Sony HDR-SR10 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 15x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this camera from Circuit City on the day I was to fly out on a 2 week vacation.I have a Sony HI8, but I wanted a better quality camera to archive my children's activities.

Overall, the camcorder is light, highly functional, and meets my expectations.However, I will probably return the camera.I'll go through my pros and cons:

Pros:

Lightweight
5.1 sound is great
still pictures are nice, but don't use the zoom.Zoom stills are grainy
touchscreen lcd is nice and intuitive.
Quick power on is a nice feature.

Cons:
The required codec to play the files are tough to comeby.I found that Cyberlink's PowerDVD Deluxe is the only 3rd party application to play these files.
The included software is very basic and proprietary.It doesn't share the codec with media player.
The 40gig harddrive is not sufficient for the HD recordings set at the highest resolution.Why would you get an HD camera and record at low res?
I used my laptop to download.Later, I found trying to play those downloaded files to be a pain.
Focus in low light conditions is poor.I found myself zooming in and out to try and get the auto focus to work properly.Looks like the SR11 has a manual focus knob.
The videos, although much better than SD, are not sharp and realistic like HD TV.The colors are dull and the details are not eyepopping.
Battery life:I bought the 5 hour battery and I got 1:30 life day after day.
No neck strap, but big deal.
The menus were not intuitive.Too many choices and screens.

All in all, for a $1000 investment, I didn't feel I got the best value.I am not looking at a Cannon HG10, but I wonder how the still pictures are?

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Product Description:
The HDR-SR10 includes all the tools necessary to preserve your memories. In addition to a built-in 40GB hard drive and professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens, the ClearVid CMOS sensor (with Exmor technology) and BIONZ image processor captures Full HD 1920 x 1080 video and 4 megapixel still photos. Face Detection technology helps ensure that people look their best in every image, while Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization reduces blur, even when using the 15x optical/180x digital zoom. Top it off with a built-in zoom microphone with Dolby Digital 5.1 channel recording for lifelike surround sound that makes your videos come alive.

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