Sony HDR-CX12 is a highly portable digital camcorder which in many respects shares the features, specifications and achievement of the well known Sony HDR-SR12.
Intro:
Unlike the Sony HDR-SR12 and HDR-SR11 the new Sony HDR-CX12 has o internal memory whatsoever, yet it ships with a 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo memory card. As it does not have a built-in hard drive it is lighter than the other two camcorders, but as it shares some features and specifications with them the image quality achieved with the Sony HDR-CX12 is indeed very good.
Sony HDR-CX12 pros:
+ 12x optical zoom
+ Touchscreen LCD + Cam Control dial
+ Good battery life
+ Good image quality
+ Compact size
+ Neat and solid design
Sony HDR-CX12 cons:
- No internal memory
- Poor connectivity
- No viewfinder
The design:
Sony HDR-CX12 measures 83 x 76 x 138mm (3 3/8 x 3 x 5 1/20 inches) and weighs 450g (1 lbs) with the battery so it is not only small but also light. The Sony HDR-CX12 is very similar to other camcorders like Canon HF11, or Sony HDR-SR12, but it is only to be expected as with the decreasing size of sch devices there is not much left for innovation in terms of design. Unfortunately, the Sony HDR-CX12 has very limited connectivity. This camcorder has only a mini-HDMI port, a DC-in, an AV-out and the Sony proprietary shoe. What I dislike about this camcorder is the docking station which needs to b used to connect the Sony HDR-CX12 with a Mac, or PC.
Sony HDR-CX12’s design is very well thought out. At the front of the camcorder is the 12x optical zoom Carl Zeiss Vario Sonar T* lens with automatic enclosure engaged when the camcorder is turned on and off. The flash if situated slightly to the left of the lens which may result in uneven lighting. There is also the Cam Control dial in the lower right corner and although it is not as useful as the barrel ring on Panasonic HDC-HS100 it is a very nice tool for fine-tuning white balance, exposure and focus. At the back of Sony HDR-CX12 is the battery chamber, some ports and a few controls. On the right side of the battery is the Start/Stop Record button. On the left side of the camcorder is the LCS cavity with the 2,7-inch 211,00-pixel touch-screen. At the top of Sony HDR-CX12 is the 5.1 channel built-in microphone and the Sony proprietary Active Interface Shoe. All in all, the keys and buttons on Sony HDR-CX12 are very comfortable and well situated, however, people with bigger hands should be careful not to place their fingers on the microphone as it might result in scratching sound. But that should not be an issue for people with smaller hands, fortunately.
Performance:
Sony HDR-CX12 has the same chip as the Sony HDR-SR11 which means that the image quality should the same, or at least very similar. Indeed that is the case. Sony HDR-CX12 produces images of very good sharpness, strong, yet not over-saturated colors and with fine detail. Although the images produced with Sony HDR-CX12 are not as sharp as those produced by Canon HF10 they are much less noisy. Also in low light conditions the Sony HDR-CX12 performed a bit better than the Canon HF11. Still, the best low light performer is the Samsung SC-HMX20. The SteadyShot optical image stabilization works very well in Sony HDR-CX12 so you don’t have to worry about shooting with shaky hands. Sony HDR-CX12 records videos in full 1920 x 1080 high definition AVCHD onto MemoryStick Duo cards. There are four quality settings: HD FH (16Mbps), HD HQ (9Mbps), HD SP (7Mbps), and HD LP (5Mbps). So the memory card that ships with the camcorder should be enough for about 25 minutes of video in the highest quality.
The Sony HDR-CX12 is the first High Definition camcorder to have the Smile Shutter feature in the Still Image mode. Thanks to it and the Face Detection the Sony HDR-CX12 will automatically take a photo of a person then the person smiles. And when you add to it that the Sony HDR-CX12 can take still images in up to 10 megapixel and in quality better than Canon HF11, Panasonic HDC-HS100 and Samsung SC-HMX20, it turns out that the Sony HDR-CX12 is a truly versatile camcorder.
Menus / ease of use:
I always liked Sony for their menu structure and the ease of use it assured. Unfortunately, I have to admit that Sony HDR-CX12 has a very awkward meny structure. While I was pleased with the appearance of the Cam Control dial which you can use to adjust white balance, focus and some other options which makes the touchscreen less cluttered with icons (and fingerprints), the menu structure is a little confusing. Some features might be altered in more than one place, certain options overlap and sometimes you practically do not know what the buttons are supposed to do. Fortunately, there is always the ‘Easy’ mode which locks some features and adjusts everything automatically with quite satisfactory results.
Selected Sony HDR-CX12 features and specifications:
DIGITAL CAMERA FEATURES
Image Sensor Type
CMOS
Image stabilization (Optical)?
Yes
Viewfinder
Without Viewfinder
Tripod Mount?
Yes
Camera Resolution
10.2 MP
Optical Zoom
12x
DIGITAL VIDEO
Digital video format
AVCHD
Video resolutions
1920×1080
Video speed (fps)
25
Digital Video Camera Type
Memory Card
Night Shot Mode
Yes
Digital Still Shot Mode
Yes
CMOS Size
1/3.13in
DISPLAY
Display Technology
TFT touchscreen
Screen size
2.7 in
DVD RECORDING
Reording Speeds
SP, LP, HQ
GENERAL
Available Colours
Black
Video speed (fps)
25
MEDIA
Supported Memory Media
Memory Stick
POWER OPTIONS
Power Supply
AC Power, Battery
Battery Type
Rechargeable – (Li-Ion)
WIRED CONNECTIONS
Wired Terminals / Ports
AV Output, DC In, HDMI Output, USB 2.0
Other recently reviewed camcorders:
Panasonic SDR-H60, Canon Vixia HF11, Samsung SC-HMX20, Panasonic HDC-HS100, Sony DCR-DVD910, Canon DC330.