SDR-H80-A blue SD/HDD camcorder

• 1CCD camera system


• Records to 60 GB built-in Hard Disk Drive or SD memory cards


• 70x optical zoom; 100x digital zoom


• Intelligent Auto Mode automatically selects Face Detection Scene Selector Optical Image Stabilizer and Intelligent Contrast Control


• 2.7-inch widescreen touch-panel LCD

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SDR-H80-K black SD/HDD camcorder

• 1CCD camera system


• Records to 60 GB built-in Hard Disk Drive or SD memory cards


• 70x optical zoom; 100x digital zoom


• Intelligent Auto Mode automatically selects Face Detection Scene Selector Optical Image Stabilizer and Intelligent Contrast Control


• 2.7-inch widescreen touch-panel LCD

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Panasonic AG-HMC40 AVCCAM HD Camcorder

• HD formats: 1080/60i 1080/30p 1080/24p (Native); 720/60p 720/30p 720/24p (Native)


• Three newly designed 1/4.1" Progressive 3MOS Imagers for full HD resolution


• 12x Leica Dicomar lens (13 elements in 10 groups) 43mm filter zoom range of 40.8 - 490mm (35mm equivalent.)


• Extremely slow smooth zoom for the precise control needed for dramatic sequences


• Time Date Stamp enables shooting Legal Depositions or Surveillance

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Best camera for the price!!

It was a long wait but finally got it last week and then took it for a trip right away its performance it's outstanding I got this camera for a TV show we are producing after seeing a few options we decided to get this one because of several reasons:



- Size the camera is very compact for a camera that provides broadcast quality image the size is amazingly small.

- Construction this camera has most of its body made out with metal panels that makes it very solid and also makes it reliable also the set up of the buttons are easy to access.

- Price there are other models in the market that could deliver a similar quality or probably a little better but the cost is at least $1k more if you think like I do "creativity is the main ingredient for a good production" spending the extra cash doesn't really make a difference as long as you are aware of the camera's capabilities and limitations but there is always ways to improve performance in some conditions that could affect the correct functionality of your equipment.

- Tapeless technology we bought another AVCHD camera a little less than a year ago we use it mostly for action shots and underwater recording the transition was effortless the advantages and capturing time are reduced to minimal and the quality is amazing with this model we found that its quality is even better than older models and editing is a lot quicker also recording cost are cut to almost nothing with new SDHC cards that can be used over and over without loosing quality... Just this fact makes it a must buy!!!



After using it for this little time I have managed to work around its many controls and get exactly what I want from it the response to low light is not the best but it's decent you can always add a good light for little money and resolve that problem also the sound quality is excellent I didn't get the optional xlr adapter piece for it but I am using a 8mm wireless mic system that combined with this little fellow deliver great results!!



In short words: "the new Panasonic AG-HCM40 is not the best camera money can buy but to my opinion it's the best camera money can buy for this price!!"More detail ...

The picture quality of a '90s cell phone

I bought the Panasonic SDR-H80 digital video camera from Best Buy yesterday (May 23 2009). It cost $399 + extra for a backup battery and a warranty.



The Good Stuff:



The optical image stabilization feature is quite adept at stabilizing a shaky image.



The 70x zoom is kinda cool though you really need a tripod for anything over about 30x.



The camera looks attractive is light weight and has a relatively easy to use interface. The buttons are mostly positioned well except the zoom lever which I couldn't easily reach without jostling the camera.



The Bad Stuff:



The image quality of this camera is utter trash. Pure garbage. My picture phone literally takes better quality video at a higher resolution. I was absolutely stunned at how bad the image quality is. It looks like some kind of highly compressed late 90's webcam or something.



And it gets even worse in low light. And here by "low light" I mean anything less than direct sunlight. My first attempts with this camera last night turned out so bad that I couldn't see anything.



I did have the camera set to the highest quality and I followed the instructions for the different lighting types (fluorescent mercury etc) with no luck.



The camera claims to have an intelligent auto (iA) feature but I didn't notice it doing much but fiddling with the white balance at odd intervals.



There is also a special low-light feature called "magic ..." something or other. I forget. But it reduced the frame rate to 1 or 2 fps which makes it completely unacceptable as a video recording device.



I am surprised at how good the reviews are for this piece of equipment. Really people set your bar just a little bit higher.



I returned this product this morning to Best Buy. I brought my laptop and while I was there I tried out other cameras of this model to make sure that mine was not simply defective. They were all trash.



I ate the $60 Best Buy restocking fee but that's okay because I'd rather be out $60 than $400 for a camera that won't do anything but sit in my closet.More detail ...

The picture quality of a '90s cell phone

I bought the Panasonic SDR-H80 digital video camera from Best Buy yesterday (May 23 2009). It cost $399 + extra for a backup battery and a warranty.



The Good Stuff:



The optical image stabilization feature is quite adept at stabilizing a shaky image.



The 70x zoom is kinda cool though you really need a tripod for anything over about 30x.



The camera looks attractive is light weight and has a relatively easy to use interface. The buttons are mostly positioned well except the zoom lever which I couldn't easily reach without jostling the camera.



The Bad Stuff:



The image quality of this camera is utter trash. Pure garbage. My picture phone literally takes better quality video at a higher resolution. I was absolutely stunned at how bad the image quality is. It looks like some kind of highly compressed late 90's webcam or something.



And it gets even worse in low light. And here by "low light" I mean anything less than direct sunlight. My first attempts with this camera last night turned out so bad that I couldn't see anything.



I did have the camera set to the highest quality and I followed the instructions for the different lighting types (fluorescent mercury etc) with no luck.



The camera claims to have an intelligent auto (iA) feature but I didn't notice it doing much but fiddling with the white balance at odd intervals.



There is also a special low-light feature called "magic ..." something or other. I forget. But it reduced the frame rate to 1 or 2 fps which makes it completely unacceptable as a video recording device.



I am surprised at how good the reviews are for this piece of equipment. Really people set your bar just a little bit higher.



I returned this product this morning to Best Buy. I brought my laptop and while I was there I tried out other cameras of this model to make sure that mine was not simply defective. They were all trash.



I ate the $60 Best Buy restocking fee but that's okay because I'd rather be out $60 than $400 for a camera that won't do anything but sit in my closet.More detail ...

Best camera for the price!!

It was a long wait but finally got it last week and then took it for a trip right away its performance it's outstanding I got this camera for a TV show we are producing after seeing a few options we decided to get this one because of several reasons:



- Size the camera is very compact for a camera that provides broadcast quality image the size is amazingly small.

- Construction this camera has most of its body made out with metal panels that makes it very solid and also makes it reliable also the set up of the buttons are easy to access.

- Price there are other models in the market that could deliver a similar quality or probably a little better but the cost is at least $1k more if you think like I do "creativity is the main ingredient for a good production" spending the extra cash doesn't really make a difference as long as you are aware of the camera's capabilities and limitations but there is always ways to improve performance in some conditions that could affect the correct functionality of your equipment.

- Tapeless technology we bought another AVCHD camera a little less than a year ago we use it mostly for action shots and underwater recording the transition was effortless the advantages and capturing time are reduced to minimal and the quality is amazing with this model we found that its quality is even better than older models and editing is a lot quicker also recording cost are cut to almost nothing with new SDHC cards that can be used over and over without loosing quality... Just this fact makes it a must buy!!!



After using it for this little time I have managed to work around its many controls and get exactly what I want from it the response to low light is not the best but it's decent you can always add a good light for little money and resolve that problem also the sound quality is excellent I didn't get the optional xlr adapter piece for it but I am using a 8mm wireless mic system that combined with this little fellow deliver great results!!



In short words: "the new Panasonic AG-HCM40 is not the best camera money can buy but to my opinion it's the best camera money can buy for this price!!" More detail ...

The picture quality of a '90s cell phone

I bought the Panasonic SDR-H80 digital video camera from Best Buy yesterday (May 23 2009). It cost $399 + extra for a backup battery and a warranty.



The Good Stuff:



The optical image stabilization feature is quite adept at stabilizing a shaky image.



The 70x zoom is kinda cool though you really need a tripod for anything over about 30x.



The camera looks attractive is light weight and has a relatively easy to use interface. The buttons are mostly positioned well except the zoom lever which I couldn't easily reach without jostling the camera.



The Bad Stuff:



The image quality of this camera is utter trash. Pure garbage. My picture phone literally takes better quality video at a higher resolution. I was absolutely stunned at how bad the image quality is. It looks like some kind of highly compressed late 90's webcam or something.



And it gets even worse in low light. And here by "low light" I mean anything less than direct sunlight. My first attempts with this camera last night turned out so bad that I couldn't see anything.



I did have the camera set to the highest quality and I followed the instructions for the different lighting types (fluorescent mercury etc) with no luck.



The camera claims to have an intelligent auto (iA) feature but I didn't notice it doing much but fiddling with the white balance at odd intervals.



There is also a special low-light feature called "magic ..." something or other. I forget. But it reduced the frame rate to 1 or 2 fps which makes it completely unacceptable as a video recording device.



I am surprised at how good the reviews are for this piece of equipment. Really people set your bar just a little bit higher.



I returned this product this morning to Best Buy. I brought my laptop and while I was there I tried out other cameras of this model to make sure that mine was not simply defective. They were all trash.



I ate the $60 Best Buy restocking fee but that's okay because I'd rather be out $60 than $400 for a camera that won't do anything but sit in my closet.More detail ...