Panasonic HDC-SD1 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
by Panasonic
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Our Price: $459.95
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital product summary information
Manufacturer: PanasonicModel: HDC-SD1PP-S
Product features:
- Record HD video direct to SDHC cards; up to 1 hour on a 4 GB SDHC card
- 3CCD system delivers improved color, detail, and gradation
- Leica Dicomar lens with 12x optical zoom; built-in O.I.S.
- 5.1-channel audio recording; Zoom mic function adjusts audio to match camcorder movement
- 4 GB SDHC memory card included
- Roxio Creator 2009
- Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack
- Adobe Premiere Elements 7
- Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Version 12
- Corel VideoStudio Pro X2
Digital camera reviews of Panasonic HDC-SD1 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Digital camera Review: Great pics - the worst software
Summary: 3 Stars
Others have extolled the very good picture quality of this camera, but you can't do much of anything with them. For now you have to be content looking at the unedited video played back from the camera directly to your HD TV. Your computer is reduced to a mere storage device, as for older footage you have to load it back onto the camera for HD playback, which takes 6-8 minutes for about a full 4GB disk's worth of HD video (a little less than an hour's worth).
The software is inexcusably awful. The first thing I did with the bundled HDwriter "EZ-Edit" crapware was accidentally delete my first hour of footage, thinking I was getting rid of the first 5 second "scene" (shot) of the ground and my feet. The manual appears to be correct in that deleted footage cannot be recovered: the program doesn't put the files in the recycle bin as would be appropriately civilized. After a few hours with an Undelete program, and with the help of another computer to figure out the inexplicably complicated directory structure (it's about five levels deep, and its creator should be shot), I was able to restore everything exactly the way it should be. But HDwriter refused to read the footage, giving a cryptic error message (just a number) for which there seems to be no reference in either the manual or at Panasonic's website. The files are all there, but I'm guessing there's some time stamp or hash code which is causing it to choke.
The program is also littered with annoying and useless nags in broken Engrish which you have to click through to do anything, and you can only play footage back in the program in reduced resolution mode -- no HD playback on your computer. And the playback capabilities are very limited. No single frame stepping, for example. About all I've figured out how to do with the software is delete unwanted scenes and merge multiple scenes into one scene. In other words, the editing capabilities are very limited.
And as of this writing there's still no third party software which can read the files and edit them properly in the native AVCHD format. Some of this software has plug-ins to convert into some other format for editing, but reports are quite mixed as to how well all this works. It sounds like it's very computer and system dependent. Meaning that if you want to do anything with your great shots you may not be able to, and if you are they likely won't look nearly as good as is possible. If all you want to do is post to YouTube, that's maybe okay. But then why would you spend this kind of money on an HD camera? It's really a shame because the camera does take nice pictures and was rather easy to get the hang of. Even if an extra battery seemed to cost an arm and a leg - twice as much as an extra memory chip. I'm also somewhat annoyed that there's no shoe for attaching an external microphone, as the one onboard is only barely tolerable for a lot of shooting.
In sum, I would stay away until it's clear that either Panasonic can include some decent software with the camera or until there's a good third party solution that lots of people using the AVCHD format seem happy with. The latter has been promised for the better part of a year now but has yet to materialize. I've had my SD1 for seven months and it's spent all but the first month or so in the closet waiting for the ability to actually work with its pictures.
More Panasonic HDC-SD1 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom reviews:
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Summary of Panasonic HDC-SD1 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
The HD Advanced Pure Color Engine ensures all your photos and footage enjoy the beauty of High Definition. Your Panasonic HDC-SD1 takes rich, vivid colors to a beautiful new level. Process large amounts of data with high speed and precision with the 3CCD HD image processing circuit. O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) suppresses camera shake - you'll won't see any instability, even on a big-screen TV. Shooting video is easier and more convenient by recording to your SD/SDHC Memory Card. The advanced microphone captures the sound source and distance more accurately, for a true-to-life sound space that's a great match for the HD image quality. Uploading your precious memories onto your PC is quick and easy without the need to connect a cable or run a finalizing process when transferring the data. Records onto SD/SDHC Memory Card AVCHD recording Format F Values - F1.8 (Wide) / F2.8 (Tele) 12x variable optical zoom Focal Length - 4.0 - 48.0 mm Filter Diameter - 43mm Optical Image Stabilizer Minimum Illumination - 2 Lux (Magic Pix) White Balance modes - Auto, Indoor, Outdoor, White Set Shutter Speeds - 1/60 - 1/8,000 sec. (moving & still pictures) Backlight compensation Manual Focus Ring Soft-Skin Mode MagicPix Images 5.1ch Surround Sound microphone - zoom mic & wind noise reduction 0.44 (183K pixels) Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) Trinlingual language display - English, Canadian French, Spanish DPOF - Max. 999 stills Built-in SD slot A/V and HDMI out USB 2.0 High Speed (mini B) PictBridge compatible Dimensions(HxWxD) - 2.92 x 2.64 x 5.40 Weight - 0.95 lbsCamcorders
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