Deal Hot Stuff

Tag : optical image, with 10x, 3ccd flash, stabilized zoom, memory high, definition camcorder

Company : Panasonic List Price : $799.95 Amazon Price : Too low to display Used Price : $451.99 Average customer review :

Features

• Capture high-definition video to flash memory; 1920 x 1080 progressive recording
• 10x optical zoom; Advanced Mega Optical Image Stabilizer
• Face detection technology; Intelligent Shooting Guide
• 5.1-channel surround sound; Zoom mic feature
• Compatible with SD/SDHC memory cards

Product Description

high-definition SD card camcorder * records high-definition AVCHD video (at 1080i resolution) to SD memory cards (not included) * one 8-gigabyte SDHC card holds approximately 1 to 3 hours of high-definition footage, depending on the video setting * 3 separate CCD sensors for red, green, and blue *

Customer reviews

HDC-SD9 - 60% RATING
Before I publish this review, I’ve been using the camera for almost 2 weeks. I’ve been contemplating hard whether I was able to get my money’s worth. But the sad thing is, I didn’t. Here are my reasons:

1. The HDC-SD9 has awful low-light performance.

-I thought that the camera’s manual iris and aperture would solve the problem since the Magicpix mode is obviously intended for still shots only and the low-light mode barely improves lighting conditions on dark scenes. But the shots still have a lot of noise and grain whether you adjust the manual iris to 18 dB and aperture opening to 1/24 or 1/30. It’s really frustrating.

2. The auto-focus has a hard time focusing when on 5x-10x.

-True, there is the tele-macro mode function so that distant images look clearer. But when you are already recording, the tele-macro mode can’t be used. So, you have to establish your focus before you record distant images either on manual mode or you have to switch on the tele-macro mode, which is really a big hassle when you need to make a quick zoom on a subject. Another problem is that it usually takes a second or two for the auto-focus to stabilize.

3. The 24p and cinema color mode seems overrated.

-One reason why I bought this camera is because of its 24p and cinema color mode. But to me and for others who probably have a good eye too, the movement of the camera doesn’t seem fluid or just like that of the

movies. There is still the home video feel to it.

But to be fair with the HDC-SD9, there are some aspects that it was able to perform well.

1. Sound quality is incredibly awesome!

- I see no reason why one has to purchase a directional microphone separately when using the HDC-SD9. The zoom and focus mic mode of the camera does the job excellently! And if you want to have a movie feel to your clips, just use the surround mode. This is probably one of the reasons why there is no need for an accessory shoe for the SD9 (except of course when you consider lighting).

2. Image quality is excellent under good lighting conditions.

3. Still pictures are decent enough.

Overall, I would rate this product with 3 stars or 60%.

Nice Camera now with iMovie ‘08 support
Well I bought this camera back in March, but was forced to use the crummy software that came with it on my Vaio. As of today, with version 7.1.2 of iMovie, video produced by this camera imports just pretty quickly. When playing it in iMovie there were some oddities, but I think that is related to the fact that I have a MacBook and thus do not have a real GPU.

On to some points of the actual camera:

I’ve taken this camera skiing. Even with some of the advanced features that it suggests, it is pretty easy for the CCDs to be swamped by the sheer amount of light that you get on a sunny day near the end of the season. The “wind cut” feature helps with some of the sound that you get when skiing on a windy day at 14+ mph, but it is still pretty prevalent. Fortunately, while it does leave the wind noise in there, you can hear people talking pretty well.

I’ve taken this camera to a concert. As expected, the flashing lights backlighting a dark stage give this camera a bit of trouble. When it is recording in 1080p, it seems to be a bit worse, but that might just have been a different set of lights being used.

I’ve also used this camera in a poorly lit restaurant. Unfortunately I forgot to turn on the feature to focus the microphones on the subject of the lens, and thus the 5 microphones defeated me with the large background noise. Using the low light mode, the camera was able to take video, but it is incredibly noisy with poor resolution. I don’t think I will use it without sufficient light in the future.

All in all I like the camera and how compact it is. Now that it is fully supported by Apple, I plan on using it more often.

It works with iMovie now!
For those who were hesitating on this camera due to the lack of support in Apple’s iMovie, the problem is now fixed. With the latest updates, including the most recent Quicktime, my SD9 now imports smoothly right into iMovie.

Great camera, now fully Mac compatible!
As some of the earlier reviews have pointed out, this awesome little camera suffered from lack of support in Apple’s editing applications like iMovie 08.

Well that’s all in the past. With the release of OS 10.5.3 and QuickTime 7.5 a few days ago, the HDC-SD9 (and the hard-drive-based HDC-HS9 as well) are now fully compatible. You can easily import and edit your HD movies in iMovie, in all the camera’s formats.

I love this camera. My only complaint is that spare batteries are absurdly expensive. Other than that, it’s fantastic.

Doesn’t work with iMovie–returning it
Unfortunately, this high-definition camera doesn’t work with iMovie, so I had to return it. I am buying a Canon HF-10 which is listed on the iMovie page as a truly compatible model. Hopefully it works better. I am interested in seamlessly downloading movies from a camera into iMovie and onto DVDs and the web. I am NOT interested in using video conversion software. Simply put, I should be able to plug a camera into my mac and make movies very easily (that’s why I bought the mac). Whether or not this problem is Apple’s or Panasonic’s, I don’t really care. But I had to punish Panasonic because it is too late to return the Mac. (Actually, Apple won’t let you return a mac at all!)

The Canon HF10 seems to be the only other high-def camcorder that offers 1080p (progressive) scan at 60 frames per second. Although, it is nearly impossible to discern this from reading the marketing garbage that is all over the web. “True Hi-Def” is thrown around for virtually every camera, even though most appear to be 1080i (interlaced), which is the only format hi-def TVs play currently. In 3 years, they will all be 1080p though (in my ignorant imagination) so I want a camera that will support that.