Camcorder Review:
Sony HDR-SR12 Camcorder (page 2)

When you just want to goof around, the SR12 is right there for you. Want black and white? Just turn that option on. How about sepia? Or pastel? Or the "old movie" look? You can find them all with the tap of a finger.

Smooth Slow Record gives you about three seconds to shoot some full resolution HD slow motion footage. It fills the camera's buffer then records it to about twelve seconds of HD video. In post production you might slow it down even further and have some truly dramatic shots. I could have hours of fun with this.

The Nightshot feature promises great fun for the wildlife videographer and the prankster alike. A small infrared light hides at the front of the camera. In pitch dark, it throws out enough invisible light for a clear image up to about twelve feet away. A more powerful infrared light, available from Sony, greatly increases the range.

These stealthy nighttime images have that luminescent green glow we've all come to know and love. But if you don't want your work to have a Tom Clancy knock-off feel, you can turn on the B/W effect and the image becomes slightly more normal.

Last but not least: the Face Detection technology. Real-time processing finds faces in the frame as you shoot. And it works. Grab the camera and point it at some people. If they have their faces turned within about 45 degrees to the camera, a white box will appear around each one (up to 8 at a time, according to Sony). The camera will give focus, exposure and white balance priority to these areas of the frame. The boxes follow the faces until they leave the frame or turn away. At one point, we inadvertently tricked the camera into detecting a basketball as a face, but it's probably better that it errs on the side of caution.

Wait . . . it gets better. When you go back to play your video clips, you can look at the normal key frames (beginning of the clip), or you can chose the face index. If the clip contains "detected" faces, a thumbnail of each face appears. You can choose to view a clip, starting when a certain person first appears. How cool is that?

Format: AVC/H.264 (HD)/ MPEG-2 (SD) / JPEG (still)
Number of CMOS image sensors: 1
Size of CMOS: 1/3"
Pixels on CMOS: 5.6 megapixels
Video Effective Pixels: 3.8 megapixels (16:9), 2.8 megapixels (4:3)
Max Video Resolution: 1920x 1080
Data Storage: Internal 120GB HDD, Memory Stick Pro slot
Focus: Auto/manual (knob or touchscreen)
Shutter Speed: Auto only (1/30-1/250)
Lens f-Stop: f1.8-f3.1
Programmed AE: Full Auto, Sunrise & Sunset, Twilight, Candle, Fireworks, Landscape, Spotlight, Snow, Portrait, Beach
Light Measuring Modes: Auto, spot (via touchscreen)
Zoom: 12x optical/150x digital
Focal Length: 4.9mm-58.8mm (40mm-480mm, equivalent to 35mm camera)
Image Stabilization: Electronic
Manual White Balance: Yes
LCD Monitor: 3.2" color, 920K pixels
HD Modes: 1920x1080, 60 fields/sec interlaced; 1440x1080 (HQ, SP, LP);
Video Out: mini-USB 2.0, mini component video, mini HDMI (cable not included)
Onboard Mic: Dolby 5.1 or stereo mode
Microphone In: 3.5mm jack
VU Meters: No
Headphone Jack: 3.5mm
Speaker: Yes
Memory Card Included: No (takes Memory Stick Pro Duo)
Flash: Yes (off, auto, forced, red-eye reduction)
Wireless Remote: Yes
External Battery Charger Provided: No
Battery Type: Li-ion, removable
Onboard Video Light: Optional, not included
Accessory Shoe: Sort of (Sony proprietary "Active Interface Shoe")
Weight: 1 lb. 6 oz. with battery
Dimensions: 3.38" (W) x 3" (H) x 5.5" (D)

• Good image quality
• High data storage capacity and flexibility
• Nice LCD touchscreen display

• Menus not always intuitive
• Tends to roll on the palm
• No manual shutter speed or gain control

A very nice consumer camera. Worth the price.

Greg Robinson is the owner of an independent production company.

Sony Electronics, Inc.
16530 Via Esprillo, MZ 7104
San Diego, CA 92127
www.sonystyle.com
$1400

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