My current camcorder is over [..], and I found that I just wasn't using it much anymore. Two reasons: It was a little big to carry around, and it recorded to tape, so deleting 'bad' scenes was not practical until it got to the PC. All the new camcorders are plenty small enough to carry around.I like the workflow of digital cameras in that you can easily delete the garbage shots after taking them. I wanted the same for a camcorder, which meant DVD or HDD was my choice, despite the possible reduction in end quality as compared to tape (HDD/DVD compress the image, tape doesn't). DVD was out for me since its capacity is very limited, and I just don't trust writing to DVD (I've had too many fail while closing the session on my PC). So it's HDD, even though I compromise image quality over tape.
I also wanted a long zoom lens. With a long zoom lens you have to sacrifice the larger CCD's, and larger CCD's allow for better image quality. Another compromise.
This left me with three final candidates in my price range: Sony DCR-SR42, JVC Everio GZMG155 and Panasonic SDR-H18. The Sony specs list 40x zoom, but the number that counts is the focal range (1.9 to 76), which actually gives you about the same true zoom as the other two (they advertise 32x). So they are equal there.
The final difference came down to price and the image stabilization. Only the Panasonic had optical image stabilization, which generally does a better job than electronic. This is especially important for these long zoom cameras. So the SDR-H18 won, and it was the least expensive also.
Considering the 'compromises' I had to make to go HDD and long zoom, I'm very happy with the image quality when played back on a standard def TV (haven't tried HD TV yet). It's at least as good as my old Digital-8 Sony image. The image stabilization is better than I expected I had no problem holding the shot steady free handed at 32x.
BTW No need to install the included CD. Windows XP recognized the camera and mounted it as a hard drive. Just copy the movies to your system like normal works. You may want to rename them to MPG files though, and set the widescreen flag in the file since the camera doesn't. Search for sdcopy.exe for a free simple utility to copy, rename and set the flag for you.
The only downsides I noticed so far:
Very low light feature on camera is useless as compared to Sony's IR mode. The Pana just makes the exposure time huge, which means you can only record still scenes in very low light. Not a problem for me though as I don't find the need to record in the dark much! Normal indoor light is OK, but not great.
The supplied battery won't last very long on a charge. Amazon has a battery CGA-DU21 which will 3 to 4 times as long for a very low price.
Update on experience with it: I have had the chance to try the video on a 42" LCD HD TV using the S-Video connector. It's not HD for sure, but the quality was acutally pretty good. I expected it to magnify the compressions issues to the point of being distracting. Others in the room actually commented how clean the video looked (the sample was from video taped outdoors in bright light).
One additional negative to add is that you can't delete a shot until you are in playback mode. I'd like to be able to delete it as soon as I've finished shooting it from the record mode thus saving a couple steps. Overall, no regrets.
It is lightweight, easy to use and creates high quality video images. If you have large pockets you can carry it in your pocket. It will make a bit of lump, but it's doable. I have done it.
SELECTABLE VIDEO QUALITY
This camcorder let's you choose the video quality. At the highest video quality it still can capture 7 hours of video. I can't imagine needing that much. I don't think there's anybody on the planet that would appreciate watching a 7 hour video, let alone one that's over 20 hours long in lower resolution mode.
STANDARD AND WIDESCREEN FORMATS
Multiple formats are user selectable. You can select a standard aspect ratio or widescreen format. I prefer widescreen because that's how my TV's are formatted. The only downside of selecting widescreen is that it will only playback in widescreen format on the camera's monitor or directly connected to a TV, and through the free software Panasonic provides. However, the widescreen format won't auto upload to Adobe Premiere Elements video editing software without first loading the footage and then using an obscure "interpret footage" command to force it back to widescreen. Once you know how to the use the interpret footage command to the uploaded scenes it literally takes a second to make the conversion back to widescreen. Windows moviemaker has the same problem and if there is interpretation function I am not aware of it. Finding the command in Adobe Premiere Elments is the hard part. It took calls to Panasonice and Adobe to solve the problem. Adobe support solved the problem. This is simply a camera sofware output issue that Pansonic should probably fix in future releases of the firmware / software.
VIDEO FORMAT AND HARD DISK SPACE
Video files are a proprietary mpeg format that takes a while to read, load and render in Adobe Premiere Elements. And, of course, be prepared for using up a lot of hard drive space to load and store all of the files. However, this is true of any digital camera output. I use a 320 gb external hard drive to store work in progress video files. When finished editing I transcode and burn to DVD and delete the files from my hard drive.
For the average person who only wants to take videos and directly view on their TV this camera is very easy to use.
The display adjusts to a full range of brightness which means it can be used on a bright sunny day. The adjustment is a separate button, not some command buried in the software.
Overall, it is a great value. The provided software works, but you can do much better with an upgraded video editing software or even Windows Moviemaker. Although with Windows Moviemaker it can't read the widescreen format. It's compressed to a standard aspect ratio so everybody looks skinny.
I first bought another brand of video camera but it's output couldn't be read by anything but the bundled software. That camcorder was returned in favor of this unit.
Optical image stabilization is on by default (you can turn it off). The OIS is good although it won't over come full zoom hand held video quality. At full zoom you'd do best to have a tripod.
Low light level is good, but it isn't a night vision camera.
There is a slot for a removable flash card. I popped in a 2 gig card. The last one I bought was only $12. You can record video or stills using this media. This is handy if you want to take stills (see below). I seldom use this feature because I have a Canon SLR with Canon L series lens and I don't shoot in automatic mode with the Canon camera.
STILL CAMERA CAPABILITY
Single camera jpegs can be taken in a 640x480 format (complete with a shudder release sound effect). Still picture quality is acceptable but it isn't a SLR digital camera. Quality is much, much better than a cell phone. Quality is on par with what you had 5-6 years ago with your typical digital still cameras. You don't buy this camera for taking stills although I have even used this at work to capture closeups of quality issues and then switch back to video mode to tell a story surrounding the defect. Let's put it this way, it's a better video camera than a still camera, but for the majority of people who buy point and shoot cameras this works just as well unless you are taking photos you plan on blowing up to poster size.
EDIT: UPDATE 11-30-07
After twice, sometimes three times a week use, I can still say the camcorder works great. I used it for the fall volleyball season for my daughter's high school team. I recorded every game and gave it to the coach for her to review (her request). Using the camcorder reaffirms my purchase decision. Processing a couple of hours of video to minimally edit and transcode to a DVD takes hours. That's a function of the software. Quality was high for a very dimly lit gyms.
I also produced a 36 minute end of season banquet video using mainly still shots interspersed with some video from this camera. This camera's output was easily integrated into the final video production.
SMOOTH TRANSITIONS
One nice characteristic I noticed was the transition between scenes was smooth. I was able to pause the camera during playing sequences and there was jumpiness (is there such a word?) when I paused and restarted the recorder. This may not seem like a big deal but I have had cameras where the camera would shake or move when you function the pause or record button. Obviously, this is a pretty well engineered camcorder to pay attention to such details.
LOW LIGHT PERFORMANCE UPDATE
Low light performance is better than I described earlier in this review. For example, I mounted the camcorder on a tripod and recorded the sports banquet speeches and presentations. The banquet room was dimly lit. The video came out just fine. It is very similar to the colors you see with the human eye. Things tend to become grey at low light levels. However, like I said earlier, you can't expect to go out at night in the country and shoot videos by moonlight. It's not a night vision camera.
LETTING YOUR DAUGHTER USE IT -A CASE STUDY FOR EASY TO USE
I let my daughter use it for a high school video project. She's no videophile or technical whiz. With me providing a simple 30 second tutorial on how to use the camera she was able to record usable scenes for her class project. She did it for her team and another team. I think that's testimony for how easy the camera is to use. The only problem she had was finding the volume control function for playback.
ONE LAST COMMENT
This camcorder does not have a standard viewfinder. It only has the display on the flip open door. I have had no problems without a viewfinder except on sunny days when the sun is directly shining on the LCD screen. Then, and only then, is viewing the image somewhat difficult.
Again, this camcorder is a great value for the money. Truly, it is a best buy.
Buy Panasonic SDR-H18 30GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Now
This is a great camera and while my budget wasn't my primary concern, getting the right product was. Before ever knowing what the price was I had read a review of this camera on CNet.com. The review gave this camera high praise from its editors and put it on the short list of good quality cameras on the market today. So once I read this article I went looking for a few more opinions and the consensus was that this camera would get the job done. So when I went pricing and found out that it was only $400 I thought I was either going to get a great camera at a great price or there was some big conspiracy on the internet and this thing is really a piece of crap. It's not a piece of crap and it is a great camera at a great price.If you are a gadget person and you are looking for a camera that has a feature set that you may never learn how to use, but are happy that they are available, then this camera is not for you.
There is no view finder for example. However, we don't use view finders any more and if you are like me, I point and laugh at people that look through view finders when they have a perfectly functional 2.5" inch color display in front of them.
Also, this camera doesn't have a light. Now this could be important, especially if it's your intention to shoot in low light situations like a darker room. The picture quality won't be great in low light but if you are like me and like to shoot things in the daytime or in rooms where electricity is present, then this shouldn't be much of a problem for you.
The camera is simply functional and its buttons and switches are designed to provide the user with function that they will most likely use. There is a zoom button, volume button, burn to DVD direct button, record button, menu button, delete button, etc, you get the idea. The view finder is used to view what you are recording and it doesn't double as a touch screen display, which is perfect for me as I have oven mitts for hands. The multi switch is actually a little joystick like you would find on a video game (although it's much smaller) and your thumb can operate all of the onscreen menus with a flick of this joystick. This camera comes with an optical zoom level of 32x. Optical zoom is what the lens creates and in my opinion is the only zoom you should use anyways. However, if you need to view beyond 32x, the camera has a digital zoom of 1000x. The digital zoom is simply the brain inside the camera creating what it thinks is the image based on zoom levels. You would need a very high powered and expensive lens to get to 1000x zoom but who needs that? At 32x you are very close to your subject and the best part of this camera is that if you shake like an Epileptic in an Arcade like I do, the image stabilizer system is second to none. It realizes what you are focused on and then reduces and sometimes illuminates the shake that often times ruins a video. This feature and the zoom are by far the best features a camera can have and Panasonic has hit it out of the park by putting so much focus on it.
Most importantly is the format of the camera, HDD (Hard Disc Drive), like you find in your computer. MiniDV is the standard technology but it is a dead technology. If you want the best of video output then stick with this technology but be warned that the day of the tape is going away. DVD camcorders aren't really DVD's like the ones we rent from the video store. They are 2" discs that record about an hour of footage in a quality setting, which simply isn't enough. The HDD camcorder you are looking at has a 30GB drive which is equivalent to 22 mini DVD's. Moreover, there is an expansion slot on the camera for external memory cards. This slot may not mean much today but we are at the beginning of the HD SD card revolution and soon the general public will be able to buy a 30 GB SD card which five years ago was unheard of. So in essence this $400 camera could double its recording capability without the need to upgrade to another model. This is a big deal.
Here is the procedure that you will use with this camera. You will record little Jimmy getting mauled by the family dog. You will then plug the camera into the computer and upload all the videos to your video file. You will use the software that came with the camera or some other commercially available product and you will edit the video to your hearts content. You will then use your onboard DVD burner ($40 at buydig.com) and burn a copy of the video onto a full size dual layer DVD that can store up to 8 GB of video footage. Then you can give the video to your local law enforcement to show them why it's a bad idea to own a Pit Bull.
This camera is cost effective, it's memory will expand as far as technology will go, you won't be buying 2" DVD's and miniDV cartridges, you won't be storing them either, you will buy full size DVDs that you can burn and play on standard DVD players, and most importantly you will have a good camera that won't break the bank. Now get buying.
I like nature and I like this camcorder! Great zoom with stabilization. Battery lasts a couple of hours and longer if you take many 5 or 10 minute shots. The battery is small and cheap , so having 2 might be nice, but I don't have the need for it at this point.
I took a 119 meg shot and condensed it to around 10 meg , just to show the zoom feature with stabilization and also to show these files can be changed to any format, I condensed it to WMA format for uploading to here.
AT around 40 SECONDS into the clip I zoom all the way out and in again to show what I was seeing with my eyes and what the camcorder picked up. I was sitting in gazebo and there were children playing a few feet from me and ducks and birds interacting with these children, they were sliding one of the tables on the concrete as I was filming this ... so sound is a little distracting in clip. The people on lake are least a 1/3 to 1/2 mile away.
Also take into consideration that any time you take a 119 meg clip and reduce it to only 10 megs you take out the detail, so the actual clip is very clear compared to utube like wma file I made.
I made clips 1 hour after sun went down a few days ago and I could see everything very clearly and it seemed like it was just a rainy day , the only way you could tell it was nighttime was if you saw the street lights and house lights on. I had stopped filming because I couldn't see anything, but when I went home and reviewed the tape, I was amazed, I could have still filmed more. Of course the Colors weren't vibrate but the camcorder saw a lot more and in more color then I was seeing! :)
In house shots in darkness are probably not that good, most camcorders are not that good at indoor night shots without good lighting according to Consumer Reports Nov 07 issue, CR rated this camcorder a Best Buy in Hard Drive models in that issue.
I also made a DVD using software that comes with camcorder and it was easy and looked good on my HDTV.We were looking for a basic camcorder for home videos, and this matched what we're looking for. One of our main criteria was to buy a HHD camcorder, and at the time Sony and JVC were the only other brands offering HHD camcorders, though both generally had good reviews, it was Panasonics Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) that won us over, BIG difference in video quality when compared.
Pros: Hard Disk Drive (no need for extra tapes, DVDs etc), OIS (very clear and stable video, even when zooming in), light camcorder (easy for travel), intuitive user interface, good sound.
Cons: Nothing as of the moment I write this, and I have been enjoying my camcorder for 2 weeks now!
Note on the software: I previously saw a review commenting how bad the FREE Editing Software was, I would like to add a note that the software does the job (as good as any of these free software are when you get them for free with your electronics). I have successfully imported my videos to my computer, have been able to trim my videos... if you need to trim the middle of the video, it's a bit more work with this software as you need to first edit 1 version with only front end of video you want, then second edit with only back end of video, and finally combining them into your final 3rd version with middle part deleted. (sorry this seems obvious, but that review was complaining about not being able to trim the middle of their video with this software...so my point is, you can do it, it just might not be as efficient as using the more commercial/professional editing tools out there).
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