandable limitation.

I did have this in a duffel bag which fell off of my motorcycle at 45mph. It dented the battery and there was a mark on the LCD (Obviously the camera took a good hit when the bag fell). 1 of the screws holding the LCD on came out when it fell and I had to take apart the LCD assembly and retighten it. Overall I'm VERY impressed that everything survived the fall. I would not have guessed it.

The nightshot feature works great but only at close range (4 to 5 feet). This is a very nice feature to have. Hopefully they put a better infrared LED next time. (The one they have now is fine, but a brighter one would be even better!).

This camera works great for most applications. The pictures (Both still and video) are fantastic. If the camera didn't have the focusing problem and slightly better low light (without nightshot) capabilities it would easily justify commanding a $1000.00 price tag. I paid around $850ish for it and think it was worth about that. When I heard that some people paid $1500.00....well, they got ripped off. The modified shoe-horn is a pain as none of your current accessories will fit this camera (You have to buy what accessories Sony says your allowed to use). The battery life is reasonable at 90 minutes of record time with the standard battery. The tripod screw is METAL. I had a Canon camcorder that had plastic threads where the tripod attached....needless to say you can guess how that turned out. The harddrive stores a TON of video so you really only need to perform back-ups of whats on the camera, but you dont need to delete anything. Personally I wouldn't use it to film an episode of "Man vs. Wild" but it's ALMOST that good.

Loved the Service

Review Date: July 19, 2010

Reviewer: claudiab8s,

I already owned the SR11 so was familiar with the camera before the purchase. The SR12 just has more hard drive capability. Yeah! Amazing Tech went out of their way to ensure that I got this camera on time and quickly for an upcoming shoot. I want to let them know how happy I am with them and the camera. I don't typically buy used electronics but this camera has worked perfectly and looks just fine. Thank you Amazon.

Hi Camcorder

Sony HDR-SR12 10.2MP 120GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

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