When AVCHD first arrived, it was hard to recommend the format to anyone but incurable gadget lovers. Even though it is now more widely compatible with editing software, AVCHD's inferior image quality to HDV precludes it from being the right choice for anyone with more serious intentions than merely capturing a few family moments. But assuming AVCHD is the nascent consumer video format for the high definition era - and it's fast becoming so - then Sony's HDR-SR8E provides the most accomplished implementation of it we've seen. The low light abilities are a disappointment, but with its 100GB storage, decent still images and comprehensive feature set, the SR8E is the best hard-disk AVCHD camcorder yet, and the high price seems fairly reasonable for such a capable piece of kit.
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