Sony Handycam HDR-SR7E

Along with its trio of siblings the tape based HDR-HC7, the flash based CX7, and the DVD based UX7 the SR7 uses Sony's 1/2.9 inch, 3.2 megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor, recording video at 2.3 megapixel (HD) or 1.7 megapixel (SD) resolution before down sampling and encoding to 1080i HD (1,440x1,080) or SD (720x480), respectively.

It also shoots photos at native 2.3 megapixel (16:9) or 3 megapixel (4:3) resolutions, despite the grandiose 6 megapixel claim on the body, which refers to a maximum interpolated resolution. It sports a 10x zoom Zeiss T*-coated lens and 5.1 Dolby surround sound recording. If all you plan to do is play the video back on an HDTV, the SR7 is a great fit. For editing, though, there are still some hurdles to jump.

Most important, the AVCHD format used by Sony, Panasonic, and Canon for file based HD recording faces some glitchy to nonexistent software support.

In Sony's case, it really should drop the feeble Picture Motion Browser software bundle and include the more functional Vegas Video Movie Studio Platinum Edition, at least for the folks who drop over $1,000 on the HD Handycams.

Other cutting edge pitfalls include a mini HDMI connector (Type C), which requires a cable that's not yet ubiquitous and support for the mostly still unviewable x.v.Color (xvYCC) color space.

That's all unfortunate, because the SR7 otherwise delivers a very good HD experience. From a design and operation perspective, it has everything we liked about the HC7. It weighs a bit less 1 pound, 5 ounces with battery but feels similarly comfortable to hold and shoot only using the touch screen requires an awkward two handed balancing act. Though inconvenient for menu navigation, the LCD otherwise works well and remains visible in harsh lighting.

I generally prefer shooting with an eye level viewfinder, though, and wish Sony had padded the hard plastic eyecup. Like most of Sony's consumer models, the SR7 incorporates the love it or hate it touch screen interface I fall more into the hate it camp, especially on the SR7's smaller 16:9 2.7 inch LCD. Within the menus you'll find eight scene modes 24 step exposure shift manual, indoor, outdoor, and auto white balance and manual shutter speed adjustment between 1/2 and 1/500 second.

Spot Focus and Spot Meter take advantage of the interface by letting you literally point at your subject. You can assign one shooting adjustment setting manual focus, exposure compensation or exposure shift, white balance shift (toward red or blue), and shutter speed to control via the rather slippery CAM CTL dial.

For shooting convenience, Sony provides its excellent SuperSteadyShot optical image stabilizer and Active Interface Shoe, plus Super NightShot infrared mode for when you need to record in the dark. Other niceties include a built in electronic lens cover and a flash for still photos.