Sony Handycam HDR-SR11

Manufacturer: Sony Part number: HDR-SR11

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CNET Editor rating:
4.0 stars Excellent
Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 23 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; Product brief; 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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CNET editors' review

Sony Handycam HDR-SR11

price range: $867.95 - $1,199.99

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

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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Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 23 reviews

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 23

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9 stars

Wonderful Camera! Highly recommend!

by robpkw on March 22, 2008

Pros: Excellent HD or STD video, ease of operation, great stills, easy to carry around! 5.1 DD, See below for full details.

Cons: No wind filter, proprietary software, not true 1080p, factory battery short life, no HDMI cable w/purchase.

Summary: Spectacular camera! Replacing 10 yr. old Sony MiniDV camera that finally took a dive. Placed this on backorder after researching HD camcorders for months. Recently took a trip to Branson ...

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Summary: Spectacular camera! Replacing 10 yr. old Sony MiniDV camera that finally took a dive. Placed this on backorder after researching HD camcorders for months. Recently took a trip to Branson Missouri and was amazed with picture quality. Went to a tobyMac concert took pictures. Great quality at 10.2 MP, easy to use even my wife can navigate which was important to the purchase. The ease of operation is amazing between movie and picture with a simple thumb move on the control. Patience has paid off ? if you have more patience than me, you might wait for a slight price drop, which I am sure will happen in the months to come.

The Pros: Hard drive has a lot of space even with HD. 60GB is a lot. 120 on the SR12 is nice, but I have already taped hours on the 60GB with plenty of space. If you are one to procrastinate on transferring data, 120 might be the way to go. I went ahead and bought the 4GB Pro Duo card in lieu of the HDMI cable. Money spent either way and it?s easy to transfer the pictures or video to the Duo and put into the PS3. Conversion is simple and unbelievable. You can convert to standard DVD which is nice to play in the car for the kids to watch on long trips since it?s not AVCHD compatible. However, you can create both standard DVD-Video or the HD AVCHD which plays on PS3?s or Blu-Ray players and transfer to a DVD. The camera fits perfect in my hands, almost the size of a larger digital camera. The touch screen took a little getting use too, but once you start navigating it becomes easier. The engineers got it right for the consumer on this one! Hot shoe available for an external flash. The ?quick on? feature so you don?t continuously turn on and off, but save battery power. 5.1 Dolby Digital! Face detection! Slightly time consuming on conversion to DVD, but well worth the wait. You can format picture size between 4:3 to 16:9. The features are endless and spot on for people to learn quickly at ease.

The Cons: the proprietary software (Sony needs to expand a little in this category with options on menus, etc.). The price, obviously ahead of the game on technology you will pay premium. HDMI cable not provided, but the card is nice. I was told by Sony tech support when researching cameras this was a 1080p and it is not. Windy situations picks up sound when taping, needs a wind filter. Be cautious at loud concerts, the microphone is sensitive and I was at a loud Christian concert where it sounds baffled. Could be I was 5 rows from the front stage though! Battery life is short on the battery provided, however, I?m a believer to have an extra one handy and the NP-FH70 is a good purchase that lasted much longer than I expected ? 145 minutes or so

Overall, the SR11 is an excellent choice for HD fanatics! I?m addicted and only owned it for a short period of time. Friends are in awe of the picture quality and envious! Although, my goal was to replace an old camera that failed on me. This purchase by far was worth the money. The conversion to DVD was so easy, but be patient. The quality from HD to Dolby Digital and still pictures is phenomenal. I keep telling myself to not purchase Sony for several reasons and experience over the years (i.e., tech support, repair-terrible), but I end back with the purchase because of the cutting technology in the product.

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13 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Great quality video and Digital Stills 10.2 Megapixel.

by Longhorn923 on March 13, 2008

Pros: Digital stills at 10.2 MP, Easy to use, Basically Plug and Play, Software that came with the camera allows auto conversion to publish to YouTube and other popular sites. Great!

Cons: Size of Hard drive, wish I had gottn the SR-12! Same camera just a bigger hard drive.

Summary: I have had a mini DV for a number of years and this is light years better. I cannot believe the ease of use and the easy conversion to a ...

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Summary: I have had a mini DV for a number of years and this is light years better. I cannot believe the ease of use and the easy conversion to a standard def. DVD. I will be getting a blue ray player because this camcorder is unbelievable for the amateur family videographer. I was very nervous about the price, but now that I have used it I am so happy with the performance. No more tapes and mini DVD's sitting around! Love the camera.

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11 out of 12 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Outstanding HD video and photo quality with excellent sound for most situations

by Double Eagle on May 5, 2008

Pros: Clarity of video and photos. Good low light performance

Cons: Touch screen controls. No shoulder/neck strip, HDMI connector or FULL users manual provided in package. Proprietary battery provided has small capacity. Recommended altitude limitation of only 3000 m

Summary: After having many different Canon Camcorders, I finally bought my first Sony because of it's clearly superior HD imagery and excellent still images. The lens on this camera is ...

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Summary: After having many different Canon Camcorders, I finally bought my first Sony because of it's clearly superior HD imagery and excellent still images. The lens on this camera is outstanding. The sound pick up is also excellent without an external microphone. While a wind filter is desirable if it detracts from the current quality sound, I can live without it.

I usually use the viewfinder and not the LCD screen for shooting my videos and the lack of an exension to the viewfinder when using it with even the small battery is an inconvenience and more difficult with a large capacity battery.

Sony should definitely provide a shoulder/neck strap with this and every camcorder. I often carry my camcorder with a DSLR or point and shoot still camera. In fact, I'm using a Canon neck srap with this camera as I could not find a suitable one for sale.

I'm very concerned about the low level altitude restriction of only 3000 meters (9800 feet) since I routinely shoot video and photos in Colorado above that level. They also have a narrow 50-86 degree farenheit temperature recommendation. If, in fact, operation outside of these ranges is not possible I will rank this camera much lower. We spent January in South America and Antarctica and my Canon cameras worked fine at temperatures down to 10 degrees F. The Canon stated operating conditions are 32-104 F and no limitation noted on altitude. Canon also provides a Full printed manual and not just a softward .pdf download.

I dislike the SONY touch screen and much prefer using a joy stick and not having to open the LCD display for practically all actions; however, I'm getting used to this limitation. The one touch knob control on front of camera is useful for fine tuning the focus (or any other single function you may desire). My wife likes the "Easy" record function provided and we took great video and photos on our first weekend with the camera at a zoo and on the beach

I loaded the Sony software but don't use any of it as I find my existing Photo Organizers and ULead Video Studio 11.5 software to be superior.

DO NOT but an HDMI cable for this camera at BEST BUY unless you want to waste your mony. You can get one for $10 on line that works fine as opposed to the Best Buy over $100 offering.

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3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Great Camcorder

by MushroomStamper on March 26, 2008

Pros: 10.2 Megapixel Stills. 12X Zoom.

Cons: No HDMI Cable. AVCHD Format.

Summary: This is a great camcorder. If I were to go back and choose another I would get the SR12 due to its larger hard drive. This thing is fun and ...

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Summary: This is a great camcorder. If I were to go back and choose another I would get the SR12 due to its larger hard drive. This thing is fun and easy to use and captures excelent video quality. Also if you wanted you can upgrade the lense for $100.00. They make a wide angle and a telephoto lense. I like the fact that this records directly to a hard drive it makes it much easier to edit. But you need a powerful computer to edit this format. My desktop is about 2 years old and kind of struggles in editing this format, I use my Alienware laptop for editing and it does great. The software that comes with camcordr is easy to use but not much you can do with it therefore I use Pinnacle Ultimate and its great. I guess that the jist of it, great product.

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

better than expected

by lbrivera1000 on July 26, 2008

Pros: lightweight, small

Cons: weight and size trade-off: cheap plastic body

Summary: i really like the camera so far. It's lightweight and and takes awesome footage. the battery it came with has about a 1.5 hours on a full charge (...

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Summary: i really like the camera so far. It's lightweight and and takes awesome footage. the battery it came with has about a 1.5 hours on a full charge (npf-h50). I also got the ACCFH70 kit and that battery has about 3 hours on it. When I got the camera from sony, they had a great deal on the npf-h100...that beast has over 6 hours (with the lcd screen!). the only "bad" thing i can say about the camera so far is that i am so afraid dropping the camera and breaking it to bits...i know the plastic is light but my canon sd700IS is like a tank compared to the sr11. Anyway, get at least the 2 year service plan from sony...its only an extra $99. what i like about this camera is that it can easily be accessorized. I will be getting married in guam this november, and our honeymoon will be in bohol...i will be getting the waterresistant encasement for this camera and adding another review when we get back!

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2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Best consumer camcorder available today

by alexacker on April 22, 2008

Pros: HD, film quality, stills

Cons: None so far

Summary: I came from the frame of mind that I couldn't deal with mini DV tapes anymore and have been eyeing AVCHD camcorders for about 9mos now. I was going ...

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Summary: I came from the frame of mind that I couldn't deal with mini DV tapes anymore and have been eyeing AVCHD camcorders for about 9mos now. I was going to Sony SR7 but I thought I should wait. And, a glad thing that I did -- this camcorder is stunning. It's easy to use -- my wife was up and shooting without any directions. Transfer of files (atleast for Mac users) is a snap (YOU NEED AN INTEL MAC THOUGH.)

It's like watching home movie

Sony Handycam HDR-SR11

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