Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

The software doesnt do much, no good. Thats why I gave it 4 stars

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

Great camera for the money. If you compare it to others in the same price range, it beats them hands-down with the features. The optic stabilization and both memory card and 40gig HD is a nice combination. Like most cameras in this range, low light videos are not the best but usable. Outdoor lighting gives you the best video. The camera records in MPEG2 and not AVC MPEG4. This makes it simple to make DVDs and to edit the video in many applications. I really don't need a 1400x900 plus resolution for my home movies of the kids. Plus it records in Dolby 2.0 AC as an option.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

I am new to the the world of digital filming. The camera seems to be a great little camera. I love the hard drive, it has plenty of room for lots of events. The picture quality is very good but not great. The optical image stabilization is a must. (My hands shake and this solves the problem!) The big complaint is the software that comes with the camera. It is a piece of $&*@! Panasonic I wish you would listen! Get a real software package to go with your camera!!!

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

Super for a first-timer.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

From the start, this cam corder was great to pick up and start using. The auto setup gave great results, the picture stabilization is very good and the zoom is plenty. It does struggle in the lower light a bit, but for the price it is still doing well enough. The true test will be in a week for our daughters first school Christmas play, but so far so good. As a note, I am not concerned about issues reported with the software given that we are not using the camcorder day in day out, just on occassion. On the nice to have list is a higher capacity battery, the one supplied only lasts an hour at a time.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

Awesome product with great easy to use features. One flaw I found is it takes around 10sec to be operational because of harddisk boottime which might create some problems when you want to capture some once in a life time scene. Other than that its awesome.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

Suits very well for average consumers. Editing can be a little hassle though. But, I least I can save money by not having to buy tapes. I definitely would recommend this for serious editors like myself. The software that came with it stinks. Every time I try to get into it, it kicks me out. When I shoot 16:9, it still shows up as full frame on the computer. I think it's because of the .mod format. If you get this product you'll have spend a little extra money to convert your files for editing. Another pain in the neck is that I have to take the battery out and plug the thing attached to the charger. It can get tiresome after a while. WIth a Mini DV, you just had to plug the charger into the camera without having to take the battery. You could also charge up the battery in the when it's turned off. You can't do that with the hard drive camcorder either. If you're an average consumer, I recommend you ignore this stuff. This would be very good for just everyday recording if that's all you do with your footage. It's comfortable and the controls are easy to access. Also, the Image stability is incredible. At least I have the option to turn it off so make the camera portray an accurate version of an earthquake. Have fun with this product.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

For the money this camera is fantastic. After exhaustive online and retail store research I chose this model over the sony DCR SR45. The only drawback I could foresee was the lack of a light or a " hot shoe"..... so I purchased the X1-RER EXT Range Plus DIGTL/ VID LT which screws into the tripod attachment on the bottom of the camera ... this works great.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

I was surprised at how light this camera was. My wife can handle this camera with great ease. The learning curve to get up and running is minimal. I am still learning the process of getting video out "my way" as I have to use the supplied software to extract video to my computer. We are not professional photogarphers rather parents and grandparents wanting to capture the moment. This camera with its small size, light weight and ease of startup really filled our wishes quite well. I would prefer a view finder for my eye but my wife could care less. With 15 plus hours recording time my wife won't have to miss part of the grandkids' plays due to changing tapes. Battery life shold cover the time for those plays also and longer life batteries are available. I am proud of myself for making this purchase.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

A ministry plus. I have used it for weddings [2] Baptisms [2] recording the radio show. Hand held or tripod the results are great. Downloads to the computer,making DVDs, Editing Scenes I love it.
Even the size is great and with 40 gb of hard drive I don't think there is anything better at the price. Jut wish it came with a bigger battery.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

I haven't owned the camcorder that long but, so far I love it. I read many reviews prior to buying it and most people seemed to have a problem with transferring the video to computer. The software seemed to be the main complaint. I did all kinds of research on how I was going to transfer my videos without the software and I was looking for other options before I even received the camcorder.
I'm happy to say that I didn't have one problem transferring my video. I didn't install the software- didn't need it. I just plugged in the camera via usb and simply copied and pasted the files right into my computer. All the sound worked fine in Windows Media player. I read all the complaints and was keeping my fingers crossed and holding my breath.
It worked fine- just as easy as transferring pictures from my still camera into the computer.
I have Vista on my computer.
I'm really glad I decided to purchase this camera and that I got such a great deal on it through B&H.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

good good great!!!

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

ALL I CAN SAYS IS "GOOD"

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

Great color and picture quality.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

My first real occation to use the product was at my grandson's high school graduation. It was held in a small indoor arena, the stage may have been at least 300 ft. away, yet head & sholder nearly filled the fram. The product records to the harddrive and will make ONE DVD copy. For some reason the computer software which comes with the camcorder does not recognize the MPEG file format in which the camcorder stores the video in. I can move the files to my computer, but so far, I am unable to eddit them. So far I have not tryed to contact tech support about this issue.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

Easy to use
Very good size


Superb zoom

The battery could a little bit better

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

Very easy to use and lightweight. Included software is nearly useless and slow. It cannot convert to other formats like divx or xvid and cannot even split the movie. So upload yours to sites like youtube[@]is a pain.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

I have only had this camcorder for a month, but overall like the quality and ease of use.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

Its a perfect camcorder for first timers.
Very light weight. Easy to use and believe me very small.

Comments about Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hybrid HDD SD/SDHC Camcorder:

Very compact; light weight; battery adequate for most normal 1 hour shooting situations; excellent zoom range and control appear easy to use.No viewfinder! Only viewing option is with the pull-out LCD panel! Not only does this create bulk by having the panel out all the time BUT it also uses up a lot of battery power! I didn't know this was the only viewing feature when I bought this camera sight unseen... My mistake. I should have checked out the camera in person before purchasing it on-line. [...] I would only recommend this camera to a friend providing I told them ALL OF THE LIMITATIONS.A included editing software was a major disappointment; very little if any editing capabilities that are useful to produce a quality finished video; no titles or transition capabilities; extremely disappointment with software.