Panasonic HDC-SD9 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom | List Price: $799.95
Discount Price: Too low to display
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Brand: Panasonic
Binding: Electronics
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
HDC-SD9 - 60% RATING [Posted on 2008-06-19]
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%.
state-of-the-art camcorder [Posted on 2008-06-25]
This fancy (and tiny) piece of technology delivers all you can expect from a <1K HD camcorder. Indoor video quality is ok, outdoor videos are very colorful and sharp (on my 1080p 42' LCD). Great quality!! I cannot imagine that Sony offers much more for twice the price.
I also bought a 16GB memory card for about 75$. This is probably all you need for your family movies.
Pro's & Con's [Posted on 2008-06-26]
Pros
Extremely small (fits in the front pocket of my shorts)
Awesome picture quality outside with good light.
3CCD
Great zoom
The best image stabilizer I've ever used on a video camera.
Really like that is uses memory cards rather than tape or hard drives.
Cons'
Low light performance is not good.
LCD is great but if you wear sunglasses it goes completely black.
I didn't think I needed a viewfinder but if you're inside somewhere dark you have no way to record without distracting the people around you.
Needs a good manual focus ring not a menu driven manual focus that's hard to use.
Poor low light performance.
There is a flash on the front of the camera that should be replaced with a led for the video camera portion.
AVCHD requires lots of computer horse power to edit.
Not a lot of software to view the .mts files with but Nero Vision 4 for Nero 8 Ultra works fine.
Definitely a great camcorder for outside daytime use but not great of dark environments.
Needs Improvement. [Posted on 2008-06-29]
Pros:
Price.
Lightweight.
Compact and easy to use.
Good High level light pictures.
SD Card is located nicely and easy to access.
Sound Quality is great.
Cons:
Extremely! poor low light video quality. I mean POOR, Crappy, decrepid, lame, sub-par, not good etc, etc.
Bundled Software is crap.
Have to open the viewer to remove the battery.
Poor Still Picture Quality.
I almost returned this camera due to its poor low light performance. Not what I would expect from something that carries the "HD" symbol. I got this camera to document our new babies life and you have to know that things like family get togethers and X-mas are not going to be outdoors or even during the day time hours sometimes. The picture quality starts to degrade right just before dusk. Lots of grain in faces and video noise when the lights are even slightly low. During the day or with direct light on the subject...no problem. When I first got the camera it was almost dark, so out of the box, I was really pissed at how bad the videos turned out. Only after recording the next day did I even get close to true HD looking videos.
If you plan on any type of low light level recording, stay way away from this camera.
Very Satisfied with the HDC-SD9 [Posted on 2008-07-22]
I'm very satisfied with this camcorder. It's small, the video is crisp and clear and I like the features. I can get anywhere from 1 to a little over 2 hours on a 4 GB sdhc card depending on the video quality settings I use and about 90 minutes on a fully charged battery.
Some people have complained about their hand blocking the microphones but mine seem to fit just fine. My hands are not exactly tiny and they fit well.
The only downside of this camcorder is the low light video can be quite bad.
You can view video samples for this camcorder on my website at [...]
Eric
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