Panasonic SDR-H200 Digital Camcorder

A camcorder even a novice can love!

I am not a videographer by any means -- but I'm always thinking of this or that idea that I would like to capture on video and transfer to the web. With that in mind, I mined the web, consulted with my twin brother (who IS a cinematographer) and wanted to know what was a good consumer-grade camera for filming fun stuff I wanted to put on the web, share with friends, etc. He recommended Panasonic right off the bat because of the image quality.

He was right! I was able to research and find the Panasonic SDR-H200 Digital Camcorder and FALL IN LOVE WITH IT! Truly a great little camera. And for under $600 on Amazon, it was a great deal.

This lens will look at the Panasonic SDR-H200 Hard Disc Digital Camcorder. Say goodbye to those outdated VHS tapes and extra DVDs and hello to a 30GB hard drive! This camcorder is an excellent value and provides a convenience unparalleled. If you are searching for a video camera -- read on with this lens and check out my review of it.

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Overview

Triple Beauty with Professional Broadcast Technology
Enjoy vivid color, crisp detail, and subtle gradation with 3CCD, the system used by most professional broadcast cameras. In a 1CCD system, all incoming light information is processed by the same CCD. The more advanced 3CCD system uses three distinct CCDs for processing, so there is absolutely no light loss. The result: beautifully rendered, natural-looking images every time.

Extended Recording for Extended Shooting Fun
The internal 30GB hard drive holds as much video data as about 22 DVDs. That means you can record continuously for up to 27 hours without changing a disc, tape or other recording medium. The SD Card/Hard Disk camcorder is perfect for taking on a trip or for shooting those extra long events.

Suppress Camera Shake - Even on a Big-Screen TV
Imagine taking video shots on a moving boat and then viewing them on a large-screen TV. They're likely to appear blurry from the boat's movement and from your unsteady hands. Panasonic solves this problem with O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), which minimizes hand-shake in situations where it is most often a problem, such as with zoom shots - or on a moving boat. The system is optical, so there is no quality loss, and images look clear and beautiful on a big-screen TV.

Always Ready for a Close-Up
You'll rarely need to move in to get a close shot with this camcorder. You can fill the screen with even a distant subject, thanks to a powerful 32x zoom. And because it's optical, there's no loss of clarity or quality. Whether you zoom in or pull back, images always retain their natural beauty.

An LCD That's Easy on the Eyes
In bright sun or a darkened room, your LCD will always be just right, with five brightness levels for optimal viewing. Simply adjust the LCD brightness to match lighting conditions, and enjoy comfortable shooting anywhere you go.

DVDs at the Push of a Button
No more complicated steps to put your memories onto a DVD. Just connect the camera to your PC's USB port and press a single button to copy your video to a 12-cm DVD. And it's just as easy with a DVD writer. Just connect, and with the push of a button, you're done.

Keep Video Safe from Falls
Don't let a dropped camera rob you of your best shots. An Anti-Shock Shield helps protect your valuable footage from damage by lifting the head away from the hard drive when it senses a fall of about 20 cm. And rest assured that those last few sec

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Technical Specifications

* Sensor: 1/6" CCD x 3 (800 k x 3 pixels, Total / 640 k x 3 [4:3], 540 k x 3 [16:9] (Motion Picture)

* Sensor: 710 k x 3 [4:3], 540 k x 3 [16:9] (Still Picture)
* Image Resolution: 1280 x 960
* Image Resolution: 640 x 480
* Image Resolution: 1920 x 1080
* Image Resolution: 2048 x 1512
* Memory Included: 30GB Hard Drive
* Storage Media: Secure Digital
* Storage Media: HDD
* Compressed Format: JPEG
* Movie File Format: MPEG-2
* Optical Zoom: 10x
* Digital Zoom: 700x
* Focal Length: 3.0 - 30.0 mm
* Focus Mode: Manual

The Panasonic SDR-H200 Digital Camcorder Review

The Panasonic SDR-H200 is one of a new generation of camcorders using hard drive storage. Gone are the days of hunting for tapes or discs. Storage capacity is amazing - the 30gb disk holds over 13 hours of video at full resolution. You can't accidentally overwrite something you have already recorded. You can easily delete scenes that you messed up or simply don't want. Downloading content to a computer is a breeze. Battery life is dramatically improved. Need I go on? In addition to the hard drive, you can opt to store video or still images on a standard removable SD card.

I chose the SDR-H200 mainly because of the Panasonic name and the advantage of HDD storage. The Panasonic image quality is superb for such an affordable camera. After a bit of research, I chose the SDR-H200 because of the 3 CCDs. A CCD can be thought of as the sensor that captures the video. 3 CCD systems separate the colors among different sensors, improving picture quality. Until recently, this was available only on very high end and professional cameras.

Form Factor

The SDR-H200 is very small, light, and comfortable and aptly considered a "palmcorder". Most necessary controls are easily accessed at a thumb's reach. The smooth zoom switch is under your index finger. The monitor screen is a nice size and has a 16:9 aspect ratio for shooting in widescreen format. Although there is no optical viewfinder, I did not find myself missing it due to the great screen. Menu access and navigation is done with a simple directional joystick near your thumb. Menus are fairly intuitive and easy to navigate, although some features take multiple clicks through the menu system to access. Practice makes perfect and the documentation is adequate for this purpose.

The picture quality on this camera left me wanting for nothing. The video is smooth and crisp, colors are good, and low lighting is handled well and with the help of an onboard light.

There are lighting, editing, composition, and scene features aplenty;. Image stabilization is quite effective. You can watch your video playback through a television, which is handled through a special (included) cable with standard composite video hookups.

(continued)

The Panasonic SDR-H200 Digital Camcorder Review (continued)

Computer usage

The SDR-H200 connects to a computer via a standard (and included) USB cable. Hook it up, turn it on, and the computer will recognize the camera as an external drive. You can copy the images across to your computer, then use the included software (or your own, if you have it) to begin the editing process. Each scene comes across as a separate file, recorded in MPEG2 format. The software is fairly basic, but gets the job done for file management and editing. I was able to do some basic editing, including fades, titles, etc, with no trouble, and without consulting the less-than-complete online documentation.

There is also a one-button feature that will drop your video directly to DVD, assuming your computer has a DVD burner.

One general caveat, which is true for any digital video processing: you need a fairly fast machine with plenty of memory to make editing and a smooth process. My older P4 1.5 w/512mb RAM is barely adequate.

Overall, I am very happy with my purchase.

The Panasonic SDR-H200 Digital Camcorder at Amazon

3CCD Hard Disk Drive/SD Palmcorder� Camcorder with Optical Image Stabilizer and 10x Optical Zoom, records to 30GB Hard Disk or SD Memory Card

Panasonic SDR-H200 30GB 3CCD Hard Disk Drive/SD Palmcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Amazon Price: (as of 07/09/2008)

Accessories for your Panasonic Digital Camcorder

Half the fun of having a tech gadget like a great HD Digital Camcorder is perusing all the delicious accessories that complement it.

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Panasonic SDR-H200 Digital Camcorder

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A camcorder even a novice can love!

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Overview

Accessories for the Panasonic SDR-H200 Digital Camcorder on eBay

Technical Specifications

The Panasonic SDR-H200 Digital Camcorder Review

The Panasonic SDR-H200 Digital Camcorder Review (continued)

The Panasonic SDR-H200 Digital Camcorder at Amazon

Accessories for your Panasonic Digital Camcorder

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