Panasonic HDC-SD9 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
- 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
Rating: 5 of 5
Good video. Go 4 it
Rating: 5 of 5
Amazingly small & smart
The camera is very impressive, intuitive & small. The quality of the picture is excellent. Playback is easy. It was good choice.
Rating: 5 of 5
Very Good Camera
I liked it very much.
i bought it 2 capture moments of my new born baby, & its fantastic, very light, easy 2 handle, good looking, good quality pictures.
i bought it 2 capture moments of my new born baby, & its fantastic, very light, easy 2 handle, good looking, good quality pictures.
Rating: 5 of 5
Best camera in this price range
I'll start by saying that I did what seemed like endless research & tried out every camera in this range before ultimately deciding on this one. What I hope 2 do with this review is share my experiences & hopefully provide the kind of information I wanted 2 see when I was doing research.
Now, about the specifics of this camera. It's a 3CCD model, which was one of the major selling points 4 me. I do a lot of outdoor shooting of high action sports (rock climbing), & this camera surprised me with it's quality & it's ability 2 capture colors so accurately. The 3CCD design also means that if you're going 2 be doing some blue/green screen effects that you'll get a better key. It's build quality is very solid; & by that I mean it doesn't seem flimsy at an point. The the automatic lens cover is wonderful. It has 4 recording quality modes, & a 24p cinema mode. I use the HA1920 mode, which records 1920x1080i60 resolution at 16Mbps AVCHD & works out 2 2 hours 8 minutes on a 16GB SDHC card. While I don't use the 24p mode shooting action sports outdoors, I have tried it indoors & it really does give a cinema-like feel 2 the video; it's a nice feature 2 have. I'm using this card Transcend 16GB SDHC CARD (SD 2.0 SPD CLASS 6) with Co Card Reader, & the included card reader tends 2 transfer files slightly faster than the USB connection on the camera does; plus-it allows you 2 charge the battery while you're importing the video. The optical image stabilizer on this camera is nothing short of amazing. It records consistent jitter-free footage, even while hanging from a rock face 30 meters above the ground. The zoom is also VERY smooth, & there is absolutely no zoom motor noise picked up by the microphone. The intelligent shooting guide, & the other assist features are great.
Pros:
-Amazing quality video
-Superior optical stabilization
-Intelligent shooting guide
-Battery life is very good, often better than the manual quotes
-Smooth zoom/zoom noise not picked up by microphone
-Uses SDHC cards, which are cheap enough 2 keep a few on hand
-Editing is easy on OS X. iMovie imports the video into it's amazing user interface, & the Final Cut products let you browse & select which video 2 import using the Log & Transfer window (Shift+Command+8). I prefer importing the footage into the Apple Intermediate Codec using Final Cut, then importing 2 iMovie if I want 2 browse it quickly.
Cons:
-Extra batteries are expensive.
-You can't use the camera on AC power & charge the battery at the same time.
-The thumbstick is awkwardly positioned, but you get used 2 it. It's kind of like playing tetris with the controller sideways.
-AVCHD can take a while 2 import if you have a slower machine(I don't but I can see how others might become frustrated).
-Manual focus is essentially impossible 2 use effectively.
Other Thoughts:
This camera has 3 few user-assist features that I found helpful.
1) Zebra stripe mode: This will put zebra stripes on the screen 2 help you identify areas of the video with poor exposure.
2) Wire frames: These can be set 2 various sizes, & they help you 2 center your shots.
3) Intelligent Shooting Guide: With this active, the camera will warn you, on screen, if you have any serious errors going on such as panning too fast, incorrect contrast settings, low light mode, etc. It even pops up the on screen menu, & skips 2 the screen where the option it recommends is located. For example, I was shooting outdoors & I walked into a bike tunnel, the camera recommended I activate low light mode & it skipped 2 the proper menu, so all I had 2 do was press a button 2 confirm. You can also ignore it's advice & it won't keep nagging you. A very helpful feature, useful 4 both novices & advanced users.
One last thing 2 consider, when you convert the raw AVCHD footage 2 Apple Intermediate Codec or ProRes 422 the resulting files are going 2 be massive. Make sure you have an external hard drive 2 store this stuff on. As far as transcoding the raw AVCHD 2 AIC or ProRes422... some may say that you will lose quality, etc. This is nonsense, AIC & ProRes422 were created 4 this very purpose--to make editing high res, high bitrate video more feasible on modern machines. They were designed 2 preserve quality, & ProRes422 is even touted as being visually lossless. If you wanted 2 edit raw AVCHD you would need a 8-core machine.
Summary:
While I did list a few cons, they pros FAR outweigh them, even 2 the point where I can forget about the cons altogether. For the features & the quality this camera provides, I think it is an excellent buy.
Now, about the specifics of this camera. It's a 3CCD model, which was one of the major selling points 4 me. I do a lot of outdoor shooting of high action sports (rock climbing), & this camera surprised me with it's quality & it's ability 2 capture colors so accurately. The 3CCD design also means that if you're going 2 be doing some blue/green screen effects that you'll get a better key. It's build quality is very solid; & by that I mean it doesn't seem flimsy at an point. The the automatic lens cover is wonderful. It has 4 recording quality modes, & a 24p cinema mode. I use the HA1920 mode, which records 1920x1080i60 resolution at 16Mbps AVCHD & works out 2 2 hours 8 minutes on a 16GB SDHC card. While I don't use the 24p mode shooting action sports outdoors, I have tried it indoors & it really does give a cinema-like feel 2 the video; it's a nice feature 2 have. I'm using this card Transcend 16GB SDHC CARD (SD 2.0 SPD CLASS 6) with Co Card Reader, & the included card reader tends 2 transfer files slightly faster than the USB connection on the camera does; plus-it allows you 2 charge the battery while you're importing the video. The optical image stabilizer on this camera is nothing short of amazing. It records consistent jitter-free footage, even while hanging from a rock face 30 meters above the ground. The zoom is also VERY smooth, & there is absolutely no zoom motor noise picked up by the microphone. The intelligent shooting guide, & the other assist features are great.
Pros:
-Amazing quality video
-Superior optical stabilization
-Intelligent shooting guide
-Battery life is very good, often better than the manual quotes
-Smooth zoom/zoom noise not picked up by microphone
-Uses SDHC cards, which are cheap enough 2 keep a few on hand
-Editing is easy on OS X. iMovie imports the video into it's amazing user interface, & the Final Cut products let you browse & select which video 2 import using the Log & Transfer window (Shift+Command+8). I prefer importing the footage into the Apple Intermediate Codec using Final Cut, then importing 2 iMovie if I want 2 browse it quickly.
Cons:
-Extra batteries are expensive.
-You can't use the camera on AC power & charge the battery at the same time.
-The thumbstick is awkwardly positioned, but you get used 2 it. It's kind of like playing tetris with the controller sideways.
-AVCHD can take a while 2 import if you have a slower machine(I don't but I can see how others might become frustrated).
-Manual focus is essentially impossible 2 use effectively.
Other Thoughts:
This camera has 3 few user-assist features that I found helpful.
1) Zebra stripe mode: This will put zebra stripes on the screen 2 help you identify areas of the video with poor exposure.
2) Wire frames: These can be set 2 various sizes, & they help you 2 center your shots.
3) Intelligent Shooting Guide: With this active, the camera will warn you, on screen, if you have any serious errors going on such as panning too fast, incorrect contrast settings, low light mode, etc. It even pops up the on screen menu, & skips 2 the screen where the option it recommends is located. For example, I was shooting outdoors & I walked into a bike tunnel, the camera recommended I activate low light mode & it skipped 2 the proper menu, so all I had 2 do was press a button 2 confirm. You can also ignore it's advice & it won't keep nagging you. A very helpful feature, useful 4 both novices & advanced users.
One last thing 2 consider, when you convert the raw AVCHD footage 2 Apple Intermediate Codec or ProRes 422 the resulting files are going 2 be massive. Make sure you have an external hard drive 2 store this stuff on. As far as transcoding the raw AVCHD 2 AIC or ProRes422... some may say that you will lose quality, etc. This is nonsense, AIC & ProRes422 were created 4 this very purpose--to make editing high res, high bitrate video more feasible on modern machines. They were designed 2 preserve quality, & ProRes422 is even touted as being visually lossless. If you wanted 2 edit raw AVCHD you would need a 8-core machine.
Summary:
While I did list a few cons, they pros FAR outweigh them, even 2 the point where I can forget about the cons altogether. For the features & the quality this camera provides, I think it is an excellent buy.
Rating: 5 of 5
Simply Amazing, But AVCHD Is Still Foreign To Most PCs
The camera is a technical marvel. I've been wanting an HD camera ever since they came out. The HDC-SD9 has not dissapointed me. Five years ago you'd have 2 pay tens of thousands of dollars 2 get video this good. Now the downside.
The files are kept in a complex file structure on the memory drive. I wasn't able 2 copy the MTS files from the /STREAM folder & play them on my T61 Thinkpad. I tried downloading various CODECs & stuff, but wasn't succesfull. I finally loaded the HD Writer software from Panasonic & that worked. But when I exported 2 MPEG the result was lousy.
I haven't tried editing software with it yet, but I know this much. It will be another two 2 three years before this format plays in all the media players. But I can't see this format failing so I'll be glad I have my kids in HD later on.
Bottom line is that the technology & price are right, but file-format ease of use is still a few years away. You'll love making videos, but you'll hate post-production.
The files are kept in a complex file structure on the memory drive. I wasn't able 2 copy the MTS files from the /STREAM folder & play them on my T61 Thinkpad. I tried downloading various CODECs & stuff, but wasn't succesfull. I finally loaded the HD Writer software from Panasonic & that worked. But when I exported 2 MPEG the result was lousy.
I haven't tried editing software with it yet, but I know this much. It will be another two 2 three years before this format plays in all the media players. But I can't see this format failing so I'll be glad I have my kids in HD later on.
Bottom line is that the technology & price are right, but file-format ease of use is still a few years away. You'll love making videos, but you'll hate post-production.
Use of the super-small SDHC/SD memory card helped us 2 create the world's smallest & lightest 3CCD full-HD camcorder. The HDC-SD9 Full-HD Camcorder fits comfortably in your hand & can be used 4 long periods without causing fatigue. Panasonic full-HD camcorders record horizontal pixels at an HD resolution of up 2 1920 pixels. With progressive scanning, the hi-def camcorders provide twice as much data per picture as conventional interlace scanning. With Face Detection, Panasonic makes it easy 2 capture beautiful faces & clear backgrounds even in dim or backlit scenes. This new function, which can detect up 2 five faces at once, automatically adjusts the exposure & smooth skin tones according 2 the ambient brightness, so faces are bright & easy 2 see. The Intelligent Shooting Guide function helps you get magnificent shots by displaying a text message in the LCD monitor, telling you which settings are best 4 the current shooting conditions. With Intelligent Selection Playback, poor or inadvertent shots such as shots of the ground or overly dark scenes are skipped & all normal scenes are played while viewing. Panasonic's Advanced Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) suppresses the effects of handshake as you shoot. The system uses gyro sensors 2 detect handshake, then shifts a lens & adjusts the optical axis 2 compensate. No image quality is lost because the system is optical. Optical Zoom - 10x Variable Speed Zoom Focal Length - 3.0 - 30 mm Filter Diameter - 37mm Advanced O.I.S. Image Stabilizer Minimum Illumination - 5 Lux (1/30 Low Light Mode), 1 Lux (Magic Pix Mode) AF/Manual Focus White Balance - Auto/Indoor/Outdoor/White Set Auto/Manual Iris Backlight Compensation 2.7 Wide (300,000 Dots) LCD Monitor 170-degrees Wide Viewing Angle LCD (Vertically & Horizontally) HD Advanced Pure Color Engine PictBridge Compatible
($399.00)
Buy Panasonic HDC-SD9 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Now!
Low light is OK. & I found it better than the JVC HD camcorder that my brother has. Extremely low light is not acceptable.
I do not have time 2 test the 5.1 audio on my NAD receiver.
Insert the SD card in 2 a playstation 3 SD slot & there you go. Or copy the files 2 a DVD & watch it thru the PS3 bluray drive. HD resolution!
Go 4 it! Small size & picture quality will make you happy.