Panasonic HDC-DX1 AVCHD 3CCD High Definition DVD Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Review

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(More customer reviews)You really have to be in the Blue-Ray camp to enjoy this camera fully. If you have a Sony Play Station 3 you're set for playback and the future with Blue-Ray for High Definition movies. Otherwise you will need a Blue-Ray player for playback of the miniDVDs and any other regular DVDs you record to. Also, so far it's one of the last camcorders from Panasonic with 5.1 sound and High Definition recording, which is a big plus for sound. It's seems the newer camcorders are actually going backwards with 2 channel sound instead of 5.1. With Nero 8, which you'll have to buy separately, you can copy movies to your computer for editing and burning back on to a larger size regular recordable DVD, i.e., DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+-RW or DL disks (they don't have to be Blue-Ray recordable DVDs). The camcorder records Blue-Ray format to regular DVDs. You just have to remember that they still won't play back on a regular DVD player, you'll need a Blue-Ray player or a Play Station 3. There have been complaints about this, but you're recording High Definition video now, so why would you except to play it back on a lower quality DVD system? This camera is for the future. If you want a DVD recordable camcorder, there are cheaper, less capable models that that do that. But if you want High Definition recording, with 5.1 sound, then this is the camera to get. One other thing to remember, the recording process to a miniDVD whether it's with this camera or any other miniDVD camera is different than with tapes. The miniDVD will have to be finalized if you want to use it outside the camera on a DVD player (Blue-Ray or not). There is an extra step involved from tape recording. Some people just don't understand this and complain. The one thing about this camera is that you can only finalize using the A/C charger and not with the battery in the camera. This means you'll probably shoot video and finalize the disks at home, not outside where you are shooting. Other miniDVD camcorders may allow finalizing with battery power which may be more convenent to do, but I don't find not having this a drawback for this camera.

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700x digital zoom16:9 widescreen recording 3CCD camera system provides vivid color fine detail and rich gradation AVCHD format records 1080i and 720p high-definition (HD) signals onto 8cm DVD providing up to 60 minutes of continuous recording Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) supresses camera shake in both motion and still pictures 5.1-channel DolbyDigital surround sound recording for true-to-life soundZoom Microphones adjusts the sound to match the subject in focus Tele-Macro allows shooting macro close-ups while maintaining a distance of 60 cm from the subject 3 5/8" W x 3 1/2" H x 6 7/16" DUses SDor SDHCmemory cardsIncludes Li-Ion battery pack remote control lens cap AV and USB cables AC adapter and software

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Canon DC410 DVD Camcorder with 41x Optical Zoom Review

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(More customer reviews)This camera has many flaws that are important to understand before buying. First is a limitation of the DVD in recording length. 30 min is the default with 60 minutes max at the sacrifice of video quality.
Consider that Mini-DV tapes will support 60 min at highest quality.
These 3 inch DVD disks are difficult to handle under perfect conditions. I wanted to use this camera for outdoors events but it would be too easy to get fingerprints on the recording surface to take chances without clean hands and dry conditions. The disks are small and have to be forced onto the spindle without touching the recording surface.
Another limitation is that the least expensive DVD disks are DVD-R write once only which makes it impossible to edit what you shoot. They can't be erased. Scenes deleted so be sure you don't record anything with them you might regret later. It supports DVD-RW Write Many format also but considering how easy it is to mess up the recording surface don't expect them to last forever.
The greatest problem with this device is that the DVD drive is limited to only three brands of disks. This makes the DVD recorder not very well supported for using with the video.
The DVD drive does not support all DVD formats available. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW: YOU MUST USE ONLY DVD-R, DVD-R DL, or DVD-RW FORMATS. Notice it is a MINUS - not a plus +. (Amazon.com bundles this with a 3 pack of DVD+RW disks which are not ever going to work with this camera so don't include it like I did.)
To make matters worse you cannot just use any 3 inch DVD-R disks. The camera claims to only support 1-layer Hitachi-Maxwell HG series disks or 2 layer Canon DVD-R DL54 and Verbatim DVD-R DL disks. (Not Sony, which is the brand Amazon.com recommends.)
If you decide to risk it and use an unsupported disk, every time the camera is turned on you will get a dire warning that using this disk is not supported and you run the risk of damaging the camera or end up with poor/no video. I could only find Maxell DVD-R DS and TDK-RW at Rite-Aid. Both will work with the camera but the warnings are enough to make me believe I should try to buy disks it won't complain about. It is very annoying that it doesn't support both - and + formats like most dvd recorders to start with. I would suggest that if you want a DVD camcorder, look for one that can use both +/- if possible and supports all manufacturers disks.
The camera also lacks a firewire port so you can't use it with a computer to capture the video stream. The model 410 has an AV port and microphone jack. It does not have a USB port. The model 420 USB doesn't support the video just the photo feature and takes the place of the microphone jack.
The last disappointment with this camera is the image stabilization feature is awful. The video becomes so shaky that people will think you have been drinking or you are filming an earthquake. Even on a stable tripod the video was not stable even if focused on inanimate objects.
All the reasons I wanted to get this camera are total disappointments for me. I wish I would have chosen a different camera with better DVD support or one that records to flash memory, and probably not from Canon.
P.S NO software with the camera for editing the video or the photos!

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Introducing the new Canon DC410 DVD camcorder thatmakes every video you shoot great. With the newCanon DC410 DVD camcorder, it's easy to capture theextraordinary events of your life on DVD and show it onyour home theater. A 2.7-inch widescreen LCD andsimple-to-operate controls let you frame the action fromjust the right angle. Stellar features like Canon's 41xAdvanced Zoom for heart-pounding close-ups, DIGICDV II Image Processor for brillant picture quality andtrue 16:9 widescreen recording will keep your audienceon the edge of their seats. Quick Start conservesbattery power between shots and makes sure you'reready for another take in less than a second. Plus,when you're shooting, Canon's Image Stabilizer keepsevery shot on an even keel. Stylishly compact, theCanon DC410 even has an SDHC memory card slot forphotos. Get the quality and performance you're lookingfor with the Canon DC410.

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Canon DC420 DVD Camcorder w/48x Advanced Zoom - 2009 MODEL Review

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(More customer reviews)The Canon DC420 Camcorder was my first Digital Camcorder and I am impressed with video picture quality. The zoom feature is way beyond my expectations as well as
the audio quality. Easy to operate once you figure out the instruction manual. I
certainly have no idea what the people who wrote this manual were thinking when they were writing it! Would have been much easier if one section of the manual was devoted entirely to the video application and a separate section for still camera mode. The way it is written you have to "jump" all over the manual trying to figure out what's going on. Also, there should have been a SD card included and software when you download a DVD to computer. I had to obtain a program just to convert the VOB files from the DVD to files for Windows Media Player and Windows Movie Maker.
Other than those couple discrepancies it is an absolutely super video camera and I would very highly recommend it. I won't say the Canon Support Group was great but they tried their best and overall I was satisfied.

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Introducing the new Canon DC420 DVD camcorder thatmakes every video you shoot great. With the new CanonDC420 DVD camcorder, it's easy to capture theextraordinary events of your life on DVD and show it onyour home theater. A 2.7-inch widescreen LCD andsimple-to-operate controls let you frame the action fromjust the right angle. Stellar features like Canon's 48xAdvanced Zoom for heart-pounding close-ups, DIGICDV II Image Processor for brillant picture quality andtrue 16:9 widescreen recording will keep your audienceon the edge of their seats. Quick Start conserves batterypower between shots and makes sure you're ready foranother take in less than a second. Plus, when you'reshooting, Canon's Image Stabilizer keeps every shot onan even keel. Stylishly compact, the Canon DC420 evenhas an SDHC memory card slot for photos. Get thequality and performance you're looking for with theCanon DC420. Canon USA 1-year limited warrantyincluded.

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Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and 8 MP Digital Camera (White) Review

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(More customer reviews)Before purchasing E2 I was torn between E1 and E2 but decided to go with a new model. There were no reviews on E2 other than a single one for Euro/Japanese/Canadian version of E2 called CA8 and that review blasted the camera's new sensor. Nevertheless, with Amazon's liberal return policy, I decided to take my chance and to get E2 instead of E1. After all, it is a second generation of this waterproof camera, and I thought the second generation is typically better.
If you are trying to decide between E1 and E2, here are the major differences:
The most obvious is a change of sensor.
E1 uses 6MP CCD 1/2.5 sensor
E2 uses 8MP CMOS 1/2.5 sensor.
E2 adds a 60 frames per second movie option (E1 was limited to 30 frames per second)
E2 adds face recognition mode. E1 has no such face detection mode
E2 adds a dedicated 'underwater' mode among several others. E1 did not have a specific 'underwater' mode.
First, I tried both the new 60 frames per second mode and the old 30 frames per second mode and I decided that I will be using 30 frames per second, I actually like the quality of 30fps mode better.
I then tried the photography mode. I took most photographs inside in tricky low-light incandescent and florescent light conditions, because I know these give ANY camera, including DSLRs such as my Canon 40D $1300 camera, the most problems. I upped the ISO to 200 and then to 400. You can see samples I posted here. BTW the macro mode on this baby goes to 1 cm!!!! I don't know if E1 had such super-macro to 1 cm. I found the photo quality acceptable and similar to that of other point-and-shoots using the same 1/2.5 and similar sensors. I felt that ISO400 was acceptable. I have not tried ISO 800 and 1600 yet.
E2 has following ISO range: in photo mode 50-1600
in video mode: 100-3200 in high sensitivity mode (3200 I don't believe you can select, but it does it).
The image stabilization feature is tricky, it is EIS, Electronic Image Stabilization, not Optical Image Stabilization, so when you use it, it crops a little bit on sides of your video and photographs, depending on which mode of EIS you use.
The sound is stereo and the quality is acceptable. The camera is tiny btw, I fit mine in case logic case I had from my Canon A75 camera.
I tried this camera underwater in my pool, both video and photographs. All worked fine, even shoots photographs with flash underwater, which makes for very freaky results.
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Finally, some people complained that Sanyo has their own unique USB cable which is a pain if you lose it or don't have it with you, and cannot read it in ordinary card reader. WRONG. I did not even bother taking the proprietary Sanyo USB cable from camera packaging. The card works easily in my HP (windows vista) desktop's card reader. I downloaded PICASA 3 which I recommend. Picasa 3 will find, download, and play all photos and every video you shoot with this camera easily and quickly, just take the SD card, put it in your card reader and Picasa will do the rest. Very easy, so don't need to bother with this cable that comes with it.
Problems: Battery life is not impressive. Battery is tiny. I am used to Fuji F30's 500 shots per charge. This battery sucks. I charged the battery fully. I then took 80 photographs (some with flash), 4 or 5 2-minute videos and my battery showed 70% gone. You need a second battery, and hopefully there are some with more juice in it that the Sanyo one that comes with the camera.
I also wish the lens would start at 28mm and not 38mm as it would make easier to take pictures/videos of oneself without need to stretch your body away from the camera. Also my belief is that the flash only operates in photo mode and not in video mode. However, it is much better than its only competitor, Panasonic SW20, which does not have any flash at all
I will add more photos later.

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Stop fussing with bulky underwater housing. The Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Waterproof Digital CameraCorder captures both high-resolution 8-megapixel digital still photos and high quality video underwater. It is pocket-sized, so it's perfect for the beach or on the ski slopes. This unique CameraCorder also offers face detection for both still photos and video and is designed to easily upload video to social networking websites such as YouTube and portable digital media players such as the iPod Video. Full motion video up to 1.25 hours on an SD card and up to 10 hours on an 8 GB SDHC card (TV-HQ mode) Face detection - up to 12 faces for still photos and 6 faces for video Ergonomic design for single-handed operation Uses SD/SDHC memory card Simultaneous still image capture while shooting video Underwater mode for better color in underwater photos and video Digital Image stabilizer Full-range digital stereo recording In-camera editing MPEG4 video files can be directly imported into iTunes and transferred to video-capable iPod, and other portable digital media players Web-mode for simple sharing to Web sites such as YouTube and portable media players such as the iPod video Super fast start-up @ approx 1.7 seconds Taking navigation for first-time users Simple or sophisticated menu options Sequential photos up to 10 photos@ 5fps Connectivity to TV, VCR, DVD Recorder and/or PC Includes Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0 for movie editing and DVD authoring Lightweight (258 grams/9.03 ounces including battery and SD card) Lithium-ion battery and charger

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