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

	List Price: $449.95 Our Price: Too low to display Your Save: $ ( % )
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Batteries Included: 1 Binding: Electronics Brand: Panasonic Color: silver Connectivity: AV Digital Zoom: 70 Display Size: 2.7 EAN: 0037988255979 Feature: Capture video to hard disk drive; 40 GB storage for up to 36 hours of footage Floppy Disk Drive Description: None Included Software: Yes Is Autographed: 0 Is Memorabilia: 0 Label: Panasonic Manufacturer: Panasonic Maximum Focal Length: 75.6 Maximum Resolution: 380000 Minimum Focal Length: 1.8 Model: SDR-H40 Monitor Size: 270 Optical Zoom: 42 Publisher: Panasonic Release Date: 2007-01-31 Special Features: nv:Size^1/6" CCD|Storage Media^SD/SDHC Memory Card|Compressed Format^JPEG|Movie File Format^MPEG-2|Optical Zoom^42x|Digital Zoom^2000x|Focal Length^1.8 - 75.6 mm|Focus Mode^Auto|Focus Mode^Manual|LCD Monitor^2.7-inches|LCD Pixels^123,200 pixels|LCD Coverage^100%|White Balance Control^Auto|White Balance Control^Indoor|White Balance Control^Outdoor|White Balance Control^White Set|Movie Image Resolution^320 x 240|Movie Image Resolution^640 x 480|Movie Audio^Yes Studio: Panasonic
Features Capture video to hard disk drive; 40 GB storage for up to 36 hours of footage 42x optical zoom Anti-Shock Shield for hard drive protection Panasonic's Advanced Mega OIS technology Compatible with SD/SDHC memory cards
Accessories Magellan 64MB Secure Digital Memory Card SanDisk SDSDB-128-A10 Secure Digital 128MB (Retail Package) SanDisk SDSDB-64-A10 Secure Digital 64 MB Lexar Media 128 MB Secure Digital Card Kingston 128 MB Secure Digital Memory Card (SD/128) (Retail Package)
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Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Superb Product Comment: I bought this Panasonic SDR-H40 camcorder for $250 (even better than the Black Friday price). This is a superb product with conveience to use. Customer Rating: Summary: Great Starter Camera Comment: Great for a first camcorder. Takes good footage and audio, outdoors and in good lighting, not that great in a dark room. Not the best still picture quality. I was very please with the video quality, and over all satisfied with my purchase well worth the purchase price. I would recommend to first time camcorder owners, it is fairly simple to operate and very compact which was a plus for me. Customer Rating: Summary: Would recommend, but not Mac friendly unless your using bootcamp Comment: As far as the camcorder is concerned it works wonders considering the price. I read the reviews and how cnet and other "Professionals" reviewed this calling it youtube quality. I've produced a couple of dvd and so far the quality is not Waner Brothers feature film but it is much better than youtube quality. I've had these dvds playing on big screen tvs and projectors and the quality is not lost. It has a nice long battery life and additional batteries are available to buy at local retailers like best buy. Love the O.I.S. system unlike other cameras i've used that use a digital stabilization this one moves the lens. the pictures are clear as move rather than choppy like other competitors. all together i have only two complaints: 1) Panasonic did not include software at allows a users to transfer files onto a Mac. For those using a mac considering this product use bootcamp if you can, i use there software on a version of xp via bootcamp. It may not have the flair of Imove or Idvd but it works for producing those family moments on dvd just the same. 2) This camcorder does have a night mode setting on it but you find it useless. every time i turn it on the video slows down since the camcorder has to do more compensation for the low light levels. but on a positive note i was in a few dimly lit rooms and you could still see everything with out using the night mode. Customer Rating: Summary: great zoom, low light useless Comment: pro: great zoom and anti-shake. controls are convenietly located. cons: my regular digital camera takes better video inside. Customer Rating: Summary: Fine little camera, supplied software a victim of bad press. Comment: I bought this about a month ago as an introductory video camera. I have played with several still cameras but I had never used a movie camera. Two features that were important to me were the HDD and the fact that it uses SD cards. (All of our computers, our printers, and our still cameras read SD cards.) Other advantages were the 42x zoom, the compact size, the long battery life and the low Amazon price. I put many of my still pictures on the Web, so the 0.3 mb resolution is fine for that purpose. Also, it puts out a fairly decent snapshot sized print if you take a little care when you compose your picture. I read all the reviews before I bought the camera so I knew what to expect. It has fulfilled all my expectations and I would recommend it to any other beginner. One thing that surprised me is the sensitivity of its microphone. I have clearly recorded speeches, prayers, and instrumental and vocal songs from a long distance, both indoors and out. However, the wind noise reduction function does not reduce much wind noise. I do join those who wish that you could hook it up to the computer without attaching the ac power supply. I also now appreciate the wide angle capabilities of my still cameras. Reviewers said that this one didn't have much but was about the widest view in its genre. I would hate to have a narrower one. I decided to install the provided VideoCam Suite software that everyone talked so badly about. It has not given me any trouble. I installed it on my Windows Vista Home Premium computer and on my wife's computer with Windows XP Pro with Service Pack 3. I know it isn't supposed to run under XP SP3, but it does. Just install it and answer yes when the dialog box tells you that it isn't supposed to run but do you want to install it anyway. The VideoCam ain't the greatest program on earth, but it is about as good as any program supplied by a hardware manufacturer. Also, them dreaded Panasonic files run just fine on Windows Media Player and Real Player. From what little I can tell they must go hand in hand with the HDD format. You just have to massage them a little to get a DVD disc so you can annoy your friends and relations by playing it on their TV. If you don't get anywhere with the VideoCam, just use one of the programs that Bill Gates put on your computer. In conclusion, I am quite pleased with this little camera. When you compare price and function it appears to be the best in its class. I have enjoyed using it and I look forward to using it in the future. I was also lucky enough to find a new, genuine Panasonic battery at a bargain price in an auction on the internet. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five is that I don't believe anything is perfect. More Reviews
Editorial Reviews: The SDR-H40's 42x optical zoom lens has the power you need to take dramatic close-ups or get remarkable shots of even distant subjects. Panasonic's Advanced Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) suppresses the effects of handshake as you shoot. The system uses gyro sensors to detect handshake, then shifts a lens and adjusts the optical axis to compensate. The SDR-H40's 40GB internal hard disk drive lets you record continuously for up to 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 to jolts and impact. The Drop Detect function senses if the camera is falling and moves the head away from the hard disk. You can transfer the motion-image data from the SD card or the camcorder's hard drive right to your PC using your USB port. With the included VideoCam Suite 1.0 software, you can easily put scenes in a different order and delete the ones you don't want. Advanced OIS Optical Image Stabilization Focal Length - 1.8 - 75.6 mm 35mm Film Camera Equivalent - 40.9-1718 mm [4 - 3], 33.4-1403 mm [16 - 9] Motion Image, and 40.7-1710 mm [4 - 3]/33.2-1393 mm [16 - 9] Still Picture White Balance - Auto, Indoor, Outdoor, and White Set with IR Sensor High Speed Shutter - 1/30-1/8000 (Motion Image), 1/30-1/500 (Still Picture) Backlight Compensation LCD Monitor - 2.7 Wide (123,200 Dots) Pure Color Engine Soft-Skin Mode Easy-to-Use Mode Dial MagicPix Images Microphone Stereo Zoom Wind Noise Reduction Date Recording - Auto Date in Date Code Quick Start - 2.1 seconds Dimensions - Height 2.76'' x Width 2.64'' x Depth 4.57'' Weight 0.75 pounds