Sony HDR-XR100 80 GB HDD High Definition Camcorder (Silver)

The SonyHDR-XR100 is the entry model in the XR line of high definition hard disk drive-based Handycamcamcorders. With a 1/5" Exmor CMOS sensor BIONZ image processor 80GB hard drive Face Detection and Smile Shutter technology it offers 1920x1080 Full HD recording convenient hard disk drive storage and a compelling set of features at a great value. The HDR-XR100 is an ideal choice for those who want to step up to Full HD recording and hard disk drive convenience at an affordable price.

• 1920 x 1080 high definition video recording


• 4 megapixel still image capture


• 80GB hard disk drive


• Face Detection technology for video and still images


• Professional Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens

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JVC GZ-MG750 80 GB HDD Camcorder (Black) BigVALUEInc Accessory Saver 4GB Bundle

This Kit Includes:
1- JVC GZ-MG750 80 GB HDD Camcorder (Black) Brand New USA w/Manufacuturer's Supplied Accessories
1- 4GB MicroSDHC Memory Card (Dont Miss a Memory!)
1- USB MicroSDHC Memory Card Reader (Download Images Quicker!)
1- Padded Carrying Case w/Strap
1- Memory Card Wallet (Stay Organized!)
1- Pack of LCD Screen Protectors (Protect from Dust & Scratches!)
1- Lens/LCD Cleaning Kit
1- Mini Table Top Tripod
More about this camcorder:
The built-in 80GB HDD can hold up to 100 hours of video. Using optional microSD/SDHC memory cards expands the camera's capacity even further. The camera also features a 1/6" CCD image sensor with Super LoLux low light recording 45x Dynamic zoom an Advanced Image Stabilizer and JVC's Laser Touch Operation LCD. In addition to these components the camera comes with user-friendly functions designed to make your recording experience an easier one.

Supplied Manufacturer Accessories in addition to mentioned above:
AC Power Adapter Rechargeable Battery Pack A/V Cable USB Cable Component Video Cable Software CD-ROM 1 Year JVC USA Warranty.

• JVC GZ-MG750 80 GB HDD Camcorder (Black) Brand New USA w/Manufacuturer's Supplied Accessories


• 4GB MicroSDHC Memory Card + USB Card Reader


• Padded Carrying Case w/Strap


• Flexible Mini Table Top Tripod


• Lens/LCD Cleaning Kit + Pack of LCD Sreen Protectors (See Description For More Details)

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Sony HDR-XR100 80 GB HDD High Definition Camcorder (Silver)

The SonyHDR-XR100 is the entry model in the XR line of high definition hard disk drive-based Handycamcamcorders. With a 1/5" Exmor CMOS sensor BIONZ image processor 80GB hard drive Face Detection and Smile Shutter technology it offers 1920x1080 Full HD recording convenient hard disk drive storage and a compelling set of features at a great value. The HDR-XR100 is an ideal choice for those who want to step up to Full HD recording and hard disk drive convenience at an affordable price.

• 1920 x 1080 high definition video recording


• 4 megapixel still image capture


• 80GB hard disk drive


• Face Detection technology for video and still images


• Professional Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens

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Panasonic HDCTM15 16GB Full HD Camcorder

HD images contain 6x as much information as standard images. HDTV has 1080 horizontal scan lines SDTV has 480. That translates into much higher resolution and much finer detail. With HD images on an HDTV pictures are so clear and sharp that you can see textures. The shift in the industry from SDTV to HDTV is well underway. For shooting once-in-a-lifetime scenes that you want to capture in full beauty an HD camcorder is the best choice.
There's nothing more disappointing than shooting a once-in-a-lifetime event on video only to discover that the images are blurry or poorly exposed because of backlighting. Panasonic's iA helps avoid problems in difficult shooting situations by automatically making the optimal camera settings and activating certain functions. For example iA includes AF Tracking a new function that "locks" on and follows a subject as it moves so images are sharply focused and properly exposed. This technology is a huge help for everyone.
Panasonic's advanced O.I.S. helps suppress the effects of hand-shake as you shoot for both motion and still images. This system uses gyrosensors to detect even tiny amounts of hand-shake then shifts a lens and adjusts the optical axis to compensate - all at an astounding 4000 times per second. Because the system is optical there's minimal loss of image quality even when viewed on a large-screen TV. In addition to shoot high-resolution still images the normal O.I.S. Mode 1 is joined by an O.I.S. Mode 2 which has a higher stabilization capability. The O.I.S. corrective lens shifts and stabilizes the image the instant that the shutter button is pressed to enable greater precision in stabilization. You get all the beauty and minimal blurring.
The TM15 features a 16x optical zoom. You can zoom close to catch dynamic shots of distant objects. And because the zoom is optical there's limited image degradation. Also Panasonic's Advanced O.I.S. helps

• Records Onto Built-in Memory (16GB) SD/SDHC Memory Card / Recording Format MPEG4-AVC/H.264 (AVCHD standard compliant); JPEG (Still Image)


• Image Sensor (Effective) - 1.17 megapixels [16 - 9] / 1.17 megapixels [16 - 9] [Still Image] / Total Pixels 1.47 megapixels


• Optical Zoom 16x Focal Length 2.95-47.2mm; 35mm Film Camera Equivalent 44.1-706mm [16 - 9]


• Filter Diameter 30.5mm


• Advanced O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) with Active Mode

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Panasonic SDR-H79K - Camcorder - widescreen - 800 Kpix - optical zoom: 70 x - supported memory: SD SDHC - HDD : 60 GB - flash card - black

For features per price you won't find better

Before buying this video camera I checked and compared with several others and thought that this one had the better features for the price. In fact I would say that when I bought it for $250 I could have easily spent $350 on another model for the same features. And so far (2 months in) I am loving it!



First the camera is so easy to use that my 14- and 8-year olds took to it right away -- I haven't needed the manual yet. The camera is extremely light even with the butter cube-sized battery and its compact profile is really easy to get the hand around. The record/play button is near the thumb and the zoom is on top of the camera near the index or middle finger. Zooming in or out is made easy with a graduated switch that allows for smooth transitions. The pop-out LCD panel has good rotation and is very clear. The onboard software is very intuitive and the screen shows hints on each button's features so it's really hard to mess anything up.



The hard drive takes a long time to fill up and I'm glad I don't have to fiddle with DVDs or SD cards. The battery lasts a long time -- one charge has gotten me through whole sporting events plus family shots -- and charges up in about 3 hours. And the video camera also takes still pictures which also look great; taking videos and stills with the same camera makes life so much simpler.



The only thing that I had to get used to originally was the OIS (image stabilization). I started taking videos at my daughter's gymnastics meets so I was trying to sweep across the areas quickly to capture the motion. The OIS was trying to keep up by refocusing the image as I moved. Then I realized (duh!) that I didn't need to move the camera so much. Now I've recording a few meets and a couple of hockey games and the OIS keeps the image clear during the heaviest action from some great distances.



That brings me to the best feature: the lens. At 70X _optical_ zoom there is almost nothing that I can't see with this camera. As I wrote earlier I've recording some hockey games and I've been able to capture distinct faces on players from the nosebleed section. At gymnastics meets I can capture every smile or grimace without having to leave my viewing spot.



Overall I'm not sure that you could find a better camera for the money.More detail ...

Sony DCR-SR45 30GB Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom

Compact But Not Perfect

I bought this camera as a replacement for a VHS-C camera that I never did manage to use because it was just too cumbersome. The HandyCam SR45 is certainly small -- it fits in my purse! But it does have a few flaws I wish I had realized before purchasing.



First of all it doesn't have a wide-angle lens. That is an optional accessory. This limits my filmmaking abilities more than I realized it would. Secondly it dosn't have a viewfinder. You are forced to use the viewscreen at all times. In bright sun you can't see the image on the viewscreen at all so without the option of switching to the viewfinder it's hit and miss if you are filming what you think you are filming.



And the last major challenge I have is that it records in MPEG2 format. This is the format (I guess) that you need to output directly to DVD. But for editing this is not the best format. To edit in Windows Movie Maker you have to convert the file types and the quality tanks. I am looking at some MPEG2 editors right now but I hear that editing right in MPEG2 format you lose some ability to make fine-tune edits.



On the plus side I never have to buy tapes for this thing and with something like 6 hours of recording built in at the highest quality I doubt I'll even need to buy memory cards for it. (Even on a great vacation over 6 hours of footage is too much! Edit yourself!!) No running out of room in the middle of something exciting happening.



The lens cap is built in which is also great but I'm forgetting to close it all the time. And the 40x Optical Zoom is fantastic! It takes some great up-close shots without having to get up-close. And transferring to JPEG for still shots is easy with the new software I'm trying and the stills look great.



And the nightshooting is really cool too. I just don't know if I'll ever use it other than to torment my cat.



Overall it's a nice little camera but there is room for improvement.More detail ...

JVC PICSIO GC-FM1A HD Camcorder (Black Ice)

Nice Specs on Paper Worthless in the Real World

After reading the specs I had high hopes for this camera. Unfortunately it failed to perform in every way. The build quality was cheap and flimsy the controls were awkward and counterintuitive the video was unwatchable and the stills weren't sharp. Thankfully Amazon accepted my return.



First the PROS:

--It is small.



Then the CONS:

--The control buttons are recessed and difficult to press. Usually I would have to press a button several times before it actually worked. When in still camera mode there is no audio or visual confirmation that you have actually taken a photo so you never know for sure until you scan through the images and video saved.

--The video is violently shakey and not as sharp as 1080p should be. Even on a tripod the video shook and wobbled. Basically the video is unwatchable. Everything looks like "Blair Witch Project" outtakes.

--Video and stills are grainy in any light indoors or out. Don't bother trying to use it in low light.

--The audio is average.



In short a very disappointing product that has turned me off to the compact video camera segment.

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Canon HG10 AVCHD High Definition Camcorder with Optical Image Stabilizer

Best hard drive camcorder ever

I have been using camcorders since 1985 and I've used almost every possible format available to consumers. As of Oct. 2007 I can firmly say that this is by far the best camcorder ever in terms of the picture quality convenience and the price. Although there are some limitations in the AVCHD format (I don't want to repeat here again) the convenience of the hard drive made me choose the HG10 and I have absolutely no regret at all.



First of all I would like to clarify other reviewer's information that might misguide some folks. The HG10 does include the software to transfer and to edit the video footage for a PC. It comes with Ulead DVD MovieFactory SE for editing and burning DVDs and AVCHD-DVDs (can be playable on some blu-ray players and Playstation 3. It's a dvd that has HD pictures). If other reviewers have only a Mac their complaints are valid since the HG10 only includes a picture browser to handle the still pictures not video for a Mac.



For the most consumers like me the DVD MovieFactory works pretty well. I just burned a standard DVD (yes an MPEG2 DVD that you watch everyday) with the DVD MovieFactory and am very satisfied with the result. Converting HD pictures to the SD format does not degrade the original HD quality much and I was impressed by that. I added chapter marks made menus and did little editing. Editing the AVCHD format needs a ton of processing power. If you don't have a fast computer (dual core 2 ghz or faster) it will be extremely slow. I was using a Pentium 4 3.6 GHz 2 gigs RAM Windows Vista Business PC to make a DVD and it worked OK. Making an AVCHD-DVD is faster since it does not need to re-encode the video files. If you don't do a complicate editing job and want to merge video clips from the HG10 and burn a DVD you could use a slower computer for that purpose. I have experience using Adobe Premiere Ulead VideoStudio and iMovie (for Mac). Although DVD MovieFactory might not be the right tool for the professional work it is quite good for a home use. I surprised my friends with the DVDs created from it. My only gripe is a complicated software activation process. You should read the software instructions carefully to avoid the hassle (specially the web link in the last page). I wasted 2 hours just to activate the software.



Yes the HG10 does not have an IEEE1394 (or firewire or iLink whatever you call it) port. However it does not need one. All the footages are already stored in AVCHD format and you only need to transfer those files to your computer. If you have to capture the video and encode it to a file from the magnetic tape (MiniDV) you might need an IEEE1394 port. However for the HG10 you don't need to do that. If you look at other hard drive based camcorders they don't have it either (they mostly have a USB port). Right before the HG10 I used a Sony DCR-SR100 and it does not have a firewire port either.



The HG10 has a mini HDMI (type C) port so if you want to connect the HG10 via HDMI you'll need to order a mini-HDMI to HDMI (type C to type A) cable. The HG10 only includes a composite A/V cable and a component video cable. My minor complaint is that it does not come with a shoulder strap. This toy costs $1000 so a nice looking shoulder strap should be given (I am using one from an old Canon ZR camcorder).



I was told that the HG10 uses the same optical mechanism as Canon HV20 which is known to be the best consumer HD camcorder on the market (it records in HDV format on tapes not AVCHD on the hard drive). So I expected that the picture quality would be pretty good and I was right. If you have a full 1080p HD display you will be amazed. Personally I use a 720p projector at home and am quite impressed by the quality of the picture. Unlike Sony AVCHD camcorders the sound is recorded in 2 channel Dolby Digital format (Sony records in 5.1 channel Dolby Digital). The good thing about 2 channel recording is that it does not record my breath. With 5.1 channel recording you can easily hear your breathing sound since two of the mics are catching rear sound.



For the low light performance (like indoor shot) the HG10 is comparatively better than any other consumer level camcorder on the market that I have seen. However don't expect too much. It cannot be compared to the low light quality of a $3000 camcorder. My impression is that its low light picture quality is closest to a decent 3CCD high-priced consumer level camcorder.



I have been waiting for long to have an excellant hard drive based AVCHD camcorder. There are many hard drive based camcorders on the market now and none of these have caught my attention for some minor reasons such as no external mic jack no usb port on the camcorder or the poor low light performance. Finally I found the right one and am so happy that I waited.



Thanks to Canon for introducing good equipment at the right price (under a grand). I hope this review helps some people who have waited like me.



== Update as of Feb. 12 2008



As of today I have been using the HG10 for more than 4 months. I have taken so many precious moments and this camcorder never disappoints me. The best moment I had was the day I brought this camcorder to my friend's home for a party. I connected it to Samsung LNT4065F 40" 1080p LCD HDTV and showed a junior high soccer tournament game. Everyone I mean everyone in that house said "Wow." The picture quality coming out of this combination was AMAZING !! I felt like I was watching an HD documentary from BBC or National Geographic. As I said in the review I use an HG10 with a 1080i/720p projector (Epson Cinema 400 3 LCD projector) but the HG10 picture coming out from the Samsung LCD TV was truly exceptional and far superior (very bright and way more crisp). I have never seen such a good picture coming from any other consumer level camcorder. Although the indoor shots have some grainy pictures (I tested some indoor video shots too) the outdoor shots are flawless. Most of my friends who saw it wanted to buy the HG10 and I started to dream about having the Samsung LNT4065F LCD TV ever since. :)



The only drawback that I have found new from the HG10 is that if you want to transfer video files from the HG10 to a computer you must have an AC adapter (correct me if I am wrong). Sometimes I want to transfer video to a friend's computer right after I take it. However if I don't have the AC adapter for the HG10 it simply refuses to do it (it asks me to hook it up). This is very cumbersome to me.



I just heard that the new Sony hard drive camcorder has a 120GB hard drive. However the 5 hr 30 mins of video in highest quality that I can take from the HG10 is still pretty good.



If I had to choose a camcorder today I would choose the HG10 again. I can't wait to see what the next version of the HG10 can do.



== Update for the Mac users as of Mar. 29 2008



I recently bought a MacBook and found out one thing that I want to share with other Mac users. First of all the HG10 does work with iMovie '08 and Leopard OS (10.5) on intel Macs. If you connect the HG10 to the Mac all the importing process will go very smoothly. You should be patient since the Mac converts AVCHD files from the HG10 to their propriety format (it increase the size of the original files to 7-10 times). However iMovie '08 does not import .mts or .m2ts files directly. iMovie can only import AVCHD files from the HG10 or the storage space (external hard drive) that exactly has the same directory structure like the HG10. I mean it does not import individual .mts (.m2ts) files. I have searched through many apple discussion forums and have not found solutions for it.



If someone only saves .mts or .m2ts files without having the original directory structure (it means no meta data video files only) like me he/she has to use the conversion utility like Voltaic to convert .mts or .m2ts files. If you have a non-Intel Mac you can import AVCHD files this way (converting through the utility like Voltaic) only though. This conversion process takes significant amount of time and the storage space.



I wish iMovie can directly handle .mts (.m2ts) files soon. Until then I should stick with the bundled Ulead software on PC for my old video backups. Disappointed...



== Update for the YouTube lovers as of May. 22 2009



I still love the HG10. It is the best. Probably you already know about this. YouTube allows to upload the .mts or .m2ts files created by AVCHD camcorders. So you can upload the file directly without any conversion process on YouTube and it is HD. I cannot thank YouTube enough about it.More detail ...

Panasonic HDC-TM10K Hard Drive Full HD Camcorder (Black)

Mixed bag: know what you're using it for

First the two versions of this camera are identical other than the fact that one has built in memory the other does not. BUT consider how much you're paying for that memory? Could you just buy a larger card with the price difference? Probably. Considering that for the sake of convenience you will probably be recording to cards most of the time (so you can just plug them into the computer) I would probably go for the internal memory-less version.



I ran several tests on the camera for a few days to try out its features. I am not a name-brand fanboy nor am I a dedicated videophile. I'm just going to give you an unbiased impression based upon what my eyes saw:



PROS:



1.)Pretty good daylight recording. Considering what I paid for it I was surprised by the quality. It's not a Canon S10 by any means but I was pleased.

2.)It is unbelievably small and light. Shockingly so. If you are looking for the smallest possible 1080p capable camera to take on a daylight hike I'm thinking this is near the top of the list.

3.)Has a few of the bells and whistles of a larger camera including the ability to swap out memory cards a decent touch-screen menu interface where you can play with the settings (as opposed to some of these cheap-o cameras) a genuine optical zoom and an HDMI output right on the camera. Unlike most I had no problem with the touchscreen.

4.)Quick power-on/off feature works really well battery life was not a problem.





CONS:



1.)You'll notice I mentioned how surprised I was by the camera's performance in daylight? I was equally surprised by the nighttime/indoor performance. As in it was atrocious. Absolutely atrocious. We're talking awful pixelation terrible graininess significant artifacting and block-iness and a general inability to see anything. The onboard light provided little help. I'm not talking about near pitch black rooms I'm talking about normally lit indoor areas. The camera is basically useless for indoor or nighttime recording unless you're using multiple floodlights. I would walk through the house and even our well lit dining room had significant problems.



I chalk this up to the tiny sensor (less than 2 megapixels) and tiny lens. Sure it keeps the weight/size factor miniscule but it really hurts performance. I am not understating this problem at all. I tried to use the manual shuttings (such as they are) to correct the problem but playing with frame rates settings and modes made little to no difference.



2.)No built-in lens protector. Having a dangling lenscap to annoy you defeats some of the purpose of having such a compact easy to whip out camera.



3.)Screen tearing/rolling shudder is a problem on quick pans even more so than other CMOS cameras I've tried. I'm not sure what the issue is but be forewarned.



4.)The cameras awful low light capabilities make most of the individualized settings useless.



5.)If you want to make that final jump from 1080i to 1080p you're limited to the "digital cinema" mode that disables the vast majority of the manual settings. A small nitpick but somewhat annoying.





SUMMARY



Know precisely what you're going to be using this camera for before you buy it. The video quality in daylight for the price is pretty decent the form factor/size is phenomenal and the indoor/low light video quality and options are horrendous. Basically if you're only going to be using it outdoors and size is of paramount important it's worthy of consideration.More detail ...