Customer Reviews for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
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Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Model: SDR-H40
SKU: 8673278
UPC: 037988255979
Capture important events and precious memories on this digital camcorder's 40GB hard drive. The camcorder is equipped with a 2.7" widescreen LCD monitor and optical image stabilization that makes it easy to ensure you record just what you want.
Average Customer Rating:
3.6
out of 5
(52 Reviews) 52
Rating Snapshot 52 reviews
5 stars
18
4 stars
16
3 stars
4
2 stars
5
1 star
9
62% of customers would recommend this product to a friend
(
32 out of
52)
Customer Reviews for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Review 1 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
TERRIBLE VIDEO QUALITY
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: efssampaio
from Puerto Rico
on 04/14/2009
Value for Price
2.0
Picture Quality
1.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
I have just returned to BB. Even in the high quality mode, the video is terrible!
What's great about it: Easy to Use. Works with iLife2009 for MAC
What's not so great: TERRIBLE Video Quality
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 2 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Doesn't upload in Mac OS
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: BoogieBee
from Dedham, MA
on 03/22/2009
Returning on the same day (today). THe camera is easy to use but I can't upload any of my videos because I have a MacBook and it is not compatible. :-(
What's great about it: easy to use
What's not so great: can't upload the video if using Mac OS
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-1point
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Review 3 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Panasonic, What Happened to you?!
Customer Rating
2.0
Posted by: baseballer23
from Little Rock, AR
on 03/19/2009
Value for Price
2.0
Picture Quality
1.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
3.0
I just returned this to Best Buy on the 13th Day. (no questions asked - Thank You BB).
The camera is very easy to use. While filming with it the first day I thought "I Love this thing". Then I transferred the video to my XP PC. That is where the problems started. The software that came with it stinks. It transferred all clips as one file. I played the file and the quality was terrible.
I browsed to the drive assigned to the camcord and copied the raw .MOD files. (These were the individual scenes - I was happy about that)
I used dos to rename *.mod to *.mpg and play with Win Media Player. The quality was just as bad.
I tried it on my new laptop Vista 64-bit 4GB RAM. The included software is not compatible with 64-bit so you can't use it. I copied the raw .MOD files directly to my laptop. They played fine in WMP 11 but the quality was just as bad. Since I had the files I burned a DVD just to see if it looked any better on TV. It looked exactly the same.
If you want good, or even moderately average quality video you are going to have to spend >$599 or go back to MiniDV tapes. (BB has a panasonic MiniDV for $199 - I'm considering it since I am currently with a cam and it's baseball season.
The camera is very easy to use. While filming with it the first day I thought "I Love this thing". Then I transferred the video to my XP PC. That is where the problems started. The software that came with it stinks. It transferred all clips as one file. I played the file and the quality was terrible.
I browsed to the drive assigned to the camcord and copied the raw .MOD files. (These were the individual scenes - I was happy about that)
I used dos to rename *.mod to *.mpg and play with Win Media Player. The quality was just as bad.
I tried it on my new laptop Vista 64-bit 4GB RAM. The included software is not compatible with 64-bit so you can't use it. I copied the raw .MOD files directly to my laptop. They played fine in WMP 11 but the quality was just as bad. Since I had the files I burned a DVD just to see if it looked any better on TV. It looked exactly the same.
If you want good, or even moderately average quality video you are going to have to spend >$599 or go back to MiniDV tapes. (BB has a panasonic MiniDV for $199 - I'm considering it since I am currently with a cam and it's baseball season.
What's great about it: Easy recording, good feel, OK interfice.
What's not so great: Included software. Horrible video quality.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 4 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Unbelieveably bad software
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: steve001
from illinois
on 03/08/2009
The camera seems OK, but the included software is so bad I can't believe it. A warning in the owners manual tells you not to use any other software or method to copy the videos. (I think it said using any other method might make the videos unusable either now, or in the future)
Expect to spend a minimum of 30 min. just to start the software and connect to the camcorder. At least an hour just to transfer a few short videos to your computer.
I wouldn't even think about trying to edit a video with this software.
I would never again buy a panasonic, and don't suggest buying one unless you are comfortable using some other software despite panasonics warning.
P.S. This would get 0 stars, but the lowest rating you can give something is one star.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 5 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
not so good of a camera
Customer Rating
3.0
Posted by: z117
from hartford, ct
on 02/23/2009
Value for Price
3.0
Picture Quality
3.0
Ease of Use
3.0
Features
1.0
This item is going back to bestbuy. Ive had nothing but issues trying to burn our videos onto a dvd. My wife just had a baby, and cant even enjoy the recordings that we did so far because we cant view them unless you view through the video camera. The software that it came with is terrible. Very unuser friendly for burning dvds.
What's great about it: easy to use handheld camera
What's not so great: software is terrible for dvd recording
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 6 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
NOT A GOOD CAMERA TO BUY
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: Bold99
from NY
on 02/18/2009
Value for Price
2.0
Picture Quality
1.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
2.0
Waste ur money to buy this i am retuning this because of very bad picture qulity.
What's great about it: NOTING
What's not so great: PICTURE QULITY
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 7 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Extremely Easy!!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: TMChris
from Glen Burnie, MD
on 02/07/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
The size, video quality, and software makes this camcorder a joy to possess. I have an HP computer with 64 bits, and the videocam software was compatible to the unit; thus, making it simple to upload and edit video. To burn footage onto a DVD, I just used a windows program--due to laziness. (smile)
If you want something small that is able to satisfactorily complete the video recording job, purchase this piece. By the way, my still pictures are pretty nice; however, still pictures are always best when produced by a digital camera.
Enjoy!!!
What's great about it: Easy Software and Operation
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 8 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
nice but complicated
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: cesar95
from easton
on 01/19/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
4.0
I can not burn my videos on to a cd.If anybody can help me burn my videos on to a cd please replay. i would appreciate it.
What's great about it: great films
What's not so great: hardware
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 9 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
CAMERA IS O.K.
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: JOE52
from N. RIDGEVILLE, OHIO
on 01/02/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
3.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
4.0
THE PRICE OF THIS CAMERA SOLD ME. BOUGHT IT ON BLACK FRIDAY. IS VERY EASY TO USE, MY WIFE WAS EVEN USING IT THE FIRST DAY. IT SHOOTS OK IN LOW LIGHT. THE VIDEO IS NOT THAT GREAT BUT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. SEEMS TO TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO FOCUS. ONE THING I'VE NOTICED THAT I DON'T LIKE IS WHEN YOU ZOOM IN AND OUT THE CAMERA PICKS UP THE SOUND.
NOW FOR THE ONE THING I DEFINATELY DO NOT LIKE. THE EDITING PROGRAM. SO FAR I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET ANYTHING ON DVD USING THE PC. I BOUGHT THIS BECAUSE I HAVE A PANASONIC DVD RECORDER SO IT IS COMPATIBLE AND EASY TO BURN THE DVD. IF I HAD TO RELY ON VIDEO CAM SUITE I WOULD BE OUT OF LUCK.
I WOULD ONLY RECOMMEND THIS IF YOU ARE ALSO READY TO BUY THE DVD BURNER THAT GOES WITH IT.
NOW FOR THE ONE THING I DEFINATELY DO NOT LIKE. THE EDITING PROGRAM. SO FAR I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET ANYTHING ON DVD USING THE PC. I BOUGHT THIS BECAUSE I HAVE A PANASONIC DVD RECORDER SO IT IS COMPATIBLE AND EASY TO BURN THE DVD. IF I HAD TO RELY ON VIDEO CAM SUITE I WOULD BE OUT OF LUCK.
I WOULD ONLY RECOMMEND THIS IF YOU ARE ALSO READY TO BUY THE DVD BURNER THAT GOES WITH IT.
What's great about it: EASY TO USE
What's not so great: SOFTWARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO USE
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 10 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
good camera
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: cf24
from Bynum, TX
on 12/31/2008
Value for Price
4.0
Picture Quality
3.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
4.0
software is not bad, not perfect either. camera seams good and feels good. inside recorded video is not great, not as good as the mini dv that i have. but the ability to put the video on the computer or to dvd is awsome.
What's great about it: size, easy to use
What's not so great: so far, nothing
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 11 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Does not take short movies
Customer Rating
3.0
Posted by: MalibuDan
from St Louis
on 12/31/2008
Value for Price
4.0
Picture Quality
3.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
4.0
Decent camera simple to use and the OIS image stabilization works wonderful at night. I use this for night time cars/racing shooting. Short drag racing clips are 20 seconds or less. Problem? yes! Once you record a short clip, it looks fine in the LCD browser, but once u record any number of clips and transfer the video to PC it forces all the clips into one large video file, instead of separate clips. If you wanted to separate your video you need a 3rd party video editing tool. I contacted Sony's support and they said the dcr-sr45 does take movies in whatever size you want, not forcing them to combine into 1 giant 600MB file. Ill be buying the sony I should have bought in the first place.
What's great about it: Decent night video recording cars/racing.
What's not so great: Does not take short clips like a cell phone video camera
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 12 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Good Videos, bad pictures
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: TechEvolution00
from NJ
on 12/30/2008
Value for Price
4.0
Picture Quality
2.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
4.0
This was an overall good camera, it had very good video/sound quality. The hard drive was very large and could hold much more than I used, and it's not very prone to scratches. I used it mainly for home videos or school cnoerts, and it turned out great. A bad thing about it, though, was that it's picture quaility always turned out very blurry, and in low light, you could barely see anything. I would recomend it for anyone wanting to make home videos, or even outside, but not for taking pictures, and also, it doesn't work with Macs. Overall, I was satisified besides the bad pictures.
What's great about it: Large hard drive, nice vdieos, easy to hold,
What's not so great: Large, bad pictures, navigation stick hard to get used to, doesn't work with Macs,
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 13 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Not worth your time or money
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: Dad1Mark
from Austin, TX
on 12/26/2008
Value for Price
2.0
Picture Quality
1.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
4.0
I bought this product to replace my older digital8 camcorder due to the fact that when it breaks all of our old tapes will be useless and unreadable. I thought that this would be a good solution. I must say that I was wrong! The video quality of this recorder even in XP mode was terrible. Low light shots (indoors) were grainy and peoples faces were a blur in the background. My old camera video was 10X sharper than this new video. The camera was easy to use and had some good qualities, but lets face it I need video of my family where you can see their smiling faces. I will be returning this recorder for a different one.
What's great about it: Image stabilization, zoom, battery charge time, audio quality
What's not so great: Video and pic quality, software
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 14 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Great camera, terrible software
Customer Rating
3.0
Posted by: swlnugget23
from WI
on 12/25/2008
Value for Price
4.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
4.0
I loved this camera. I taped lots of fun stuff with it, and loved how easy it was to use. It was very simple and had great picture quality. However, I was extremely disappointed when I tried to edit my recorded materials on Windows Movie Maker (which I later found out I COULDN'T because the format the video was saved as wasn't compatible with it). The camera's biggest downfall is its editing software. It comes with a program that you must download before uploading your videos/pictures to your PC. Unfortunately, the program is TERRIBLE. It falls short in many ways: you can't put music on, transitions, or anything else that may make your movie editing experience slightly enjoyable.
So I plan on returning the camera soon in exchange for my second choice, a 30 gigabyte hard-drive Sony camera. Sorry Panasonic.
BUT!
I may have expected too much of this camera. I'm more interested in editing for short films than to document moments like weddings, birthdays, holidays, etc. If you're not interested in making fancy videos, and you're only looking for a simple camera to document you and your family's fun times, this might be the camera for you.
I may have expected too much of this camera. I'm more interested in editing for short films than to document moments like weddings, birthdays, holidays, etc. If you're not interested in making fancy videos, and you're only looking for a simple camera to document you and your family's fun times, this might be the camera for you.
Thanks!
What's great about it: Easy to use, fun to film with, great picture and stability
What's not so great: The software that you're forced to edit with
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 15 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Great Camera
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Colfacx
from Milford, CT
on 12/13/2008
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
Camera is great. Originally I was going to buy the JVC , but this one was on sale. It offered more memory and a longer battery life. Took this camera to Disney, movies came out great. The only downside I would say is the poor video quality in low light conditions. Its not that I am expecting HD quality but the camera has no light (no flash either). When filming outdoors the colors are very vibrant and crisp. Just very dissappointed with the indoor quality. I went back and reviewed the JVC specs and it looks like it has a feature that may work better in low light.
What's great about it: Very clear picture, long battery life
What's not so great: Low light recording.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 16 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
PANASONIC QUALITY
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: WP100
from NEW YORK, NY
on 12/09/2008
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
4.0
GREAT LITTLE CAMERA. BOUGHT CAMERA A WEEK AGO AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS. OTHER REVIEWS COMPLAINED ABOUT THE PICTURE QUALITY INDOORS, HOWEVER I HAVE USED THIS CAMERA IN MY APARTMENT AND ACTUALY THE PICTURE QUATLITY IS EXCELLENT. I THINK THAT OTHERS WANT A HD QUALITY CAMERA, WHICH THIS IS NOT, BUT FOR THE PRICE THE PICTURE LOOKS GREAT, AND THE IMAGE STABILIZER ACTUALLY WORKS VERY WELL. COMPACT AND EASY TO USE. I ONLY BUY PANASONIC PRODUCTS AND THIS EASILY LIVES UP TO THE QUALITY I HAVE COME TO EXPECT FROM PANASONIC. THOUGH YOU WILL PROBABLY NEED TO BUY A GOOD EDITING PROGRAM FOR ANYTHING MORE THAN BASIC EDITING.
What's great about it: VALUE/ ZOOM/ BATTERY LIFE/ LCD SCREEN/ IMAGE STABILIZER
What's not so great: SOFTWARE
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 17 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Disappointed
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: leeleo
from MD
on 11/30/2008
When I click on a video thumbnail in VideoCam Suite 1.0, I get "VideoCamSuite.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close". Very disappointed for the software.
What's not so great: Very disappointed for the software.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-2points
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Review 18 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
The best camcorder ever
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: lew123
from Bloomington, IL
on 11/23/2008
this is such a great camcorder. i dont know why someone wouldnt buy this camcorder.
What's great about it: I love it's features! It's got all that good stuff!
What's not so great: Nothing is bad about this camcorder!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 19 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Great Cam HORRIBLE Software
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: Anonymous
on 11/20/2008
I bought this and was so happy with how easy it was to use. Then I installed the editing software and the happiness was over. What a nightmare. The software has crashed every time I have attempted to use it. When it is actually working it is so un-intuitive it is more of a pain than what it is worth. Because of the software I cannot recommend this camera. Stay away from it. Run away from it. Do not purchase it until Panasonic is willing to support its products.
What's great about it: Easy to use
What's not so great: AWFUL AWFUL Software
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 20 for Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 40GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver
Educated Review
Customer Rating
3.0
Posted by: 1RealTruth
from Louisville, KY
on 10/18/2008
I have seen a lot of complaints from people trying to use the software that is included with the camcorder. You do not need to use the software to retrieve your photos and videos. I have also heard a lot of complaints from people trying to convert the .MOD format to .MPG format. All you need to do is rename the file ending from .MOD to .MPG. After doing that, all my software was able to read and convert the files for creating VCDs and SVCDs.
Although the camera's controls are a little awkward to use, you can master one handed operation with a little practice. The Auto-Focus lens system does not do well at night but it focuses pretty good during the day.
The biggest thing I noticed about the camcorder that I did not like is. You can see lines in your movies. If you stop the video, you will notice what looks like everything in the video is being stretched apart. This affect actually makes it looks like there are lines going through your video.
What's great about it: Light weight, 40gb Hard Drive, Two Media Types, Built In Lens Cover
What's not so great: Have to remove from Tripod to attach Power Cable, Video Quality
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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