Sony Handycam HDR-SR11 Review

The Sony Handycam HDR-SR11 is a high-definition (HD) camcorder that sports some of the latest camcorder technology with its huge 60 GB HDD (hard disk drive), 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound capabilities, and its ability to take 10.2 megapixel still shots. It excels in many ways over the competition, including its ability to take great quality HD video that is head-and-shoulders better than other HD camcorders in its class. I also had a few minor gripes with this Handycam, so read on to find out if this is the right camcorder for you.

Features of The Sony HDR-SR11

There's no shortage of features packed into the compact body of the HDR-SR11. The 12x optical zoom lens works well at shooting long-range footage, and with the built-in optical image stabilization (OIS) which Sony calls Super Steady Shot, this camcorder takes great long-range shots with minimal camcorder-shake.

Sony equipped the HDR-SR11 with a good-sized 3.2-inch LCD touchscreen display. The display is easily visible in both brightly-lit and dark conditions, and it's very high resolution with over 900,000 pixels - far more than the competition. In other words, it's easy to see fine details on-screen while filming and colors are very accurate. I wasn't totally keen on the whole touchscreen aspect of the display, because it leaves fingerprints and can jostle the camcorder while filming if you need to get into the camcorder's menu system to make adjustments.

One of the greatest features of this Handycam is the amount of HD-quality video that it's capable of storing in its internal hard drive. The HDR-SR11 features a 60 GB HDD which will give you up to 22 hours of footage at the low-quality setting and about 7-hours of video at the highest setting. For most people, this is more than enough storage capacity.

Video is stored in the relatively new AVCHD recording format which is becoming more popular amongst camcorder manufacturers. The downside of this format is that it's not yet widely supported by video editing software, so editing video on your computer may be a challenge. The HDR-SR11 doesn't come with any full-featured video editing software for Windows-based computers, but it will work seamlessly with Mac computers that have iMovie or Final Cut Pro software installed. Sony includes their Picture Motion software, but your editing options are very limited.

The last feature that I'll mention is the ability to shoot up to 10.2 megapixel still shots. I found the photo quality to be average - I don't think that it will replace a digital camera's photo quality, but it's still a nice feature to have.

Performance and Video Quality

The HDR-SR11 shoots great quality video with very accurate colors and sharp, crisp details. Compared to other HD camcorders, this one is definitely above average in the video quality department. It allows you to shoot video in 1920 x 1080i HD resolution at its highest setting. You'll get about 7-hours of high-definition video at the camcorder's highest quality setting - not bad!

While this Handycam does capture sound in Dolby 5.1 surround sound, I was not overly-impressed with the quality. That being said, sound quality is better than most other camcorders on the market right now. And on the plus side, Sony has included a microphone jack where you can easily plug-in an external microphone for better surround sound quality that sounds great on a surround sound home theater!

Performance of the included battery pack was impressive. You can expect about 2-hours of battery life on a full charge - better than the competition.

Who's it For?

The HDR-SR11 has all of the right features and capabilities for anyone looking for a great HD camcorder that can store hours of high-quality footage and is easy to use right out of the box. If you don't have an HDTV, and don't plan on having one in the near future, this camcorder is not for. Instead, you should check-out a good standard-definition model that will better suit your needs and save you money.

All you HDTV freaks out there will thoroughly enjoy this Handycam's outstanding video quality and better-than-average 5.1 Dolby surround sound when playing back footage on your high-definition television. Sony includes both composite cables and RCA cables - both are used to connect to your TV. For the best quality playback, you'll need to purchase an additional mini HDMI cable for watching videos directly on your HDTV.

The Bottom Line

Pros:

Overall, I was very impressed with the Sony Handycam HDR-SR11's video quality and abundance of useful features. It's very easy to operate right out of the box, and it comes with all of the necessary cables and software to get you started. It weighs just under 1-1/2 pounds, and it feels comfortable and stable while filming with one hand. It offers some cool advanced features that most people will enjoy, such as face detection, night vision mode, OIS, some manual controls for more advanced users, and a touchscreen LCD display.

Cons:

I had only minor gripes with this camcorder. Sony doesn't include video editing software, so if you plan on doing any major editing, you need to purchase that separately. Also not included is a mini-HDMI cable which is used to connect the camcorder directly to an HDTV for watching videos.