Best Flash Memory Camcorder Reviews

Panasonic HDC SD90

Admin — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 13:20:21 +0000

Panasonic HDC SD90 – The Mid-Range And A More Beginner-Friendly User Base

The Panasonic HDC SD90 will grab your attention with its optional 3D shooting. But it also offers a host of enthusiast features, including comprehensive manual control, all the requisite attachments for an external audio source (except a headphone jack), and excellent image quality. In all, it’s a great choice as a budget alternative to a high-end model.

Pros

Excellent video quality
Image stabilization is rock-solid
Great zoom – 40X+
Quick and steady focusing

Cons

No optical viewfinder (but none anywhere near this price have one)
No headphone jack
No remote control

Panasonic HDC SD90 Review

The 3D revolution is already with us in earnest. Just six months ago, there was only one consumer-grade 3D camcorder worth considering, Panasonic’s HDC SDT750. But already we’re seeing the floodgates beginning to open, and not just at the high-end, early-adopter section of the market. Panasonic HDC SD90 is far more mid-range in positioning, yet it offers optional 3D shooting alongside a wealth of enthusiast features.

The Panasonic HDC SD90 uses a similar 1/4.1in CMOS sensor with 3.32Mpixels to the HDC SD60, one of our favourite budget HD options. However, the lens is slightly different. So a 26x optical zoom is available – up from 25x for the SD60 – and the Intelligent Zoom option boosts the factor to 40x, compared to 35x for the SD60.

As more pixels are available for shooting video than are required, Intelligent Zoom crops into the frame without losing resolution, although this uses a smaller sensor surface area so has an implication for low light sensitivity.

The image stabilisation system also blends digital and optical methods. Called Hybrid OIS, its combination of techniques provides stronger smoothing of camera vibrations than either on its own.

We found it quite effective, certainly on par with the advanced stabilisation methods available from competitors.

Another surprise comes from the range of video recording formats available. Alongside the usual array AVCHD modes, all of which operate at 1,920 x 1,080 Full HD resolution with 50i interlaced fields, the Panasonic HDC SD90 also offers a 50p option.

This records at 50 frames per second, for smoother motion, but the file format switches to MP4 from AVCHD, which can have compatibility issues. There’s also an iFrame mode available, which uses a quarter-HD resolution of 960 x 540, and is allegedly provided for Mac compatibility. Still images can be grabbed up to 5Mpixels, with a 2,592 x 1,944 resolution, although this is reduced to 4.5Mpixels and 2,816 x 1,584 when shooting video at the same time.

Footage is captured to removable SD cards, with support for SDXC. So capacities up to 64GB can be used. The top AVCHD mode operates at 17Mbits/sec, and the 1080/50p option pushes this to 28Mbits/sec. But as this uses twice the frame rate, the per-frame compression is actually slightly greater than with AVCHD. You get under 40 minutes of 1080/50p on an 8GB card, but slightly over an hour with the top AVCHD option.

We’re generally pleased with the level of manual control on Panasonic camcorders, and the Panasonic HDC SD90 goes marginally beyond our expectations in this respect. Most functions are operated via the 3in widescreen TFT LCD, and the menu is quite different from previous models, with a rolling list of icons down the left-hand side of the display.

In Intelligent Auto mode, you can use the touchscreen to specify a reference point for autofocus, which can also be tracked during camera moves.

But switch to manual mode, and the full complement of controls becomes available. Since manual focusing uses the touchscreen, it’s a little fiddly to operate, and techniques like rack focusing will be impossible. Shutter and iris can be operated entirely independently, which few other manufacturers offer, especially at this price.

The shutter can be varied from 1/50th to 1/8,000th, and if you turn on auto slow shutter, you can drop the shutter to 1/25th for even brighter images in low light. The iris offers settings from F16 to F1.8, and when the aperture is fully open you can add up to 18dB of video gain on the top – a feature unique to Panasonic at the consumer level of the market.

If you really are serious about your video-making, the Panasonic HDC SD90 has most of the requisite physical features as well. There’s no accessory shoe built in, but inspiration has been taken from Panasonic’s recent high-end models and includes an adapter that slots on the rear to provide a standard-sized shoe when required.

There’s a 3.5mm minijack for hooking up an external microphone, and delve into the menu and you will find manual audio level control. The one omission is a minijack for headphones, with just a proprietary plug for line-level audio and analogue video available, alongside mini HDMI and the USB connection for data connectivity.

As we hinted at the beginning of this review, the 3D shooting facility is optional. You need to purchase the VW-CLT1 adapter, and this costs a whopping £280, lifting the SD90 well out of the budget category, although support is built into the camcorder already.

The VW-CLT1 screws onto the Panasonic HDC SD90 via a filter adapter included with the 3D lens, which is not a rapid job. The adapter contains two lenses side-by-side, which project the two images for the stereoscopic image onto the CMOS sensor next to each other within the HD frame.

These are squashed horizontally (using an anamorphic system where pixels are considered rectangular rather than square), and as only half the area of the sensor is used for each side, low light sensitivity is notably reduced.

In good lighting, though, 3D video is effective, with a clear sense of depth. The Panasonic HDC SD90 can output a 3D signal over HDMI to a compatible TV. However, as the 3D lens is an attachment, zooming is not possible and most camcorder settings are disabled when it’s connected, so creative potential is considerably reduced.

In regular 2D mode, the Panasonic HDC SD90 is capable of impressive video quality in most conditions. Colours are faithful, although Panasonic doesn’t emphasise the vibrancy as much as some manufacturers, and there’s a high level of detail with very little sign of noise.

Most notably, although Panasonic hasn’t switched to back-side illumination yet, the abilities in low light are quite impressive. Noise levels remain acceptable to relatively low lighting intensities, with good saturation and a decent dynamic range.

Conclusion

The 3D compatibility may be the biggest headline for the Panasonic HDC SD90, but at its core this is essentially a very well featured midrange HD camcorder. If your budget can’t quite stretch to a high-end model, this model would make a very acceptable compromise.

With more enthusiast features than similarly priced competitors, and equal or better image quality, the Panasonic HDC SD90 gives you plenty for your money, with the added bonus of 3D if you’re feeling a bit more flush.

Panasonic HDC TM900

Admin — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 10:04:00 +0000

Panasonic HDC TM900 High Definition Camcorder

The Panasonic HDC TM900 High Definition Camcorder is a high-end HD offering from Panasonic. Right off the bat a few of the camera’s most desirable features include: 1920 x 1080/24p recording, a 32GB internal flash memory, an SD memory card slot, the option to record in 3D, and a quality image sensor system.

These features alone give you detailed, beautiful images, a plethora of recording space, and the ability to shoot fun and unique movies in 3D with an optional lens.

Let’s take a closer look at the 3MOS system and 1080/60p recording. Panasonic’s proprietary ’3MOS’ is a 3 sensor CMOS that adds up to 9.15MP (3 x 3.05MP). These sensors work together with another Panasonic technology, Crystal Engine PRO.

Pros

The camera records in real 60p format with 24p and 60i support
In Built 32 GB memory for hours of recording
Great and crisp video quality
Auto focus is excellent
Touch screen response is good
Plenty of professional level controls and measurements for video quality
3MOS sensors, not sure if it is practical in real life, but good to know that 3 sensors 1/4.1 each (3*1/4.1) are better than one 1/2.33 sensor
3D capabilities
In-expensive as compared to cameras providing similar features

Cons

Wonky white balance and lack of a built-in neutral density filter are the two biggest drawbacks of an otherwise very good series of prosumer camcorders

This engine is a fast processor which writes those gigantic HD files to the HDD or SD card quickly and efficiently. It also allows for high-res zooming when exceeding the optical range. In addition, the engine works to reduce image noise, rendering beautiful, like-like images.

These two work together to produce 1080/60p footage. The “p” means progressive; when recording in a progressive frame rate the footage captures is more vibrant and detailed than even “i”, or interlaced, HD recording.

In the world of consumer camcorders, 1080p is the gold standard. Of course the sensor and engine wouldn’t be able to do their job without a high-quality lens.

The Panasonic HDC TM900 comes with a 35mm Leica Dicomar lens that sports a 3.45-41.4mm focal length, 12x optical zoom range, 46mm filter diameter, and a 1.5-2.8 f/stop.

Lens can zoom up to 20x using the Intelligent Zoom; and it features a manual ring for more control and creativity with your shooting. Another way in which the camera works to create clean video is with HYBRID O.I.S. (optical image stabilization). This O.I.S. keeps your shots steady when hand-holding the camera. It reduces the effects of hand-shake for an easy-to-view, clean shot.

Other useful tools of the camera include a very generous 3.5″ touch screen LCD. This screen provides you with options like, “Touch Zoom” and “Touch Shutter”. The zoom function allows you to zoom in by dragging your finger across the LCD.

The shutter function enables instant touch focus on a particular subject in the frame, and the option to switch to still-image shooting. The camera also features 5.1 channel Dolby Surround Sound recording, and 5 built-in electret condenser microphones. You can capture true Surround Sound that targets your subject, while minimizing wind and extraneous sounds.

In addition to all these useful features, the Panasonic HDC TM900 also gives you the aforementioned option of recording in 3D. Using the optional VW-CLT1 conversion lens from Panasonic, you can capture 3-dimensional footage. Your 3D videos can then be played back on any 3D TV that is compatible with the side-by-side method.

Giving the camera a 3rd identity would be its ability to capture up to 14.2MP still images. A dedicated iA mode will automatically switch to 1 of 5 scene modes for optimized capture.

The Panasonic HDC TM900 also features numerous shooting controls, like face detection or Intelligent Auto, which help to take the guesswork out of video recording. These controls allow you to make recording simple, so you can focus on the moment and not figuring out the correct settings.

Other notable features include microphone and headphone connections, an extendable electronic viewfinder, and a cold shoe for mounting optional accessories. And when it comes time to share what you’ve shot, the Panasonic HDC TM900 provides you with various options as well, from editing software that lets you upload to the web to a fun in-camera playback feature.

Canon VIXIA HF M40

Admin — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 09:18:43 +0000

Canon Vixia HF M40 Camcorder Offers Superior Image Quality

The Canon VIXIA HF M40 is the latest mid-range camcorder from Canon. With the same risky new sensor, this impressive bargain has great low light performance and a plethora of manual controls.

Pros

Superior HD image quality
Great dynamic range and low-light sensitivity
Useful automatic and manual modes

Cons

LCD touch screen not as intuitive as iOS
Still images limited to two megapixels

Sometimes less is more. Take, for example, the Canon Vixia HF M40 camcorder. The camera tweaks some features found in Canon’s 2010 M-series camcorders, but the most significant change is a slightly larger image sensor with substantially fewer pixels. That loss of pixels provides the camera’s biggest gain.

The camera’s 1/3-inch CMOS sensor uses 1920-by-1080 pixels to capture video. That’s only two megapixels, only two-thirds of the three megapixels found on Canon’s similarly priced 2010 camcorders and an even smaller fraction of some other camcorders.

The low pixel count would hinder a still camera’s performance, but it’s precisely the number needed for a full HD image. By reducing the total number of pixels, each pixel can be bigger and therefore can get hit by more photons. In theory, using bigger pixels should give the camera better low-light performance and greater dynamic range. In practice, it does.

Superior video quality

Even in dim light, the Canon VIXIA HF M40 captures a high-quality video image; it doesn’t sacrifice color accuracy or overcrank gain and consequent noise. Under normal lighting conditions, HD video shows excellent color and sharpness, very good exposure control, and smooth motion.

The camera’s impressive dynamic range preserves detail in both shadows and highlights rather than quickly clipping to black or white.

The camcorder captures video at 60 interlaced fields per second (60i). The camera lacks a true progressive mode, instead recording 24p and 30p images onto a 60i stream.

Canon’s higher-priced camcorders provide true progressive recording; we’d like to see that capability added to camcorders at the Canon VIXIA HF M40′s price, but the current approach only minimally degrades images. Overall, the Canon VIXIA HF M40 produces the best video image we’ve seen from a camcorder of its price.

The camera records video as AVCHD files at data rates up to 24Mbps, the format’s maximum. Since most current video editing applications such as iMovie ’11, Final Cut Pro X, and Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 support AVCHD, editing material encoded in the format no longer requires undue effort.

Good image control

Camera control options range from fully automatic to mostly manual. In Auto mode, the camera controls everything other than lens zoom. Eleven scene modes (e.g., portrait, sports, beach) give you some control over the image, with the camera setting functions such as gain and white balance. 24p Cinema Mode emulates the frame rate and warm tonal settings of theatrical films. A manual mode provides lots of image control, but requires digging into the camera’s menu system.

A respectable complement of features such as backlight correction, focus and exposure tracking, and image stabilization simplify capturing video under a wide variety of conditions. The camera provides a lot of tools; mastering the Canon VIXIA HF M40 requires investing a little time reading the user manual and working with the camera.

16GB of internal flash memory holds from 85 minutes to six hours of video, depending on compression settings. Two card slots permit additional recording onto SDXC memory cards. The supplied 890mAh lithium-ion battery runs in record mode for about two hours, sufficient for typical users. Canon sells a 1780mAh battery for $120. A 3.5mm jack supports external microphones.

Small Quibbles

The Canon VIXIA HF M40 is not all Pixar movies and popcorn. The 10x zoom lens performs adequately and has a 35mm-equivalent focal range from 43.6mm to 436mm. We would prefer a wider short end, say 30mm or so. The headphone jack works in manual and automatic modes, but not in Cinema Mode.

The camera lacks a viewfinder. The built-in microphone captures clear sound, but the wind filter falls short. Still photos show good color and sharpness, and look respectable enough for sharing on Facebook or as small prints. But the two-megapixel resolution lags far below what you get in even a modestly priced still camera.

You access the camera’s features through a 3.0-inch LCD touch screen. The screen and menu system functions sufficiently well, but is neither as responsive nor as intuitive as an iPhone. These are all quibbles, not deal breakers, but they point to the biggest challenge facing the Canon VIXIA HF M40 and every mid-level camcorder.

Conclusion

Dedicated HD camcorders like the Canon VIXIA HF M40 are getting squeezed between the increasingly acceptable video capabilities of smartphones and the fussy-but-pretty video performance of DSLRs. But today there’s still a good-sized niche for moderately priced HD camcorders; the good ones combine ease of use, flexibility, and fine video image quality.

The Canon Vixia HF M40, with its video-specific CMOS image sensor, is a very good one. In fact, the Canon VIXIA HF M40 is currently the best mid-priced HD camcorder.

Canon VIXIA HF M41

Admin — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 08:31:28 +0000

Canon VIXIA HF M41 - An Excellent Camcorder At A Reasonable Price

This Canon VIXIA HF M41 is a wonderful camcorder. You don’t have to be a techy to use it but it helped me to read the well-written, easy to understand manual first. It is light and easy to carry. Overall, this camcorder is great for families and will capture stunning HD video which will not disappoint.

The good

With a nice set of features for home-movie-type shooters and pleasing video quality, the Canon Vixia HF M41 has lots to like.

The bad

A small, coarse LCD that’s hard to view in direct sunlight and touch-screen-impaired menu system hamper an otherwise solid design.

The bottom line

A fine follow-up to last year’s M3xx series, the Canon Vixia M4xx series should please most home-movie-oriented videographers despite its relatively high price. If you don’t need the EVF, the M400 is your best buy, but if you’ll be shooting a lot in sunlight, it’s worth it to step up to the Canon VIXIA HF M41.

With the Vixia HF M4xx series of HD camcorders, Canon maintains its reputation for delivering a solid midrange consumer camcorder, once again at slightly higher prices than those of the competition. The series consists of three nearly identical models.

The cheapest, the M400, has no built-in memory, the M40 adds 16GB, and the Canon VIXIA HF M41 adds another 16GB plus an electronic viewfinder. All use the same HD CMOS Pro sensor found in the HF G10, but paired with a smaller, less expensive lens. This review is based on the Canon Vixia HF M41.

Overall, the camcorder’s video looks relatively sharp and like most looks even better played directly on a TV. There is some aliasing on edges, generally a result of the interlaced video format; one difference between the M4xx series and its step-up sibling is the lack of a native 1080 progressive encoding format instead of the AVCHD standard of encoding 24fps and 30fps video as 60i.

Exposure and color rendering look very good, with a broad tonal range, there’s no excessive clipping in the highlights or shadows. Though the M4xx series uses the same sensor as the more expensive HF G10, the lenses are very different, and it shows in a variety of ways. In this case, the more pentagonal aperture renders less pleasing out-of-focus highlights. That probably won’t matter to most potential users of this model, but will affect those seeking a more artistic look.

The camcorder’s low-light video (about 17 lux) looks quite good; a little soft, but with a nice balance between sharpness and color saturation and accuracy in its noise reduction. Lower light, dim living-room quality displays more softness and color noise, but I think most people would consider it acceptable.

For shooting stills, the low-resolution sensor may not suit some folks’ need for large still photos. Like the G10, the stills look sharp and fall just short of looking too digital; they look fine onscreen and printed, but I wouldn’t recommend printing them larger than 4.5×8 inches.

As for audio, the stereo microphone is quite sensitive with a bright sound, but the automatic wind filter doesn’t work as well as I’d like. It has a decent set of audio tools, including the ability to mix internal and external levels, set directionality (mono, normal, wide, zoom), equalize (boost LF, low cut, boost MF), boost HF+LF), and attenuate.

It meters and exposes correctly and consistently most of the time, but like many camcorders tends to underexpose in situations where there’s not necessarily backlighting, but a large subject surrounded by a lot of ambient light (think of a flag waving against a blue sky).

The image stabilization is solid; the Dynamic setting works well up to about 75 percent of the way through the focal range, and Powered IS is rock-steady at maximum telephoto. It focuses quickly, though you can somewhat adjust how gradually that happens (Instant and Normal).

The autofocus works well, but not significantly better than we’ve seen in previous models, and like all camcorders can inappropriately lock on the background instead of the subject. Zooming feels smooth, and it’s easy to keep it at a consistent rate.

I’m not crazy about the LCD; though it’s slightly larger and higher resolution than that of the preceding M3xx series, it still feels too small and coarse and frustrating for navigating the menus; however, because of the relatively large virtual buttons, it’s not bad for accessing the frequently used shooting settings.

I had a tough time viewing it in direct sunlight though, so if you shoot outdoors a lot you should seriously consider the Canon VIXIA HF M41 for its EVF. While small, it’s serviceable and comes in very handy when you can’t see the LCD.

It’s not a very compact camcorder, but it has a nice heft and feels comfortable to grip and shoot single-handed. A mic input sits on the right side of the lens, and a flip-up cover beneath the strap hides the dual SDXC slots.

Like the higher-end HF G10 and HF S30, the HF M4xx series has three operating modes: auto, manual, and Cinema. However, the Cinema mode in this camcorder doesn’t support a 24p-encoded format, just 24p capture that’s encoded as 60i. The mode is just a quick way to invoke 24F plus a selection of filters.

A membrane button in the LCD recess invokes Canon’s Story Creator, a guided shooting mode intended to help you capture a variety of content on a given topic. Basically, you choose a theme, such as Party or Travel, and the camcorder provides a list of scene options, like “Planning for the trip” and “Taking off!”.

They’re organized in-camcorder, and you can rate individual scenes for playback filtering. There’s also a generic, themeless story if you just want to use it for organizing a shoot. The files reside in the normal AVCHD directory tree, however; the organization is strictly for camcorder-based playback.

Also in the recess you’ll find membrane buttons for playback, Video Snap (to take 2-, 4-, or 8-second clips) and information, as well as uncovered mini HDMI, component, USB, and headphone connectors.

Conclusion

If you want high quality HD video in a variety of situations, and don’t plan to use manual controls very often, Canon VIXIA HF M41 is a good choice.

Panasonic HDC TM90K

Admin — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 05:11:14 +0000

Panasonic HDC TM90K – High Quality Easy To Use Camcorder

Another breed of camcorders is gaining popularity in the market of digital devices; the Panasonic HDC TM90K 3D Compatible Camcorder with 16GB Internal Flash Memory. It is notably a very convenient and flexible camcorder breed that makes it easy for people to capture great quality video footage and images.

Pros

Video quality is very good
Touch screen layout is easy to use
Full auto mode is quick to focus
26 x optical zoom
Good low light performance

Cons

Included software only runs on PC and not MAC
Not include a mini hdmi to standard hdmi cable

Summary

This is a small camcorder that has a big clear picture. Coming from DV and moving to HD has made all my DV movies look outdated! The Panasonic HDC TM90K Has a lot of options but is easy to use.

The Panasonic HDC TM90K ’s touch screen layout is easy to use and the menus do not get in the way of the recording. The Panasonic menus are selected from a column on the left side of the screen so you can still see the image you are shooting and it has large enough buttons that are easy to select.

On a different brand named HD camcorder I tried out, the menu selections were so small that my finger would consistently choose the option either above or below the one I was trying to choose, also there was another brand named touch screen HD camcorder that i looked at, when bringing up the on screen menus, it would darken the picture on the screen and overlay the options across the darkened screen.

This camcorder works great as a point and shoot as the full auto mode is quick to focus, adjusting the white balance, and removes hand shakes very well.

If your looking for more control, there are some preset scene selections to choose from in certain conditions(Sports, Portrait, Spotlight, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Night Scenery…), as well as separate adjustment controls for white balance, shutter speed, IRIS and focus.

One fun setting to play with is smile shot. When enabled, the Panasonic HDC TM90K will take a still shot of a detected smiling face automatically while its recording in the movie mode.

A little bit about HD recording settings. Basically the higher the resolution, the more space it takes on your memory card and this results in less time that you have to record on a card. I know it sounds simple, but it is important to remember when selecting full 1080/60p recording mode.

For viewing the movies and photos from the camcorder there is a HDMI port and a composite jack to hook up to your TV or projector or whatever. For moving files to other media, the Panasonic HDC TM90K offers a direct burn to DVD/BD if you have a stand alone recorder that accepts a USB input. It also connects to a computer via USB.

imovie (mac only) will recognize this camera and will import the media files. The TM90K also has a special iframe movie recording mode that is made just for imovie. The HD movie files are .mts files and can be played back with the free VLC media player that can be downloaded from the web.

There is software that comes with the camcorder for editing movies in Windows and it supports all versions of xp, vista and 7 only. No support for 2000, NT or below. I have found software on the web that you can purchase and download to edit and convert .mts files. Remember to backup your files before you play around with them. Panasonic HDC TM90K is easy to use, takes excellent HD video, is very small and compact, and doesn’t cost very much.

How To Find The Best Camcorder To Buy

Admin — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 02:26:25 +0000

Tips For Finding The Best Camcorder

When you are looking to buy a camcorder it can be hard to decide which one to go with. With a multitude of cameras to choose from, how do you find the best camcorders to buy?

Even though it comes down to preference, I’d like to share a few things to take into account before making a purchase. This article will be taking a look at a few of these qualifications that will help you decide which will be the best camcorder to buy for you.

The first thing to consider is picture quality. High Definition camcorders are plentiful within the market place right now. These cameras have exceptional video quality overall. Even in different light situations, these cameras will give you a great picture.

This becomes important especially for shooting in low light situations. There are plenty of good reviews available on You Tube that will show you actual footage shot by the camera of your choosing. This is particularly helpful when trying to find the best camcorder to buy.

Second, you should definitely consider how comfortable the camera will be to hold in your hand. The good news is that camcorders are no where near as bulky as they used to be.

Most will fit in the palm of your hand, making for a very comfortable and easy user experience. A visit to your local electronics retailer will give you an idea of which camera is comfortable for you. Then you can look online for even better deals.

The last and most important perhaps is how easy the buttons and features of the camera are to use. There is nothing worse than paying almost $1000 for a camera with all the bells and whistles only to find that you are unable to access the features without going through an obstacle course full of steps before you get to the user function that you want.

You can use these three factors as a guideline in choosing the best camcorders to buy. These are only starting points, as everyone’s needs are different. However, if you look for these three things in particular, you have a great chance of finding the best camcorder that is right for you.