Excellent HD daytime video, high quality camcorder

I first purchased the first HiDef HD 30gb version of this camera (HDR-SR1) when it was released last year. As my son was born I wanted the absolute best video we could obtain as we only have one chance to film these wonderful early years.

Sony also has a HDR-SR5 camcorder available which is basically a HDR-SR1 (same sensor) but with less features such as no view finder and no manual focus so the HDR-SR5 was not considered for my next camera.

The camcorder itself is very compact and sturdy; very portable for such a powerful little camcorder. The item is pricey and value is always subjective depending on one's budget.

Image quality is superb to say the least which is my primary reason for the purchase. There are several modes to record in for video quality though I only keep it at the best setting. The 60gb hard drive holds 8 hours of video at the highest setting so there are no worries there however I highly recommend picking up 2 or more extra batteries as they get drained long before the hard drive capacity is met.

The image quality in well lit areas is simply superb ,however in low lit areas this camera suffers as the more pixels crammed onto the sensor makes for more noise which is very evident. The older HDR-SR1 and model down HDR-SR5 is truly better than this newer bigger brother in terms of low light recording. Something to keep in mind in case you intend to film indoors often.

The video in hi-def mode is recorded in AVCHD format and herein lies the largest caveat of mine and most others on these cameras which is the after market software support.

For one year there was really nothing on the market that allowed for proper editing of this hi-def video. Sony does supply software but it is very limited in features and scope and honestly for a $1200.00 camera is a bit disappointing. Finally Nero released their latest support for AVCHD videos and this is a pretty good start. Lastly, Nero just released their new package which so far has little in way of hangups for AVCHD editing. Stay away from prior versions of the software as they are very buggy.
Go with Nero 8 Ultra. Now if you really want to take things to the next level Sony has added AVCHD support in Vegas which is a $500.00 piece of software. A 30 day demo is available.

Another feature I enjoy is the fact that the video from this camera is supported by my PS3 which is also my Blu-Ray player on my primary 58" plasma TV in the entertainment room. One can simply just record the AVCHD movie from the PC directly to a standard DVD (no BD required) and play it on the PS3. The resulting video is stunning. Or better yet just burn it to your PS3 network drive for access anytime. The simplest option is to just plug this camcorder directly into your TV via HDMI and watch it directly on the TV. Of course at some time you want to transfer the video to your computer to make BD DVDs or regular DVDs.

Keep in mind that camcorders are known as the most unreliable electronics product sold so if you intend to hold onto it for a while consider an extended warranty. As I upgrade annually it is not something I consider but worthy for others.

Cables supplied are standard composite cables which makes little sense as this is a HD camcorder so HDMI should be used. Problem is that none is supplied so you will need a MINI HDMI cable, not a standard HDMI cable.

The camera also sports a nice smooth record mode which basically takes 3 seconds of video and stretches it out to 12 seconds resulting in a nice video.

Low light to zero light video mode is awesome. My backyard is very large and yet this camera has no problem with picking up the edge of the backyard from my upstairs window. This is in night mode or super night mode, both of which are great. But again, in dim light the noise level is very high and something to consider.

This Sony has electronic Image stabilization which is good and works as it should for steady video even at zoom range.

The built in digital camera is not bad for a CMOS camcorder though far from my Canon 40D. For quick convenient shots it is pretty decent. It is 4 megapixel in video mode and 6.1 otherwise-the highest available for a camcorder. Keep in mind that megapixel count is only half of the equation when it comes to quality pics.

Well worth the price in my book an the excellent video of my son are well worth the admission price.

Lee Dye
Simi Valley, CA