Five months ago, I took the leap and bought a Sony HDR-CX7. I had been using the Sony HDR-HC1 HDV camcorder, but as my boxes of DV tapes grew, I thought going tapeless would solve two problems: 1) tapes degrade and take space, while a flash memory card could be backed up easy to DVD-Rs. 2) it would take much less time to copy data from a flash card to the computer, instead of importing real-time. The downsides will be mentioned in a moment.

As it turns out, #1 was correct, but #2 was not. After getting an 8GB memory stick, I realized I could not back that up to a 4.7GB DVD-R (single layer) so I now use a series of 4GB parts, so each backs up to a cheap DVD-R when I am done (I just use the Apple Mac OS X disk utility and tell it to make a Disk Image from Folder, and point it to the memory stick. When I mount that image later, it will be recognized in iMovie or Fnial Cut as a camera/memory stick and let me import.) So now I have a stack of DVD-Rs of backup images -- much nicer than DV tapes (and I can make clones/copies much easier).

#2, though, surprised me. The computer has to import the AVCHD and then transcode it to some editable format, and this takes longer than real-time. On my Core Duo 2 iMac, it was fast enough to import and transcode HDV video from tape (one hour of footage took one hour) most of the time, but importing AVCHD from memory stick or CD or disk image takes about double time. So note that this format is slower -- until we all get computers fast enough. Maybe one day I will be able to import an hour of video from a memory card as fast as the USB reader will handle it, and instantly be able to use it.

The downside would be that AVCHD compression would not be as good as HDV. (13GB of data on a DV tape versus 8GB of flash memory for about an hour of video). And, after watching some footage, I could see much more artifacting and blockiness in dark/shadow areas. There are four quality settings in the CX12, and I have not tested the highest (I record on the second setting), so it may be better.

Still, for general video, it's completely acceptable. Motion did not seem to be an issue (taping out the side of a moving car, recording the joust or sword fighters at a renaissance festival, etc.)

The size and convienience won me over, totally. The CX12 also takes very nice still pictures -- good enough that I generally don't bring my Fuji F10 camera with me. But, if you side-by-side compare the lower-resolution Fuji 6.3 megapixel images to the CX12 "10 megapixels" (not true resolution), the Fuji clearly wins -- brighter colors, better in low light, and sharper image. The CX12 is "good enough" for casual photos, but still doesn't replace even a cheap $170 digital camera.

Sound is good. Features are good -- having a manual knob to focus, for instance (upgrade from the CX7). Smile detection is addictive -- I set it to automatic, and it captures images while I video tape. I get home to find pictures I didn't take. Posing people can be diffuclt in this mode -- you have to say "wait, don't smile until I tell you" else it starts snapping away if it gets a face (even if you have yet to frame the photo in the viewfinder). Still nice.

It can record more than three photos while video taping -- three was the limit of the CX7. It is also faster between still shots (about a second, or 3-4 with flash, and slower if it has to refocus). Acceptable, and much faster than CX7.

The camera loses the flash button (you now do it through a menu system on screen) but gains a sleep mode, so you can suspend the camera, then power it up and start recording in about a second (instead of 5 or so from a cold start). It uses about half battery to sleep, but still may be useful.

Overall, I'm very pleased, though I still wish the stills could be good enough to not need a still camera, too.

Low-light sucks compared to my old 1999 vintage Digital8 Sony, and focusing is slow in low light (just like with the $2000 Sony HDR-HC1). I guess that's just an issue of the HD imaging sensors being so small (?).

But I do like it, and I like it better than the CX7 (which I also liked).

This isn't a review of the features and performance of the camera. I am not an expert at comparing it to others. This is a review of what you can do with the files that you create.

I got this camera and the 16gb memory duo card. So far so good. It stores between 2 and 5 times the life of a single battery in video.. hours and hours unless you pick the highest bit rate.

The challenges come after you get your files home.

1. Sony Vegas
Probably this is the best solution for workflow from this camera, but it is windows only. Moving right along ..

2. PS3
Happily you can either insert the card into your PS3 (or into a multi-card reader via USB - a recent one, not an old one, as high capacity memory sticks can't be read by older multi-card readers). The PS3 sees the clips, shows moving previews, and they look fantastic. You can also put them on a media server (such as MediaTomb mac/linux) and connect to it from the PS3. Not quite as nice, as the thumbnails lack preview, but workable.

3. Connecting the camera to your Mac via the included dock

This works fine and I'll sub-divide what you can do at this point:

3a. Using Final Cut Express (or Final Cut Pro).
Neither of these programs will deal directly with the MTS files (which are AVCHD and 5.1 ac3) without the full directory structure of the card present! so don't copy the MTS files off, and delete them if you want to use FCE! At any rate, use FCE to import the clips, they are decompressed and blown up to an apple format that uses heaps more space! you can't edit natively in AVCHD using FCE. It isn't clear to me that you can even edit natively in FC Pro. Note, FCE down-mixes to 2 channel stereo during import!

3b. Not using Final Cut Express - using other tools (linux users read this too)
You can't play these MTS files reliably using Quicktime or Quicktime Pro despite the claim that quicktime pro can play h264 video. You can't even use the Perian codecs (which are available free and based on the open source libraries used by ffmpeg). They claim h264 compatibility but unfortunately they do not read the sony h264 stream properly. You may see various problems: missed frames, half speed, crashing or lots of errors. It may be that a SD camera setting on this camera is more reliably usable, I got bored trying so many different things. This also means you can't use ffmpeg or mencoder under linux, despite their flexibility. The latest version as of time of this review just does not deal with all your clips. It might deal with some, reading and re-encoding if necessary to mpeg4 or whatever, but you WILL get frustrated. The same problems apply to mplayer, vlc, MPEG Streamclip, and so on, as they also depend on the same libraries.
Note: xportdev will demux MTS files and TMPGenc will decode the video correctly, you CAN use these two tools to create mpeg4 or whatever.
see http://www.sonyhdvinfo.com/forumdisplay.php?f=40 this forum for more info.

3c. Not using Final Cut Express - using VoltaicHD
VoltaicHD will convert the clips properly but there are no options to speak of. It creates much larger mov files that can be used in typical mac utilities, quicktime, etc.

3d. Using Toast Titanium
I believe this produce accepts AVCHD files. I haven't tested it, obviously you have to buy the product. It appears to be capable of writing DVDs or even bluray discs after the edit is done.

4. Uploading to vimeo (the HD version of youtube)
Vimeo does not accept MTS files, it tries to accept h264 video if packaged in an avi or whatever, but will not process them correctly. It accepts mpeg4, or re-encoded h264 as output by mencoder. It probably also accepts mov files from VoltaicHD and obviously you can get FCE to output a file that vimeo will take.
The problem I have with this is the chain of encoding and decoding:
image --> camera --> encoded to avchd --> decoded in voltaicHD or FCE --> re-encoded to mpeg4 or whatever --> uploaded to vimeo --> decoded --> re-encoded to their On2 codec --> played by flash.
As you can see this chain is ridiculous and the result will not look as good as the ideal, which is:
image --> camera --> encoded to avchd --> played

My conclusion is that your frustration level will vary according to what you want out of your clips. The camera offers very limited editing: you can chop a clip into two and delete any clip, so you can basically throw away bits you won't want to waste time on.

If you want to show them off on your HDTV via the PS3, without mixing them into a "movie" then everything is great. They look really good.. the interlacing is really not visible when the PS3 plays them, resolution is outstanding at least depending on how high a bit rate you pick.

If you want to burn DVDs then I expect Toast Titanium or FCE will be reasonable but there is some quality loss from the inevitable decode - reencode cycle.

If you want them on the web at vimeo, although the result is heaps better than youtube, it certainly isn't high definition. I believe the vimeo bit rate is limited to 2000 kbit, for example.

I have a Sony standard definition miniDV camcorder, and also bought the HF100 and the Sony CX12, both flash camcorders.
I found the Canon to be the better value: good to great video and audio quality in good lighting conditions, better user interface, and standard SD cards will save you money and hassle vs. the Sony CX12.

However, the Sony is the superior product IMHO based on the following features: much better low-light performance (by low-light I mean indoor night-time videos of kids with under ordinary incandescent lighting (without lots of halogens)). Sony DVD HD DVD burner is more flexible than Canon's, for example, you can shoot video in HD, and burn a standard DVD for people w/o HDTVs and Blu-ray. I understand to do this on the Canon burner, you need to record in standard definition to begin with. Build quality is a little higher (LCD joints stiffer, battery/inputs door covers more firmly attached). Slightly better audio (I noticed you could sometimes hear "clicks" from the Canon's zoom button).

The first 2 items (low-light & recorder characteristics) seal the deal for me. Generally, the camera is comfortable to hold, image stabilization is excellent (better than the Canon). Flash performance for still pictures is poor.

I was so happy when I got the CX12. It was beautiful, the video was beautiful, and the camera was incredibly easy to use. I started taking video and buying hard drives to hold it all...

The problem came afterward. The camcorder records to a file format called .m2ts, which is an "mpeg-2 transfer stream". What this means to you and I: barely anything in the world supports it (except Sony products). The same way that you can only buy Sony flash memory cards for the camcorder. And even the software that supports it does so poorly. This was my experience:

1. Picture motion browser. The included software that came with the device. This software fairly reliably recognizes the camcorder is plugged in (plus). Unfortunately, if the clip is bigger than 2GB (equivalent to 16 minutes of HD video), the software will split it automatically. And this isn't an exact split - you are missing a few seconds. Imagine my surprise when one of my gigs that I recorded was missing 5 seconds in the climax of a song. Thankfully, I hadn't deleted the files from the camera yet, so I went back and manually split the video during a pause. Lately, though, my band has been doing improv's that last ~15-20 minutes as we write new material. I can't break these up, and thus get fragments of songs on my computer.

Worse than this, though, is the incredibly tedious process of splitting a video every 10 minutes. Every time I upload video I have to go through and spend 20 minutes of work formatting the video for the SOFTWARE THAT WAS BUILT FOR IT.

2. Sony Vegas Pro. I called Sony customer support and asked them if there was a way around the 16 minute barrier. They said I would have to get another video editing program. They recommended the Vegas line of programs, which comes with M2TS support (most video editing programs don't. you see where this is heading?). These programs cost between $50-$600, which depends on the amount of bugs you want fixed and features you'd like. I figured I would go with a free trial version of Vegas Pro, and skip all of the hassles.

Before saying where I am now, I would like to note that I am a computer engineer, have done extensive technical support, and always have dealt with my own computer problems. I am an experienced PC user. Here we go:

I'm sitting here after 3 hours of frustration, and Vegas won't recognize my camcorder. It is there, It has video, and *Windows* knows it is, but this $600 piece of Sony software (designed by the same company) cannot recognize it.

I've had this camera for about a year, and I have yet to make anything out of all the video I've recorded with it. This is a beautiful, sleek, sexy camcorder with a ton of power for the size. I just wonder when I'll get some use out of it.

Just, before you get this, ask yourself if you want to deal with the Sony deathtrap.

This is simply the best camcorder I have ever owned, and I have owned seven dating back to 1987. I have a fairly new Sony hard disk camcorder and this HDR-CX12 has it beat hands down. The hard disk will skip and stop recording if the buffer is exceeded when there is repetative movement, whereas the HDR-CX12 just keeps on recording. The storage media is so much easier to deal with than the video tapes in other camcorders. I purchased this camcorder for my motorcycle tours and it has worked out perfectly. I wish that Sony would get away from using their Sony-only storage media (in this case the Memory Stick Pro Duo) and start using the storage media that is more widely available. I would also like to have more storage on the memory stick than 16GB, but that is the max currently. But, until then I will continue to buy Sony simply for the quality of the product. Highly recommended for anyone looking to purchase a quality camcorder.

Pros: extremely small camcorder, storage media easy to handle, video quality outstanding (records in HD), simple to operate, quality product.

Cons: not waterproof, Sony needs to develope storage media greater than 16gb (seems like a ripe market for Sandisk?), pricey (but most likely worth it), pricey stoage media, so much fun that I end up recording TOO much.

I have owned this camera for a few weeks now, so I do not yet claim to be an expert in everything it can and cannot do. But in general, this appears to be a good video camera if you want to upgrade to an HD-quality video camera and also be able to take good quality stills in one small unit.

The best aspects of this camera are: 1.) The ability to multitask between video and stills with relative ease; 2.) the quality of the video / stills especially when outputted to a larger screen such as an HDTV; 3.) the pro duo memory cards are tiny and allow the camera to be among the smallest I have seen with an LCD screen (kinda like you are holding a beer can in your hand horizontally); 4.) Smile shutter technology allows the camera to automatically take pictures when it "sees" someone smiling in the view (you do not need to push a button!); 5.) the camera works seemlessly with IPhoto and IMovie on my iMac (note that my Mac is about a year old and has 2GB of RAM with Intel Core 2 processor); 6.) the stills in still-mode are 10 megapixel - so the days of getting a subpar still camera built into your video camera are over (though the avid/professional photographers out there won't find this unit to be an adequate replacement for a good stand-alone digital still camera).

The issues I have ran up against so far include: 1.) Lighting - I've noticed that the HD video and stills come out very grainy when overhead lighting is insufficient. I have not yet used an attached light in the accessory shoe of the camera to see if this resolves the problem. So far, the best solution has been to take footage in a room with decent lighting or outdoors, where the output thus far has been spectacular; 2.) Smile Shutter technology pictures can be taken both while in still mode and in video mode. While this is a cool feature, so far the pictures that have been taken while shooting video at the same time come out very grainy (probably because the camera cannot use its built-in still flash while concurrently shooting video). My guess is that this is less of an issue when shooting video in broad daylight. It's also worth noting that all stills taken while shooting video are automatically shot at a lower 7 megapixels, though again, in low light they are nowhere near this high quality level based on my experience; 3.) The highest quality HD formats are memory hogs. You'll burn through a 4GB card very quickly; moreover, if you decide to download that video to your computer in HD-quality, you'll use up even more space as you decompress the data card memory. So if you are planning to take many hours of video at a high quality HD setting, you should consider also investing in a large external hard drive, which over time will be a lot cheaper than buying multiple memory sticks for long-term storage. You can create disk images of your memory sticks on a Mac and store them on your hard drive; 4.) As I implied earlier, the Sony memory pro duo cards are relatively expensive compared to other flash media standards out there. However, if you shop around online, and are willing to buy generic memory stick cards (i.e., from Sandisk vs. Sony), you can improve the economics somewhat. I have been using a high speed Sandisk 8GB pro duo card in this camera and it has worked flawlessly thus far, and with no delays in transferring data to the card.

Finally I would note that I did a lot of research in comparing this camera to the Canon Vixia HF-10. For me, it came down to personal preference. Both are fine HD cameras from what I could tell. If I had already owned a stand-alone digital still camera that I loved and didn't want to part with, I probably would have gone with the Canon Vixia. The Sony and Canon units are very close in physical size and the cost of the flash media per GB for the Canon is cheaper than Sony's memory sticks. But I really wanted the convenience of having my HD video camera and higher-quality 10MP (vs. Canon's 3MP) still camera in one unit, and this Sony unit appears to have done that for me.

I got this digital HD camcorder because I prefer having SSD storage media(no moving parts)such as memory stick to store my video footage. I feel that memory stick and should be more robust and resistance to shakiness when I shoot the video.( I also own a PSP so the memory stick should be able to work too)
The features worked very well as advertised but there are some thing to take note, there are additional purchase to get full out of the device:
1. Get a new lithium battery. The supplied ones won't last for a full
day if you do lots of shooting.
2. Get a camcoder bag. Good bag protect your investment from scratch and
dust.
3. Get a protective plastic filter for your LCD display.
4. Get a UV filter for attachment in front of the cam. This is to
prevent scratches and dusts going into the lens when shooting.
5. Get a soft wiping cloth. To get rid of dust off your cam in the end
of day.

If you need a good camcorder with quick 'ON' time and good quality video, I highly recommended it. The only down side is the memory stick is a bit expensive and highest capacity in the market right now is 16Gig .

Well, i am an amateur when it comes to camcorders, so my review may NOT be very technical. I love this camcorder, this is my first HD camcorder and the picture quality is real amazing. I use this camcorder mostly to take home videos and for our trips. The camcorder is real sleek and fits nicely in your hand. I dropped SR12/SR11 just because of their weight and their bulky harddisk. One down side is that this camcorder uses just a memory stick, they are expensive, but they are reliable. i have been using memory sticks with my Sony digital camera as well and no issues until now. If they could provide one more slot for relatively inexpensive SD/SDHC cards it will be a killer camcorder. A nice feature is the smile shutter and it takes stills of your subject without you being aware. It is a nice feature and will bring smile to your face. The PMB software that comes along with the camcorder is good enough to transfer and view the HD videos in your laptop. However, for advanced editing, you should probably order a video editing software like Sony Vegas movie studio or vegas Pro as your budget and needs are. I have just ordered the Sony vegas movie studio platinum pro 9 and hoping it will be fun to edit the videos. The still picture quality is very good. I tried the night mode in dark, it works, but subjects will look like ghosts, so not using that one a lot. a good buy, will recommend it. Amazon ships it fast too.

I exchanged the Sony TG-1 for the CX12 due to limitations of the TG1 (see that review for further info). I was between the Canon HF10 (which I also returned) and the Sony CX12, and in my opinion the CX12 beats the Canon. Here are my thoughts:

The sony produces a beautiful finished image; the colors are vibrant and the image is crystal clear. Even in less than optimal lighting conditions, the sony's image remains clear, with less noise, although color does begin to wash out (I'm talking 75 watt bulb as only light source in 17' x 17' room). The Canon was noisy in all but sunlit shooting, and the finished product did not have the punch that the sony did, even with the "vivid" setting.

The jog dial at the front of the camera is customizable (I chose exposure) which is very convenient. The canon requires you to use the joystick toggle which has an audible click when using during recording.

The sound on the Sony in 5.1 is excellent.......very clear. The canon was good, but often sounded muffled.

The included battery will last about an 80 minutes.....longer than the Canon at 55 minutes.

Many people rave about the Canon's ability to shoot in 24P or 30P. I found both settings to be very annoying. Shooting in those modes resulted in jerky image playback, especially fast moving subjects, or panning the camera. I did not notice any better low light performance in those modes either. I don't miss those options on the Sony.

The biggest negative is Sony needs to improve the image stabilization. This is the only item the Canon comes out on top. For some reason the sony seems to pick up more random hand movements than the Canon.

Another negative is the annoying structure of the Sony menus, very perplexing until you become accustomed to them..........C'mon Sony, get some consumer feedback on the next camera.

On a final note, I see alot of reviews complaining about AVCHD. First, this is an HD camcorder. You can easily burn HD content onto any media (DVD-R, DVD+R DL, BR Disc) using either Sony Vegas Studio for PC, or Toast 9 for mac. The greatest thing about this format, is there is no converting necessary to burn a blu-ray disc playable in a blu-ray player. (If you don't have one, get one) I burned an 8 gig disc in BR format (DVD+R DL) in Toast 9 in about 20 minutes. The footage was stellar. If you are converting these files to anything else and outputting to mpeg-2, you are wasting the HD ability of this camera. I shutter at the thought of capturing the DV footage from the tape of my other camera, and waiting 2 hours for a DVD to be rendered and burned.

Overall, this is a great camcorder, at a great price from Amazon. I can't believe how far these things have come in the 4 years since I bought my last one. If you are waiting for improvements, why bother. I hear people talking about wanting full 1080P recording. Unless you plan on siting 5 feet from a 60" panel.....you really won't be able to tell the difference. I am recording in HD-HQ mode, the second highest quality, and the results are stunning. My advice is to run out and buy this camera.......it won't get much better than this at this price point.

If you are deciding between the Sony CX12 and any other camcorder I recommend the Sony CX12... HANDS DOWN!! I just got it today and it is AMAZING!! The still photos are beautiful, super high quality. And the smile shutter technology alone is worth the $$$. I have three little girls and it hasn't missed a smile yet, they smile for even a second and it is captured. How could we have ever done without it????? And it burns to disc at the touch of a button... Yes, it has an "easy" button, really! I bought mine with the Sony 16 gb memory card, I think the 4 gb card that comes with it is going to be too small. I have never been so happy with a purchase, I would have paid two or three times as much! How does it know we are smiling? AMAZING!! Sony has two other models that came out last month, the hdr-sr11 and hdr-sr12. This is the same camcorder as the hdr-sr12 PLUS smile shutter and it uses memory cards... in my opinion WAY BETTER FOR LESS! Thanks Amazon.com!