Why I buy this one ?
- Record high-definition (AVCHD) video direct to Memory Stick PRO Duo media cards
- 1/2.9-inch ClearVid CMOS sensor; Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens
- 2.7-inch widescreen hybrid touch-panel Clear Photo LCD Plus display
- Simultaneous video and 4.6-megapixel still image capture
- Easy one-touch disc-burn; Handycam Station included

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What our customer's say!

"Terrific Camcorder", I bought this about two weeks ago and couldn't be happier. My first experience, I took it to my daughter's dance and took some outstanding HD videos. Playing it on my 50" HD plasma you can't believe your eyes. It is as you are watching a broadcast sports event. Still pictures are outstanding and the look and feel of this camera is awesome. The only thing I would suggest is to get yourself a cable to go HDMI. Sony should have included this but it's not that expensive to buy one. If you are looking for a video camera that is portable and easy to use, this is definitely the one.

"Not Compatible wih Mac", The camera works great, but it does not work very well with a Mac. Sony's software is only for PC, which is hard to believe in this day and age. There is a way to make it work in iMovie, but I hope you have a few hours to download your video. Anyway, like I said, I'm not complaining about the camera itself (which is great), but I am very frustrated that this is even an issue.

"It's a GOOD, a BAD and an UGLY digital camcorder.", I chose Sony HDR CX7 over Panasonic HDC-SD5, Samsung HMX10A and Canon HG10 after an extensive research. I want a camcorder that can record both in HD and SD format, using Flash memory card, and taking decent still pictures. The reasons why I bought it are listed in THE GOOD section.

After using it for 3 weeks, I hate it in some areas. They're listed in THE BAD and the UGLY SECTION.

THE GOOD

BEAUTIFUL VIDEO QUALITY
It records beautiful and sharp video even in SD format. The color is vivid and attractive.

BEST STILL PICTURES
It takes pictures in 6 and 4 mega pixels. The color are lively and bright. All the competitors take pictures in only 2 mega pixels. They look very bad compared to Sony's. Still, these pictures do not look as sharp as a digital point and shoot camera. No pictures taken by any camcorders look as good as the ones by cameras.

NIGHT SHOT FEATURE
You can shoot video in the dark by turning on the built-in infrared light. No competitors have this feature.

SHOOTING VIDEO IN BOTH HD AND SD FORMAT

Only Sony and Panasonic camcorders have this feature.
I want mine to be able shoot movies in both HD (AVCHD) and SD (Mpeg2) formats. It's because I and the majority of my friends have regular TV's and DVD players. We think the price of HD equipment is still too high.

HIGH-CAPACITY EXTRA BATTERY
The battery that comes with my camcorder lasts only 2 hours. I bought an extra one, NPFH100 H Series Actiforce Hybrid InfoLithium Battery. It lasts approximately 7 hours. That's more than enough for me.

NOISELESS RECORDING
Because it uses flash memory card, the camera makes no noise. As a result, my video recording does not have any sound made by the camcorder. The same thing goes for any camcorder that uses the same technology

THE BAD and THE UGLY

SUPPORTING ONLY 8 GB of FLASH MEMORY

The highest capacity of the memory sticks supported is only 8 GB. If you're recording in SD format, it will record for 4 hours. That's good enough for casual users. If you're recording in HD format, it lasts only 2 hours. That is short. I resolve this problem by using 2 memory sticks of 8 GB each. That gives me 4 hours of HD video or 8 hours of SD video. This is good enough for me. I wish it support 16 GB memory stick.

PROPRIETARY INTERFACE AND HARDWARE
This is one of the reasons I don't like Sony merchandise. It's because it costs me much more in the long run. Further more, I'm not able to use many better accessories made by other companies. For example, if I could use Sandisk Compact Flash card, it would cost less.

SLOPPY ACCESSORIES
Sound quality is not good unless you stand about 1 feet away from the object. It has too much echo. This is typical problem of all consumer camcorders made by all companies. So, I bought an external microphone, ECM-HGZ1 Shotgun Microphone. I ended up returning it to the store. It's because it's not better than the built-in one. It also looks and feels like a toy. If the camcorder did not use proprietary Active Interface Hot Shoe, I would be able to use pro external microphones made by other companies to produce excellent sound.

Now, there's no way to record better sound with this camcorder. It does not have a line-in for microphone. If I want it, I'll have to buy pro -level camcorders which cost minimum $6500!

BAD SOFTWARE SUPPORT
I misplaced the software disc that came with the camera. So, I could not install the software browser to view HD video and picture files. I could not find full version of the software on Sony website! They have only the upgrade version. Luckily, I just found the original disc.

In short, this is the best camcorder in its class which meets my needs. If only it used standard interface, then it would be an excellent equipment.



"sony hdr-cx7 avchd", The avchd software does not work with vista 64 bit PC's. The camcorder is very good.

"Excellent Video quality, great product.", It has a great quality for video and good quality for photos (6mp)...
Didn't got a good quality in photos taked when still recording Videos and can take only 3 pictures in this mode at 4.6mp .

You should buy a secondary battery if planning to film for more then 2h... Sony NPFH100 H Series is a great choice for that.

I miss in this product other away to see images other than lcd but only for pictures, for movie i think it's fine.

The menu is simple and easy to use.

One problem is the needed to use dock station every time you need to connect to computer and don't after you copy the movies to computer in Full HD mode, you need a secondary program to see it because the sw that comes with them don't allow you to play movies in your HD... or I don't know yet how to do it.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"great depending on the use.", This is not a professional camcorder. Some people expects too much. For me has been a pleasure. The video is really awesome for home video. With 8Gb memory Stick you have an hour of 1080i video. I play my videos on an 1080p HDTV, including the HDTV compatible photos at 6.1Megapixes. The size is also great for the use I give to the camcorder.

The low light detail is a small issue for me.

Note that the avchd video format for high definition is starting to be compatible with the editing software applications, so if you plan to edit heavily, research on the current compatibility status of the software on the market. Sony Vegas supports the format initially.

"Excellent Camera - Minor annoyances", This is an excellent camera. I bought it along with a 8 GB card (annoyance #1 - it doesn't come with a card) and started shooting with it about 5 mintues out of the box. Sony's software is almost completely worthless (annoyance #2), but it's relatively easy to hook it up to a PC and download your videos. An 8 GB card will get you about 2 1/2 hours of high def video, longer than the battery seems to last (annoyance #3). It is extremely light weight and portable. It is also very easy to operate. There is even an "easy" mode for people like me who don't fool with all of the settings. Be prepared to up grade your computer; whatever you have, it probably isn't fast enough. My desktop can't play the videos without dropping every 4th or 5th frame; I ordered a new computer this weekend.

Annoyance #4 - you need the docking station if you want to hook it up to a TV or computer.

Annoyance #5 - Proprietary hot shoe.

I did give it 5 stars because the problems are only small issues. Overall, it is an absolutely great camera that takes great pictures and is easy to operate. The 1080i video looks super clear on an HDTV. Don't waste your time with a hard drive or DVD burner. This is the future.

"Great video. Small and works with my Mac and iMovie.", Video quality is great. Easy to use. 3 Watt accessory light works well but needs a diffuser. Battery life is good. I used 8gb memory sticks and got about an hour out of each on best quality. Small, light and simple. Suggest an after market hdmi to mini hdmi for convenient playack from hdtv. I was able to put the memory stick into my ps3 and played the movies in seconds! Chose over the canon hg10.

"Great Size", I received this camcorder for Christmas. I don't think the pictures are all that great but I am shooting with a digital SLR I would not leave your cameras at home. In watching the playback of what I have filmed it seems like the object does come in and out of focus sometimes. Even though tapes will give you the best picture I am sick of tapes! I had originally wanted a hard drive but when i saw the size of them I decided to go with the Flash Memory. I have not tried to download any of my footage onto my computer (I cringe at the thought of having to figure that out)

"Great Camera...still waiting for editing capabilities on Mac", I've had this camera for a month now. I actually bought it to film our 20 month old. Seemed like HD was the way of the future as we have a 50 inch plasma at home and want our memories to be in 1080i.

The Good - Amazing picture quality, very easy to use, small and easy to handle and plenty of recording time with an 8 gig flash card. 5.1 audio seems cool if you can get it to work on your system. Also like the fact that it can shoot 3 stills while filming and shoots stills in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. Very good quality stills (but see color saturation problem discussed below). I've heard people complain about the battery life of the battery that comes with it but I find it to be fine. Even with 8 gb of memory you are really only getting about an hour of footage at the highest quality recording. The battery easily lasts that long. In any event, I think less recording time is a blessing as it forces you to not bore your viewers with 30 minutes of your baby sleeping!

The Bad - AVCHD is a decent format for recording and storing compressed HD on flash but I can't find any software which will edit it on my MAC. Both iMovie '08 and Final Cut Express convert it into Apple Intermediate Codec. Once converted the files are huge unless you are willing to drop to non-HD or barely HD resolution. Thus, when I plug my camera into Plasma and watch the raw footage it is amazing, but after I've finished editing it with the mac and turn it into quicktime it looks at best to be DVD quality and usually a bit worse. While AVCHD can be played in a Playstation 3, you would only be playing the raw footage on your memory card (or burned to Blue-Ray IF you have an HD-Burner) not your edited movie. Unfortunately, Sony's software does not work with a MAC. Furthermore, I haven't been able to figure out how to take advantage of the 5.1 audio recroding since all the programs on my MAC automatically convert the 5.1 to 2 channel audio upon import. A definite bummer and something to think about. One other note on the photos it snaps. They tend to be a bit saturated with color (e.g. make grass look like astroturf). This problem does not occur with the video so much however.