Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Blown away September 19, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Had this now for just over a month and used it in a variety of locations. Indoor performance is OK - still way better than any SD cameras I have owned previously, but outdoor and decently-lit scenes are simply mind-blowing.
Here are the key points:
- Wonderful colour and definition.
- Well built and comfortable to hold
- Easy to operate
- Simple full-auto mode
- Enough manual controls to provide fun for people who wish to experiment with settings
- The docking station - convenient connectivity
Downsides - no manual focus ring, mic input or headphone socket, but these are all things you would normally pay a lot more for.
And it will connect to an HD TV in HD resolution without a mini-HDMI cable - if your HD TV has a component video input, this camcorder comes with a component video cable which support HD resolutions.
Overall - just brilliant.
Quality product! September 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is one classy piece of kit. The vibrancy and accuracy of the colours, especially when fed to an HDTV, for a consumer camcorder are incredible. I have used it mostly for landscape filming and it does the job beautifully. It is very easy to use and the touchscreen works very well.
The only (minor) drawback is that the LCD sceen is difficult to see in bright sunlight (but all camcorders suffer from this) and this makes focusing difficult at times. Also, Sony throw in every connection lead EXCEPT an HDMI lead! However, it is so good in all other respects it is not worth knocking a star off!
Be aware that subsequent editing of AVCHD footage on a computer requires a very well spec'd machine, especially if you use the very highest quality setting!
All in all, a great product.
 Excellent camera for the price September 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an excellent camera and Amazon are currently the best on price. I purchased my SR10E just over a week ago and the high street stores were still 150 more expensive.
When you take delivery of the HDR-SR10E you'll notice how small the box is. The camera is very small, but certainly packed full of features. I chose this particular model because I already have a 12megapixel SLR camera, so I didn't need the higher resolution of the SR11 or SR12 models.
It comes with a very handy docking station that you can connect to your computer and mains, so you simply place it on top and it will charge the battery. Certainly a lot easier than connecting cables.
My advice for anyone thinking of buying this would be the following. Firstly, go and get Sony Vegas v9 as this will make editing your footage, adding text titles, etc a lot easier. I've tried other video editing software such as Pinnacle, but I found Vegas performed a lot better with the AVCHD format.
My other piece of advice would be to invest in another battery. My SR10E seems to have around 100 minutes of battery life once fully charged, but if you are out and about, this could run low when you need it most! THe battery you'll need is the NP-FH70.
Being such a small camera can take a little while to get used to, especially keeping it steady, but the steadyshot has come a long way in the last 10 years. The 5.1 surround microphone works a lot better than I thought, and supprised me.
The face detection works well, and I've even tested it with faces on television and my cats but it does't recognise them! Only real people!
Any bad points? Well, not many worth complaining about due to the excellent price. It's not going to match the same HDTV quality you'll see with episodes of Lost, but true HD video cameras cost thousands. That said, the colour does seem a bit lacking but I think that can be sorted out with a decent video editing package.
The bundled software comes with Handycam Utility which allows you to import the video to your PC hard drive. I couldn't get mine working straight away, but I found that it was due to having the Haali Media Splitter installed on my PC. If you have that then the Sony software won't be able to read the AVCHD format properly.
What I recommend this for:
Home Movies (kids, holidays, etc)
School / College projects
YouTube video
Overall you'll have a lot of fun with this camcorder and with the 40GB built in hard disk there is plenty of space for your videos.
Sony HDR-SR10E August 28, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Prompt delivery.
Pros - Camera is easy to handle all buttons etc. easy to hand.
Superb picture quality. Well made. Excellent piece of kit!
Cons - No seperate charger. No HDMI lead.
Brilliant and easy to use August 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is my first camcorder ever and I've found it brilliant.
I fall into the "happy snapper" category and have the attention span of a 2 year old with manuals but this camera is so easy to use that after a minute of skimming I was up and running taking videos & photos, plugging into the telly etc. Top marks & does what it says on the tin for someone like me.
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