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More…Not graced with sophisticated styling, the Panasonic SDR-H200 ($720 as of April 24, 2007) has no more in the way of extra features than competing models that cost $100 to $200 less. One possible reason for the high price is the camcorder's three-chip (red, green, and blue) CCD imaging system. In tests conducted by the PC World Test Center, our jury awarded the SDR-H200 scores of Very Good for both video quality and still image quality.
Panasonic SDR-H200 30GB Hard Drive Camcorder (10x Opt, 700x Dig, 2.7
| Video image quality | Very Good |
| Still image quality | Very Good |
| Battery lifeTime for the camcorder's battery to go from fully charged to exhausted while recording to tape or disc with the LCD active. | Superior (145 minutes) |
| Overall design | Good |
| Video/still image recording media types | 30GB hard drive, SD/SDHC Card |
| Image stabilization type | Optical |
| Electric viewfinder | No |
| Manual focus | Yes |
| Remote | Yes |
| Flash shoe | No |
| Inputs/outputs | A/V out, S-Video out, USB |
| Weight (ounces) | 16 |
| Dimensions (inches) | 2.8 by 2.9 by 4.8 |
Pros
High video and image quality
Long battery life
Cons
High price
One-handed operation is awkward
Panasonic SDR-H200
SDR-H200 30GB Hard Drive Camcorder (10x Opt, 700x Dig, 2.7 Review, by Tracey Capen May 18, 2007
Less-formal videography yielded similar results: The SDR-H200 adeptly maintained accurate exposures when moving from bright scenes to shadow areas and then back into bright light. Colors, too, were accurate, though perhaps a bit too vivid. Image sharpness was about average, and the camcorder's optical image stabilization--with the 10X zoom on full telephoto--produced noticeably steadier video.
As a still camera, the SDR-H200 ranks with the cheapest point-and-shoots in sharpness, though it's fine for casual snapshots, delivering pleasing color and accurate exposures. Its three-CCD system has a true resolution of just 2.1 megapixels (up to 3.1 megapixels with digital enhancement), so enlargements won't look especially sharp.
Aside from its price, the SDR-H200 has no major shortcomings. But neither is it a thing of beauty to handle and operate. Zoom, still-photo, and start/stop buttons are large, easy to control, and fairly well placed; and the 10X variable-speed optical zoom works smoothly. But the camcorder's shape makes it awkward to use one-handed. Its 16:9 wide-format, 2.7-inch color LCD panel displays bright images, even in full sunlight, and a dedicated button lets you quickly increase or decrease the LCD's brightness--a welcome change from most camcorders, which bury that adjustment deep in their menus. But this is a critical feature on the SDR-H200 because it has no eye-level viewfinder.
Changing settings is relatively easy with the model's large-text menus and small but workable joystick. One appealing novelty is the automatic ground-directional standby function, which instantly stops video recording when you point the camcorder straight down. (You can turn this feature off if you like.)
The SDR-H200's oddity is the placement of the USB port behind the camera's rechargeable battery. You can't transfer photos or videos off the camcorder without plugging it into AC power. Panasonic gave the SDR-H200 manual focus, but it's hard to use in the absence of any on-screen distance-reference scale. Two settings on the mini-joystick may cause some initial confusion: the Auto/Manual mode and the quick-set option. If you want to set one of the five scene modes, for example, you'll find them under the Manual setting. Meanwhile, the Auto setting activates the unit's training-wheels mode: You get an abbreviated settings menu--but instead of being hidden, the unused settings are lightly grayed out. Getting comfortable using the joystick's quick setting (for backlight compensation, macro, low-light shooting, and other purposes) undoubtedly takes time.
Other than the fade in/fade out function, which you can apply while recording, no built-in digital effects are included with the SDR-H200. You do get shutter- and aperture-priority modes, but the latter is a bit idiosyncratic: Instead of seeing the familiar aperture "f" number, you get an obscure "db" gain value.
The unit comes bundled with Pixela's ImageMixer 3, which works with Windows XP but not Vista; the application made the process of creating a quick DVD fairly painless by video software standards. The video downloading and burning package for Mac users was more impressive, however. Indeed, Mac owners who can accept the SDR-H200's high price and ease-of-use quirks stand to gain the most out of this camcorder.
Tracey Capen
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User Reviews
Average User Reviews for Panasonic SDR-H200 30GB Hard Drive Camcorder (10x Opt, 700x Dig, 2.7
1 Review Add your own »
- Latest User Reviews 1 review
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Reviewed by: Sagittarius2008
Duration of ownership: 3 Months
Strengths: High video and sound quality, good image stability, easy to use
Weaknesses: Terrible video software, outrageous burning process due to maker's software dependency, no possibility to add a flash lamp.
Overall: Mediocre. The 3CCD system feature led me to buy it because my priority was video quality, which I found poor in some high valued brands like Sony. However, the problems I found to pass the saved video to a DVD were dissapointing. Working with a MPEG format, the device should allow to pass the MPEG video files directly from the Camera HD to another storage media without neither loosing the sound line nor having to use the maker's software.
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User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: sinofsky
Strengths: Panasonic, great video, large hard drive size, and the ability to use SD Memory
Weaknesses: Image quality for pictures is really grainy
Overall: Bought this camera for my fiancee for the holidays for we have a 7 month old son who was a preemie and has been growing up fast. I chose the right camera! So easy to use that she figured it out quite quickly and she is not a tech person! Can't pass up this camera for the price I got it on Amazon (under $600), and I do not regret the purchase for a second! So if you are looking for a solid camcorder that will grow with you, get this CAMERA!
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Reviewed by: amalarasan
Strengths: Compact size, light weight, Hard disk, 3 CCD, inbuilt light, video quality.
Weaknesses: Need to open the lens cap manually, not very great on low light.
Overall: I am panny fan when comes to the camcorder. This is my second panasonic camcorder and a good upgrade over my GS65. 3CCD has a huge difference in the video quality and it is much better than a 1 CCD camcorder. This is compact and light weight and fits right in a small camcorder bag and is very easy to carry. outdoor video quality is as good as pro camcorders, but low light is not very great, even though this does a good job, but I expected more.One touch CD transfer was good and fast.I am giving 4 stars because, you need to manually open the lens cap. This camcorder comes with an inbuilt lens cap like the ones in the digital cameras, which opens automatically when you poweron. But in this camcorder, you need to open the cap manually.
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Reviewed by: Ezeeview
Strengths: 3 CCD, 30 GB HD, Ergonomically placed controls
Weaknesses: No other software available apart from Imagemixer which is provided along with the camcorder but which lacks video editing features, 10X optical zoom is insufficient
Overall: Best buy. I bought this camcorder after reading lot of positive notes about it. It really gives you best value as far as picture is concerned as a effect of 3CCD. The picture, sound quality is very good. All the controlls are conveniently placed except zoom button which sometimes makes you loose the subject. The battery life is average. The 10X optical zoom needs some advancement. Optical Image Stabilizer is not very effective. The video writing process to DVD is time consuming and can be done only with Imagemixer which may not be suitable in case you want to have some editing features. The still capability is mediocre.
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Reviewed by: rwalker1957
Strengths: Ease of use-Great picture-Hard drive recording
Weaknesses: None so far
Overall: This is a great camcorder. I found it very easy to use out of the box. Some advanced features may take a little tweaking but point and shoot very simple. Loaded software, took a small video and transfered with relative ease. Colors are very good and quality is good. A great camcorder for someone not quite ready to go the HD route. That will be down the road for me, but with this camcorder and it's quality that may be a while.
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Reviewed by: joshdym
Strengths: hard drive of course, optical image stabilization seems to work well, 3.1 MP still pics is nice plus(no need to lug stillcamera), 3CCD- good image quality, nice small size- not too small, easy to use
Weaknesses: lens cap is not automatic though it is built-in which is nice, 10x optical zoom is on low-end (but this is trade-off with better image quality), price is a bit high
Overall: Overall a great camera, everything I expected. However, I have not yet started uploading/burning DVDs so I'm not sure how easy that will be. (It'll be years until I run out of 30GB of hard drive...)I compared specs with Sony SR-62 and JVC-GZMG255. Similar price range but the 3CCD and 3.1 MP won out. Reviews of these cameras differ regarding low-light capability, I suspect they are all similarly mediocre. This one seems ok in low-light so far. If you have a little more $ to spend, the higher-end Sonys like SR-200 or 300 may be a good bet (not SR-82, that just has more memory). I think the Sonys look a litle cooler and also have a touch screen for what that's worth. I haven't researched the Canons though. Also, I think high-def is unnecessary at this point, especially for the amateur like myself. Professionals may want to lay out the extra $ or hold out for price to come down on the high-def hard drive cams.Bottom line- if you are an amateur who is willing to pay a little more for good quality video and likes the benefit of 3.1 MP stills, this camcorder is for you.
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