Sony HDR-SR5 AVCHD 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Average customer rating:

Pleased with camera but there is something to loose

Good, but far from perfect

Great picture, but AVCHD format prevents editing

Best HDD camcorder

Editing is a mess

Sony HDR-SR5 AVCHD 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Photography
Binding: Electronics

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Product Features:

Record high-definition (AVCHD) video directly to a 40GB HDD

1/3-inch ClearVid CMOS sensor for high-quality HD or SD images

2.7-inch widescreen hybrid touch-panel Clear Photo LCD Plus display

Professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens

Easy one-touch disc burn; Handycam Station included

ASIN: B000PQH1YW

Product Description

Capture life's most precious moments in the purest, most detailed picture available. The compact and capable HDR-SR5 high definition Handycam(R) camcorder lets you experience the world of high definition. Professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens and 10x optical, 80x digital zoom keeps everything close and clear. Switch between video modes to capture video in HD or SD (standard definition) on the built-in 40GB hard drive. You can even use the Dual Record Mode to capture exceptional still pictures and video with stunning detail and clarity (1080 lines of resolution - HD Mode or 530 lines of horizontal resolution - SD Mode). Optical stabilization achieves a higher level of smoothness without the video degradation that mars some digital stabilization systems. Easily control zoom and record buttons from the LCD screen's frame. Super NightShot(R) automatically adjusts shutter speed to increase picture brightness and clarity so you can shoot without much light and capture subjects from up to 10 feet away. InfoLithium with AccuPower(TM) Meter System (NP-FH60) Battery Type 35mm Equivalent Optics/Lens - 41.3-485mm (16 - 9 Camera Mode), 50.5-594mm (4 - 3 Camera Mode), 40.4-404mm (16 - 9 Memory Mode) & 37-370mm (4 - 3 Memory Mode) Scene Modes - Beach, Candle, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Sports Lesson, Spotlight, Sunrise & Sunset, Twilight and Twilight Portrait Inputs and Outputs - Analog Audio/Video Output, USB Ports, Digital Audio/Video Input & Output, HDMI, Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr) Output, Remote Jack, S-Video Outputs Dimensions - 3 x 3 1/4 x 5 5/8 inch (75 x 81 x 140mm) Weight - 1 pounds 3 ounces (540 grams) with supplied battery

Customer Reviews:

Pleased with camera but there is something to loose.......2007-12-26

I got this camera and pleased with it's look, video quality and ease of operation. I shoot some video inside the house and outside, I was pleased with it's outdoor quality, unbeatable recording and audio recording is more than perfect, audio doesn't annoy you like when you are speaking behind the camera and someone talking in front is well balanced and clear. I had problem with this with my old camera that it picked my voice too loud and others are still soft.

There is something to learn from experience that this camera works great indoor with some kind of lights only, I tried with soft white bulbs and it works better than my expectation (ofcourse I don't expect cameras to work great with low indoor light and people who complains about it are expecting too much from the cameras). But it sucks when you use yellow-red bulb light. Still thinking what could be a better choice for it?

Still-photo-camera is great asset to it, with built-in flash, it is great even though I chose less than 2MegaPixel resolution, pictures appears sharp. Sony is not a great technology to capture the exact/natural colors but it makes the picture more colorful with it's own selection of colors (I am a canon user for last 2 years and I think Canon and Olympus are generating more natural colors than sony). I Felt that small flash is not good enough for outdoor pictures in night (you definitely need an external flash and this camera has provision for it).

Missed the view-finder. I still wish if the camera has view finder to give me an alternate to LCD screen. I believe it's matter of getting used to it.

Super bright night-shot, it converts almost everything to black&white, hence though it's powerful than most of the cameras, not useful in most of the cases.

Camera lens is what puzzled me. If I put it in still-camera mode it gives me a wide angle coverage but if I change it to video mode it covers less widen area. With that I strongly feel that one needs a wide angle lens, otherwise it's almost impossible to shoot indoor.

As someone already mentioned, menus are not user friendly and I agree 100% with him.

What pleases me is the great video quality. I took the videos of this snowfall and with HD quality, it appears like watching the live video. Even without HD the quality is high and watching on 32 inch or less, it appears the same. I could snap pictures while recording the video. While I am still exploring the features, I recommend it for the people who are looking for a more outdoor shooting than indoor (with less light). It can be a too costly for newbies who don't know how to use most of the features and change everytime according to needs. Semi-professionals people will always find it a great buy.

Good, but far from perfect.......2007-12-13

I've been using this camera for almost 3 months now. I really like the quality for the most part and having the video go directly to a digitized format is awesome. However, I do have some serious problems with a few things.

1. No USB connection on the camera body.
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Now, I really don't understand why they didn't add a port as important as the one for the USB connection directly on the camera body. That is basically the only way for you to transfer the video files directly to your computer. It seems like either of the ports for the A/V Out or the Component connection (which I hardly use) could have been left to the base if it was a space issue, or perhaps even the mini-HDMI port (which I think they should have included an adapter to standard HDMI for).

If they HAD included the USB port on the camera body, there wouldn't be a need for the base at all. The more I think about it, the more nonsensical it seems. Of course, perhaps there was some engineering issue that made it more feasible....but for $700 bucks, I don't want to have to make excuses for them or figure out why they made something more complicated when it could have been so simple.

Also, although the newer versions USB seem to be overtaking firewire, they could have put that type of connection on the base rather than additional component and A/V ports which are already on the camera body.

2. Shooting in low light has lots of noise.
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I thought the CMOS sensor on this camera was supposed to eliminate noise in low light situations, but from what I can tell, shooting outside at night or even in dark rooms, there's plenty of noticeable noise in the dark regions of the video image, even when shooting at the highest quality level, HD XP. I don't know if it's something I can have checked out, perhaps my sensor just isn't working properly, but in any case, that's been somewhat of a disappointment for me.

What I expected was video quality like that in the movie Collateral, which had lots of great night shots using HD cameras. Maybe that is a bit too much for a consumer camera, but still, I expected more.

Also, another problem that I've found with night shots, is that the auto-focus has a really hard time getting zeroed in on the right area. I usually have to end up focusing it manually if I want a consistently clear shot at night.

3. The bundled software doesn't convert to an uncompressed format.
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Since AVCHD is a relatively new format, I was certain that they would have a feature in the software to convert clips to some more universal uncompressed format. But the software that comes with the camera only has the option to export the video to MPEG2, which creates a clear loss in quality. So, I don't understand why they wouldn't make it easier for us to convert the video into some more widely used format with that losing that HD clarity. I know there are third party applications that do this, but Sony should have provided this feature with the camera.

Additionally, working with the AVCHD format is a pain in general. In order to view the video on your computer as a video file, you have to import it using the Sony Picture Utility software that comes on a CD-ROM with the camera. When it imports the files to a selected destination folder, you actually get 3 files for every video clip you've shot. The extensions are 'm2tsm', 'modd', and 'moff'. The 'm2tsm' file is the one that actually contains the video data (I had to assume since it's always the largest). I'm not sure what the others are for.

Even after you've installed all the provided software, you can't just double click a video file to open it. You have to "Register" the folder the video files are in in the Picture Motion Browser. Only then can you view your video. They have a program called 'Player for AVCHD', beut it stupidly only plays the video on your camera harddrive, and doesn't even have an option to directly open the files on your computer. Personally, I've found the software to be more cumbersome than useful. The program doesn't have an option to move folders, so if you do move the files, you have to re-register them and delete the old folders from the Picture Motion Browser yourself. While it's nice in someways to keep things organized, it's not really that helpful. And the editing features made available are almost completely worthless, unless all you want to do is split a clip in two.

Despite it's shortcomings, I still think it's a decent camera, although I really wish they had better software with more editing features. Still, I think it's worth $700 or so for the clear image (in daylight) and the convienice of having the video go directly to a harddrive. Despite it's shortcomings, this might actually be the best HD harddrive camcorders on the market, but having not had the opportunity to try any others, I can't say that for sure. What I can say is that it's good, even if it's not perfect.

*I had to edit this because I kept thinking of other things I had problems with. And the more I thought about the file format situation, the more annoyed I became. So I think I would have to modify my recommendation and say that you should just wait until future versions to buy this camera when they improve the software or just try out another camera altogether. Considering these other difficulties, I think I would have to drop my rating to a 2 out of 5 stars.

Great picture, but AVCHD format prevents editing.......2007-12-12

The picture quality and features on the camera are great, BUT...

Sony shot itself in the foot when it decided to push the AVCHD video format. You are forced to use Sony's substandard software tools; there is no good conversion story if you want your video in MP4. WMV, or any other format. So, Adobe Premiere (which I use for all my home editing) is useless, as is Edius, Ulead VideoStudio, or anything else.

After reading about the quality, I bought this camera to take video of my son's wedding. Now, about all I can do is make a raw video onto DVD of the footage and give away copies, as opposed to putting together something nice for them.

If all you're going to do is shoot video, and play video from the camera to a TV, then go ahead and buy it; if you have any intention of bring the footage into a computer, then avoid this camera like the plague.

Best HDD camcorder.......2007-12-09

Best HDD camcorder that is not HD. I have owned tape and mini DVD camcorders in the past and they are a burden to say the least. 40 GB HDD is plenty space for recording. Colors are great and the 6.1 MP pictures are pretty good too. Only thing to remember is to manually adjust to Outdoors/Indoor for more accurate colors. It isn't a big deal but it will improve overall video. I personally love the infrared video capability, even though is a green video it is always good for filming were a light would not be practical ( like a baby's face when sleeping,etc). Overall, great camcorder, love the LCD touchscreen it is way better than I tought and the video on low light is decent altough I wish it was better. Hope it helps.

Editing is a mess.......2007-12-07

Sony HDR-SR5 AVCHD 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
Plays back awesome video with HDMI onto the HDTV. Editing though is an absolute mess, included software next to worthless and the usual sony quirkiness is definitely messing up a good product. One more thing CMOS is not an approximation for CCDs. Buyers please be aware.

Average customer rating:

Sony HDR-SR5 AVCHD 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: CE

Sony HDR-SR5 AVCHD 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
Ultra High Capacity Lithium Ion Battery - AC/DC Rapid Battery Charger
Sony Camcorder Case - Telephoto and Wide lens Set - 3 pc Filter Kit: UV/ Polarizing filter/Fluorescent correction and Case
Full Size 57" Tripod w/Case - 1 Gigabyte Pro-Duo Memory Stick - Sony Camcorder Carrying Case w/Front Pocket & Strap
Deluxe Cleaning and Care Kit - Package of LCD Screen Protectors

ASIN: B000S6NR74

Product Description

The Sony HDR-SR5 AVC HD 40GB Hard-Disc Handycam Camcorder is the industry's first direct to Hard Disc Drive, AVCHD camcorder. The HDR-SR5 shoots in genuine 1080i resolution, for real unparalleled HDTV clarity. Its professional quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens captures brilliant images with life like color and tones, while the 2.1-megapixel CMOS processes faster than a CCD for richer color and better detail. The Progressive Shutter System supplies digital still images with excellent definition and sharpness. +PLUS+ ACCESSORY KIT: - Lithium-Ion Battery - Rapid Battery Charger - Telephoto and Wide lens Set - 3 pc Filter Kit: UV/ Polarizing filter/Fluorescent correction and Case - 57-inch Tripod - Sony Camcorder Case - 1GB Pro-Duo Memory Stick - Cleaning Kit - LCD Screen Protectors

Product Description

Meade Series 4000 Super Plossl Eyepieces 1.25" and 2.0"MODEL: 1.25'' Meade Super Plossl 9.7mm Eyepiece Model 07171-02

Customer Reviews:

Quality high power plossl.......2006-04-02

This Meade eyepice is of excellent build quality. It offers very good resolution of the planets, moon, starclusters, planetary nebulae, and double stars.

A great general purpose high power eyepiece.......2004-09-09

The Meade Series 4000 Super Plössls are an improvment over the 3000 series Plössls. The 9.7mm is used for high power observing on most telescopes. This eyepiece offers a magnification of 129x on an ETX90 or 206x on a 2000mm focal length telescope like the LX90. At high magnifications one requires a steady atmosphere, or else the image appears blurry due to bad "seeing". But with steady skies, this eyepiece produces stunning views of the planets.

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