Sony HDR-SR7

In a world where AVCHD camcorders are multiplying like rabbits, Sony has proved itself yet again as the prime contributor. The HDR-SR7 ($1400 MSRP) appears to show enormous potential as Sony’s leader of the AVCHD HDD pack with a 60GB hard drive, mic and headphone jacks, and multifunction cam control dial. Both this and the next model-down, the HDR-SR5, offer 1/3" ClearVid CMOS sensors, but the SR7 packs in significantly more pixels, making for better resolution but possibly worse low light performance.  Sony's latest round of announcements marks seven AVCHD camcorder releases since last July, but can the SR7 match their initial HDD model, the HDR-SR1, for handling? Trading out the control ring for a small dial is a bad start, but we're willing to give it the benefit of a doubt. Let's take a closer look.