Sony HDR-SR12 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Mar 31, 2008 2:25 PM 
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Still Features (9.0)
The HDR-SR12 (Review, Specs, $1399.00) can capture digital still images to the 120GB HDD or MemoryStick PRO Duo stick in the following sizes: 10.2-megapixels (3680 x 2760), 7.6-megapixels (3696 x 2052), 6.1-megapixels (2848 x 2136), 1.9-megapixels (1600 x 1200), and 0.3-megapixels (640 x 480 VGA). Sony’s Dual Record mode allows you to capture 7.6-megapixel stills while in Video mode. The HDR-SR12 is capable of capturing the largest still images (10.2M) of any camcorder on the market. However, the native resolution of the chip is only 5,660,000 pixels (gross), with an effective pixel count in 4:3 still mode of 5,080,000, which means that the 10.2-megapixel image is a 2x interpolation. Sony’s new BIONZ processing system and unconventional CMOS chip pixel array allows for still image resolution to be true to its resolution, not enlarged like Sonys of the past. Because of this, the HDR-SR12 is the first camcorder to actually pose as a viable alternative to a low-end digital camera.
The HDR-SR12 has a Flash embedded to the left of the lens, which leads to uneven lighting in certain shooting environments. The Flash can be set to Auto, On, or Off, and its intensity can be set to High, Normal, or Low. A 10-second Self-Timer is available, in addition to a Red-Eye Reduction filter that can be turned On or Off. In Photo mode, all manual controls are readily available, in addition to Guide Frames and Zebra stripes.
The most intriguing still feature is the HDR-SR12’s Face Detection mode. Although Face Detection is nearly old hat for the Digital Camera world, camcorders are now beginning to enjoy some runoff from the technology. When the HDR-SR12 detects a face, a white box is placed around it and the camcorder automatically adjusts the Focus, Exposure, and Color to suit the complexities of that face. You can set Face Detection to function without the white box, but that kind of defeats the purpose. The HDR-SR12’s Face Detection can detect up to eight faces at a time. This feature is also available in Video mode.
The Photo Settings menu
The Photo Settings menu can be accessed from Video or Photo mode and contains the following options:
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Photo Settings |
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| Page 1 | Image Size, File Number, AE Shift, WB Shift, NightShot Light, SteadyShot |
| Page 2 | Guideframe, Zebra, Flash Mode, Flash Level, Red Eye Reduction, Dial Setting |
| Page 3 | Face Detection, Conversion Lens |
In order to access Photo Playback, press the oval Playback button located within the LCD cavity while in Photo mode. In Photo Playback mode, the Function menu contains the following options:
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Photo Playback Index Function |
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| Page 1 | Print, Slideshow |
| Page 2 | Delete, Delete By Date, Delete All |
You can opt to display the data of the image or the date and time while reviewing your shots. The image data includes the Exposure step, Shutter Speed, and f-stop. You can also print directly from the HDR-SR12 via a USB printer and images can be viewed in a Slide Show.
When a still image is accessed, the Function menu contains the following options:
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Photo Playback Function |
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| Page 1 | Print, Data Code, Slideshow Set |
| Page 2 | Delete |
Still Performance (11.7)
The still performance of the Sony HDR-SR12 was tested by shooting an X-Rite Color Checker chart at an even, bright light, then running the stills through Imatest imaging software for analysis on color accuracy, noise, and saturation. At best, the SR12 was able to produce a color error of 5.13, an excellent score that well exceeded the Canon HF10, Panasonic HDC-SD9 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $0.00), and JVC GZ-HD6 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $0.00).
The noise measured 1.5425 percent, which is not a great score. The Canon HF10 is closely matched, but Panasonic and JVC performed better. Finally, the saturation was 95.78 percent.
The most accurate colors do not typically occur in Auto mode for this test. As is often the case, the Sony HDR-SR12 did better when we manually lowered the exposure. The best score came when we lowered the exposure two notches. The EXIF data revealed this to be an aperture of f/3.4 and a shutter speed of 1/60.
Still Resolution (32.7)
The still resolution was tested by shooting an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart at an even, bright light, then running the stills through Imatest imaging software. At best, the Sony HDR-SR12 produced a horizontal resolution of 1566 line widths per picture height (lw/ph) with an undersharpening of 10.7 percent. The vertical resolution measured 1031 lw/ph with an undersharpening of 26.9 percent.
In order to get this best score, we manually raised the exposure one increment. The EXIF data revealed this to be an aperture of f/4.0 and a shutter speed of 1/60.