The Sony HDR-SR12 ($1,399 MSRP) is the company’s third generation AVCHD camcorder recording to hard disk drive (HDD). The SR12 features a new CMOS sensor and DSP touted by Sony to be the best yet, along with a huge 120GB capacity. It is joined by the HDR-SR11 ($1,199 MSRP), an identical camcorder with a smaller 60GB HDD. In previous iterations, all AVCHD camcorders have failed to live up to performance expectations, but 2008 seems to be the year it’s turning around. The Canon HF10 gave outstanding performance and sharpness. The Panasonic HDC-SD9, while not as good as the Canon, exceeded the performance of its predecessors. So how does the Sony HDR-SR12 hold up to the competition? In a word … strongly. This is undoubtedly the sensor/processor package to own if you’re a Sony fan. The low light performance is excellent – far superior in noise reduction to the Sony HDR-HC9, its HDV cousin, and comparable to the Canon HF10 in1080/60i. However, the overall sharpness does not match that of the Canon HF10 in bright light, and Canon’s inclusion of multiple frame rates (60i/24P/30P) makes it a tempting offering. The manual control packages are evenly matched. Sony wins on capacity, while Canon wins on portability. It’s a tough choice. Let’s explore.
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