Panasonic SDR-S26 SD Camcorder (Black)

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 640x360 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.

After being torn between the Canon FS200 and the Panasonic SDR S26, I bought the Panasonic after reading several reviews touting it's wonderful zoom and decent standard video quality.First off, it's light, small, and very easy to use. Simple navigation, amaaaaazing zoom -- really amazing. I couldn't believe how far I could see and how stable my view was without a tripod. Also, this camcorder has great sound. The sound is clear with very good volume and the mic has good range.File transfer was no problem. I only installed the provided software on my WinXPPro laptop, but my WinXP SP3 desktop PC (without the included software) recognized the camera's Flash card and transferred the .mod files with no problem. Interestingly, on the laptop, there was no sound through Windows Media Player (fully updated), but Picasa played the files fine. The PC played the files fine through Windows Media Player (using a Nvidia decoder) but no sound through Picasa. Minor issues that would have been fixed with some research and tweaking.Now for the dealbreaker: Horrible video. I did many tests with various lighting and changing settings and even using a tripod--to no avail. The video is very soft, blurry even, and very grainy indoors. My JVC camcorder from 1999, which I recently transferred it's video from the small mini VHS tapes, looked far superior. Even my Canon camera's video is sharper. I knew to see it on a big HD LCD would not be so great, but it was really bad on the computers too. The video taken outdoors is better.So, before returning it, I bought the Canon FS200, and did several tests under the same lighting, using the same memory card, and the Canon's video was so much better.I returned the Panasonic. If you need a standard definition camcorder for outdoor bird watching or for anything outdoors that would need such a zoom, this is the camcorder for you. We also need a camcorder for indoor events, so this camcorder did not suit our needs.(My apologies for any type-o's -- am writing this in an iPhone. )

I love the zoom. I have zoomed in on windows on skyscrapers from over 20 miles away. the picture is good and the camera weighs next to nothing. I love EVERYTHING about the CAMERA.but I digress..the software is HORRIBLE! you are forced to use the panasonic software to import your videos to the PC. videos are recorded onto the SD card using a proprietary file format. you are then required to use the Panasonic supplied software to import them from the camera and convert them to MPG. this is horrible slow unintuitive software, a waste of space and a complete time vampire. I can't get my XP computers Windows Movie Maker to read the converted MPG files, only my Vista Laptop will work with them..I love the camera, but I hate the software and that ruins it for me. I will never again buy anything panasonic untill I am sure they haven't trapped me into using some garbage software. I should be able to use windows explorer to explore the camera drive and import MPG. that's just common sense for any computer user!!! it's not 1991 any more.