Sony HDR-SR11E Hard Drive Camcorder Review
Sony HDR-SR11E HD Tapeless Camcorder
Most of us are already aware of the fact that Apple is completely lagging when it comes to making the Mac platform friendly to the tapeless camcorders. There are only a very few camcorders that are currently in the market, which are friendly with the tapeless camcorders. Sony’s HDR-SR11E HD Camcorder is one among them. It is a high definition handycam that is hard disk based, delivering high quality movies for movies as well as still images.
A quick snapshot:
Sony HDR-SR11E is a fantastic camcorder that captures video in a variety of conditions. Having a crafty design, good deal of ease of use, and a great of features, it is the front runner in the field of tapeless camcorders. Moreover, there is no real actual competition for this camcorder. You can capture your most precious moments with this exceptionally high quality HD 1920×1080 movies and still images of resolution 10 mega pixels. Sony puts the icing on the cake with a dead-simple interface and extra goodies like Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound recording, a touch-screen LCD, face detection, and HDMI Consumer Electronic Control compatibility.
An intuitive design:
Sony HDR-SR11E hard drive camcorder can be said as just portable but not ultra-portable for its dimensions being 3.4″ x 3″ x 5.5″ (H X W X D) inches, weighing 1.4 pounds. As you can clearly see, it is not on the lightest list of camcorders, for instance, the Samsung SC-HMX20C weighs only one pound. The body design of HDR-SR11E is similar to that of the Canon’s Vixia HV30. This camcorder features an oval body with a rectangular grip on the right hand side. The grip provided makes the camcorder feel sturdy in your hands which is one of the main ergonomical advantages of this camcorder. The weight of the camcorder tends to lean toward the left, so it is best to hold it with two hands, that is, left hand under the LCD, right hand on the body, in order to ensure stability.
The control ergonomics:
The controls in the HDR-SR11E camcorder are also well positioned considering the good grip it has offered. The physical controls are available towards the back, that is easily accessible with your thumb and index fingers. The zoom tab is within easy reach of your index finger. A menu wheel, which you control with your thumb, toggles between Memory Stick recording and HDD recording. we especially liked the design of the plastic doors all around the camcorder used to protect connection ports from dust. They easily snap open and are much sturdier than the removable rubber covers found on most camcorders. Very little noise is produced when you zoom or when you use the other operational buttons but the wind filter used seems to be completely ineffective and the shutter delay is quite too long. The remote control offered is also good and is quite sensitive.
3.2-inch Wide Xtra Fine LCD:
The 3.2-inch touch-screen LCD flips out of the left-hand side. Most of the camcorders make use of the joystick which are quick and snappy but since the release of the iPhone, the touch screen has become the most preferred and an attractive one. This 3.2 inch LCD display feels quite spacious when compared to other camcorders that have 2.7” display. Though the Sony HDR-SR11E Full HD Camcorder is not equipped with any view finder, having a 912K-pixel LCD, you probably will not need it. The display has a few physical buttons on its frame for zooming and recording. There are some of the controls that are repetitive as they can be already found in the rear of the camcorder, and you can operate the controls, which ever you are comfortable with.
The cable options:
There is a 3.5mm plug for an external microphone and another shoe connection where a microphone or lamp can be attached. With the help of the HDMI connector, you can connect your Sony HDR-SR11E on any HD-ready TV and enjoy your HD quality video with PhotoTV HD output to view your still photographs in fantastic detail and depth. To save and store your movies on discs or on a PC, use the HDR-SR11E’s One Touch Disc Burn and Easy PC back up via the USB 2.0 High speed connection.
Interface with the WOW factor:
The interface that Sony has employed in the HDR-SR11E Digital camcorder is a real breeze to use. The touch screen navigation is very responsive and intuitive. The big onscreen buttons are great. All the menu options have been distributed in five pages and only four options appear in a single page.
The Sony HDR-SR11E HD Camcorder has a wide options for indexing, that will allow you to quickly locate the specific videos from the shot footage. The Face Index works with the Face Detection Technology to produce thumbnail images of faces. All that you need to do is, simply tap the photo quality 3.2″ Wide Xtra Fine LCD touch-screen to play your selected scene. Alternatively, choose the Film Roll Index to search scenes within each recorded chapter at your own defined intervals, from 3 seconds to 5 minutes.
The video capabilities:
The Sony HDR-SR11E handyam captures video at the highest available resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 with an interlacing rate of 60 frames per second. Very impressive. If you are looking for more flexibility, then you can opt for Canon’s Vixia HV30, which allows you to fiddle more, having a recording capability of the same resolution and also allows you to choose either 60 frames per second interlaced or 30 fps progressive which is great for snapping still images or you also have an option of choosing 24 fps progressive that stimulates motion recorded by film.
Storage and editing options:
The HDR-SR11E shoots and stores the high definition video on a 60GB hard drive or memory stick duo or a pro duo card. This massive 60GB hard drive allows you to store and record up to 22 hours of video without the need of any discs or tapes. Video is recorded in the AVCHD format, which bit of pain for Windows users. The Windows Movie Maker video software that comes with Vista, is not compatible with AVCHD. If you are a PC user, then you will have to invest on some additional video editing software. If you are not intending to make additional investments, then you could also opt for JVC’s Everio GZ-HD10 or Samsung’s SC-HMX20C, both of which include dedicated video-editing and Blu-ray burning software. The iMovie ‘08 of Mac is compatible and could be used by the Mac users.
Lens and zoom features:
The Sony HDR-SR11E HD Hard Disc Drive Handycam makes use of the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens, which has 12x optical zoom and 150x digital zoom that allows you to enjoy effortless capturing of the distant objects without loosing the slightest quality of the picture. The 12x optical zoom allows you to have dramatic close-up shots, giving a very clear view of the actions than the ones offered by the 10x enabled models.
Tele Conversion Lens is another useful accessory which not only magnify the images but due to their shallow depth of field makes them useful in eliminating unwanted foreground and background objects by simply putting them out of focus. Thus the images looks much more pleasant and natural. The VCL-HG1737C lens is of high grade quality and produces beautiful pictures.
SteadyShot optical image stabilisation technology:
Sony’s Super SteadyShot optical image stabilisation technology ensures that your footages are blur-free. This technology works by reducing the after effects of the camera shake that usually occurs when you shoot on a move while walking or traveling. Image quality is usually sacrificed when this function is used, but the effect is minimal on this model.
The D-range optimiser:
The contrast settings and the exposure are adjusted automatically by the D-range optimiser that gives you great exposed footages even in undesirable backlit conditions.
x.v colour mode:
The x.v colour mode that can be usually seen in the TVs is used in the HDR-SR11E too in order to ensure brilliant and lifelike colour reproduction. The fruits of this feature can be tasted particularly when you are watching your footage on a HD-ready TV. You will be able to witness that the depth and the real vibrancy of the colours are bought in.
Face Detection Technology:
Sony’s trademark face detection technology in included in HDR-SR11E too which detects the faces with bit allocation ensuring that the faces within a scene are very clear and natural looking too. It presents a blue box around subjects’ faces on the LCD and adjusts exposure and focus for optimal quality. Samsung’s SC-HMX20C offers this feature, too, but Sony’s focusing was faster, and images were better exposed and sharper.
Nightshot mode:
Shooting in dark is possible when you use the built-in infrared lamp. The quality is not that good, yet, you can have some good fun. The HDR-SR11 High Definition camcorder does feature a fun Nightshot mode, which makes video look as if it has been shot with night-vision goggles.
Still image features:
Sony HDR-SR11E HDD Camcorder has options for you to capture and store still images of resolution up to 10 mega pixels, making it a great all rounder. This eliminates your need to invest on a good quality digital camera. When you select the Advanced Dual Rec, you can shoot up to 7.6 megapixel still photos whilst recording video footage, meaning you can enjoy both still images and videos of special occasions.
Sensors and Image Processors:
This compact camcorder, having packed with a lot of Sony’s latest technology features, is able to produce pictures that are crystal clear. The outstanding picture quality with little or no noise and high sensitivity is obtained with the help of the ClearVid CMOS sensor with Exmor derived technology. This technology also helps you to shoot with high confidence in the areas of low lights and high zoom levels. The CMOS sensor guarantees videos that are higher quality than the 3CCD chip equipped models. The various functions of the camcorder are controlled by the BIONZ high speed image processor that processes the shots quickly and also retains the natural colour reproduction.
You cam put the camcorder to sleep, in order to save battery and then the quick on button swiftly starts off the camcorder from the sleep mode, ensuring that you would not any of the moments that you would like to cherish in your life.
Performance factors:
The image quality is simply excellent. When compared to the other models of JVC, Canon and Samsung that we have discussed in this review, Sony HDR-SR11E 3CCD Camcorder is the only camcorder that managed to have shown no signs of purple fringing. The flesh tones, outdoor scenes and scenes of naturally lit rooms are very bright and good. Very little detail is compromised in the darker scenes.
Audio features:
Having such a good picture quality, it is necessary for the Sony HDR-SR11E camcorder to have a great audio quality too for us to enjoy the footage completely. For that reason, Sony had included surround sound audio record ability along with an excellent zoom microphone. It is one of the very few camcorders in this price range in market to record in Dobly Digital 5.1 surround sound.
HDMI Consumer Electronic Control:
Sony has included the support for HDMI Consumer Electronic Control, which is relatively a new user interface technology. When you connect the camcorder via HDMI to an HDTV that also supports CEC, the TV can actually take control of the camcorder, and you can operate the camera using the HDTV’s remote.
Battery life and package contents:
The battery life of HDR-SR11E is quite impressive giving you 120 minutes on a full charge.
The package contents include Sony HDR-SR11E 60GB High Definition Handycam, Camcorder Power Adapter or In-Camera Charger, Infolithium rechargeable battery, Remote Commander, Remote Control, Handycam Station cradle, Component Video Cable, Multi A/V Cable, Application CD-ROM w/ Driver and USB Cable. The HDR-SR11 does not include the video-editing and Blu-ray burning software that competing camcorders like JVC’s Everio GZ-HD10 do.
Sony HDR-SR11E 60GB High Definition Handycam comes with one year manufacturer’s warranty.
Verdict:
The HDR-SR11E is a slightly cheaper alternative to Sony’s top of the range HDR-SR12E. With the exception of a smaller hard drive, it offers identical performance to its award-winning sibling. This high-definition, 60 GB camera sports all the bells and whistles that a top tier Sony handycam should be having, including Full HD 1920×1080 video recording at 16Mbps, 22 hours HD recording, 10 mega pixels still photo recording, 3.2-inch Wide Xtra Fine LCD and 12x optical zoom. Being the current best selling handycam of sony, we recommend this fantastic HD Camcorder for frequent flyers.
Read reviews of Sony HDR-TG7VE Camcorder in Sony Camcorder Section.
Sony HDR-SR11E Camcorder – Technical Specification Details
| Manufacturer | Sony |
| Model Name | Sony HDR-SR11E |
| Camcorder type | Tapeless |
| Dimensions ( H X W X D) | 76 x 83 x138 mm |
| Weight | 560 grams |
| Display | 3.2″ wide touch panel Xtra Fine LCD display |
| Display resolution | 921k pixels |
| VIDEO FEATURES | |
| Formats Supported | HD: MPEG4 AVC/H.264 SD: MPEG2 |
| Video Signal | NTSC color, EIA standards |
| PhotoTV HD | Yes |
| STILL IMAGE FEATURES | |
| Still image resolution | 10 mega pixels |
| Compression of still image | JPEG |
| Recording Media | Memory Stick DUO |
| Image Size: Max | 16:9 Mode ; 3680 x 2070 (7.6M) / 4:3 Mode ; 3680 x 2760 (10.2M) |
| Image Size: VGA | 640 x 480 |
| Specific features | Still image recording on Memory Stick Still image recording on internal HDD Memory Stick PRO Compatibility Index Playback PictBridge compatibility Still Recording during Movie (Dual Rec) : 7.6 M, unlimited |
| AUDIO FEATURES | |
| Audio System | Dolby Digital 5.1ch |
| Built in Microphone | 3ch, zoom microphone |
| Specific features | Built-in Speaker Surround Recording |
| CAMERA FEATURES | |
| Image Device: Size | 1/3.1 ClearVid CMOS Sensor |
| Image Processor | BIONZ |
| Number of Pixels Gross (K) | 5660 |
| Shutter Speed | 1/2-1/800 (including Scene Selection) |
| White Balance | Auto / Outdoor / Indoor / Onepush |
| Scene Selection | Twilight, Twilight Portrait (Still Image), Candle, Sunrise & Sunset, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Beach, Snow |
| Specific features | Exmor technology, x.v.Colour, Full Range Auto focus, Manual focus, Spot Focus, Spot Meter, SteadyShot (Image Stabilisation), Face Detection, D-range Optimiser, Night Shot, Camera Noise Reduction, Auto Slow Shutter, Colour Slow Shutter, Backlight compensation, Telemacro |
| LENS AND ZOOM | |
| Lens | Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T |
| F | 1.8-3.1 |
| Filter Diameter (mm) | 37 |
| Zoom Ratio (Optical) | 12 |
| Zoom Ratio (Digital) | 150 |
| Precision Digital Zoom | Yes |
| Ports and Connectivity | Audio Output, Video Output, S-Video Output, USB Input, USB Output, Component Video Output, HDMI Output, External Microphone Input, Headphone Jack |
| Package contents | Sony HDR-SR11E 60GB High Definition Handycam, Camcorder Power Adapter or In-Camera Charger, Infolithium rechargeable battery, Remote Commander, Remote Control, Handycam Station cradle, Component Video Cable, Multi A/V Cable, Application CD-ROM w/ Driver and USB Cable. |
| Warranty | One year |
Leave a Reply