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"Practically flawless" on by krishkaman
Pros: 8 hours recording time, awesome PQ, no tapes, compact...
Cons: Low battery life, mic not great in wind
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. -
"amazing camcorder except..." on by kewball012
Pros: Small. Price isn't that bad, bigger disk drive, easy to use.
Cons: MINI HDMI??!!???!!!???
Summary: Ok, here it goes. The camcorder is good, in fact it's great. It does everything I need and more. Only hiccup from sony is this one thing... IT DOES NOT COME WITH AN HDMI CABLE IN THE BOX. Also, to make things more complicated, stores don't carry the HDMI cable because it's a propriotary cable that's smaller. I get the IDEA that sony was trying to accomplish (for maybe a second), but if they were to make a special cable for this camcorder, why can't they include it in the box? Now I have to use standard old COMPONENT. I
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"Mostly agree with editor's review" on by hvvuong
Pros: Good quality image, easy to use
Cons: no usb on camera, hdmi mini connector but no supplied cable, sw included is poor
Summary: The quality of the camera itself is very good to excellent with superb picture quality when in good lighting (gets a little grainy in lower light conditions).
So if judging on how the SR7 performs as a camera - I would give this camera a 9.0 to 9.5. However - it's the whole package that brings the overall rating lower. When you're paying this type of money - the HDMI cable should be supplied (especially since it's a non-standard connection). Additionally - the supplied picture motion browser software is only really adequate for copying the files from the camera to the computer. Be warned! Do not attempt to install the software if you have Vista x64 - the disclaimer is that the O/S is not supported - what it doesn't tell you is that it will leave your computer in a state that will not reboot! Again - for a camera of this caliber - they should really consider shipping it with something like Pinnacle Systems - and not the substandard Picture Motion Browser.
The last piece that really looks like a kludge is that the camera comes with a base. The base provides connections for 4 things: 1) Power, 2) Component Out, 3)AV Out, 4) USB
The only one of those things that's not already on the camera is the USB. The two connectins you will probably use the most are the power and USB. It makes little sense why the USB just wasn't put on the camera - then you don't need a base at all!
So having pointed out all the negatives - I still think's it's a terrific camera - and if Sony were to pay attention - I think the biggest priority to correct would be the software that comes packaged with it. Otherwise - if you plan on purchasing this camera - pad your budget by another $130 and go get the pinnacle software (unless you're on MAC of course). -
"Great Hardware, but..." on by dwayn3
Pros: Everything works as it should. The images are crisp and clean.
Cons: The disappoint for me, was when I connected it to my computer. Sony doesn't provide a solution to use the HD footage with other software programs.
Summary: If you own expensive editing or motion tracking software you might want to think of camcorder which doesn't use the AVCHD format. I'm sure it's only a matter of time, but I'd like to use it now.
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"Close to Perfect" on by Alex_1000
Pros: Video clarity is fantastic, picture quality is very good for a camcorder, colors are vibrant, small and compact
Cons: No wind protector, manual focus (refer to opinion), are you sure messages
Summary: When I was ordering this camera I was simply looking for a smaller more compact camera for when I take trips since my Canon XL-H1 is quite big a troublesome to travel with. So when I went on the search for my new camera I was looking for a Cannon, however I was unimpressed with reviews that I heard about them and decided to try the new line of Sony camcorders. Upon finding the SR7 I thought that it would be the perfect replacement. I ordered the SR7 from J&R. Who by the way is the best bet since they have NO TAX. With other companies such as B&H even though the price may be lower by a little you still have to pay tax.
On arrival I anxiously opened my package to my new delightfully small baby. At 5u1/2 inches in length. The following day after a full night of charging I took the camera outside to film my two pet turtles, amazed at the clarity of the video I brought my lug of a Canon outside and filmed the same thing as I did with the SR7. When comparing the footage I noticed that there was just a slight difference between camcorders. Please keep in mind I did not configure the Cannon for that lighting situation. But nevertheless I was surprised. After experimenting with the camcorder in may different situation I concluded the following:
- The camera excels in well lit areas
- Forget about filming in low light situation (I don't know any non-professional camera that does well in this, if there is, please enlighten me
- If you are filming with wind either forget about the sound or buy a mic to attach
- If you don't have to try not to zoom in if you want to get an extreme close up, since it seems to get out of focus and won't let you adjust it below 0.8meters (weird bug)
- Colors usually come out very vibrant (part of the x.v.Color)
Overall for the entry level buyer this camcorder is a great buy, and I would defiantly suggest it if you are looking in the market for a consumer camcorder.
Sony Handycam HDR-SR7 user reviews
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