Panasonic HDC-HS9 AVCHD 3CCD 60GB Hard Drive High Definition Hybrid Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

This has one of the best picture qualities ever with the three CCD's on it. I love using it & have recorded numerous shots just with the one 60 Gig hard drive on it even though you can add a memory chip 2 it. The battery last a long time as well. I would have added a mic input 2 it though then it would have been perfect 4 the novice film maker. However, the sound quality of the camera is great. I would buy this product again. Also, they have great customer service.

I tested this camcorder 4 about a week.

From a design point of view I did not like the fact that you have 2 remove the battery 2 connect it 2 AC power. The camcorder will not connect 2 a PC 2 download movies & pictures unless it is on AC power, so I had 2 plug/unplug the battery a lot while I was doing tests.

I was not impressed with the picture quality, even when shooting at the highest quality setting (17 Mbps) I could see compression artifacts & there was a general lack of sharpness in everything I shot. This was also very noticeable when taking jpeg stills, which 2 me is unacceptable, even the cheapest digital still cameras can record high quality jpegs. This was a surprise 2 me, one of the main reasons I decided 2 buy this camera was that it has 3 CCDs, I expected quality was not going 2 be an issue, but sadly it was.

There is a very curious feature in this camera that pops up messages on the viewfinder giving advice or suggesting settings 2 improve the image. While I can see that it might be useful 2 get a suggestion when 2 enable low light mode I've found the "you are panning too fast" message 2 be annoying, this appears when panning at almost any speed, even very slow speeds if the scene you are shooting is busy enough. Of course these popups can be turned off if you don't want 2 see them.

For those who work in 24p this camera records plain 24p streams 2 the hard drive & SD cards, there is no pulldown applied. This is possibly the one great feature of this camcorder, as other camcorders record 24p as a 29.97 interlaced stream with pulldown applied, which requires a processing step 2 restore the original sequence if you want 2 edit 24p native.

In the end I decided 2 return the camcorder. I was looking forward 2 a camcorder that will last me 4 many years (I bought my previous camcorder about 10 years ago, it was a Sony TRV-900 MiniDV if you are curious). Sadly I realized that I would get tired of this one pretty soon due 2 the many negative aspects I described above. I ordered a Canon Vixia HG21 now, we'll see how it goes with it.

I researched many HD video cameras & was very happy with this one! I wanted the latest technology & a great picture. The picture quality is fantastic! Just make sure 2 use the image stabilizer or the video may be a little shaky.

The camera is fine but the manual & included software are junk. Software will not install with XP sp3. The manual is poorly organized & very poorly written. I will not buy another item from Panasonic.

I love this piece of equipment. While it is expensive; I got a great price at Amazon.com compared 2 going 2 Best Buy. Versatile & easy 2 use with beautiful sharp video & snapshots which I paired with a Panasonic Viera HDTV & my video life will never be the same.

The Panasonic HDC-HS9 offers full High-Definition, 1920 x 1080 progressive recording (24 frames per second) & use the AVCHD video format. In addition, it features Panasonic's original 3CCD system, Advanced MEGA O.I.S. Optical Image Stabilizer, & a Leica Dicomar lens. Advanced MEGA O.I.S. checks & compensates 4 handshake around 4,000 times per second, about eight times more effectively than Panasonic's previous systems. In a 3CCD camera system, the light received through the lens is split into its three primary color components & a signal from each is processed by one of the 3CCDs 2 provide rich & detailed video images. Face Detection automatically locates any faces in the picture & adjusts the exposure, contrast & skin tone 2 achieve optimal results. With Intelligent Shooting Guide, the HDC-HS9 will detect when shooting conditions are poor & then display tips on the LCD as a way 4 you 2 correct the error before recording the content. Intelligent Shooting Guide can detect errors when the camcorder is panning too quickly or tilted, when the user's hand is swinging, when the subject is backlit, or the lighting is too low. The HS9 is a hybrid model & can record full-High Definition images onto either an SD (or SDHC) Memory Card or 2 its built-in 60-GB hard disk. The 60-GB hard disk can hold up 2 23 hours. Starts recording just 0.6 second from the time the LCD is opened, making it easier 2 catch those special moments that come with no warning