Sony Handycam HDR-SR7

Summary: The SR7 is definitely one of the best, if not the best, “affordable” HD consumer camcorders you can buy right now. I’ve been through a few different cameras in the past 6 months (various brands and types) and none of them came even close to what I can get out of the SR7. High Definition is sweeping through our giddy little consumer worlds at a breakneck pace. From TV to video games, to DVDs and home movies now, it’s all bigger, better and closer to real life than it’s ever been. In some cases, HD can even make things seem more real than real life. This camera is no exception to that.

I’ve had about two weeks to test the SR7 in a variety of situations and lighting conditions. Took it on a family camping trip last week, and from bright sun, cloudy days, the pitch black of night to the kids playing on the beach, this camera shined in every way. It was also light and compact enough that I barely even noticed much of the time that I was carrying it.
If it were any smaller or lighter, I don’t think it would fit right in my hand. I didn’t get to hold the CX7, but if you want to go as small and light as you can, you might want to consider that one.

Actually, when I was looking into all the different camcorders to buy, I narrowed it down to the SR7 and the CX7. Yes, the CX7 is smaller, a little lighter, but in the end I went with the SR7 because you get 8 hours of HD (at the highest quality) compared to only 1 hour with the CX7. One hour of recording time on a family vacation would never have been enough. Eight, on the other hand, is more than you’d ever need. (If you shoot 8 hours of anything, I can bet that no one would want to watch it - including yourself!)

Editing your video, and making DVDs is pretty simple with the included software. AVCHD in, AVCHD out. Ok, so you get the bare basic editing options (deleting scenes), but for those of you who think you need to buy an expensive, complicated editing program to make DVDs, you don’t. You can edit out scenes on the camera itself very easily. Basically, every time to pause the video, or stop it, you create a new file. These files are then strung together in one long slide show on the camera. You can then highlight any one of these scenes/files and either play from there, or delete them. It’s as easy as that.

When it comes to making a HD DVD (or standard definition DVD) the straight-to-burn function is pretty flawless. For HD DVDs you will need a HD player, keep in mind. Personally, I have a PS3, so I play them on that. The quality of these HD DVDs, by the way, is stunning. In fact, I cannot tell the difference between video straight from the camera and a DVD. It’s that good. I was preparing myself for a downgrade in quality, but it’s not the case at all.

For more editing control, there are a few options for handling AVCHD. Currently, I’m running a free Sony Vegas trial. So far so good, but I’ve yet to play around with it enough to give a favourable review at this time. With Vegas, you can choose AVCHD in and m2t out.

Complaints? I have a couple minor ones. Fortunately, they’re both easily correctable enough. For one, the battery life with the battery you get with the camera isn’t very good. I think it’s only about an hour and a half. Sufficient for taking it to the beach, or a birthday party, and just so long as you have somewhere to charge it up again after, you likely won’t run into any problems. However, if you’re on vacation, and you’re off on a day trip, you’re probably going to need to buy a better battery - or at least a spare.

My other only complaint is the camera’s built in 5.1 surround sound mic. Be warned, it’s VERY sensitive to wind. Much of my beach shots were “ruined” somewhat because the wind just distorts the audio so badly. Again though, this is fixable. The SR7 allows you to attach external microphones, and there are wind-screen options out there.

Overall, I couldn’t recommend this camera more. I was watching HDNet last night thinking, short of using a tripod, the videos on my camping trip were every bit as brilliant and vivid. Truly a great camera. More quality you’ll ever need for kids’ birthday parties and Christmas concerts. This is a camera a professional would take to such things.