Sony HDR-SR5

The SR-5 is a great camera that is easy to use. The image quality is great, it's actually frighteningly realistic: great colours and contrast. The image is even OK in not-so-bright situations. Even standard resolution pictures are a treat - and easier to work with if you like editing your summer holiday-vids. The AVCHD format takes so much power from the computer that editing is tiresome.The sound quality is fine, though even better with Sony's attachable mike - the stereo one because the mono/zoom one is terrible. For normal use the sound, either in 5.1 from the in-built mike or in stereo from an attachable mike, is good and does not feel as compressed as it really is.Please note that this camera does NOT record in FULL HD (even though Sony would like you to think so) - it's "only" 1440x1080i, but the AVCHD format out-performs HDV in my opinion. The image is so good that so far I don't feel that something is "missing".

First and foremost, this camera gives you great pictures be it HD or SD for a reasonable price. The AVCHD format used here is not 1920x1080, no matter how much you bend it the camera does not support "Full HD" - even though Sony would like you to believe so (this set captures 1440x1080i AVCHD files). The resolution is just as HDV, but in my opinion the picture of the SR-5 and AVCHD are better: huge colour-spectrum and great contrast. Makes even the ebst HDV/DV seem like obsolete technology. This camera offers some wonderfully natural pictures. Even SD pictures are great, though not as sensational as HD. Until personal computers become able to run and edit AVCHD my choice is definately MPEG2.

The SR-5 records in Dolby Digital 5.1 to save space on he HDD. Dolby is fine for normal (speech-) sound but sound-freaks and music-people should record on external hardware - the bitrate or DD is simply too low and the built-in mike is OK for speech, but not the best for music. Buy an external microphone for the AIS-slot on top, such as the ECM-HST1, for clearer sound (though it's "only" stereo). An external mike boosts sound performance - but please keep away from the awful zoom-mike that Sony offers!

This camera is easy to use and belongs in the point and shoot category. With pictures like these I have not missed all the manual settings of more prof-like cameras but be aware that manual setting is a hazzle on this camera and they are fairly limited.

This set might not be "True HD" and it might be limited in some areas but once you've seen its awesome pictures I don't think you'll notice. And the lack of a few features are also quickly forgotten. This is a pleaser - though I'd like to get my hands on the new Sony HDR-SR10E with 1920x1080i pictures...

I bought this High Definition Quality 40Gb Hard Drive Camcorder to replace a mini DV Sony camcorder which had started chewing up tapes. It is very easy to use and produces excellent quality video and reasonably good quality (4 MegaPixel) photographs. The 10x optical zoom also gives adequate magnification as a higher level of magnification (I also tried a 40x optical zoom model) can result in excessive camera shake. The software bundled with the camera is very basic and not much use for creating a useful length movie from the hours of footage taken so a further software purchase will be required to make the most of this camcorder. The night shot mode produces fairly grainy pictures although that can be said of most camcorders on the market in a similar cost bracket. The life of the supplied battery is reasonable and the camera is light and easy to use. Still images can be stored on the hard drive or on a Memory Stick Pro (not supplied). When video is played back through an HD TV via the HDMI output of the camcorder the picture is stunning. An important note for any purchaser is that an HDMI cable is not included so must be bought separately and the camcorder has a mini HDMI socket, not a full size one. At this time I do not own an HD DVD recorder so cannot comment on this aspect of the camcorder.