Thoughts on Sony HDR-SR12 and appropriate housing?

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RJP

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We just got a new Sony HDR-SR12 camcorder for general family usage, so of course the first thing I'm thinking is "OK, now I need to take it underwater!"

Anyone have any experience with this camera underwater? Specific housing recommendations? Looking at the Ikelite #6038.94.

Appreciate any insight/input anyone might be able to provide - Ray
 
I've got an Ikelite housing for my HDR-SR1. It is adequate. The touchscreen controls are nearly impossible to use underwater (even shallow), and the mirror is difficult to use for framing shots.

I wish I would have spent my money on the L&M Stingray HD.
 
We just got a new Sony HDR-SR12 camcorder for general family usage, so of course the first thing I'm thinking is "OK, now I need to take it underwater!"

Anyone have any experience with this camera underwater? Specific housing recommendations? Looking at the Ikelite #6038.94.

Appreciate any insight/input anyone might be able to provide - Ray

I am a fan of Ikelite housings - I like the price, the size is better for me than some of the bigger bulkier metal housings, they only weight 10 lbs and are slightly negative underwater so easy to dive with, and I like that if I flood it I only ruined the camcorder and not the housing, too.

I am looking at the same setup but haven't decided whether I want the Sony SR12 or the Sony HC9. Both have their pros and cons. And since I have just bought the light rig by Ikelite, I intend to go with another Ikelite housing when I do upgrade. BTW, the light rig cost around $600 and so far I would rate it as worth every penny! I only got to use it on one dive so far, a night dive, and I was very impressed.

robin:D
 
Will be interesting to see what Sony comes out with next at the $1,200 mark. You know something will be out soon. It's whether or not it will be worthwhile or just window dressing. The SR12 and HC9 are both relatively cheap at < $900.

Have you researched how easy/hard it is to edit the AVCHD files ? I know initally that was a concern, but PC's are getting more powerfull everyday so it may not be important now.
 
I use the Seatools housing ... a bit more expensive than the Ikelite but it is nice. Light weight and the controls are easy to use.
 
Will be interesting to see what Sony comes out with next at the $1,200 mark. You know something will be out soon. It's whether or not it will be worthwhile or just window dressing. The SR12 and HC9 are both relatively cheap at < $900.

Have you researched how easy/hard it is to edit the AVCHD files ? I know initally that was a concern, but PC's are getting more powerfull everyday so it may not be important now.


I have been waiting for a DIVER to tell us about how easy/hard it is to edit videos, how long it takes to download the data to computer or laptop on a trip or when they get home, etc. But no one has posted anything about it!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come on guys, I know you are out there.......... inquiring minds want to know!


bpotter1956 - the Seatool housings look nice and they are very small, but out of my price range. Do the camcorders overheat in that small package causing any fogging? Do you have the SR12? How do you like it? Care to comment on my questions above? :popcorn: Just wondering.
 
I have been waiting for a DIVER to tell us about how easy/hard it is to edit videos, how long it takes to download the data to computer or laptop on a trip or when they get home, etc. But no one has posted anything about it!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come on guys, I know you are out there.......... inquiring minds want to know!

I have the Sony SR11 with an ikelite casing. Video transfer from the camera to a computer is extremely quick using the Sony supplied software (Putting a video back on the camera is extremely slow tho).
To edit the videos I use Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Pro 9 on a Dell Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz with 4GB ram laptop. I have found editing video on the machine to be fast enough for my needs. I have never had Sony Vegas crash on me while editing a video (the largest video I have created only lasts 20 minutes), I have read a lot of people have problems with other editing software. Sony Vegas can handle AVCHD files with no need to convert them to another format, it the Platinum Pro version can now also write AVCHD files.

Byron
 
Though the ikelite case does provide a lot of functionality, it is quite hard to use it underwater. I would definitely not recommend trying to use the touchscreen if your buoyancy control is not very good. The levers for the touch screen become very springy underwater which makes precise control difficult. I would recommend if you have the money to buy an electronic housing. That said if you are going to just shoot without using manual focus, or changing white balance the ikelite will save you a lot of money. I shoot most of my videos this way and just fix the white balance in Vegas.

Byron
 
I have the Sony SR11 with an ikelite casing. Video transfer from the camera to a computer is extremely quick using the Sony supplied software (Putting a video back on the camera is extremely slow tho).
To edit the videos I use Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Pro 9 on a Dell Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz with 4GB ram laptop. I have found editing video on the machine to be fast enough for my needs. I have never had Sony Vegas crash on me while editing a video (the largest video I have created only lasts 20 minutes), I have read a lot of people have problems with other editing software. Sony Vegas can handle AVCHD files with no need to convert them to another format, it the Platinum Pro version can now also write AVCHD files.

Byron

Thanks!!!!!

So can you give me a rough estimate on recording times - how much have you ever put on the hard drive, how many minutes, and how much of the hard drive did it use? Just wondering about how much the camcorder can hold before downloading. On a vacation, I won't be downloading all week, and if I am doing 3-4 dives per day recording about an hour worth of video each day for 5 days - is that an issue?

How long does it take to download that much info from the camcorder? I am guessing it stores it all as one file. Right? Do you usually download daily or at the end of a trip?

I know when I do my tapes, I usually do 1 tape per day (never really filling up a whole tape). When I download to my computer, using Pinnacle Studio program, it basically just plays the video and downloads it at that exact speed. So an hours worth of video downloads in an hour. Is it the same way with the hard drive camcorders or do they download faster? Slower?

Have you ever lost any data?

robin:D
 
So can you give me a rough estimate on recording times - how much have you ever put on the hard drive, how many minutes, and how much of the hard drive did it use? Just wondering about how much the camcorder can hold before downloading. On a vacation, I won't be downloading all week, and if I am doing 3-4 dives per day recording about an hour worth of video each day for 5 days - is that an issue?
Recording and Playback Times :
High Definition: FH = 7 hours 10 min. HQ = 14 hours and 40 min. SP = 17 hours and 50 min. LP = 22 hours and 50 min.

Standard Definition: HQ = 14 hours and 40 min. SP = 21 hours and 50 min. LP = 41 hours and 50 min.

When using 8GB Memory Stick PRO Duo Media (sold separately): High Definition: FH = up to 55 min., HQ = up to 115 min. SP = up to 140 min., LP = up to 180 min. Standard Definition: HQ = up to 115 min., SP = up to 170 min., LP = up to 5 hours 25 min.
Need more time? The SR12 has double the HDD - 120GB vs. 60GB. Right now it's my next camcorder - it fits my housing :D

A cool feature with the Memory Stick Media is that you can later grab stills while viewing your video, just push the photo button while the scene is playing. I have an adapter (provided with my HC1) that fits the Cardbus slot on my laptop since Sony MSM is proprietary - and imo pricey compared to SDHC cards.
I am guessing it stores it all as one file. Right?
No, it stores as segments. On a Canon I've used, it's every time you start/stop filming. They're viewable on the LCD screen and able to be deleted w/o downloading first. Canon indexes by filename/date so you can select one clip from a specific date and it will ask you if you want to optionally download everything shot on that date. Or you can pick and choose among all the clips to create a temporary "playlist" that can then be downloaded.

Since it's an HDD, it fills all the spaces on the disk with files/parts of files. So just like your disk on your home computer, every once in a while you defrag it to optimize performance.
 
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