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Panasonic HDC-SD900
by headsore
I am a big fan of Panasonic equipment. I have owned quite a few things from the Panasonic range and it is a brand I trust and feel I can rely on. For this reason, whenever I am looking for a new piece of kit that is electrical, I always find myself looking towards the Panasonic range first and foremost. It was for this very reason ... that my camera I decided long before I bought it was also going to be a Panasonic. After looking up a few different models I finally decided on the Panasonic HDC-SD900.
This fantastic handheld digital camcorder retails at around the £500 plus mark but I got mine for £449 from Ebay. This particular model appealed to me as it has high definition screen, which is what I was after, it also has 3.05 megapixels and the difference from non high definition cameras is really remarkable. It also has an impressive 12x optical zoom. The quality of this camera is brilliant and I am more than pleased with it and the quality of the output.
The picture qulaity is second to none, as is the sound quality. It is so simple and easy to use and navigate and it barely needs the instruction manual as it's all quite self-explanatory. The remote control can be a little fiddly and I find I have to press down quite forcibly on the buttons and direct it EXACTLY at the screen, but this aside, I can find no fault with the device at all.
The camcorder has some brilliant features, considering the price and they are really impressive. There is an optical zoom which is of excellent quality and also the option of a twelve time focus. Last time we used this was for a major family holiday to the States and it was never out of my hand. As it has an impressive memory size it was also very easy to transfer all of our family photos and videos onto our HD TV. Once back from our holidays we sat around our TV and were not only able to watch our videos of our holiday but it was easy to set it up to show a slide show of photographs too, which the little lad loved. I also like the fact that the battery in this camcorder seems to last for ages but if it does run down it's simple and easy to charge. I did, however, also purchase at a later date, a charger for the car lighter and I found this a useful additional device.
This camcorder also has a motion sensor detector, which I personally find quite an appealing feature, but using this unfortunately does slightly lessen the quality to 2.53 megapixels and a three times zoom (when in motion), however, I think this is to be expected, really.
Overall, I cannot really fault this camera at all. We have used it a lot since we have bought it and not just for family holidays, but for weddings and days out etc. It is light and portable and easy to transport around with me. The carrying strap comes in handy too, or course. I thoroughly recommend it and have nothing negative to say about it.
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Pure Digital Flip UltraHD
by Bullydc1
I recently went on holiday to Australia with my partner, I went over there for almost a month to see my sister get married and see my 2 nieces. I wanted to get something to take along a record my time with my nieces over and above that of my standard compact digital camera. I tend to do allot of physical activities on holiday and I ... needed something cheap (so that if it broke I wouldnt be bothered), fairly robust and can be used quick and easily. My parents saw the flip advertised on QVC and suggested I use that.
Dont blame me:
Now a caveat, im not saying that this camera is suitable for everyone, I understood that I would be using this as a one time only thing and I didnt need to have anything fancy. So this may not be for everyone.
In summary- This Camera is great for those people that do not want anything to complicated, too fiddly and do not necessarily care about effects or great amounts of zoom. The trade off for the simplicity and ease of use of this camera is the fact that the picture quality is OK, other more expensive cameras will have better quality, and the most telling factor is that the zoom is pretty lame. It only goes to x4. But on the other side the price is pretty cheap too at £120 on Amazon, but I reakon on QVC you can get it for as much as £90, so keep you eyes peeled.
The cost:
For £90-£120 quid, you get 2 hrs and 8Mb of memory, fairly good visuals , but no effects whatsoever. The sound is quite good, you will be able to pick up most things. But im sure if you get a Sony or Panasonic camcorder it will be much better...you will pay the price though.
The good things:
The advantage here is that the case is rebust, its so easy to use with a simple 4 way cursor, no digital menus, everything is very manual and quick. You have a recorder start stop button in the middle, a big red button, the usb adaptor is inbuilt to the side and flips up with a spring loaded action, so you cant lose the lead. Its easy to zoom, you just press + or - on the cursor. There is also a lock/unlock button to get to the battery pack, which has rechargeble AA batteries included in a central battery unit.
The problems:
My critisisms are that the zoom is pretty weak, you will not get much detail and I really felt this when filming the fireworks at Sydney Harbour. But the colours and sound was very good and the music being played over the tannoy came out rather well, the bass wasnt blurby as you sometimes get.
My only other critisism is that the battery pack doesnt last as long as the memory. I`d say depending on how you use it the battery will only last an hour, so you will have to charge it before the memory runs out. When we were away we had no laptop so had to use my sisters laptop, If you dont have this capability then it could be a problem. You might be able tosolve this problem by getting better rechargeble batteries and putting them into ther battery pack. However, I havent been able to try this yet.
So Id honestly say get this camera if you hate the way modern technology seems to make life harder then it needs to be, but you want to film stuff. If you want better then average quality and are willing to pay the price for that, then you might want to get another camcorder. But as this camera is marketed on its simplicity, it certainly cannot be blamed for misrepresentation.
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Hitachi DZHV584E
by helen190390
I asked my dad for a camcorder for Christmas as he wanted to get me something I would use and I wanted. At first I was dubious of the smaller camcorders as I wanted something that would be very high quality for filming my daughter as an aspiring photographer/ movie maker. (I have too many hobbies to count!).
THE CAMCORDER ... :
To keep this Review simple and clean to read, I have written a list
of the camera's specs. (IN MY OWN WORDS)
List
1. 5mp camcorder with HD.
2. Video and Photo modes.
3. Photo mode can be changed to 12mp quality.
4. LCD Screen flips out and rotates (good for self filming, portraits) 3" wide.
5. Touch screen for controlling settings
6. Very minimal settings and options so easy to navigate.
7. Adapts to your surroundings.
8. In built flash.
9. Rechargeable batteries.
10. Brilliant quality recording and easy to upload to computer.
11. Requires a good quality high rating SD card.
12. Slimline and comes with a case to keep it safe.
13. Can change to filming something close or scenic at the flick of a switch on top
14. Automatically turns on when you open the flip screen.
15. black sleek appearance.
16. 4x Digital zoom
17. HDMI port and cable to plug into TV.
18. Comes with charger and European plug as an extra if going abroad.
19. 1920x1080 Resolution
20. Night recording mode for in and outdoor night events.
21. Easy to use, lightweight and great to control.
22. Instructions are on a CD.
23. Good battery life. Charges from empty to full in around 2-3 hours.
TO USE:
Flip it open, press the red button and your recording.
Underneath the red button is a MODE button which will change the mode to
the photo mode for taking still images. You can change the quality of the camera to take still images to 12mp and also change the settings for the video to be high or lower quality. As it is very minimal in settings, you don't need to mess around trying
out which settings are best for you. The camera does all the work for you!.
OPINION:
I love this camcorder. I am so excited to start using it in the summer when we go on day trips and get to use it in bright conditions. We went to the park yesterday and shot some videos of my daughter Hollie playing football with her Daddy.
When I got home and uploaded them to the laptop, it was very clean and clear.
I am not too sure if I like the Picture quality on the still images yet. It has no image stabilization so when my daughter is running around the house like a mad woman,
I can't seem to get an un-blurred photo.
Secondly, I am so worried about snapping the flip screen off. It looks super sturdy and I doubt I would break it, but I can see myself falling over or dropping it when it is open and it would snap clean off. I must remember to look where I am going when holding it.
Thankyou for taking the time to read my review.
Also on Ciao
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