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  • Performance

  • Format

  • Auto / Manual Controls

  • Still Features

  • Handling and Use

  • Audio / Playback / Connectivity

  • Other Features

  • Comparisons / Conclusion

  • Photo Gallery

  • Performance
  • Format
  • Auto / Manual Controls
  • Still Features
  • Handling and Use
  • Audio / Playback / Connectivity
  • Other Features
  • Comparisons / Conclusion
  • Photo Gallery

Performance

The Sony HDR-SR12 features the company’s latest chip, a 1/3.15-inch ClearVID CMOS sensor. There’s been a lot of chatter about the new technologies inside the SR12, namely the Exmor technology on the chip and the Bionz technology in the processing. Exmor is found on both the Alpha line of DSLR still cameras and the Sony PMW-EX1 XDCAM EX camcorder. In essence, it performs A/D conversion and noise reduction on each column of pixels on the sensor. The Bionz processing chip then runs more noise reduction processes, purportedly producing a squeaky clean image. Its benefit to low light performance will be discussed in part later in this section, and in detail in the Low Light Performance section later down the page.

The CMOS chip on board has a gross pixel count of 5,660,000 and an effective pixel count of 3,180,000. This is significantly denser than the SR12’s predecessor, the HDR-SR7, which had a gross pixel count of 3,200,000 and an effective pixel count of 2,280,000.

First, we took the HDR-SR12 in the lab for standardized testing. We shot a DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde color chart at an even 3000 lux. Under these more or less ideal conditions, the Sony SR12 looks quite good. The color performance was even and vivid, without too much oversaturating. By comparison, the HDR-HC9, the HDV cousin, auto exposes more brightly under identical conditions, and boosts the saturation a little higher. Looking at the resolution trumpets on the chart up close, the HC9 seems to produce more in-camera sharpening that helps define the edges. However, the full 1920 x 1080 output, versus the 1440 x 1080 output of HDV, makes for smoother curves with the SR12. Overall, the image seems to have less compression artifacting than the HC9, as well. When blowing up the frame grabs, we saw blocky chunks of pixels across the image in the HC9, while in the SR12 it was typically localized to areas of high contrast and detail.

In the lab testing, the Sony HDR-SR12 and Canon HF10 produce very similar color palettes. However, the Canon HF10 is clearly sharper. Take a look at the 100 percent close-ups from the charts above. The Sony HDR-SR12 does have a strong advantage over the Panasonic HDC-SD9, which is both softer and oversaturated.

Out of the lab, we found a great deal to like about the Sony HDR-SR12. In outdoor shooting, the image appears very sharp, at least as sharp as the Canon HF10 at a casual glance. Most consumers probably won’t see a difference in this regard. Up close, the artifacting is more obvious in the Sony, and the Canon does a better job with fine detail. (This mirrored our finding in the lab test comparisons.) The auto responses to white balance are excellent as well, as long as there is a single, dominant light source (this is not so good in mixed indoor lighting). Swinging the camcorder around the way a home shooter would produces a fair amount of motion blur, but not as much as in previous generations.

The hydrant shot below can be used as a loose comparison for outdoor shooting, but it's important to note that the Sony SR12 image was not shot on the same day as the Canon HF10. The color balance and performance may therefore may not be directly comparable.

Indoors, we examined the HDR-SR12 in our previous review of the JVC GZ-HD6. Shooting in moderate indoor light (60-120 lux), the SR12 is an excellent performer. Colors are bold and the auto focus works quite well. In areas of fine detail and contrast, such as a shaggy dog against a light backdrop, the compression artifacting and limits of the resolution became apparent, especially when seen in motion. Overall, however, we were pleased with what we saw.

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Click to view full res image

In very low lighting, such as shooting into a nearly 0 lux corner, the SR12 manages to capture more data than the Canon HF10 or JVC GZ-HD6. True, it comes at the expense of some noise that the HF10 avoids, but manually lowering the exposure could have made the SR12 match the HF10. You could not, however, raise the exposure any more on the HF10.

Overall, we think most shooters will find this directly comparable with the Canon HF10, which is the best AVCHD camcorder we’ve reviewed to date (and we’ve reviewed most of them). Sony has made huge strides with this new Exmor CMOS and Bionz processor in reducing noise. Canon still has the leading edge on sharpness, and we thought Canon was able to keep a tighter leash on compression artifacting. These differences should only be the concern of quality control freaks, however. Sony has done a fine job with the HDR-SR12.

Video Resolution* (18.75)*

We tested the video resolution of the Sony HDR-SR12 by shooting a DSC Labs Video Resolution chart at an even 3000 lux, then examined the recorded footage on an HD monitor. Footage is recorded in the highest quality – in this case, 16 Mbps.

The Sony HDR-SR12 produced a horizontal resolution of 625 line widths. The vertical resolution measured 600 line widths. These results were quite good, overall. Compared to its HDV cousin, the HDR-HC9, the SR12 has a lower horizontal score but a slightly higher vertical score. The total score is close to that of the Canon HF10, better than the Panasonic HDC-SD9, and better than the JVC GZ-HD6.

Low Light Performance* (4.82)*

Low light performance is tested in multiple stages. First, we shoot a DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde color chart at an even 60 and 15 lux, then compare the results against competing camcorders.

At 60 lux, the images show Sony was able to make good on its claims. Our predictions given in the First Impressions Review proved incorrect, proving that commonly held beliefs like "smaller sensor means worse low light" are not necessarily true. The chart was as bright as the HDR-HC9 with a fraction of the noise. The SR12 also proves to be much brighter than the Canon HF10 when both camcorders are shooting in 1080/60i. Canon still holds a core advantage of shooting in three frame rates (60i/24P/30P), but for the segment that intends only to shoot in 60i, pay close attention to the Sony SR12 and whatever else Sony announces that uses this chipset (a follow-up to the flash memory HDR-CX7 is likely forthcoming). The image is not completely noise-free, but it looks damn good.

The Panasonic HDC-SD9 is plenty bright at 60 lux, but also heavily saturated and very blurry. The JVC GZ-HD6 tells a similar story, though it is less blurry than the Panasonic. Both fail to produce the natural look of the Sony HDR-SR12’s image.

At 15 lux, the Sony HDR-SR12 struggles to retain even a little color information. It’s not uncommon for most camcorders to fail at this very low light level, though heavy in-camera gain can usually salvage more color than this. The Sony HDR-HC9, for example, does better in this test, if only by a little. The Canon HF10 (at 1080/60i) does better than all the other camcorders in this particular test, delivering relatively strong colors with no more noise than the Sony SR12.

The second stage of the test checks for color accuracy, noise, and saturation. We shoot an X-Rite Color Checker chart at an even 60 lux, then export frame grabs to Imatest imaging software. At best, the Sony HDR-SR12 is able to produce a color error of 11.4. This score is statistically very similar to the Canon HF10, which scored an 11.9. The Sony HDR-HC9 scored an 11.0, the Panasonic HDC-SD9 an 11.0, and the JVC GZ-HD6 a 9.3, making JVC the winner in this test.

The noise, according to Imatest, measured 1.0125 percent, better than the Canon HF10’s score of 1.13 percent. The Sony HDR-HC9 produced a much worse score of 3.01 percent, which connotes a huge improvement in noise reduction over the previous CMOS chips. The Panasonic HDC-SD9 scored a 0.645, while the JVC GZ-HD6 produced 1.0925 percent. It’s important to note that while the Panasonic produces the lowest noise score, the Sony HDR-SR12 undoubtedly looks the best at 60 lux. Finally, the saturation at this light level was 73.52. All the other camcorders are in the same saturation range except the JVC GZ-HD6, which has a higher saturation level of 85.54 percent.

The third stage of the low light test measures sensitivity. We shoot the DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde chart and slowly lower the light until the camcorder can produce a peak exposure of 50 IRE (according to a waveform monitor). For all Sony camcorders, the Auto Slow Shutter and Color Slow Shutter features are disabled for this and all low light tests. The Sony HDR-SR12 is able to produce 50 IRE at a light level of 14 lux. This is 3 lux better than the HDR-HC9, despite having a smaller, more densely-packed CMOS sensor. The score is not as good as the Canon HF10 shooting at 1080/60i, which could produce the same exposure at 10 lux. Ultimately, the HF10 is able to reach as low as 4 lux when shooting 24P.

In summary, the Sony HDR-SR12 is a dynamite low light performer for most kinds of indoor and outdoor shooting. When it gets as low as 15 lux, the Canon HF10 showed an advantage in our lab tests, but an even draw or advantage to the Sony SR12 in anecdotal shooting.

Stabilization* (8.0)*

The HDR-SR12 is equipped with SteadyShot Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), a process that functions by separating the lens element from the body of the camcorder to reduce shake. OIS is superior to Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) because no pixels are sacrificed along the borders of the recorded frame.

We tested the HDR-SR12 at two speeds using our custom-built shake emulator. Speed One is the equivalent of typical stationary handheld shake, while Speed Two simulates a frequency similar to a light jog down the sidewalk or bumpy car ride. The HDR-SR12 exhibited an 80-percent shake reduction at Speed One and Two, a slight improvement from the HDR-UX7. This is most likely due to the HDR-SR12’s heavy weight and wide body.

Wide Angle* (9.6)*

We tested the HDR-SR12’s maximum field of view using a vertical laser at both left and right angles. We recorded with the Zoom pulled back fully with OIS disabled. Video was then interpreted on an external monitor to attain a true wide angle reading. Like most high-end Sonys, the HDR-SR12’s maximum wide angle measurement is 48 degrees.

 

 

 

 

Format

Compression* (7.25)*

The Sony HDR-SR12 compresses video in the AVCHD format. This is Sony’s third generation for this type of format, as it is for Canon and Panasonic, and AVCHD appears to finally be maturing into the format it was promised to be. First-generation AVCHD performance from Sony disappointed us with heavy artifacting. Though the first HDD model, the HDR-SR1, had a maximum bitrate of 15 Mbps that was fast for its time, it failed to measure up to HDV.

The new HDR-SR12 only increases that bitrate slightly to 16 Mbps, but there have been other improvements. The outputted resolution has increased from 1440 x 1080 to 1920 x 1080. The sensor and processor have been overhauled, making for huge improvement in noise reduction. Side-by-side, there is a world of improvement between the first and third generation.

That said, Sony is behind the curve compared to Canon and Panasonic, both of which released AVCHD camcorders capable of 17 Mbps. The results do not appear to make a huge difference in video quality, though Canon showed the least "trailing" in moving objects, as well as the sharpest image overall.

The Sony HDR-SR12 offers four quality settings, located in the fifth tab of the Camera menu. Settings include: HD FH (16 Mbps), HD HQ (9 Mbps), HD SP (7 Mbps), and HD LP (5 Mbps).

Media* (8.25)*

Sony released two nearly identical high-end hard disk drive (HDD) camcorders that differ only in capacity. The HDR-SR11 offers a 60 GB HDD, and the HDR-SR12 doubles that to 120 GB. According to the SonyStyle website, the capacities should allow for approximately these record times:

The HDD media obviously has capacity on its side. No tape, DVD, or memory card can touch 60 GB, let alone 120 GB. However, HDD has its own dangers. An over-reliance on the vast recording time may dissuade people from making regular back-ups. Though the camcorder does its best to protect the HDD, one bad spill could ruin all your memories.

Editing* (4.0)*

Editing AVCHD footage has gotten much easier since its inception as more software manufacturers hop on the AVCHD train, but you’ll still need a powerful computer to work with these dense files. Even middle-of-the-road computers purchased within the last couple of years create a maddeningly slow workflow.

The HDR-SR12 ships with Picture Motion Browser Ver.3.0.00, software that allows you to import clips, piece together simple movies, and export them to the media of your choice for sharing. For very basic home use, this will suffice. More experienced or ambitious editors will want to invest in better software. Sony would no doubt recommend Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition. Other options include Pinnacle Studio 11 and Ulead Video Studio 11.

 

 

 

 

Auto / Manual Controls

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (7.0)

Like all Sony camcorders, the HDR-SR12 comes equipped with an Easy button that shifts it into full Auto mode. In most cases, this will suffice for point-and-shooters that don’t want to fuss with manual controls.

The auto exposure is the best of the auto controls, taking an average of one to two seconds to adjust for most conditions. We were again impressed with Sony’s ability to produce extremely gradual transitions when making slow pans across contrasty areas. Camcorders from other manufacturers, most recently the Panasonic HDC-SD9 and JVC GZ-HD6, could not match it.

The auto white balance works very well in challenging situations, such as afternoon outdoor shade or indoor under yellowing light, as long as the light was coming from a single dominant source. When the lighting is mixed, such as fluorescent and outdoor indirect, the results are not as good.

The autofocus failed to impress – the first time Sony has done so in a while. We encountered instances in which the autofocus took as long as five or more seconds to find the focus in moderate indoor lighting. Once it finds its bearings, it really snaps into action. In this way, it looks similar to the Canon Instant AF feature. However, Canon allows you to turn Instant AF off if you don’t like the snapping effect; Sony does not.

As with most Sony camcorders, there are a host of one-touch features to help make your picture look better without having to be a shooting expert. None of them can be reached from within Easy mode, however, so you’ll have to leave its safe confines and venture into Manual mode.

The Camera menu, accessed by pushing the touch screen button in the lower right corner of the LCD, houses most of the controls. Two perennial Sony favorites are the Spot Meter and Spot Focus. When either of these is activated, a frame appears around the screen. Simply push the area of the screen you want properly exposed or focused and the camcorder does the rest. It works well with large subjects, but not on areas of fine detail. Scene modes include Auto, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Candle, Sunrise & Sunset, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Beach, and Snow.

There are two separate night modes. The first is called Auto Slow Shutter, which allows the auto shutter to drop as low as 1/30, rather than the normal 1/60. The second mode, Color Slow Shutter, is much more liberal, allowing shutter speeds that look to be as slow as 1/2 of a second. Naturally, this causes heavy blurring and should be used with care.

Overall Manual Control (7.0)

The overall manual control on the Sony HDR-SR12 is very good, thanks to a hearty helping of manual control options and the inclusion of the Cam Control dial under the lens. There are multiple methods for altering exposure, white balance, focus, and zoom. That said, Sony opens themselves up to criticism for not including commonplace options like shutter speed and aperture. The touch screen as the primary method of interaction is up in the air; some people love it and some people hate it. There’s no doubt that it leaves fingerprints all over the screen. The debate may come down to something as simple as whether you find it a chore to frequently wipe the screen down or not.

Navigating the menu is speedy once you get the hang of it, but the layout is not intuitive for beginners. You’ll have to dig around to find some of the options in the Home section of the menu. However, the Camera menu is well designed for quick adjustments. Read on for a detailed look at each control.

*

Zoom (5.0)*

The zoom toggle is located on top of the HDR-SR12, well located for the index finger. The toggle itself is wide and textured for an easy grip. The slowest crawl is good, but not as slow as the Canon HF10. At least it’s a consistent speed, however. The Panasonic HDC-SD9 speeds up the crawl as it gets closer to 10x.

When zooming, a scale appears in the upper left corner of the LCD to give you a sense of where in the zoom range you are. However, there is no numerical value given.

Zoom Power Ratio (12.0)

The optical zoom on the Sony HDR-SR12 extends to 12x. As imagers in third generation AVCHD camcorders have shrunk, we’ve seen a general trend toward raising the zoom from 10x to 12x, which is certainly welcome.

The digital zoom can be extended to 24x or 150x. We recommend the healthier 24x, if you want to engage it at all.

Focus (6.5)

There are two methods for basic manual focusing. The first is to go into the first page of the Camera menu and turn on the Focus control. When activated, a whole mess of on-screen buttons and graphics appear, making it virtually impossible to see what you’re trying to focus. Sony could have done a better job by reducing this to a pair of touch-screen buttons. Alright, we’ll be generous … they can keep the focal distance data (given in metric) that also appears.

The more effective method is to use the Cam Control dial. Push and hold the button inside the dial until the mini menu appears, then select Focus. When activated, the only thing that appears onscreen is a tiny icon in the lower left with the focal distance info. To revert to auto focus, just push in on the button again.

While access to the controls is good, the complete lack of supporting features is really very poor. Every other major manufacturer offers some variety of "focus assist." Panasonic has an instant digital zoom that doesn’t get recorded to tape. The Canon HF10 has the same thing. JVC has a fantastic peaking tool that casts false color on all areas of the picture that are in focus. Sony even offers better tools on some of its own camcorders, such as the HDR-HC9, which rips off directly from JVC. Sure, we appreciate the large 3.2-inch LCD with a 921,000-pixel resolution, but it’s still not enough. The fingerprints that accumulate are quite prohibitive to making smart focus decisions, as are the abundance of on-screen graphics.

Other focus methods include the Spot Focus tool (described above in Automatic Controls), and the Tele Macro feature (described below in Other Manual Controls).

Focus in action

Exposure & Aperture (5.5)

The Sony HDR-SR12 does not allow for direct control over the aperture in f-stop values. JVC does not offer this either, but Canon has an Aperture Priority setting and Panasonic offers fully independent aperture and shutter control. The lack of this control, along with the lack of shutter control, may be enough to put the real camcorder enthusiast off of Sony, but then again, maybe not.

In its place, Sony offers two types of exposure control. The first, called Exposure, is a simple plus/minus scale with 34 increments. What it gains in simplicity, it loses in detail. There is no numerical value given for each increment, making it difficult to recreate a shot later. Also, if you access this control through the touch screen, the screen becomes cluttered with icons and graphics. For a cleaner version of the same tool, access it through the Cam Control dial. When activated by this method, the graphics are minimized and placed at the bottom of the screen rather than the center.

The second type of exposure control is called AE Shift. It too can be activated through the touch screen (via the Camera menu) or with the Cam Control Dial. Similar in appearance to the Exposure tool, AE Shift only has nine increments in the scale, and each increment has a much more subtle shift. This is best used for making minor adjustments while shooting, such as outdoor shooting on an overcast day, when the clouds are in constant motion.

Other methods of exposure include the Spot Meter and Scene modes, both detailed above in the Automatic Controls section.

Shutter Speed (0.0)

The Sony HDR-SR12 does not offer shutter control, a lamentable exclusion that has a great deal of appeal. True, the auto exposure works well, but manual shutter speed can be invaluable in low light shooting. Panasonic, JVC, and Canon all see fit to include it, why not you, Sony?

White Balance (6.0)

The white balance options on the Sony HDR-SR12 are located in the third page of the Camera menu. They include Auto, Indoor, Outdoor, and One Push (Manual). Four settings are about average for a consumer camcorder, though Canon packs in more. Making a manual white balance adjustment is easy. Select One Push, then point the camcorder at your white or gray target and push the white balance icon button (a rectangle over two triangles). There is a pause, and the colors adjust within a couple of seconds.

There is a useful additional feature called WB Shift that can be accessed via the touch screen menu or the Cam Control dial. When activated, a scale appears with nine increments. Push the plus button to warm the image and minus to cool the image. This is great when you want to make small adjustments to a color cast without going through a whole manual white balance. As with other manual controls, we recommend using the Cam Control dial for this feature rather than the touch screen because the on-screen graphics are kept to a minimum.

Gain (0.0)

The Sony HDR-SR12 does not offer manual gain control. However, if you want to see what kind of decisions the camcorder is making for the auto gain, you can choose to display camera data in the Playback menu.

Other Manual Controls (6.0)

x.v.Color - The Sony HDR-SR12 offers the option to record video in the new xvYCC color standard, which Sony has branded as x.v.Color. xvYCC offers 1.8 times the color information as sRGB. This means deeper and more accurate colors, but in order to see the full benefit, you’ll need an xvYCC-compliant HDTV and HDMI 1.3 connections. Offering xvYCC has become the new trend for HD camcorders this year, but Sony’s is the best. With Panasonic and JVC camcorders, when the feature is engaged and played back on a non-xvYCC-compliant TV, the colors appear rudely saturated. However, with the Sony camcorders, the extra color information is simply discarded for playback. It has no negative effects. Yet, if you shoot in xvYCC and then purchase a compliant TV down the road, all that extra color information will be there for you.

Guideframe - The Guideframe feature is activated via the Home menu under Movie Settings. When engaged, two vertical and two horizontal lines appear, dividing the screen into nine segments to help you line up your shots. Canon and Panasonic offer several variations on their Guideframes feature, while Sony only has this one option.

Zebra - The Zebra function is also located in the Home menu under Camera Settings. There are two options here, 70 and 100. These numbers correspond to IRE levels, a measure of exposure. When an area of your frame has brightness levels that exceed either 70 IRE or 100 IRE (depending on the setting), scrolling black and white stripes appear in those areas.

Face Detection - The Face Detection feature is new for camcorders this year. Sony promises up to eight faces detected at a time, which we found to be accurate. When presented with more than eight faces, it simply ignores the rest. The example shown here is more ideal than the reality of shooting – lots of faces staring directly at the camcorder, unmoving, unblinking. In reality, it will have a hard time with eight bobbing and weaving family members. However, we found the camcorder’s detection outstanding. In some instances, it could detect a face even when it was in 90-degree profile.

The purpose of the face detection, of course, is to make auto corrections based on a person’s presence. Sony states that exposure, focus, and white balance are all adjusted accordingly. It also states that the camcorder uses a new bit allocation system to direct more detail toward faces. We saw now direct evidence of this, though it would admittedly be difficult to test. We can only verify that the detection itself works very well.

Conversion Lens - The Conversion Lens feature should be activated when either a Wide angle lens or a Tele lens is attached. There is an option for each.

Tele Macro - The Tele Macro feature is located in the first page of the Camera menu. When activated, the zoom automatically extends to 12x for macro shooting from a distance. If you touch the zoom, the feature turns off.

 

 

 

 

Still Features

Still Features* (9.0)*

The HDR-SR12 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:

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:

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:

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, and JVC GZ-HD6.

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.

 

 

 

 

Handling and Use

Ease of Use* (7.5)*

One factor that contributes to Sony’s massive popularity with the masses is the little blue button on its camcorders labeled "Easy." Easy mode transports the shooter into a control-free autopilot mode. When Easy mode is engaged, the Camera menu is not even available and options within the Home menu are whittled down considerably. Easy mode relies solely on the camcorder’s auto capabilities, and the HDR-SR12 is no slouch in the Automatic Controls department, though the autofocus could have been faster. The LCD screen text and buttons also double in size and are easier to press. One thing to be aware of when shooting in Easy mode is that Auto Slow Shutter is enabled. If you shoot in low light environments, the lower shutter speed will drop down to 1/30, giving your video a choppier look than the standard 1/60. In most cases, though, Easy mode is the life raft for consumers who have never picked up a camcorder.

Outside Easy mode is the real world of Manual Controls and additional options. Sony’s clean and organized Home menu keeps everything intact, though you’ll want to budget some time to familiarize yourself with the layout before a big shoot. All Manual Controls are laid out in the Functions menu, in addition to Digital and Picture Effects. The HDR-SR12 has a nifty Cam Control dial that allows for instant Focus, Exposure, AE Shift, and White Balance Shift control. The dial is far superior to the HDR-HC7 and HDR-HC9’s minute and finicky Cam Control wheel. It’s also more comfortable than the Canon HV20 and HV30’s dial, but the overall handling on the Canons are arguably better than the Sony SR12 because it uses a joystick as the primary interface device rather than a touch screen. The HDR-SR12’s trusty Home menu system is intuitive and easy to use. Buttons are a snap to press with the extra real estate offered by the 3.2-inch wide LCD design. Overall, this design should stand as an example to other manufacturers.

Now let’s talk media. The HDR-SR12 records to a gargantuan 120GB HDD, which offers nearly 10 hours of recording capacity at the highest quality setting. Forget about tapes and DVDs—just point, shoot, and record. The only issue with such a gigantic storage solution is that video clips have a tendency to get swallowed up among hundreds of other clips. Fortunately, you can browse clips by date. You can also segment large clips into different time intervals to reach a particular portion of the clip. And when it works, you can sort by a facial recognition system, also. To top it all off, the HDR-SR12 has a Memory Stick PRO Duo slot for additional space. This way, all digital stills can be captured to Memory Stick while video can be recorded to the HDD. Ample storage is great, but you’ll need power—lots of it within a span of 10 hours. You’ll want to add a couple NP-FH70 battery packs to the HDR-SR12’s camera bag.

Handling* (7.0)*

What words are left after you’ve taken a countryside tour in a Rolls Royce? The HDR-SR12 is the current Rolls Royce of the camcorder world. Its ergonomics are wicked, its appearance is devilish, and its architecture is sultry. The HDR-SR12 has set a new standard in terms of design, grip, and feel. The JVC GZ-HD6 is not built like this. The Canon HF10 is not built like this. Good luck finding a warrior that handles as fierce as the HDR-SR12. Keep in mind this is not a pint-sized camcorder. The HDR-SR12 is a hulking beast with a whopping 120GB HDD stuffed in its rotund chassis. While portability takes a blow, handling revels in the full-bodied frothiness of the HDR-SR12’s gladiatorial dimensions.

Not only does the HDR-SR12 slay most other camcorders on the runway, but it feels great in the hand. When you slide your hand into the HDR-SR12, your fingers instantly gravitate toward the steep HDD enclosure, which prevents your fingers from overshooting the microphone and hot shoe on top. The index finger falls directly atop the Zoom toggle while the thumb aligns with the Record Start/Stop button like a lunar eclipse. Despite the HDR-SR12’s weight, you can’t feel it as much because this is a balanced camcorder. The hand strap lacks the padded, breathable mesh liner popularized by models like the HDR-HC7, but it is anchored to the body of the camcorder at just the right points. Because of this, the HDR-SR12 will not flop to the side, but will remain ratcheted to the hand.

The HDR-SR12 is one of the few camcorders to utilize a pivoting viewfinder. The benefit of a viewfinder encompasses salvaging battery power and blocking intimidating rays from the sun. Sony keeps this "old-school" alternative monitor alive, and we give Sony a shout out for that. Your other monitor is a 3.2-inch wide touch-screen LCD—finally! So many Sony camcorder reviews could be summarized as "2.7-inch wide touch-screen LCDs + the average finger = infinite frustration." With this larger screen size, the buttons are big and responsive enough to get the job done—we can now fly though the HDR-SR12’s Home menu with ease.

Another perk is the HDR-SR12’s Cam Control dial, borrowed from the HDR-UX7. This knurled metal knob controls Focus, Exposure, Aperture Priority, and White Balance Priority, all in a press and a turn. The Cam Control dial is smooth like a good dark lager. We’d like to see a lens ring, but the HDR-SR12 wears the pants as far as Manual Control devices. The GZ-HD6, Canon HF10, and Panasonic HDC-HS9 cannot contend with this level of adjustment.

In terms of design, Sony took a trip to the 007 laboratories and spent a week with Q. The port covers are exceedingly cunning, disappearing into the HDR-SR12’s body. There are no flimsy rubberized, tethered enclosures—just covert doors, shields, and panels that not only function beautifully, but look darn sexy. Cheers, Sony—the HDR-SR12 is a glorious camcorder to behold.

Menu* (6.0)*

Following in the legacy of the Sony HDR-SR1, HDR UX7, and HDR-CX7, the HDR-SR12 employs the same Home menu structure. Sony’s Home menu system is relatively simple. All Manual controls are located in the Camera menu while the administrative tasks can be tackled in the Home menu. The touch screen interface is a bit of a love-or-hate phenomenon. The good news is that options can be selected rapidly and there is no need for a Joystick or d-pad. The bad news is that the LCD screen tends to display smudges from fingerprints, which could alter your perception of the image and make it difficult to adjust Focus. As long as you wipe the LCD screen down religiously, you should be fine.

The Movie Settings section of the Home menu

The Camera menu can be accessed by pressing the Function menu button located in the bottom right corner of the LCD screen. The Camera menu contains the following options:

The Camera menu

The HDR-SR12’s Home menu is accessed by pressing the Home button, located in the top left corner of the LCD screen. The Home menu consists of the following items:

The Home menu

The HDR-SR12’s Cam Control dial is accessed by pressing the center button. A sub menu appears containing options for Focus, Exposure, Aperture Priority, and White Balance Priority. To scroll though the sub menu, turn the dial to the left or right. The center button selects a particular option.

The Cam Control dial menu

Portability* (6.25)*

Toting around a brick with a 120GB HDD does not sound like an enjoyable experience, but the HDR-SR12 is compact enough to fit in a small or medium-sized camera bag. You definitely cannot pocket the HDR-SR12 like you can the Panasonic HDC-SD9. Fortunately, Sony kept the HDR-SR12’s dimensions to 83 x 76 x 138mm (3 3/8 x 3 x 5 1/2 in.) and the weight down to 650 grams (1 pound, 4 ounces). The tradeoff here is handling. If you want compact, go for the Canon HF10 or Panasonic HDC-SD9. If you want a camcorder that is built like a tank and can take a minor beating on the road, then the HDR-SR12 is your steed. The rivaling JVC-GZ-HD6 does not feature a construction that is as sleek and durable as the HDR-SR12’s. The only issue with large capacity HDDs is that you will need enough power to support the extended recording times. We recommend stocking up on a couple NP-FH70 battery packs before you hit the road.

LCD and Viewfinder* (10.2)*

The HDR-SR12 is equipped with one of the finest monitors available in the camcorder world—a 3.2-inch wide LCD screen. The screen flips out 90 degrees from the body of the camcorder and rotates up to 270 degrees. The HDR-SR12’s LCD screen has a 921,600-pixel display and resists solarizing at steep angles. Since Sony’s touch-screen system demands full usage of the LCD screen during most administrative tasks, it helps to have bigger buttons to press and more surface area to play with. Embedded within the LCD panel are buttons for Home, Zoom Out, Zoom In, and Record Start/Stop.

The HDR-SR12 also has a viewfinder, a feature that resides in the "Where Are They Now?" files. Many manufacturers are casting the viewfinder aside to appease the smallness factor, but Sony comes correct with the HDR-SR12’s 123,000-pixel pivoting viewfinder. That massive 3.2-inch LCD screen is not so easy on battery juice—a viewfinder will save your behind for a couple additional minutes when you see the blinking red battery icon of death. The dioptric adjuster is located underneath the viewfinder’s shaft.

Battery Life* (9.2)*

We tested the life of the HDR-SR12’s NP-FH60 rechargeable battery pack by shooting continuously in Manual mode with the LCD open and OIS disabled until the battery ran out of juice. Since the HDR-SR12 records to a massive 120GB HDD, there is plenty of space to store a single clip. The HDR-SR12 lasted 91 minutes and 58 seconds (1 hour, 31 minutes, and 58 seconds). The HDR-UX7’s NP-FH70 battery pack lasted 121 minutes and 19 seconds (2 hours, 1 minute, and 38 seconds). It would be wise to upgrade to a couple NP-FH70s for the road.

 

 

 

 

Audio / Playback / Connectivity

Audio* (8.0)*

Onboard audio options are not as ample as Canon’s or Panasonic’s, but the HDR-SR12 has a hot shoe, Mic, and Headphone jacks. Although the HDR-SR12’s AIS (Active Interface Shoe) is a proprietary fixture, there are adapters available for connecting a microphone of a different brand. Sony does offer a handful of decent boom mics, but if you want to save some cash or just use your older non-Sony equipment, spring for an adapter. We blasted the Canon HF10 for switching to a whole new proprietary shoe size, for which there is no adapter currently.

The HDR-SR12’s built-in 5.1-channel surround microphone has a Zoom function and basic level control. The Zoom function allows shooters to hone in on audio from a subject far away while they zoom in. The farther the shooter zooms out, the more surrounding sounds are captured. The HDR-SR12’s level control can only be set to Normal or Low. Normal lays an automatic gain control on recorded audio while Low records sounds at their natural volume. You can record sound in 5.1-channel surround sound or 2-channel stereo.

Playback* (5.5)*

You must be dreading Playback on a camcorder with a 120GB HDD. Nearly 10 hours of video in the highest quality can lead to a daunting labyrinth of files that could drive anyone to drink. Have no fear—Sony’s one step ahead. You can browse clips by date and find particular spots in long clips by using Film Index. Film Index lets you segment a clip into individual intervals and displays them on a timeline. This way you can locate a distinct portion of your footage and simply press its corresponding icon to play it.

*Playback in action

*

In order to access Playback, press the Playback button located in the LCD cavity while in either Video or Photo mode. A screen will appear with two tabs on the bottom: Video Playback and Photo Playback. On the bottom left is a Video Record mode button to switch back to record mode. On the bottom right is the Playback Function menu.

A series of icons is located in the center of the screen. You can alternate between six and 12 icons per screen views using the Zoom toggle, and scrolling through pages is executed using a set of arrows along the left side of the screen. At the top is the Home menu button, Film Index button, Face Index button, and Sort By Date button. In order to play a clip or view a still image, press its corresponding icon and it will appear within the entirety of the LCD screen.

When a Video clip is selected, the playback controls appear onscreen a and consist of Previous Clip, Next Clip, Stop/Return to Index, Rewind, Play/Pause, Fast Forward, and Function. You can Fast Forward and Rewind at four different speeds. When playing back a video clip, the Function menu consists of the following options:

While you are in the Video Playback Index, the Function menu contains the following options:

Connectivity* (10.0)*

Very rarely do we see a camcorder with ample connectivity and a sly method of hiding those unsightly ports. The HDR-SR12 is a B-52 bomber, equipped with inconspicuous panels and doors that snap open to reveal the goods.

On the right side of the HDR-SR12, toward the lens end, is a vertical shield that slides outward and locks in place to expose the Mic, Headphone, and HDMI jacks. This cover is far superior to a flimsy, tethered strip of plastic. Toward the battery end are the A/V and USB jacks, shrouded by a sliding door that disappears into the body of the HDR-SR12.

In back, even the DC input gets the royal treatment with a drawbridge-style plastic tab that opens downward.

Sony placed a Memory Stick PRO Duo slot in the HDR-SR12’s LCD cavity, which is guarded by a small rectangular door. The door flips open and locks into place to reveal the slot.

On top you’ll find some of Sony’s finest craftsmanship. The hot shoe (Active Interface Shoe) is secluded by a shield that slides toward the back of the camcorder and actually lifts up to accommodate the viewfinder. The HDR-SR12 is a work of art within the world of Connectivity.

The HDR-SR12 also ships with a Handycam docking station with a DC input, USB terminal, and A/V Out jack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Features

What’s in the Box?

The Sony HDR-SR12 ships with the following items:

  • Power Adapter/In-Camera Charger

  • NP-FH60 InfoLITHIUM Rechargeable Battery Pack

  • Remote Commander Remote Control

  • Handycam Station Cradle

  • Component Video Cable

  • Multi A/V Cable

  • USB Cable

  • Application CD-ROM with Driver

  • Enjoy Handycam DVD

An HDMI cable is not supplied, so you’ll have to pick one up. Also, it would be wise to stock up on a couple of NP-FH70 battery packs.

Other Features* (5.5)*

*Smooth Slow Record- *Sony’s ever-popular Smooth Slow Record has evolved with the HDR-SR12. In the past, Smooth Slow Record allowed you to record three seconds of black and white video at 240 fps, offering true, undulating slow motion. Now, the HDR-SR12 can record up to 12 seconds of video in color at 240 fps. Slow motion hair flips will never be the same with Smooth Slow Record.

*Dual Record - *While Shooting in Video mode, Dual Record allows you to capture a 7.6-megapixel still by pressing the Photo button. If you’re pressed for time and just need a quick still, Dual Record is the answer to your prayers.

*Digital Effect - *The HDR-SR12’s lone Digital Effect is … Old Movie! Nothing says ragtime like a good sepia tone and slow shutter speed.

*Picture Effect- *The Digital Effects menu consists of Sepia, Black and White, and Pastel, just in case you don’t feel like applying any of those in post-production.

*Backlight Compensation (BLC)- *When a subject is underexposed amidst an overexposed background, Backlight Compensation (BLC) boosts the overall exposure to illuminate the subject.

*Fader - *For dramatic effect, choose faders to fade in or out of your scenes. White will give you a Matrix dream feel while Black creates a "whodunit?" feel.

*Super NightShot- *As is Sony’s NightShot light isn’t enough, the HDR-SR12 is equipped with an infrared light that boosts the effectiveness of standard NightShot, thus donning it Super NightShot mode. Either way, your video will look like a stolen home movie.

*Battery Info - *When the HDR-SR12 is powered off, press the Battery button located in the LCD cavity. A multicolored charge level meter appears, displaying the approximate percentage of battery life left. The remaining LCD screen and viewfinder recording times are listed below the meter.

 

 

 

 

Comparisons / Conclusion

Comparison

Sony HDR-SR11

The Sony HDR-SR11 is identical to the HDR-SR12, but with a 60GB hard disk drive (HDD), half the capacity of the SR12.

Sony HDR-SR7

Although we didn’t test the Sony HDR-SR7 ($1,399.99 MSRP), we can tell you straight up that the HDR-SR12 is superior. The HDR-SR7 contains a 1/3-inch ClearVID CMOS chip with a 3,200,000 pixel count, Sony’s previous top imaging chip. The HDR-CX7, a cousin to the SR7 that used the same chipset and was in the same second generation of AVCHD camcorders, was very good, but not nearly this good. Sony’s new Exmor sensor and BIONZ processing has dispelled enough noise to make it among the best low light performers.

So, image quality aside, how does the HDR-SR7 measure up in terms of handling? One glance at the HDR-SR12 will clue you into the fact that Sony took the HDR-SR7’s design and vastly improved it to include a 3.2-inch wide LCD, Cam Control dial, and flawless port covers. The HDR-SR12 offers double the capacity of the 60GB SR7, and it just looks sexier. The HDR-SR7 is a fossil in the HDR-SR12’s mammoth footprint.

Canon HF10

Canon has been sitting pretty in 2008 so far. First the revamped HV30, then the compact flash warrior HF10 ($1,099 MSRP)—what next? Well, Canon better not let its guard down because the HDR-SR12 is the first camcorder in awhile that could put a cramp in Canon’s winning streak. In bright light, the HF10 edges out the HDR-SR12 with a crisper picture. When the lights go down, the HDR-SR12’s detail rises, displaying less noise than the HF10. However, the HF10 offers multiple frame rates that increase sensitivity, but at 1080/60i the HDR-SR12’s image is as good as and sometimes better than the Canon HF10. There is hope out there, JVC and Panasonic—just follow Sony’s path. Try some new processing, play with the chip size, adjust pixel count—do whatever it takes to give us a clean low light image with sufficient sensitivity.

The HDR-SR12 is also a better handler. Its architecture is welcoming to the hand, the design is sleek and efficient, and it has a 3.2-inch LCD screen for crying out loud. The HF10 might edge out the HDR-SR12 as far as Manual Controls and multiple frame rates, but it looks like these two are neck and neck. Those opposed to touch screens can choose the Canon HF10 with little fear of buyer’s remorse. But Sony has lit the circle of fire and Canon is beginning to feel the heat. The HF10’s $300 price gap is one of the few weapons it has left after this epic battle.

JVC-GZ-HD6

JVC continues to release camcorders that feature virtually unchanged video quality, design, and controls. Their third-generation GZ-HD6 ($1,399.99 MSRP) is the latest HD Everio, couched with three 1/5-inch CCDs that offer a decent bright light image, but suffer in low light performance. The GZ-HD6 is essentially a watered-down GZ-HD7 that can shoot in 60P, but only playback 60P through a highly expensive HD monitor. The OIS is the only primary improvement, displaying the best performance we’ve seen from a camcorder to date. But OIS alone is not enough to contend with the HDR-SR12’s most excellent video performance and killer design. Is there hope for JVC? If they give us a GZ-HD7 with a Zoom ring and overhauled imaging and processing there is. Stick with the HDR-SR12.

Panasonic HDC-HS9

The line between the HDR-SR12 and the Panasonic HDC-HS9 ($999.95 MSRP) is thicker than the Delaware Water Gap. Both camcorders are consumer-driven, but for entirely different reasons. Panasonic is latching onto the "World’s Smallest" title, which gains points for portability, but suffers from numerous handling and connectivity flaws as a result. The LCD cavity Joystick is a royal pain to use and certain ports are located inconveniently behind the battery. The HDC-HS9 doesn’t even have a Mic or Headphone jack, and is devoid of an accessory shoe. We haven’t tested the HDC-HS9 yet, but it has an identical imaging system to the HDC-SD9, which gave us a ho-hum performance (for an HD camcorder). The three 1/6-inch CCDs just couldn’t hold it together in low light. The only other thing the HDC-HS9 has going for it is a clean menu system. The Manual Controls are great, but need an updating. Sony offers several additional manual controls that consumers are going to love, while Panasonic is sticking with the tried and true controls that appeal more to old school camera people. In this case, the HDR-SR12 is worth the additional $400.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters

Between Easy mode and the touch-screen Home menu system, the HDR-SR12 greets novices with open arms. The Cam Control dial allows shooters to grow, but those who are not ready to brave the seemingly perilous world of manual controls will find solace in the HDR-SR12’s precise auto response.

Budget Consumers

We’re not seeing it here—$1,400 does not fall within the same line as the words "deal" or "bargain." The Panasonic HDC-SD9 is the cheapest HD camcorder available.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid

True 10.2-megapixel stills? Fifty-five gallon drum-sized recording capacity between the 120GB HDD and optional Memory Stick PRO Duo? Dual Record mode? The HDR-SR12 is the camcorder to beat when it comes to still imaging.

Gadget Freaks

Those covert port covers, that vast 3.2-inch LCD screen, the 120GB HDD—and it’s HD! The new 12-second Smooth Slow Record just might be enough to incite heart attacks throughout Circuit Cities across the world.

Manual Control Freaks

There’s no Shutter Speed control, but the HDR-SR12 has a killer Cam Control dial that allows instant Focus, Exposure, Aperture Priority, and White Balance Priority control.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists

The HDR-SR12 is a pimped out consumer camcorder that just happens to produce stellar video. Unfortunately, the motion trailing of AVCHD will be a major deterrent to the pro looking for a handheld solution for that shot inside a dinosaur’s mouth.

Conclusion

The Sony HDR-SR11 and HDR-SR12 (identical in all things but 60GB and 120GB HDDs, respectively) are great camcorders. This third generation of AVCHD camcorders, including the Canon HF10 and Panasonic HDC-SD9, are finally shedding the poor reputation of their youth and maturing into a viable format to succeed HDV. Compression artifacting has decreased, overall, and resolution has increased. The consumer base will still need time to adjust, particularly in regards to the demands AVCHD files make on a computer when editing. But we’re getting there, bit by bit.

The HDR-SR12 proves that Sony has made huge strides with the new Exmor CMOS sensor and Bionz processor. Compared with Sony’s leading HDV camcorder, the HDR-HC9, the reduction in noise is amazing. No doubt, Sony is going to push the Exmor/Bionz branding regardless of the sensor size, and we can only verify that this particular combination (with the 1/3.25-inch CMOS) is excellent. The sharpness in bright light is not quite up to par with the Canon HF10, but the color performance is great and casual viewers will not see much of a difference between these two camcorders. In low light, Canon again leads the pack, thanks to a greater sensitivity in 1080/60i (and a much greater sensitivity in the 30P and 24P alternate frame rates). However, in our candid, out-of-office shooting, the Sony SR12 sometimes appeared better than the Canon HF10. Other times, it did not. The important takeaway conclusion here is that neither had a strong lead over the other.

In a broad comparison between the HDR-SR12 and competing HD camcorders, here’s the scoop. No AVCHD camcorder can match the 120GB capacity. The JVC GZ-HD6 is equipped with a 120GB HDD, but it uses MPEG-2 TS compression and we did not find the video quality comparable. The Canon HF10 and Panasonic HDC-SD9 are both extremely compact, while the HDR-SR12 is rather bulky. The HF10 and HDC-SD9 rely on removable flash memory cards. Alternately, the Panasonic HDC-HS9 is dual format, equally adept with memory cards or the 60GB HDD, but it’s still smaller and lighter than the SR12.

In terms of handling, the Sony HDR-SR12 is a strong contender with the front-mounted Cam Control dial and the (love it or leave it) touch screen, which is certainly buoyed by the fact that it’s in a larger 3.2-inch size. The Canon HF10 offers a well placed joystick, but does not have any dial or wheel in addition. Panasonics took a nose dive in handling this year by moving its joysticks to the LCD cavity, completely out of sight for the shooter.

Finally, there’s the price to consider. The Sony HDR-SR12 is not cheap at $1,399 MSRP, though that price will surely drop as the year progresses. The JVC GZ-HD6 is also $1,399 MSRP. Of course, you can spring for the identical HDR-SR11; its smaller 60GB HDD drops the MSRP to $1,199. The Canon HF100 is still cheaper at $1,099 MSRP. The Panasonic HDC-SD9 is cheapest of all at $799 MSRP.

For shooters who need the capacity, or just like the convenience of HDD, the Sony HDR-SR11 and HDR-SR12 are strong recommendations. If you want to save some money and/or you need more portability, the Canon HF10 is your best bet. Both are great camcorders serving slightly different clientele.

 

 

 

Meet the tester

David Kender

David Kender

Editor in Chief

@davekender

David Kender oversees content at Reviewed as the Editor in Chief. He served as managing editor and editor in chief of Reviewed's ancestor, CamcorderInfo.com, helping to grow the company from a tiny staff to one of the most influential online review resources. In his time at Reviewed, David has helped to launch over 100 product categories and written too many articles to count.

See all of David Kender's reviews

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