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Panasonic SDR-H60 60 GB Hard Drive Camcorder with 50x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Panasonic SDR-H60 60 GB Hard Drive Camcorder with 50x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom


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Brand: Panasonic
Category: Photography

List Price: $549.95
Buy New: $329.00
You Save: $220.95 (40%)



Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 7 reviews

Color: silver
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Monitor Size: 270
Includes Software: Yes
Optical Zoom: 50
Digital Zoom: 80
Connectivity: AV
Display Size: 2.7
Maximum Resolution: 380000
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5
Dimensions (in): 4.7 x 2.6 x 3.3

MPN: SDR-H60
Model: SDR-H60
UPC: 037988256419
EAN: 0037988256419
ASIN: B0011G0NM2

Release Date: April 30, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Features:
  • Capture video to hard disk drive; 60 GB storage for up to 54 hours of footage
  • 50x optical zoom
  • Anti-Shock Shield for hard drive protection
  • Panasonic's Advanced Mega OIS technology
  • Compatible with SD/SDHC memory cards

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
The SDR-H60's 50x optical zoom lens has the power you need to take dramatic close-ups or get remarkable shots of even distant subjects. Panasonic's Advanced Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) suppresses the effects of handshake as you shoot. The system uses gyro sensors to detect handshake, then shifts a lens and adjusts the optical axis to compensate. The SDR-H60's 60GB internal hard disk drive lets you record continuously for up to 54 hours in LP mode without changing a disc, tape or other recording media. Panasonic's Anti-Shock Shield helps protect recorded video data from damage due to jolts and impact. The Drop Detect function senses if the camera is falling and moves the head away from the hard disk. You can transfer the motion-image data from the SD card or the camcorder's hard drive right to your PC using your USB port. With the included VideoCam Suite 1.0 software, you can easily put scenes in a different order and delete the ones you don't want. Advanced OIS Optical Image Stabilization Focal Length - 1.8 - 90 mm 35mm Film Camera Equivalent - 40.9-2046 mm [4 - 3], 33.4-1607 mm [16 - 9] Motion Image, and 40.7-2036 mm [4 - 3]/33.2-1658 mm [16 - 9] Still Picture White Balance - Auto, Indoor, Outdoor, and White Set with IR Sensor High Speed Shutter - 1/30-1/8000 (Motion Image), 1/30-1/500 (Still Picture) Backlight Compensation LCD Monitor - 2.7 Wide (123,200 Dots) Pure Color Engine Soft-Skin Mode Easy-to-Use Mode Dial MagicPix Images Microphone Stereo Zoom Wind Noise Reduction Date Recording - Auto Date in Date Code Quick Start - 0.6 seconds


Customer Reviews:   Read 2 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars Excellent Camcorder   November 30, 2008
MARR (NJ, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Excellent Camcorder for the price, got it few days from 6th ave. Did lot of research and decided on this. Upgraded from Panasonic MINI-DV. Seen people complain about the software, but I found it good software. But you have to upgrade it from panasonic web site, go to support and upgrade the software and you will have the latest software for the product.

Pros: Small size, nice optical zoom, BIG hard drive
Cons: Video quality little grainy in low light, but all camcorders in this price have the same issue



2 out of 5 stars If I only would have known about the editing software!   September 29, 2008
Rebecca Pfeiffer (Boise, ID)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

I am rating this a 2 only because you HAVE TO use the lousy software that comes with it.I would like to say that J. Henry said all that was going through my head. I don't have the patience for this...if I could just convince my hubby to try the comparable Sony we were looking at....it just didn't seem to be as user friendly....that might be something I can learn to deal with and overcome! Great Camera, lousy software and no way around it!


4 out of 5 stars Great Camcorder, easy to use!   September 13, 2008
H. Bolivar (Los Angeles, CA USA)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

This camcorder is great, it is my first dive into the consumer video world and so far I am pretty impressed. The zoom is killer, the ease of use is great. I am a tech so I did not feel the need to install the built in software since I feel that the bundled software stinks, that goes for most consumer products. I filmed a couple of videos, plugged the camera into my pc, and voila! There they were, ready for me to watch and/or edit using any software I wished to use. This process took approximately 10 seconds. For those wondering my setup consists of Windows Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1, but I imagine if I plugged it into xp or the other versions of vista, I would get similar results. The editing software I used is Adobe Premiere elements 4.0, although I am confident that if I plugged the videos into the built in video maker, I would not run into any problems as the format is pretty standard.

I only write this review because I feel some of these low ratings are unwarranted. The camera itself is great, and although the picture quality could use some improvement (then again I have not played with all the settings yet) I think this is a great camera for a lower budget, the only real improvement I could see by going to another camera is if a High Definition camera is purchased.

Hope this review helps.



3 out of 5 stars Great Camcorder -- Terrible Software   September 7, 2008
J. Henry
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

We haven't had the H60 very long, but so far the camcorder is meeting our expectations. The VideoCam Suite 1.0 software is another story...a story of frustration and disappointment. The software has a number of serious flaws:
* License agreement allows for installation only "on a single camera at a single location." My wife and I use different PCs for photo-related processing, so that's a problem.
* The user interface and editing procedures are anything but intuitive. I spent several hours yesterday trying to figure out how to do simple edits. I work with software everyday of my life. VideoCam Suite is among the worst software I've encountered. Maybe things will improve with practice, but at this point, I'm not a happy camper.
* The camcorder manual basically says that you MUST use this software to process images recorded on this camcorder--no other software will work. So far that appears to be true. Did Panasonic come up with a proprietary file format?!? I'm still trying to find a work around for that flaw..

This is my first camcorder, so maybe I would have run into these problems with a different manufacturer, too. In summary, it's a very nice camcorder with typical Panasonic quality. But they really messed up by using what appears to be a proprietary file format and very lame, mandatory software.



3 out of 5 stars Great camera, bad software   August 17, 2008
S. E. Salz (San Diego)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

I don't know who came up with the video processing software for this item but they should go back to school. The manual claims to not guarantee that it will work and they were right. I use Windows XP service pack 3 and it only works with Vista or service pack 2. You have to make sure any other program is closed and even then trying to transfer a video to DVD took me a couple of hours becauses I had to keep restarting the program. that said, I am still trying to figure out a way to make it work because the camera is so easy to use and the functions are great. So, a double edged review from me.


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