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- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 9 reviews
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Reviews from around the WebPowered by alaTest
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alaTest.com
Editors' rating: 92
Summary: alaTest has collected and analyzed 269 reviews of Sony HDR-SR10 from international magazines and websites. Experts rate this product 76/100 and users 88/100. Comparing these reviews to 103109 other Camcorders reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 92/100 = Excellent.
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news.com.au
Editors' rating: 80
Summary: While slightly overpriced for an entry-level HD camcorder, the HDR-SR10 offers a variety of innovative features for the asking price. Those with beefier wallets, however, would be better off with one of its deluxe stable mates.
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goodgearguide.com.au
Editors' rating: 75
Summary: While slightly overpriced for an entry-level HD camcorder, the HDR-SR10 offers a variety of innovative features for the asking price. Those with beefier wallets, however, would be better off with one of its deluxe stable mates.
CNET editors' buying advice
We have not reviewed this product but here is CNET's buying advice on Digital Camcorders. This content was chosen based on the features included with this model of digital camcorder.
Hard disk format
With digital camcorders that use built-in hard drives, you can record high-quality MPEG-2 footage and deliver more than 500 lines of horizontal resolution, depending on camcorder quality. Some video cameras will also record in AVCHD or H.264 formats, giving you more flexibility for recording. Consumer grade digital camcorders of this type have USB ports for easy video downloading onto computers.
Best for: Trendsetter; home and vacation moviemaker; business videographer.
| Relatively compact digital camcorder designs |
| Easy searching and random access to video segments |
| Selectable image-quality levels, usually including high-quality variable-bit-rate recording |
| Both video and still images can be recorded on one card (instead of on a cassette and a memory card) |
| Need for separate hard drive or DVD burning for archiving |
| Unpredictable recording times with variable bit rate |
| Less support by advanced video-editing and video-effects software than for DV format |
Supporting manufacturers: Canon; JVC; Panasonic; Sony.
Read more in the Digital Camcorder Buying Guide
See more Hard drive products
Memory card format
Video cameras using a memory card format are able to achieve an ultracompact design. Because they record highly compressed video, they're best suited for gadget lovers who want to use their footage mainly on Web sites and in e-mail. Digital camcorders that record MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 to memory cards may be picky about the cards you use since those encoding schemes require the ability to write to the card more quickly than most standard cards can handle.
Best for: Trendsetter.
| Allows for very compact camcorders |
| Easy searching and random access to video segments |
| Selectable image-quality levels, including high-quality variable-bit-rate recording |
| Both video and still images are recorded on disc (instead of on a cassette and a memory card) |
| Relatively short recording times |
| Video is highly compressed |
Supporting manufacturers: Panasonic; Sony.
Read more in the Digital Camcorder Buying Guide
See more Memory cards products
Exposure control
Every digital camcorder has a fully automatic mode that lets you simply point and shoot, but it's best to be able to adjust your exposure setting a little. Special shooting modes for capturing subjects lit by a spotlight or other specific sources can be helpful. For full control over exposure, you'll need a camera that lets you manually set both the aperture and the shutter speed. Advanced camcorders offer zebra stripes, which highlight overexposed areas with a striped pattern so that you can fine-tune exposure. Low-light performance is the Achilles' heel of many digital camcorders. Look for a model with a minimum lux rating of seven or lower. Many camcorders offer special low-light shooting modes, but they don't all work the same way. Some simply slow down the shutter speed so that you get full-color but impressionistic-looking footage. Others use an infrared emitter to capture greenish monochrome video in total darkness.
HD Camcorders info
If format proliferation is the sign of growing pains in a market, camcorders are in adolescent hell. Prices are dropping, making HD camcorders an attractive buy relative to their SD competitors, but inexpensive doesn't necessarily mean easy. Our most recent tally indicates there are no fewer than four possible media types to use, each of which can support multiple encoding formats; the encoding formats, in turn, support various combinations of standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) video formats. Toss in HD's three different available resolutions, and you have an ugly mess to sort through while you shop. And we haven't even begun to see the inevitable models based on HD-DVD or Blu-ray discs.
Read more in the HD camcorders Quick Guide
See more HD camcorders products
LCD and electronic viewfinder info
More pixels usually mean better viewfinder and LCD image quality. Look for a sharp LCD that's easy to see in bright light; adjustable screen brightness helps, too. The larger the LCD, the easier it will be to see (and the more power-hungry it will be); for all but ultracompact camcorders, look for at least 2.5 inches. An EVF that you can tilt with a diopter lever for adjusting focus will give you more shooting flexibility. Almost all EVFs and LCDs on consumer camcorders display color, although some video enthusiasts prefer black-and-white EVFs, which can make it easier to judge exposure. Touch-screen LCDs have begun to appear on a few consumer video cameras, usually for menu navigation and spot focusing. Some users find them convenient, while others prefer not to have to use the LCD to access camcorder controls.
See more LCD products
