Panasonic SDRS26 SD Camcorder Gold

Great family cam Great zoom great value
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
factory sealed box flawless condition worked perfectly . My new Panasonic SDR-S26 SD Camcorder is fantastic. over 3.5 hours record at highest resolution with 16GB chip on amazon – battery life was hard to find info on but is about one hour of record time. so I would get a spare battery. I got mine @ duracelldirect.com for $15.38 (#B-9681) Says its a 3.7v on web site is listed for SDR-S25 but it is the right battery and works fantastic.

LOW LIGHT

I think you should learn to use manual focus- Iris and shutter for low light conditions but most cameras I,ve borrowed from friends wont even film in the same low light. Zoom is so good even the Stills of birds in the backyard are clearer than the lowly 3x optical of my 4 mega pixel. Stability is great out to 20x and good to 40x 70x is still tripod territory. For every day I can’t find a better value – Love this camera and Sellers excellent service – highly recomend to friends – relatives – heck everyone!

Pretty camera, horrible video
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I read a lot of reviews about this product and they were mostly favorable. I now impugn the veracity of those reviews. I have a very old 8mm camcorder that makes much higher quality video than this thing. Also, the video is ended when paused and you end up with a lot of short clips in some unknown format that would need to be edited and merged. I could handle the editing, but the quality is not worth the trouble. I checked all of the settings and set the quality to the highest level to no avail. I choose to take the loss of the restocking fee and will continue to use my three year old mini dv camcorder. I would recommend this product if all you want is blurry youtube clips.

Panasonic Camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I ordered this camera for my son who wanted it mostly to make Youtube videos. He is very happy with it and seems to take it every where with him. He has also used it for still pictures. So far, so good.

Compact and easy to use.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Let’s start off with the good. This camera has a fantastic zoom capability, thanks especially to OIS (Optical Image Stabilization). It’s small and light, and the battery life is pretty good. Extra batteries are cheap, so get a couple. It takes acceptable still photos in addition to the widescreen (16×9) video. Transfer to PC is quick and easy, and the files may be accessed as a removable disk if you don’t want to use the Panasonics PC VideoCam Suite.

Maybe I’m too picky, but here are a few things I don’t like about this camera. 1) The .MOD video format. However, you can go to [...] and get a codec pack that allows you to view .MOD videos on most PC programs. Works great. 2) The Panasonic VideoCam Suite. I tried it and promptly removed it. It’s a waste of disk space. I simply transfer the videos where I want them via the USB interface, and watch them using Windows Media Player. 3) The camera takes up to 32 gB SDHC cards – but they must be Class 4 or better. I’m using Panasonic brand 6 gB cards from Frys and they do a great job. 4) Autofocus. I was shooting aircraft (two of the last five airworthy P38 Lightnings in existence, flying in formation, no less) making a pass at an air show. I had good focus, but when the aircraft got about 4000 feet away the focus algorithm lost them and took about 2 seconds to reaquire. All I could do was to follow the blurry blobs until they sharpened again.

Would I still buy the SDR-S26 if I had it to do over again. Absolutely, no doubt at all – at Amazon.

Don’t Be Confused, O.I.S. vs. E.I.S., and Camcorder Movement!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This Panasonic SDR-S26 camcorder is by far the best you can buy for the price, and is rated best camcorder of 2009 CES!

I have owned a few others and none of them had true O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) and I assure you that this one does. My others had E.I.S. (Electronic Image Stabilization) and believe me there is a big difference. I have noticed a few other reviews on this camcorder, and some say the image stabilization works great out to 20x and good to 40x 70x is still tripod territory. That’s good advise as a tripod will assist in producing great videos with virtually no camcorder movement. Please don’t be confused between the O.I.S and plain old camcorder movement, with camcorder movement at 70x optical zoom the object that you are looking at may move somewhat due to arm and body movement, BUT notice with O.I.S. the image remains clear and crisp, with great detail, even with some hand shakiness. With E.I.S camcorders, which usually have less zoom capabilities, approx. 40x optical zoom, you’d notice while zoomed out, not only is there camcorder movement BUT the image is also a bit blurry and has limited detail, due in part to hand shakiness. So don’t be confused or fooled by plain camcorder movement or the difference between O.I.S vs. E.I.S, as Panasonic’s SDR-S26 with O.I.S and 70x optical zoom will absolutely exceed your expectations, as did mine, and amaze you with a spectacular camcorder experience. I am an extremely satisfied owner of the Panasonic SDR-S26 Camcorder, and I know you will be also.

You can also search the WEB for the Panasonic sdr-s26 and view some of the you-tube video zoom tests that were performed by camcorder owners and see the quality of the O.I.S. and the 70x optical zoom for yourself.

P.S. Don’t forget to pick up a SD/SDHC flash memory card (preferably a 16GB, priced around $40.00)and possibly an extra battery (part # B-9681, priced around $14.00) both at AMAZON.COM.

you must have sd card to make it work
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Perhaps it is in all of the literature on the web page but it is not OBVIOUS: you must have an sd card in order to operate this camera — having it arrive via fast shipping for some special date is useless as I found out!

Great camcorder but the software is bad
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this camcorder one month ago, and I think that is a good product according to his price, I have used it in outdoor and indoor, in both cases was working well, only in places with poor light the video reflect it and no there way to correct it, because the cam doesn’t have night view option.

When I passed my videos to PC, I had troubles with this… in the software installation the program ask a country TV system, yeah that’s rare no? I select..Mexico.. and the cam didn’t works. I tried to uninstall the software but it doesn’t has option to do this. I have to install the software in another PC selecting this time U.S. and this time it works well. The PC are WinXp both.

Be careful and patient with the software…

Great Little Camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I looked at a lot of different camcorders and chose the Panasonic SDR-S26 SD because of its feather light weight, incredible zoom, and optical image stabilization. I have not been disappointed! It takes great video for a standard definition camcorder and I usually only use the standard quality mode as the higher quality mode just takes up more storage space. I suppose for “precious moments” I would use the highest quality, but my main purpose for this camcorder is shooting weekly sports video. And it is so light that you hardly feel it hanging around your neck.

Battery life is so-so, but I love the small battery that is stored inside the camera and not hanging off of the back. So, I just bought an extra battery and charger that has a car adapter.

And this thing is so small that it, and a spare battery, fit in my compact camera’s case!

Bravo!

Excellent for the cost
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I knew going in that this camera wasn’t going to be the picture equivalent of a $1000 camera. However, it is a quality unit for what it costs. The LCD screen is large and rotates 180 degrees so you can self-film or so kids can see themselves.

The camera is significantly smaller than I expected. I’m a big guy, and the thing just about disappears in my hand. It could REALLY use a neck lanyard strap. It only comes with the hand strap, but I rigged up a neck strap.

The Optical Image Stabilization makes a huge difference in camera shake. The 70x zoom can bring distant objects very close (but it also makes image shake very noticeable). There are a lot of features I haven’t learned how to use yet, but menu navigation is easy and quick.

The integrated lens cap is a nice touch – you’ll never lose your lens cap again.

My biggest gripe is that several times I thought I had the camera rolling, but it was still paused. I wish the Paused symbol on the LCD was much larger. I lost a couple of one-time only reactions from my daughter.

I usually don’t write reviews on the things that I bought, but this garbage is one exception!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I just don’t know why big name brand companies nowaday are making big buck garbages to sale to the consumers. I was excited with the zoom that this camcorder offers and kind of ignored some of the reviewers’ complains about the video quality. I thought to myself, it’s in digital format, my digital cameras produce pretty decent video, so how bad can a digital camcorder be? I was wrong, the video quality is worser than the first generation camera phone!!!! On a gloomy day light, the video was worst than the VHS camcorder, under the indoor light, the video was barely watchable. It looked ok when you view it on the camcorder itself, but when you exported it to the computer, you will realize it is a piece of junk! The camcorder itself is so light, it feels like the low quality $[...] world camcorder. I would pay $[...] for this camcorder just for the zoom function. This camcorder was not meant for recording video.

Go for the punchy red color.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camcorder is very light and easy to use. The optical imagine stabilizer works great. Don’t be fooled by the non-optical based IS. They aren’t nearly as effective as the lens based stabilizer.

Good decision
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Panasonic SDR-S26 SD Camcorder is a gem. I bought the thing for many reasons, but one draw for me was the effective anti-shake feature it has. That element smoothes out the video considerably. The camcorder also has an optical zoom that is rated at 70x. I find that to be a bit of overkill, but what the heck, it is about the most `zoomy’ of any camcorder on the market today and it gives me bragging rights. The SDR-S26 has a host of manual settings for various light, subject and composition conditions, but the intelligent auto mode feature does a great job at figuring out how to set things no-hands needed.

The camcorder is all digital (no tape) and is capable of storing over 25 hours of video with a 32 GB SD memory card installed. I have been using an 8 GB card and that has provided enough capacity for me so far.

Although there is editing software (VideoCam Suite 2.0) included on a disk provided in the box, I have been transferring my pictures to my computer via an SD card reader in order to utilize my Adobe Premier Elements editing program.

There is no hurky and heavy battery hanging on the back of the Panasonic SDR-S26. The battery is small (like a cell phone battery) and located in an internal compartment. The battery life is purported to provide over an hour of continuous recording time. I doubt that is possible in ordinary and real situations, but the battery life is pretty good none-the-less. I would suggest carrying a spare battery when using the camcorder for documenting a major and lengthy event or when traveling away from an electrical outlet.

The unit has both video and still photo capacity. That is standard on most camcorders. However, the still pictures that it produces are not very good. The default picture size provides only 640×360 pixels and that resolution is wimpy. I didn’t buy the camcorder to shoot still pictures, but it is nice to have that option occasionally.

I must admit that I am not a big fan of home video. I have had a couple of camcorders over the years and now have stacks of family oriented and travel video tape that I can’t get anyone to watch even if a VCR is still around in working condition.

Be that as it may, I originally decided to buy one of those little `Flip’ type video cameras just in case I found myself in a situation where recording the action was called for. After extensive research I discovered those popular miniature camcorders have some serious limitations that the Panasonic SDR-S26 did not have and it really wasn’t that much larger in size. I wanted a small camera that I could easily carry around just in case I found an appropriate action scene that should be recorded. I found that both were small enough to fit in a pocket–shirt for one, pants or jacket for the other.

The SDR-S26 cost nearly twice as much as one of those pocket sized units, but I thought it was worth the extra money even if I probably won’t use it every day.

When all was said and done, I decided to buy the Panasonic SDR-S26 instead of a Flip or the new Kodak ZX-1 because it did more than either, had that anti-shake feature, an extraordinary zoom and it was not all that much larger. It was a choice between buying a trendy toy or buying a `full function’ camcorder. I went with the grownup version by Panasonic and do not regret it.

better than expected
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a great buy. I was very hesitant to buy a SD memory card camcorder. Two items were my concern. The memory size and battery life. I have 16 GB SDHC card that is way enough for the need. With the standard resolution, it takes about 1 GB for one hour continued video. The battery last over 2 hours (3 hours I think). I bought 2 backup batteries in case I need to be on trip. I have never use the 3rd one on any given day. After all the resolution is much better than I thought. Palm size also another plus… Overall, this is a great buy…

COMPACT CAMCORDER
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
NOT BAD FOR THE MONEY, RESOLUTION TOO LOW. SEEMS TO USE PANASONIC SD CARDS ONLY, BOUGHT A GENERIC HIGH SPEED ON ON EBAY AND DOES NOT WORK IN THE CAMCORDER BUT WORKS FINE IN MY DIGITAL CAMERA, GOOD STARTER CAMCORDER

Great SD Video Camera for the money with lots of features great x70 ZOOM
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I shopped around before I decided on this camera. This is the only camera that you can find in this price range that has x70 optical zoom and O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) not E.I.S. (Electronic Image Stabilizer).

The camera is easy to use, all options can be accessed with the easy to navigate menu. I love the x70 optical zoom.

I bought a 16GB SDHC card from Amazon $30 shipped that stores about 4 hours with the highest resolution (XP) and 16 hours of lowest resolution (LP)

I have also bought 2 batteries with a wall / car charger from eBay $16 shipped from Hong Kong. They work great and they last longer than the original battery. I am going over seas for 2 weeks and I wanted to make sure that I have enough batteries and memory cards for the trip.

Value For The Money
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought the SDR-S26 at the airport before going on holidays because I had left my more expensive Canon at home.

Sure it is a basic camcorder but for the price you get optical image stabilization that really works, 70x optical zoom, pocket size, and YouTube upload.

As for the memory cards other reviews have complained about, I used an absolute grab bag. A 2gb used Panasonic the store threw in to close the deal, and Kingston and Transcend 4gb and 8gb I already had for my still camera including class 2!! No problems at all.

Another review mentioned it having problems in the heat. We went to Sicily. Gets hot there but again worked perfectly.

I am not a paid Panasonic person. It does not give high definition quality video but standard definition of a reasonable quality. But you are not paying high definition price either. What it does give you is value for money.

Panasonic SDR-26 SD Camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I spent quite a bit of time shopping for a standard definition camcorder and landed on this Panasonic. I gave it five stars due to the ease of use, the incredible 70X Zoom,the optical stabilizer, and the price. If you’ve looked for a digital camcorder, you already know that there are lots of choices and tradeoffs in terms of features, format, and performance. I did read through the reviews on this camera and believe that some of the low ratings are coming from folks that expect a $200 digital camera to perform like a $1000 digital camera. No, the quality from this camera isn’t up to what my $1000 Sony 8mm rig used to produce, but it is LIGHT YEARS ahead of my $110 Flip Video camera (not even comparable). Only negative I’ve noted thus far is short battery life (about an hour), which I mitigated by ordering a couple of batteries with charger off Ebay for less than $20 delivered. In addition to internet research, I did spend an hour or so at Best Buy trying out the various comparable Canons, Sonys, Panasonics, Samsungs and noted that the optical stabilizer on this Panasonic was more effective at eliminating camera shake during high zoom shots than many of the other brands.

Two to three years from now when I have a more powerful PC and when Canon / Panasonic and the others produce less expensive HD video cams with software and file formats that are easy to manage, I’ll go that route. For now, $228 for this camera is a bargain.

UPDATE: 1. The SDR-26 is a nice snug fit inside a LowePro Rezo 50 camera bag / case that can be had from Amazon or Best Buy for less than $15. It fits best with the lens up and the hand strap moved to the bottom of the camera body. Tried lots of bags for this camera and this one was the best nice snug fit in a small package. No extra room in the camera compartment, but room for a spare battery and memory cards in the outer pouch. The bag is weather resistant, but the zipper for the camera compartment runs across the top of the bag. What were they thinking …

2. The supplied software enables a higher quality video than simply copying the files over and using Windows Media Player. I’m not sure why, but several mention other downloads that make Windows work better. Suspect I’ll eventually buy Sony Vegas as many have recommended on this and other camcorders, but for now, the Panasonic software is OK since I’m not doing extensive editing.

3. Been using the camcorder in marginally lit natatoriums (indoor pools) to film swimming events. I’m using a monopod and leaving the camera on automatic and thus far, the videos have exceeded my expectations. Using the monopod, I’m able to be all the way across an Olympic 100 meter pool in the stands .. up high .. and can zoom in for super close ups on my kids. The 70X zoom and the optical stabilizer are the primary reasons I bought this camera and they really do work well.

Small, sleek ,good day light camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Wanted a portable , quick ready to use , flash memory camcorder so zeroed on panasonic sdr-s26, canon fs200 and sony dcr-sx41.

Finally after comparing the specs, reviews , price match selected sdr-s26. Arrived quickly within a week.

Was eager to open and check out my first flash camcorder and it did give good first impressions based on looks- sleek , small (fit in jacket pocket but not small enough to fit in shirt or trouser).

Manuals- Not touch screen but a joy stick. Joy stick worked fine but seemed might not last long (letsc how many days, good till now ).

Video Testing:

Night Time: Indoors: I tested night time under yellow lights and it was very grainy. Outdoors-Night: Very very grainy (not recommended)

Daytime: Indoors: looked pretty good , good colors Day-Outdoors: Excellent colours

Zoom: 70x is good but but very hard to focus beyond 35x itself. Need to try with tripod.

Picture: Good Quality, not HD but very close to it.

So overall I am happy with my camcorder to capture my life ahead on SD card

Great for carrying everywhere but not for professionals
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I liked the camera and all the features, just the pictures quality is almost ok, I though it would be really better considering the amazing 70X zoom, but it works fine just for video, pics are like the ones from a phone’s camera.

Generally a good video camera, easy to use, battery life is enough, compact, good deal.

Compact, good clarity
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I’m usually not one to write reviews however my experience with the camera in consideration with it’s intended use warrants one.

I bought the camera to use as an in-car camera for time trial racing. The camera lacks quality vibration control and as a result the picture is shaky. My car is stiff, perhaps it would work in another car it would be better. I bought this as an “upgrade” from my Hero Camera which provided great stability control while simultaneously harboring a tendency for making 10 second movies before shutting down on it’s own. Perhaps I should quit while I’m ahead.

Controls were easy to use, the camera lasted for a long time on a charge and the mic worked well. Unfortunately I bought the wrong camera for auto racing.

Incomplete? Nice work Panasonic, I should have stuck with Sony
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
OK, I just got this today. Opened it up, charged it. What no memory card in the box!!! Ok, no problem I have a surplus of them. Ok lets see here, I have 4, 8 and 16 gig SD cards from 5 different manufacturers. After 10 minutes of this camera beeping at me and flashing ‘Check Card’, NONE of the cards will work with the camera. At least the jokingly small sized 8mb cards you get with Canon and Sony cameras let you try it out. This is a piece of junk, and they think Im going to spend 80+ dollars on a Panasonic SD memory card? Thats why their cameras are cheap, so you buy their memory cards. Stay away and buy a real camera.

poor picture quality
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
compared to my old minolta 8mm camcorder the picture quality was terrible. movies shot in the house lacked color and definition. when used in bright sunlight quality improved but still was not up to my standards. this was my first digital recorder so I can’t say how it compares to others. I think the 70 x telephoto is a great feature as I wanted to film wildlife,but the pictures were too blurred to appreciate the subjects. I may be too harsh since I never used any other digital camcorder but picture quality is not even close to a 5 meapixil still camera.

Great and easy to use digital camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I find this camera is very easy to use. The image quality is great (not HD) and the zoom capabilities are fantastic.

Here are a few tips I would like to share with you:

* – To play your .MOD files in Windows Media Player, you may need to download some free software called “Windows Essentials Codec Pack 2″. You will find many sources if you Google that name.

* – To edit your files into movies, I suggest an editing program called “Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum” (Available for purchase on Amazon. Free to try for 30 days from Sony site). The software that comes with the camcorder is not very good.

Features are impressive, video quality is not
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I haven’t recorded much as yet, but I’m very impressed by it’s ease of use. I bought a hard disk camcorder and, even being a pretty savvy computer user, I had a dickens of a time trying to figure out how to use it and how to get the video transferred into my video editing software. I took it back to the store pronto.

I bought this little guy mostly blind because the geek salesman seemed to really know what he was talking about and they had a great price break on it. I came home and looked up the reviews and was most gratified by what I read.

As opposed to the HDD camcorder, I slid a card into this panasonic and took a few minutes video, put the card into my reader and instantly transferred the video to my Studio 14 software – all without even reading the manual!

Most impressed by it’s size & sleek design.

(A week later)

I’m returning this item to the retailer today. While all the features ARE quite impressive, the video quality just isn’t there. The footage isn’t actually fuzzy, just that lines are not clearly defined, even in the highest quality mode. Also, colors don’t seem to be vivid and bright.

If you buy this guy, DON’T get it at Best Buy. If you return it they will charge you a 15% restocking fee, the only retailer in this area that I know of who does that.

excellent, would def buy again
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
i bought this camera primarily to make hunting videos. i wanted something light, small, and with good pictures for when i came across trophys. i took a big risk: i didnt see this camera in ay of the stores in my town, i read the reviews and still couldnt figure out if i wanted it or not. really, the zoom is what got me to buy it, and the price was definitely worth it! i was so happy when i got it in, it was very light, but stable and fit in my pants pocket comfortably. on my first hunt, it served its purpose and caught a bunch of big big billy goats over 500 yards away, and i had a clear picture of them. the image stabilizer feature is excellent, and for anyone else that hunts, you know when you see a big boy, you dont feel all that stable, but the camera barely shook and i got the picture i wanted. the last camera i bought was a minidv and i had no idea these SM card cameras had no viewfinders! its taking some getting used to, but if it had i think it would be ALOT bigger. also, if it had a small light on the front for when i took pictures, it would help alot, but for the price i wont complain. if your skeptical about buying it like i was, i say go for it. its a great camera for the price and i think it would make anyone happy

You get what you pay for!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This camcorder must be different than all of the other reviews I have read. It is the shakiest camera I have ever used, the sound is poor and the still pictures are extremely grainy and blurry. While the optical zoom is average in quality, it is above average in the fact that there aren’t many 70X zoom camcorders in this price range. The digital zoom refuses to focus on objects even when using a tripod to steady the camera. I read all of the reviews, watched the YouTube videos (that is what sold me on the camera) and have been unable to duplicate the results people have got with this camera. How do they zoom in on moving objects without shaking? I can’t zoom in on anything with the 3500X digital zoom, without getting a blur. This camcorder has quickly become a paperweight and I look forward to donating it to a charity so I can get a tax deduction for it. At least then it will have some intrinsic value to it. It didn’t come with an SD card which isn’t good; it is worthless without it. As I said in the title,You get what you pay for!

Excellent choice
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have had Panasonic VHS-C camcorders and was well pleased. Graduated to a Samsung mini-dvd which started to have many problems.Bought this S-26 about two months ago. Software could be better,but have mastered transferring pictures and video to Movie Maker with its improved features. True the still pictures could be better,but my wife takes good pictures with her digital camera. Bought 16gb Toshiba card which formatted with no trouble. Odered DRoth accessory kit with 2 spare batteries and they are fine.Many memorable grandkids video epics produced easily so far. love the 70X zoom.

Exceeded My Expectations
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this unit for 3 months now and love it. I wasn’t expecting superior picture quality though due to the price. However, the features I bought it for work as advertised:

Superior zoom

Excellent image stabilization

Portable, easy to use

Convenient

MPEG video format

I traded in my Kodak ZX-1 for this unit and I’ve not been disappointed. The SD card means its easy to transfer videos to my computer and edit them. I don’t use the the software that came with the package (I use Pinnacle instead). Spare batteries are plentiful and cheap.

If you are expecting top-notch video quality look elsewhere. You have to have realistic expectations for the price point of this product. I still have a Mini DV unit if I need excellent quality. This unit is all about portability, convenience, ease of use, zoom, and producing stable, watchable video.

Good camera for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Good Camera. Its small and easy to use. The picture quality is so-so but for the price it is probably what you would expect. Overall a decent product.

great, small camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This small SD camcorder really performs well in most any situation. High zoom, low light (but you have to set the mode), good record times if you have a 16GB or larger card.

Now, what could be considerations for the next model. The battery is internal, so adding a higher capacity battery is out, and thus record time per battery is about an hour, so get a couple of extra batteries. No external charger, though you can charge the battery using the supplied power supply while the battery is in the camcorder, but as you need extra batteries you have to buy the external charger.

Can’t use as a webcam, even though it has a usb connection.

Can’t take pictures while in video mode, this would have been a handy feature.

High zoom lens has lots of fringing at high zoom levels, still the center of the shot stays true.

Overall a very good standard resolution camcorder that has features a few years ago you couldn’t get.

Sorry, I had to return it….
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
For the past 20 years I’ve been an avid Panasonic customer. But this one product was a big disappointment… Simply said, the video picture is not up to par, when viewed on my flat screen TV…

The x70 zoom is greatly appreciated, but for me it was more of a gimmick… Yes, at low light the quality is not good, but then most cameras can’t perform well under bad lighting.

I did LOTS of testing, and even video shot on a bright sunny day shows up on my screen blurry, as if it was a 2nd or even 3rd generation analog copy. In this day and age of digital hi-definition TV, I’ll wait for an opportunity to purchase a Hi-Def camcorder.

I returned the product for a full refund.

Better than the Mino
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We had a Flip Mino HD and it was a fun toy until we lost it. Problem with the Mino was the image was shaky, zoom sucked, sound was mediocre. Before just buying the same thing again we looked around and got this. After only a few hours its clear we made the right choice. Zoom with optical stabilization is fantastic (On the mino watching our 2 year old run around made us sick with all the shaking, on this it isn’t bad), Zoom is incredible, and its easy to use. Its no HD but we watched the images on a large LCD TV and it looked fine. We also love the SD card for memory (P.S. we bought the 16 gig sdhc card on amazon, formatted it for fat 32 and had no problems – we figure the people complaining below must have formatted incorrectly)

Way better than the Mino – hands down and actually not that much more.

We love it!

Good buy for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Overall it is an OK video camera. The picture quality is OK only. I wish it had better lens. Even at the high quality filming the picture is just OK. Low light condition below OK. Still pictures are below OK too. Good sound recording. Software is below OK. You will have to buy a separate software to edit movies. Battery last about 1 hr. in high quality filming. Size is good and it is easy to use. The zoom lens is powerful but the recording quality at high power it is poor.

CAMCORDER TECHNOLOGY IS GOING BACKWARDS NOT FORWARD
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
This camcorder will not film in dim light! What a throwback. My old 8 mm camcorder bought in 1999 and compact VHS camcorder bought in 1998 were not working so I bought this and what a throwback it is! I am not exaggerating when I say this WILL NOT FILM ANYTHING AT NIGHT even with bright moonlight and street lights.

I tried the backlight compensation feature and “filming in dark” option and this fails to capture images at night with plenty of streetlight or moonlight around. I went camping and it wouldn’t even film before official sunrise when the light is all around where you can see perfectly well but before official sunrise. It wouldn’t film the mildly lit parking lot from my balcony at night where there were slashed tires but if you zoom in on a lighted sign at night it will film the sign but that’s it. I couldn’t get the flame of a candle burning outside my tent to focus in with the zoom. It was just a blur. Even when I was walking on a lighted street at night it would not film anything.

The video quality when this is played on my tv is not even moderately better than it was with my 10 year old old camcorders.

My old 8mm and VHS-C camcorders I bought in the late 1990s for about $275 (about the same price as this) filmed really well at night and I have plenty of video footage to prove it. With my old camcorders I filmed moonlit trees at 4 AM while camping with these old camcorders. There had to be virtually no light around for the camcorders from 10 years ago to not film at night, but this won’t film anything without significant light.

Don’t buy this. If you don’t believe me try to film something in a dim room and you will see yourself.

You can’t turn the date/time display off unless you stop filming and go into the menu and turn off the date/time.Conversely, if you want the date/time to display and you are filming you have to stop filming and go into the menu and turn on the date time display. This stupid thing has an option to input what part of the world you live in but you can’t turn the date/time display off or on while filming.

There are no text messages to display like “merry xmas” or “having fun” and there is one button/joy stick that controls everything so it breaks you can’t do anything with this camcorder. When you pause during recording there is no noticable sign that you are in pause mode and you have to double press or something to get it to start recording again. Stupid design.

This is new technology, it is different technology, but it is not better.

I should have bought extra VHS-C and 8 mm camcorders when they were being phased out when they were selling for $100-$150 at places like Big Lots.

To be fair i don’t know if all flash memory camcorders fail to film at night like this one but if they all fail to film at night, them bring back the 8mm and compact VHS camcorders.

To get minimal video footage in dim light go into the menu and go to “POWER LCD” and set it at the highest level (+2) and you will get some night time footage but this camera is either a defective design or all flash memory camcorder cannot film in dim conditions.

I don’t know how anyone who owned camcorders 10 years ago can say the small size, lack of faint mechanical noise and slightly clearer video quality outweighs the many negatives of this camcorder.

Panasonic SDR-S26 SD Camcorder, an excellent choice!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this camcorder! Easy to use, intuitive. I am not a camera buff..I love this unit. Nice videos, small camera fits nicely in my hand, in my purse, or even in my jacket pocket! Fast to image when you open the shutter. Great pics! 70x Zoom is impressive! Love it, love it, love it!

Panasonic Camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Very compact, easy to use, menu joystick easy to maneuver.

Well priced. Picture & sound quality pretty good for this price

category. Battery life could be improved, just buy an extended

life battery.

good design but POOR video quality
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
First of all, I am not new to camcorders and I read many many reviews here before the purchase.

I have used a SONY mini-DV DCR-HC32 (entry-level) for 4 years so I have a benchmark to compare.

For Panasonic SDR-S26, the sharpness of the video (played from the camcorder directly or DVD) was very poor. Basically the sharpness of the video is as good as some old VHS tapes, if you know what I mean: blurry. And it’s true even at outdoor. Please note that I don’t mean focusing which is ok.

The overall design and price are great but the video quality which is the most important factor in any camcorder is totally screwed up. It just produces Low-Definition video.

So stay away from this model. I am returning it.

Nice but unstable in hot weather condition.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Camera is nice and small but needs care if use in the hot summer. I thought the camera was damaged because it wouldn’t shut off without removing the battery, also experience zoom function not working, no picture,shaky focus movements would sometime focus in and out throughout the zoom, once the camera was allowed to cool down all function came back, but still experience focus problems intermittantly, hopefully everything is OK. This camera is good for cool weather, once temps increases becomes unstable.

Love this Camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this camcorder! My class and instructor like the videos I make with this camcorder. It is so easy to use and to carry. It takes up almost no space and yet is capable of bringing images in from quite far away. I am most definitely pleased with my purchase.

The right camera for the average user like Me
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got this camera as a gift from Me for christmas. I spent several days reading lots of reviews of different camcorder brands and finally I decided for this one mainly for the reviews. (I’m a Sony brand fan, but the reviews of similar Sony camcorder made me look for a different brand this time. I own a Sony Hi-8 analog and I’m very happy with it, but I was looking for an easier way to keep the family memories, and digital is the way to go now). I must say that I really love it (so far I used it only for the holidays). Recorded all night (Christmas Eve) and already transferred the videos to my PC and watched them on the TV (directly from the camcorder and from the PC) and they look very good. I’m not a PRO or looking for a professional camcorder, just an average user looking for something to preserve family memories and found that this unit the perfect match. The easy of use from the begining is awesome, just put the battery, the SD card and you are all set. I already finish reading the manual and found that every function is very intuitive. (I’m not used to read manuals, but I did it just to see if there is some special hidden feature, but conclude that the manual is not really needed with everything so easy to use).

The feature that I like most is the optical zoom combined with the auto focus, this so good that you don’t loose any focus during the zoom action. So far I tried only indoors at night and the results are very good, I read several reviews saying that this camcorders (digital) performs best outdoors with sun light, so if I’m very satisfied now, I can’t wait to take some outdoors videos. I got a couple of SDHC 4Gb cards that store almost two hours of SP video (which is the medium quality). Not bad, and as other reviews recommend, get an extra battery if you need more than two hours of battery life.

Fantastic standard definition everyday camcorder…
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I love the camcorder. Slight disappointment that it did not come with a ’starter’ SD card but otherwise it runs well, great light adjustment, thoughtful design, EASY to use. Image stabilization works good – but don’t expect stable images at 70x zoom unless you have a very steady hand. I recommend it to others and already have friends who purchased their own after seeing mine. Just pick up a 16gig card from Amazon and you’ll be set.

Excellent value
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We got this to take to Florida on vacation. I have not been disappointed. Even my wife, who is afraid to use any of the electronics that I buy because she afraid she’ll break something expensive, used it and loves it. Buy an extra battery and get the biggest SD card you can afford.

Just what I needed…Very Happy…See my YouTube Video, too!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
You can’t currently beat these features at this price-point. This Panasonic SDR-S26 camcorder represents my best effort to meet my needs at a price point I can afford. I shoot birding videos and was not happy with my tape/mini-dvd camcorders for several reasons. This 70x optical zoom is terrific on a good tripod. It makes all the difference when your subject is not close. This camcorder does have good stabilization, and facial recognition tracking, but you must have a tripod for best results with any zoom camera…especially one that offers 70x optical zoom. You won’t find high optical zoom, HD video, and low price.

See my 7 minute video on You Tube. Do a search for “2009 Pileated Woodpecker Nest”. Note the excellent sound. I specifically chose the SD card version of this camcorder over the hard disk choices to avoid mechanical noise interfering with the sound. You must spend big bucks to get an external microphone option and a good external microphone so that you can get away from the internal noises caused by internal hard drives, mini-DVD, and tape drives. This camcorder also offers manual focus assistance, a must-have when your auto-focus can’t give you correct focus because other people, objects, or tree branches and leaves surround your true target.

Battery life with small camcorders is about one hour in the best quality standard video mode. Get extras.

Mediocre
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Its a good camera for your first camera because it’s fairly simple to upload and make videos with but the battery is internal so you cant get a bigger one and the quality is mediocre. id recommend the jvc everio s, same prive but external battery and much better quality

Good Camcorder Poor Software/Still Photos/Low Light
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This camera does a good job of being a camcorder. I like the SD because I don’t want the data that comes with HD. The SD cards are pretty cheap too. It’s a small device, but I got used to it quickly and pretty well like the quality of the videos that it produces. Great zoom/focus. I decided to keep it as a camcorder.

Downsides to consider:

Low light gives this trouble focusing and producing clear images

Still photos are low meg/pixel. And you have to be STILL – to get a decent shot.

When you turn in on, you also have to press record – then if you press pause, you have to remember to press the record button twice. A feature you get used to, but missed some footage due to thinking I was recording.

The PC software is useable, but you would think they could have at least considered a more logical approach to interfacing. We are spoiled by Apple – and even windows logic.

this is an entry level no frills camcorder. Perhaps if I had thought about it more I would have sent it back.

Good camera for the Price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The camera is a good camera for the price. It is really easy to use. I wish the speaker for playing back the video was a little clearer but it is not that bad.

This Camcorder rocks
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m not sure why the other guy had problems. I got mine today. I also bought a 16gb Class 6/SDHC card from Amazon for $35 and it worked right off the bat. All you have to do is format the SD disk and you’re on your way. This camera is Sooooo simple to use. It’s clear, crisp and really light weight. The manual is very easy to read and understand and pretty much covers everything you’ll need. I haven’t got much to compare it to because this is my first camcorder. But, I have to say, I sure like it.

Don’t buy this product! Video is really bad!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I unfortunately couldn’t test the recording at the store but was sold

by the zoom. Figuring it was Panasonic that the video recording would

be satisfactory. After testing the camera in XP (best quality mode)

can’t believe how bad the quality is. I’m not looking for perfection

at all but just decent quality. As previously mentioned the video

is terrible in low light, very grainy and blurry. Even if I slowly

move the camera it blurrs.

It really amazes me that anyone could be satisfied with this

quality of recording. I will return this camera and eat the

restocking fee. Next time I will bring my SD card to the store

record the video and play it back on one of there computers to

be sure of the quality.

Don’t think I’ll ever buy a Panasonic video camera ever again.

Great Bang for the Buck
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I paid only $[...] for the camera and it’s exactly what I had hoped for — a workhorse camera that would do our family videography. It is inexpensive enough so that my 8 and 12 year olds can use it without worry. Heck, it helps me worry less about it when I take it to the kids’ sporting events.

The 70:1 zoom is awesome. All of the features in the menu system are easy to use.

But it does only shoot Standard Definition. The video quality is not great, but what do you expect for $214?

I’m 5 star happy with the purchase.

And Amazon as always is a pleasure to deal with. Great prices, quick shipping, package tracking, and the best return policy I’ve ever experienced. Thanks Amazon!

Uh, people…this is a sub-$200 camcorder, NOT a commercial grade HD unit!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have read all the reviews I could find here and elsewhere about this camcorder, and I came away with the impression that the more critical opinions stemmed from unrealistic expectations or poor reading comprehension from the reviewers themselves.

As it turns out, I was right.

This is an inexpensive and very compact and lightweight standard definition camcorder designed for the casual user who does not want to sink a whole month’s pay into just to record some personal events.

First, the good and bad:

Pros:

1) Unusually small and lightweight, this is easily carried in a jacket pocket.

2) The startup time, even when not set in Quickstart mode, is five seconds. Nice way to capture surprises on the go.

3) The iA mode, which automatically sets the iris, shutter, white balance, and other major aspects of recording, works pretty well, even though resorting to the manual settings is still required for some unusual applications.

4) The incredible 70x optical zoom is unparalleled in a camera at this price point.

5) The Optical Image Stabilization is considerably more effective than the more common digital stabilization found in all other cameras in this price range. Just don’t expect to get away with using the full 70x zoom while hand holding it, though!

6) The MPEG2 format used for recording is easily handled under my admittedly eccentric choice of operating system, Linux.

7) The SDHC storage medium allows random access to recordings, easy deletion, no moving parts, and a storage medium that is handled under even Linux with a cardreader. Also, the camcorder itself is recognized under Linux, so the files can be manipulated through the integral USB port if desired.

The manual settings allow the user to adjust for unusual conditions, such as low light, just as long as you READ THE MANUAL FIRST, then experiment a bit on your own.

9) The camcorder is almost noiseless in operation, so there is no clicking from a DVD, whirring of a hard drive, humming of a DVC drive motor, or motor from the lens being zoomed in and out.

10) The integral lens cover, which is built into the front of the camera surrounding the lens, cannot be lost.

11) The barrel surrounding the lens area is threaded, allowing accessories, such as wide angle and zoom lenses and filters, to be screwed in for special applications. Those accessories are easily found right here on Amazon.

12) Hey! It even comes with a proper printed manual, a rarity in this day of PDF manuals available only on CD-ROM or via websites.

Cons:

1) It would have been nice if Panasonic had added a microphone jack to allow a separate microphone to be used. However, the integral microphone works rather well on its own.

2) In certain applications, especially indoors, the image can take on a reddish cast when using the default iA setting. This is easily overcome by adjusting the white balance for incandescent lighting, though, so no real problem.

3) The battery life of ~1 hour is rather short, and requires opening a cover on the bottom to replace when discharged. I already ordered two spares and a standalone charger.

4) This may be looked at as good or bad, depending on your opinion, but the battery does not charge with the cable plugged in while the camera is in use. I actually look at this as a good thing, since it does not wear out the battery by discharging it while it is charging, which can cause premature failure of lithium-ion batteries. It simply runs directly from the power cord when plugged in, which is no real problem, as far as I am concerned.

5) Even at the MagicPix setting, designed for extreme low light, this camcorder will not work in a completely dark room. I don’t really even worry about that. If I really wanted to record in such extreme conditions, I would spring for a considerably more expensive night shot camcorder. It still does pretty well, in low light, as long as there is at least 2 lumens of light present.

My opinions on this are that this is unusually good for a camcorder in its price range, especially for its two main selling points of its fantastic 70x optical zoom and optical image stabilization.

It is so simple to operate that even a young child could understand it, using the nicely automated settings.

Yes, there are some circumstances that call for manual intervention, but the people griping about this, especially those attempting (apparently) to take footage inside a cave, would be well advised to READ THE MANUAL and not expect the impossible from such an inexpensive camcorder.

I was able to take some nighttime footage with this, with only sodium and mercury vapor light illumination, and it did pretty well.

And while it is true that my naked eyes are good in light far lower than this can handle, I have a more realistic expectation of it than some of the more critical people out there.

I intend to have a family member use this next year for my wedding, and I am confident that it will work just fine for that, too.

Nice work, Panasonic!

Sony Handycam
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We received it very quickly. It is a gift for my son, so I haven’t used it yet, but all parts were there and looked in good condition. Camera is in very good condition and all manuals were included. I was very happy with this purchase.

Avoid this camcorder
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I really can’t believe that Panasonic, with their name and reputation, would make this thing available. I bought it trying to spend little on a decent camcorder while waiting for Hi-def camcorders to catch up with my 64-bit computer.

The zoom impressed me at the store, and I wanted a camcorder that would use the same memory format (SDHC) as my still camera. This camcorder has a very good optical zoom. Once you hit digital zoom, your picture on the LCD becomes grainy and probably useless when transferred to dvd (worse than the famous Bigfoot footage!) Well, the picture in optical zoom on the best quality setting is worse than my SONY mini DV from 10 years ago. The picture quality played back from the camera to my TV and my 1080p LCD monitor looks about as good as what my still camera plays. Really not what I expected from a camcorder. Anyone who says the picture quality is even ok has his or her standards set too low. My memories are clearer than this picture quality!

The camera is small and light, but I won’t take this camera on my trip (reason for the rushed purchase), and I’ll have to sacrifice the $40 restocking fee to return this because it’s not defective; it’s simply junk. But I’d rather spend twice the $249 I spent on this for something I’ll want to record my videos.

I can’t understand how anyone could be satisfied with this. Isn’t picture what you really want out of a camcorder?

digital camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
this is my first experience with digital camcorders and I am very impressed with the technoligy involved in such a small unit. I haven’t used it a whole lot yet(it’s my Christmas present), but am looking forward to using it a lot. It’s very easy to hold and use, in my limited use so far.

Great for the price I paid
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this mainly to video grandkids & their events. It’s my first video camera & seems very easy to use. The pictures & sound seem pretty good for no more than I paid.

this is too cool
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got this for Christmas. I’ve used it a couple of times after i initially charged it. Of course I haven’t gone through everything yet. I really love the size. I have a video camera that nearly hurts my back to hold it. Taking it to Disneyland is a hassel. This new little one, I can stick it in my purse. It’s almost smaller than my wallet. I love that part of it. the pictures came out good so far as well. I’m still testing it. Not a pro. But I really like it.

Great features for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The 70x zoom and optical image stabilization on this device are truly in a class of their own, especially at this price point. I’ve only had it about a month now, but I’m very satisfied.

The image quality is definitely lacking, especially in low-light conditions. It has some problems with focus in dim light as well. I was expecting this, though. I don’t need pristine home-videos. If I cared much about that, I would have paid at least twice as much for a better camera and I would probably still have been disappointed. Having said that, I always record at the highest video quality. Anything lower is unacceptable to me. At the highest quality setting, I can fit about 3 hours of video on a 16 GB card. Not bad.

To see an example of the zoom and image stabilization in a real-life filming situation, go to YouTube and search for the text “Playing With the Zoom on my New Panasonic”. I filmed this by hand (no tripod) in a noisy crowd with my 6-year-old son bouncing around on the seat next to me. Wait until the very end of the video when I zoom all the way out again. I think you will be surprised.