Panasonic HDCSD5BNDL DV Camcorder

Brand

: Panasonic

Model

: HDC-SD5

Lowest Price

: 666.66

Reviewer: jfreelan1964| Date:2008-02-06

This is the first camcorder I have bought since I first bought my monster shoulder carry VHS camcord

Review from http://www.epinions.com/content_417223511684?linkin_id=7000610

Reviewer: davidsatchell| Date:2007-12-26

Although neat, small, good resolution, well made and easy to use (except the following), We have not

Review from http://www.epinions.com/content_412053507716?linkin_id=7000610

Reviewer: bobdonadio| Date:2008-06-29

If you want the best 1080P Media card, low priced, 3 ccd camcorder that outperforms Sony, JVC, Hitac
Buy this camcorder. The images are spectacular and with a touch of a button, you've got great video. The video can be stored and transferred to a blue-ray disc.

Review from http://www.epinions.com/content_435450056324?linkin_id=7000610

Reviewer: Mike| Date:2009-02-12

Works great but in low light conditions the video isn't that great. Well lit and sunny areas the HandyCam captures great HD video.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: E. Haydock| Date:2008-12-23

I have owned the camera for 2 weeks now and am returning it. I currently own 3 other video cameras, but this is my forst HD camera.

Everything about the camera is wonderful except for one MAJOR flaw, there is a high pitched whine when I play back the vodeo through the camera. It is quite noticeable to say the least and simply unacceptable for a camera in this range. There is no tape transport, no hard drive....in fact no moving parts at all, nothing I can think of to be making the whine.
Perhaps it is only the particular one that I have purchased, as the other reviews seem fine.....I did see a proffesional review somewhere that had the same problem.........maybe I have that actual camera ....lol.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: T. Mai| Date:2008-12-13

Very light camcorder.
It was a concern for me about editing avchd:
The included software (HD writer) is not very powerful, but it's ok to save your video in HD format.
I use video studio pro x2 to edit in AVCHD without any problem with my laptop(window vista, 3GB memory)
The quality of the picture is not very good in low light situation.
It's an excellent flash memory HD camcorder for the price

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: MW| Date:2008-08-21

Up until this camcorder I was recording off of the HDV format. With the emergence of Blue-Ray as the winner of the HD war, I decided to switch. After much research, I bought this model refurbished from Amazon Warehouse Deals. The first one arrived without a battery, so I returned it. The second one arrived in great condition (except for a tattered box) with all parts accounted for. This is my second transaction with Amazon Warehouse Deals for a refurbished product, and I think they offer great value if you can live with the fact that the box has been opened and may not be in the best of shape.

I only shoot family events (vacations, birthdays, etc.) but I wanted to make sure that all of our personal, memorable moments could be viewed for years to come in as best quality as affordably possible. So, along with this camcorder I also bought a Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blue-Ray DVD player, plus the Panasonic VW-BN1 DVD burner. I couldn't be happier with my choice for all three. Now I have a fairly simple process for taking family videos, saving them to disc, and playing them in the Blue-Ray format.

As others have mentioned, the HDC-SD5 takes outstanding video outside in bright light, but is not so great indoors, in low light situations. I was torn for quite some time between this one and the HDC-SD1, because the SD1 has quite a few features the SD5 doesn't, namely a microphone input jack, 5.1 Dolby sound instead of only stereo, 12X zoom instead of 10X, and larger image sensors for better low light performance (1/4" instead of 1/6"). One advantage of the SD5 over the SD1, though, is its resolution, with full HD output at 1920 X 1080 compared to 1440 X 1080 with the SD1. I am admittedly not sure how much difference this makes, or if this compensates for the smaller CCD sensors in the SD5. Regardless, what finally sold me on the SD5 was simply its compatibility with the VW-BN1 burner, which I believe from internet readings the SD1 does not have and which I consider to be about the greatest thing since night baseball. It is SO EASY now to transfer my recordings to a DVD-R disc in full Blue-Ray HD. Since they are unedited, they transfer "warts and all" but I don't usually edit my home videos anyway. Maybe some day I will, but for family footage I just never bothered with it. With the BW-BN1 burner about 40 minutes of recorded video only takes about 20 to 30 minutes and voila! My memories are stored on DVD. An amazing feature, in my book.

My only dislikes about the SD5 are no viewfinder, which is starting to be more and more common for small camcorders, and the quirky placement of the input jacks for the HDMI and the USB connection, which are beneath a panel under the hand strap; very awkward. You also have to put in a fake battery that is connected to the power cord for AC hook-up, which causes you to have to insert this fake battery in the battery slot on the BOTTOM of the camcorder, run the cord through the battery cover via a tiny slot in the cover in order to close the cover, in order to operate the camcorder, that lay in the house that Jack built. It won't turn on with the cover open. Really goofy, no? You also cannot utilize the USB via battery power (which also means you can't operate the VW-BN1 burner via battery power) so you have to go through this exercise every time you want to do anything with USB connectivity. Presumably this "USB via AC power only" rule is so you will not lose power during a file transfer, etc, so I can understand the rationale behind it, but the placement of the jacks and the AC hookup process really makes it a pain.

The SD card slot is also on the bottom, by the battery, so you have to open the battery cover every time you want to remove/replace it (you access card slot on the SD1 model via the flip-out LCD screen). The Panasonic Blue-Ray player I bought will read video right off of the card, so I find myself accessing it often, and it's also less than convenient.

As much as it may sound as though I am knocking this camcorder, I am very happy with the purchase and love shooting video with it, largely because I view it as part of my overall system (camcorder, burner, player). As mentioned before, the video quality is outstanding, but only so-so in low light. The sound is also excellent, despite the downgrade to stereo from 5.1. However, if the SD1 would work with the VW-BN1 burner, I would have gone that route. As a final comment, I will NEVER go back to mini tapes now that I have gotten used to the SD cards, which seem to be dropping in price almost every day.

Anyway, I hope this long-winded review helps you in your decision making, thanks for reading!

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: William L. Wensel| Date:2008-08-09

THIS VIDEO CAMERA IS THE BEST IVE EVER USED,TRUE BLU RAY HIGH DEF,BRIGHT COLOR AND CRISP PICTURE.I USE A 16GB SDHC CARD,YOU DO NEED A BLU RAY PLAYER FOR HD,BUT YOU CAN ALSO RECORD IN STANDARD 640X480 WHICH CAN BE WATCHED 0N ANY DVD PLAYER!GREAT VALUE UNDER $800.

Review from Review from Amazon