Sony Handycam HDR-SR12

Manufacturer: Sony Part number: HDR-SR12

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$919.00 - $1,399.99 at 18 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
4.0 stars Excellent
Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 7 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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store	customer rating	inventory	tax & shipping	price
Store profile \| Buy now Authorized store	Rate this store See store profile	In stock All camcorders on sale $349 and up	Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price	$1,299.99 Shop now as of 08/29/2008
Store profile \| Buy now Over 1,000 Sony products. Direct from Sony Authorized store	Rate this store See store profile	In stock Y		$1,399.99 Shop now as of 08/29/2008
Store profile \| Buy now Authorized store	Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$1,231.99 Shop now as of 08/29/2008 New
Store profile \| Buy now PREMIER SOURCE of cutting edge electronics since 1973. Authorized store	Rate this store See store profile	In stock FREE SHIPPING & Lower price on site.		$1,299.99 Shop now as of 08/28/2008
Store profile \| Buy now Trusted by millions for over 33 years! Authorized store	Rate this store See store profile	In stock Money-back Guarantee!		$1,259.99 Shop now as of 08/29/2008
Store profile \| Buy now Authorized store	Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$1,199.89 Shop now as of 08/29/2008
Store profile \| Buy now Authorized store	Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$1,149.00 Shop now as of 08/29/2008
Store profile \| Buy now Authorized store	Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$1,399.00 Shop now as of 08/29/2008
Store profile \| Buy now Authorized store	Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$1,199.99 Shop now as of 08/29/2008

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Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 7 reviews

Showing opinion 1 to 7 out of 7

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9 stars

My little friend

by Yrtti on May 8, 2008

Pros: Quite handy, lots of hard disk space, good looking, face regonizing is good when recording people

Cons: Would prefer wider lens, shuts down in loud noises, focusing issues when filming animals etc

Summary: I really like my camera, its neat, tiny and still makes this huge detailed video. It´s quite amazing, i think.

face regonizion is good feature when filming people. With

...

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Summary: I really like my camera, its neat, tiny and still makes this huge detailed video. It´s quite amazing, i think.

face regonizion is good feature when filming people. With animals (i have two cats) it sometimes finds animals eyes and can focus, sometimes it gets confused

lens is not wide enough, though it may be that i´m used to a wider lens with my Panasonic DMC-LX2K. Anyway i bought a wider lens for this. For a lens it´s too big and heavy and it´s still not that wide, only "normal-wide"...

I´m a drummer and this camera shuts down in loud noises...it´s not a good feature either Would be nice to record our gigs and rehersals without tweaking the microphone with duct tape.

120 gigs is a bit too much actually, you dont really need that much of a space with avchd. For example i have recorded 193 clips in three weeks and it still has half of it´s capacity left.

But in a nutshell, it´s very good point and shoot type of camera with full automation etc. you don´t have to trouble yourself to get a decent picture out of it, it takes care it for you almost in any case. With it´s massive hard drive there´s no way you run out of storage space, buy the NP-FH100 and you can record forever

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Very Nice, this is my first camcorder so sort of a novice

by Flightlevel470 on March 8, 2008

Pros: Having HD and all around quality, 120 gig hard drive

Cons: For the price I beleive Sony should incude the FH70 battery instead for the standard

Summary: This is my first camcorder and I am really enjoying it. I found it very easy to operate without having to go to the instructions. The inteface is simple with ...

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Summary: This is my first camcorder and I am really enjoying it. I found it very easy to operate without having to go to the instructions. The inteface is simple with a computer. I do wish that as I stated in the Cons that a longer life battery should be included in a high end piece of equipment such as this camcorder

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2 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

SR12 Absolutely Rocks!

by dhwlaw on April 9, 2008

Pros: Small size, bright, clear screan, intuitive to use

Cons: None so far

Summary: This camcorder truly does everything well in a great form-factor. Solidly built and very intuitive to use. Ample storage for HD content. It's great.

Summary: This camcorder truly does everything well in a great form-factor. Solidly built and very intuitive to use. Ample storage for HD content. It's great.

1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Surely one of the best choice !

by YYFILMS on August 18, 2008

Pros: Nightvision, manual focus, 120GB

Cons: small sight, useless 5.1, heavy with FH100 battery,

Summary: The Sony HDR-SR 12 is surely, certainly the best choice you can make if you want to get a HD camcorder.

The colors are very nice, not perfect, but impressing.

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Summary: The Sony HDR-SR 12 is surely, certainly the best choice you can make if you want to get a HD camcorder.

The colors are very nice, not perfect, but impressing.
The nightvision is pretty cool, you don't really need flashlight.
The 120 GB space hard drive is more than enought !
The manual focus is enable here, pretty cool, but you need to practice a while.

Note that you must have a battery more, you will be fastly out of battery and not very efficient. I advise you to get the NP-FH100 even if it is a bit heavy, you're lifetime will be the best and no worry about it, don't buy the FH70 kit...

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9 stars

Sony delivered on this one.

by mcguyverii on April 27, 2008

Pros: Small, lite, and amazing color and detail.

Cons: Should have come with a stylus.
10 stars

Best Camcorder Ever!

by koryman123 on July 19, 2008

Pros: Full HD, awsome video quality, awsome still images, Super Night Shot, Optical Image Stabalization, Dolby 5.1 Suround sound, good audio

Cons: Ther are none on this camcorder!

Summary: This camcorder gives awsome video and audio in one small package! If your looking for a Full HD Camcorder, the Hdr-Sr12 id the way to go!!!!!!!!

Summary: This camcorder gives awsome video and audio in one small package! If your looking for a Full HD Camcorder, the Hdr-Sr12 id the way to go!!!!!!!!

0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Awesome video - complicated software

by ksmith51 on July 3, 2008

Pros: Terrific HD and SD video; HDD media; Plentiful accessories

Cons: Complicated software; manuals not intuitive

Summary: I have finally become my father. I'm geezing. This is just a fabulous camcorder, but I'm way over my head trying to get my videos onto my PC ...

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Summary: I have finally become my father. I'm geezing. This is just a fabulous camcorder, but I'm way over my head trying to get my videos onto my PC and then burning the correct format DVDs to share with friends/family. Reading the "quick start" guide plus the PDF-format owner's manual on the included CD... almost made my head explode. And I've had a camcorder of various media and many types of film and digital cam in my hands since they were so big you needed a friend to help carry the components. I feel like I've traded my soul to the devil to get the latest/greatest technology. Of course, now I'm getting the, "I told you so!!" from my wife. I guess I should've accepted the simplicity (although less perfect video compression) of the last-most-current media, recording directly to mini-DVDs in the camcorder. Yikes!

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0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

Showing opinion 1 to 7 out of 7

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Sony
Part number: HDR-SR12

General
Product Type Camcorder
Digital Zoom 150 x
Optical Sensor Size 1/3.1 in
Optical Sensor Type ClearVid CMOS
Min Illumination 5 lux
Digital Video Format MPEG-2, AVCHD
Special Effects Old Movie, Pastel, Sepia, Monotone
Image Stabilizer Optical (Super Steady Shot)
Digital Scene Transition White fader, Black fader
Min Shutter Speed 1/2 sec
Max Shutter Speed 1/960 sec
Shooting Modes Digital photo mode
Shooting Programs Sunset, Twilight portrait, Twilight mode, Spotlight, Candle, Landscape, Beach, Portrait mode, Sunrise, Snow, Fireworks
White Balance Custom, Automatic, Presets
White Balance Presets Outdoor, Indoor
Exposure Modes Automatic, Program
Exposure Metering Matrix, Spot
Camera Flash Built-in flash
Flash Modes Flash OFF mode, Fill-in mode, Auto mode, Red-eye reduction
Widescreen Video Capture Yes
Main Features
Camcorder Sensor Resolution 5.66 megapixels
Camcorder Effective Video Resolution 3.81 megapixels
Camcorder Effective Still Resolution 5.08 megapixels
Camcorder Interpolated Still Resolution 10.2 megapixels
Color Support Color
Face Detection Yes
Still Image Format JPEG
Remote Control Remote control - Infrared
TV Tuner None
Memory / Storage
Digital Storage Media Hard disk drive - Built-in - 120 GB
Image Storage JPEG 3680 x 2760, JPEG 640 x 480, JPEG 3680 x 2070
Media Type Hard disk drive
Recording Speed LP, HQ, SP
Camera Flash
Red Eye Reduction Yes
Effective Flash Range 1 ft - 8 ft
Lens System
Type Zoom lens - 4.9 mm - 58.8 mm - F/1.8-3.1
Focal Length 4.9 mm - 58.8 mm
Lens Aperture F/1.8-3.1
Optical Zoom 12 x
Lens system type Zoom lens
Min focal length 4.9 mm
Max focal length 58.8 mm
Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
Lens Manufacturer Carl Zeiss
Filter Size 37 mm
Focus Adjustment Automatic, Manual
Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
Additional Features

Sony Handycam HDR-SR12

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Specifications

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Main Features

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Additional Features