Making home movies is a whole different game than it was 25 years ago. Back then, you flipped on your camcorder, recorded your kids for a little while, then turned it off. Poof–you had a home movie with which to bore your friends at your next gathering. But today, easy-to-use editing software means just about anyone can try his hand at becoming the next Ken Burns. All you need is good talent, a well-developed plotline and of course a great camera.

Enter the Sony HDR-SR12 Handycam. Introduced in 2008, the camera is the highest-end of Sony’s high definition hard drive camcorders.