We're days away from the birth of our first child, and we wanted something to be able to capture some quick video... it's (of course) not an HD camera, but the quality is fine for viewing on the computer screen or a standard def TV. The size is great, the price is right.As has been said, the battery life is listed at 40 minutes, though I haven't tested that, that's real world use (through starting and stopping, etc.), it should last longer than an hour of continuous shooting. I also bought an off brand replacement battery along with it for $12.
The 3 main requirements I had were small size, low price, and records to flash (Because I knew I'd never use the camera if I had to keep up with tapes, and I didn't trust the performance of DVDs or the longevity of hard drive). If you're willing to accept a slightly lower quality for those things, then this should fit the bill perfectly.
Lets go over the cons first, as for some people the cons will break this camera. First the video quality, no way around it this camera is made for YouTube. You are not going to get great video quality out of this camera, very bad in low light but ok in sunlight. Second the battery life. To be honest it kinda sucks, 40 mins on a charge is a little lower than I wanted considering the size. I want to take this every where and use this all day, but that is not going to happen. The buttons on the camera are also a point of contention, as they have almost no tactile feedback. I would like it if they clicked a little or something, but that is a very small problem.
Now the Pros. The selling point of this camera was the size. It is really small! It fits in my pocket no problem, and I literally take it everywhere. I have even tied it to a kite , and the top of my car just to see if I could, and it was great. Then comes the price, for $299 you can barley beat it, There are some cameras like the Flip but they do not have the flip out LCD (very handy) or replaceable batteries and memory.
Bottom line is this camera is pushed to the YouTube crowd, short videos that you make at parties and stuff like that. Perfect for a Teen with limited cash to spend on their first camera, but wants a little more versatility than the Flip. Or the person like me who has a better camera, but needs something to take everywhere. The sound and video quality are just right for compressing way down and converting to flash, and to be honest if you want to get great video quality spend more money, nothing in this price range is going to be good enough for an HDTV or even many SDTVs.
The battery life issue can also be solved for around 25 bucks by searching the model number(vw-vbj10) of the battery on Google. I have two 3rd party batteries and they work great.
I am happy with my purchase and would recommend it to someone looking for something small and versatile to have fun with.
Buy Panasonic SDR-S7 Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Black) Now
I only feel obliged to write this because I have owned both camcorders. I bought the Panasonic at Wal-Mart the 1st of August. I wanted to tape my sons football games with it. The first couple of weeks I tried it ou and it seemed to do OK. Even though the MOD files could not be recognized by my computer the supplied software, while basic, did transfer them from the camera into the computer as mpg files that it would recognize. I successfully created a DVD using Roxio 10. As I used it more I noticed how bad the video was (I guess the newness wore off). The background in shots looked extremely soft and fuzzy. Anything that was close (10 to 15 feet) or if you zoomed way in was OK. When I was really disappointed was when I tried taping my sons first football game. I used it in conjunction with the video mode on my Fuji camera. I just put the panasonic on a tripod and did not zoom in far so I could capture the whole play with out moving the camera. I was not expecting to see good detail doing this but what I got turned my stomach. It was so fuzzy and the color was so bad that I could not tell one team from the other. there was no way I could have ever read a jersey number. Even being able to sort the players by teams would have helped but the video was useless. Luckily I had a few days to still take it back. I paid $299 for it at Wal-Mart. I decided to go with the Canon FS100 ($399 at Wal-Mart but I got mine through amazon for $315). It is a SD Card based camera just like the Panasonic. The Panasonic is the smallest camcorder I have ever seen, so it is handy to have if the video quality is not an issue. The FS100 is about twice the size but fits more comfortably in larger hands (still smaller than a pop can). It feels more solid. When I saw the video I knew I had made the right choice. it records in MOD format also. Unfortunately the software that came with it would not load on my computer. I have heard that the software is not worth much any way. I had WINAMP on my computer which converted them. I have read that you can just change the file name from *.MOD to *.MPG but I have not tried that yet. I had video from the Panasonic on my computer still so i duplicated those shots using the CANON and made another DVD alternating Panasonic,Canon,Panasonic,etc. The difference was unbelievable. If you want a small camcorder for goofing off with friends the Panasonic might fit the bill. If you would actually like to be able to go back and enjoy the videos, produce good DVDs and use the videos as a learning tool, choose the CANON FS100. By the way I just started buying stuff from Amazon and they are wonderful. I ordered the camcorder on Monday about midnight and I was playing with it by noon on wednesday.Read Best Reviews of Panasonic SDR-S7 Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Black) Here
I received this unit yesterday afternoon, and started playing with it immediately. Here are my first impressions of the camera.Overall Impressions:
If you have a tight budget, and are looking for a unit that uses standard memory cards for recording (as opposed to a hard drive), produces REASONABLE quality digital video and audio, and has the standard set of features, you'll like this camera. It is compact (which some might think is not good), light-weight and easy to use.
The biggest drawback is not so much with the camera, but with the marketing. It is sold as having "DVD Quality Recording" capability (there is even a label on mine on the side of the camera as a testament to this), which is not the case once you view your first video. If you are okay with a 640x480 resolution image, then you'll be okay with this camera; otherwise, save yourself the trouble if you want REAL DVD quality!
Now, here are some specific pros and cons I have noted so far about the camera. I have included my own personal rating (impact) for each one. Remember, these are MY ratings based on my need.
Pros
1. (Impact: High) The features provided are surprisingly numerous for the price.
2. (Impact: High) Sound quality is better than my previous unit, and seems quite sensitive to sound. The unit records at 48K Hz in 256Kbps AC-3 stereo format (through a single opening on the front of the unit), and offers several selectable special audio recording features (wind reduction and a zoom feature which increases or decreases sounds/noise not directly in front of the camera while zooming).
3. (Impact: High) A 4GB SD memory card can record 50 minutes of XP video and audio (the highest quality available on the camera). With current prices of 4GB SD cards, this is not bad. Note that with 40-70 minutes of battery life, it doesn't make much sense going to a larger memory card unless you have multiple batteries!
4. (Impact: High) The USB connection provides easy transfer of files to a PC or Mac. I had no problems getting my Windows XP Dell computer to recognize the unit, which added the camera as a removable disk. Interestingly, the unit organizes the video files into separate folders (one for each day), although I saw nothing on the unit menu playback that showed the unit uses this information.
5. (Impact: Medium) Price (why I bought the camera). I picked up the camera on sell for $140. I should mention that I would NOT purchase this camera (for its quality and features) for more than this amount!
6. (Impact: Medium) The unit is made in Japan. This might seem an odd "pro" to some but I have exceptional bad experience with electronics made in China, and personally steer clear of such items now. It is possible some parts are Chinese, but I like knowing that the unit comes from somewhere with more experience producing quality electronics.
7. Videos can be created in either letterbox (4:3) or widescreen (16:9) format.
8. The camera has a built-in cover to protect the lens and easy to use.
9. The screen/viewer (monitor) is surprising good (brightness, clarity, clear of defect spots) for the price. We'll see if it stays that way....
Cons:
1. (Impact: High) The battery is a clear con. According to the manual, it takes 2 hr 15 min to fully charge the battery, which lasts from 40-70 minutes. This means it takes at least twice as long to charge as it takes to discharge. I have already resolved to ensuring I keep the camera plugged between even intermittent uses. Besides the long time to charge the battery, you should be aware that the battery will not charge while the unit is turned on. You MUST turn it off to charge the battery.
2. (Impact: High) Be aware that while Panasonic states that the camera will record in 16:9 and 4:3 formats, it is more accurate to state that the camera alters or manipulates the lens to produce the videos. This requires a technical explanation. I examined the file information for a video that I produced in 16:9 (widescreen) mode, and was surprised at a few things. If you record a video in 16:9 format and run the raw .MOD video file directly in a program like MS Media Player, you will note that your videos are compressed (in width) to fit the 704x480 resolution (faces look narrow, circles look oval, etc). Also, the actual video resolution was 704x480 (330K), though the specs in the manual state the effective pixels are 300K in this format. If you do the math, you will see 704x480 is NOT a 16:9 ratio (it is 22:15). This means the videos must be "stretched" horizontally to approximately 853 pixels wide to fit the 16:9 format (or crushed vertically to about 396 pixels, meaning loss of data). With a 21% stretching or crushing, this ultimately affects either video quality or size (which I noted when I played the video back in true 16:9 format). I also examined files in 4:3 video resolution mode and found they ALSO are in 704x480 resolution (though the specs state the effective pixels is 340K.) The stretching/crushing for the 4:3 format is not as severe, so recordings in this format will produce a video that is of slightly better quality than that of the widescreen format (just not in wide-screen). Transforming the raw 704x480 into either 16:9 or 4:3 formats means you will have to do some video editing. If you know how and don't mind the hassle, then you're okay. You will need to use a video editing program like the MotionSD STUDIO software (provided with the camera) to get it into the proper format.
3. (Impact: Medium) While every feature setting can be viewed in the LCD monitor, it took me some time to realize that these features (or ANY menu displays) will NOT appear if the monitor is in "self-portrait" mode (where the screen is flipped out and turned 180 degrees). Also, in this mode, everything you see is a mirror of the image being recorded. This could take some time getting used to if you are moving the camera while having it trained on you as well as images in the background. You can get the features to return (and the image to NOT be in the awkward mirrored mode) by pushing the monitor back against the camera with the monitor screen facing out. I found no explanation for why it was designed this way, but I personally find this odd.
4. (Impact: Medium) You have to plug the AC adaptor into the unit before you can connect the camera to a PC or to your TV for transferring or watching videos. I find this excessively restrictive.
5. (Impact: Medium) The battery/SD card slots are accessed through a door on the bottom of the camera. Unfortunately, I am using the unit on a tripod, which means the tripod connection adaptor, screwed on to the bottom of the unit as well, prevents easy access to the SD card (meaning I can't easily swap out memory cards while recording).
6. (Impact: Medium) Feature settings on the camera are split into "Basic" and "Advanced" but as yet, I cannot discern the logic in how features were assigned. Some I would think are Basic are under Advanced and vice-versa.
7. (Impact: Medium) I have not looked for another battery that would provide a longer life for recording (40 minutes is really not much), but my assumption is that since the battery fits into a slot on the bottom of the unit, it might be hard for Panasonic to produce a more powerful battery that fits here. This means you may need multiple batteries if you're planning an all-day trip or event.
8. (Impact: Medium) Video files are saved as ".MOD" file extensions, although the file seems to comply with the MPEG-2 format. I had no problems getting my computer to recognize this format. However, you should verify you can work with this file type, or be aware that you will need the included software to successfully transfer the files into a .MPG (mpeg) file format.
9. (Impact: Low) The layout of the manual does not make it easy to find specific features.
10. (Impact: Low) The buttons on the side of the camera are relatively small. If you have big hands or fingers, you might find it difficult to work your way through the menus. The good thing is that you are not likely to do this very often.
11. (Impact: Low) No SD memory card comes with the unit (so be sure to purchase your own!)
Want Panasonic SDR-S7 Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Black) Discount?
I was looking for a camcorder to capture memories of our kids. I'm pretty cheap and not a video snob. That being said, I wanted a camcorder that wouldn't break the bank and one that I wouldn't be afraid to take out of the house. I purchased it from Best Buy only because I needed it right away, it was on sale for the same price as here. I brought the camcorder home and charged the battery and started shooting. Played it back on 42' DLP HD TV and the picture quality, while certainly not HD, was just a good if not slightly better than our old Sony HI8 camcorder, and this was SP video setting (medium). I tried some recording using XP setting (highest quality) and didn't notice enough of a difference to sacrifice half of the recording time. Dark settings do not record well, I think there is a night setting but haven't explored that yet. The 40 minute life of the battery isn't anything for Panosonic to brag about but for my needs, multiple 1 to 2 minute clips and occasional longer ones, its longer than you think. I found many websites that sell the battery for as little as $11.00 and ac/dc chargers for $20.00, a very affordable solution in my opinion. Now the ultimate test, will it work with my macbook? Yes. Sold. I just pluged it in and iphoto grabbed the still pics and imovie grabbed the vids. I have a new macbook w/ intel processor and iMovie '08, I understand older versions will not work. To sum it up, Affordable price, good video quality, compact and lightweight, and not afraid to take it anywhere. It is just what I was looking for.
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