Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

What a great little eye 2 have. I had a cimilar one, but I broke it. I payed twice what I payed 4 this one, through Amazon. It's light, not bulky, & has great features like: lots of zoom 4 distance shots [of wild animals], hours of recording capability, & lets you load-up on still shots separately, on an SD card- woh!

Very nice camcorder 4 the price. Very simple 2 operate. Missing certain features like differnt video modes & night shot (the one it has is very choppy).

The camera is excellent but that's where it ends. The software is annoying 2 use & the most aggravating thing is the .mpg files cannot be viewed with Windows software. You also need 2 buy a seperate DVD burner 2 burn disks.

I got this camcorder, & have messed around with it 4 a little over three hours now. To capture video is easy as pie, & you do not even need 2 be video savvy 2 do it. Open up the screen hit, hit record, & you're capturing memorable moments. Here however, is where it begins 2 go down hill. The software is atrocious & should not ever be used. What stinks is this is the only way 2 import video onto your computer. I have searched high & low 4 solutions, but have not found anything reliable yet. I am going 2 keep trying 2 get this 2 work, especially since Amazon hiked the price back up by $50. Till then this review will stay as a 3. If you're are computer savvy go ahead & buy this as a carry around camera 2 capture those spontaneous moments.

I bought this unit 3 days ago. To be fair, it is a great unit 4 the money at $249. I would let my teenage kids use this 4 their projects. The quality of the video is comparable 2 standard digital tape camcorders.
Anyone craving 4 higher resolution camcorders should buy the HD ones.
This unit claims 2 capture videos in mpeg-2 format but the extension of the files are in .mod (instead of mpg) which is also used by JVC camcorders.
This presents a slight problem 4 some xp computers 2 recognize this file when playing. In order 2 play, you would need 2 physically change the extension .mod 2 .mpg. Some editing softwares also won't recognize this file , like the Easy Media Creator Roxio until you change the extension.

In order 2 connect 2 the computer via the USB, you need 2 connect the ac adapter 2 the camcorder unit which is a big annoyance eventhough the battery is fully charged. The camcorder cannot connect 2 the computer directly which is unlike most camcorders.

Not that great taking low lighting videos. Everything else is fine.

The SDR-H40's 42x optical zoom lens has the power you need 2 take dramatic closeups or get remarkable shots of even distant subjects. But with long-distance zoom shots, even a tiny bit of hand shake has a huge effect on picture quality. That's where Panasonic's Advanced Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) comes in, suppressing the effects of hand shake as you shoot. The system uses gyrosensors 2 detect hand shake, then shifts a lens & adjusts the optical axis 2 compensate. This all happens a remarkable 4,000 times per second. And because the system is optical, no image quality is lost. Thanks 2 Advanced O.I.S., the images you capture look incredibly clear, sharp & blur-free even at high zoom levels.The SDR-H40's 40GB internal hard disk drive lets you record continuously 4 up 2 36 hours (in LP mode) without changing a disc, tape or other recording media.Panasonic's Anti-Shock Shield helps protect recorded video data from damage due 2 jolts & impact. The Drop Detect function senses if the camera is falling & moves the head away from the hard disk. The Floating Structure protects the hard disk should the camera fall or be dropped. And the Buffer Memory automatically backs up data while the camera is falling.This hard disk drive camcorder has a USB Host function, which lets you connect directly 2 a DVD burner (sold seperately) via a USB cable. You can then copy recordings from the hard disk 2 a DVD disc by simply pressing a button.You can transfer the motion-image data from the SD card or the camcorder's hard drive right 2 your PC using your PC's USB port.