| Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom | 
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| Brand: Panasonic
Category: Photography
List Price: $449.95
Buy New: $325.95
You Save: $124.00 (28%)
Buy New
Avg. Customer Rating:   (27 reviews)
Sales Rank: 447
Color: silver
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Monitor Size: 270
Includes Software: Yes
Optical Zoom: 42
Digital Zoom: 70
Connectivity: AV
Display Size: 2.7
Maximum Focal Length: 75.6
Minimum Focal Length: 1.8
Maximum Resolution: 380000
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5
Dimensions (in): 4.6 x 2.6 x 2.8
MPN: SDR-H40
Model: SDR-H40
UPC: 037988255979
EAN: 0037988255979
ASIN: B0011FWU5Q
Release Date: January 31, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| 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 |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
records MPEG-2 video files to built-in memory * 800,000-pixel CCD (380K effective) * digital photo mode with top resolution of 640 x 480 * 2-11/16" widescreen LCD * 42X optical zoom lens (digital zoom to 2000X) *
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 Very Good First Camcorder To Learn On August 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'd been contemplating a camcorder for several months, and when the funds became available, after careful thought, I bought this one. Why:
1) The buil-in 40 Gig hard drive is a huge blessing. More than adequate for my needs
2) Small size and ease of use and learning for a first timer like me
3) A lot of good features for the price
4) Better optical zoom than many in this price range (42X optical, 2000X digital)
5) More than acceptable sound quality (I may even add a mic later to enhance this)
I was also aware of some of the limitations of such a unit. For lighting, I did purchase a small LCD movie light that definitely helps in dim situations, (I may een get an infra-red light for night shots).
Ah, the infamous enclosed software question. Simple, I DON'T USE IT!
Instead, I just simply copy the video files onto my 500 Gig external HD when the unit is hooked up to my PC. Then, I edit them in different software altogether (in my case, uLead/Corel Video Studio 11, which works way better than the enclosed Panasonic software by far and offers much more functionality and features, not to mention ease of use).
No, it's not going to produce a cinematic epic (you'd need at least a $40,000 broadcast quality unit to do that with) but it'll not only captur your life's moments but it can be utilized to produce a pretty cool low-budget film if you're so inclined, heck I've produced some comedy videos with footage from this thing in part and was very pleased.
My only real MAJOR grip is the battery, I just wish it could last more than one hour! Are there batteries compatible with this unit that will go 2, maybe 3 hours? At least they were kind enough to include a charger/power supply.
Looking for a good place to start camcordering, this is a good one!
 Outdoor picture quality was not good August 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I purchased this camcorder after reading lot of positive reviews but returned it back after three days. I took lot of videos on a sunny day. When I looked at those video on my computer, the videos appeared as if they were taken in less light. There was not enough background light in the video.
Pros:
- Easy to operate
- Great picture stabilization
- Light weight
Cons:
- less background light in the video
Good video. Tough to edit. July 30, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a great little camera for the price. I have no doubt about that. However, I've been having too many problems with the editing process. The software that comes with the cam doesn't make things easy. What's more, I can't seem to get the videos to display well in Windows Movie Maker or Media Player. The quality is grainy in these programs and the 16:9 size is squished to 4:3, rather than displaying the black bars on the top and bottom. I've changed the settings in Windows Media Player and it still doesn't work.
The quality of the video is great. The zoom is simply amazing and the OIS is downright impressive. I just wish they made putting these things on your computer a little easier. It should either come with better software or a recommendation for a program to buy that natively understands the hardware. I would buy after-market software if I knew it would work with this camera.
 Misleading about Macs July 27, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The advice on the box and the specs is misleading concerning compatibility with Macs. There are some awkward work-arounds available, but it is not worth the expense and trouble. Extremely disingenuous advertising by Panasonic. Stay away if you are a mac user.
NOT FOR MAC July 24, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This camera is NOT compatible with Macs... I also have Windows Parallels for my computer, but cannot get the software to run on that either. Well, I suppose it technically runs, but no video will show up when you try to download it from the camera. If you have a Mac, get something else!!!!!!!!
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