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| Sony HDR-SR7 AVCHD 6.1MP 60GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom | 
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| Brand: Sony
Category: Photography
List Price: $1,399.99
Buy New: $999.00
You Save: $400.99 (29%)
Buy New from $999.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  (68 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1704
Media: Electronics
Batteries Included: No
Optical Zoom: 10
Digital Zoom: 20
Display Size: 2.7
Maximum Focal Length: 54
Minimum Focal Length: 5.4
Maximum Resolution: 3.2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 8
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: HDRSR7
Model: HDR-SR7
UPC: 027242719682
EAN: 0027242719682
ASIN: B000PQJGFO
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Simple and Great Video Quality January 17, 2008
Brought this as a Christmas present. Tried it out over the New Year and the video was great, especially in high-def (when playing back directly from the camcorder to a HDTV). It was simple to use. Point and press the button to start the recording and press the button again to stop the recording. I do not do much editing, so can not comment on the other issues regarding editing software.
One issue is that as you transfer the video onto standard DVD, obviously you lose the hi-def aspects of the recording. And you do notice the difference. Although the standard DVD playback was good, why get a hi-def camcorder if you are going to save the video on standard recording media.
So now, I'm off to buy the Sony VRD-MC5 that can burn the hi-def video on to a standard DVD and play back in hi-def on a blu ray player.
 Great Buy! January 16, 2008
My wife and I are nothing but pleased with this camcorder...we are both rookies to video cameras and it was very simple to operate....we really like the feature of taking 3 still pictures WHILE you are recording....we will be able to capture family memories for a long time.
Amazing picture and sound quality in a convienient format January 14, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was looking at many different HD camcorders in this price range before settling on the hard drive format due to its convienence and ease of transfer to a PC. I really liked the feature set on this model and decided to give it a try. I've been using it for about a month now and I have no doubt I made the right choice. The picture quality is very good at the highest bitrate setting (in bright light), and there is no reason to lower it with a 60 gig hard drive. The sound quality is also very good (when the wind isn't blowing) and the 5.1ch Dolby Digital encoding does a nice job of producing an accurate sound field for playback. The hard drive is silent, quick, and plenty big enough for anything I can imagine. This camcorder is very light, when I first bought a case for it I had to check to make sure the camera was actually still in there when I picked it up. There are, of course, a few cons. The picture quality degrades quickly as light goes down. Inside, at night with just an overhead light or end table lighting, the noise and compression artifacts become very noticable. The microphone picks up a lot of wind noise, and the process of making and burning a DVD movie with dolby digital encoding is nontrivial and unintuitive. The software that comes with the camera is OK but only as a medium for getting the video files into the much more useful software product, Song Vegas. This editor is going to cost you an additional $130. Also, the only software I've found that will burn a DVD with dolby digital surround enocoding is Sony's DVD architect studio, another $50. Finally, encoding, transcoding, rendering and manipulating the large HD files takes a long time on anything but a very high-end PC. Plan on letting the software work overnight. Overall I'm happy, and discounting the degree to which anyone is going to rate something they've bought and committed to higher than they would a non-owned product, I'd recommend this camcorder to anyone who is a technophile and loves HD home theater. For the average joe wanting a nice new camcorder, I'd say find something cheaper and simpler to implement.
Great New Product--But You Will Be a Pioneer January 12, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I purchased this product as a gift for a new grandmother, who is bright, and loves high definition TV and Video, but who is NOT a technology geek. I did not realize that the "CODEC" which this camera uses to convert pictures to the 1's and 0's of digital pictures (i.e., "AVCHD"--which stands for Advanced Video Codec High Definition) is so cutting edge. Not all software for video editing can retrieve and edit files coded in this way. (Apparently Sony uses some of the same software it uses for its "Blu-Ray" high definition DVD technology to code information that is recorded on the internal hard disk of this camera.)
The practical implication of this is that not all current video editing software will import and edit AVCHD files. Be sure yours does. Or if you will be buying video editing software, be aware you need to check for AVCHD support before you fork over your credit card. (I chose "Pinacle Studio Ultimate" but that is a different story.)
A second practical consequence of being on the cutting edge is that many of the existing texts you look for to help may not be very helpful. Most of the self-help books I purchased assume you are recording to physical tapes (although they are recording digital files). The editing process appears to be quite different. For example, some of the digital video tape concerns appear NOT to apply for AVCHD files.
Turning to the digital video camera itself, this unit has fantastic image quality. The fold-out screen is great (and larger than not HD-screens, so it can show what you are recording in the correct HD height-to-width ratio. The controls are well thought out, and easily located, although some of the many ports it provides are best accessed thorough the accompanying docking platform.
The audio quality is superb and can be played on the 5-unit surround sound of your home stereo system (a hassle to set up but worth it). However, a criticism I have of the sound is that it tends to pick up ambient noise (such as wind if you are recording out-of-doors). I would strongly recommend a directional mike to be sure you can zero in on what you are filming if the surrounding sound is noisy. (The human brain cuts out much of the background sound. Video cameras haven't learned to duplicate this feat.)
A second minor criticism I have is that this expensive digital video camera does NOT come with the mini-HDMI connection cable. That is needed to hook up this HD camera to your HD television most simply and with the greatest fidelity of sound and video. Anyone who buys this camera will need one (or more--I bought four). Furthermore, the miniaturized HDMI port, which fits into the small camera (and docking station) out-port is not readily available (though this MAY change over time). I tried several Radio Shack Stores and Best Buy to buy a mini-HDMI cable, but they did not carry it. I could only buy this specialized HDMI cable from the internet. Frankly when one pays a thousand dollars (or more) for a high definition camera one expects it to include the cable needed for the best and simplest connection to a high definition television. (Sony can buy them much more cheaply than I can, & include it with the camera.)
All things considered, this camera is a great value. If you are going to spend the effort to make and edit video, you really should do so in the HD format (which is the wave of the future). If you are going with the HD format, it makes a great deal of sense to go with an internal hard drive.
I would certainly recommend this digital video camera to a friend or family member. (Though if I did, I would expect to be hit up for help in using it, and setting up editing.) It is said that one can tell technology pioneers by the arrows in their backs. If you don't mind being on the bleeding edge (or if as a matter of pride you HAVE to be there) this is a great product for you!
awesome camcorder! January 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My wife and I recently bought this camcorder and we absolutely love it! Works great with Apple Macbook Pro's running OS X Leopard. Also, the hard disk drive based camcorders are definitely more convenient to use than those that use small tapes or mini-DVDs.
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