A few years back I bought a mini-DV camera that took great movies, but it was so time consuming to transfer clips from tape to computer for editing, it wasn't very productive. I became an unedited tape collector like everyone else I know. And the tapes sat and collected dust because no one, not even the cameraman, wanted to watch all the boring transitions in an unedited tape.
When I saw the Panasonic SDR-S10 Camcorder, I leaped at it. The pocketable, shock/weather resistant camera records video directly onto an SD/SDHC memory card. This means you can take the card out, put it directly into your computer's built in SD/SDHC card reader (or an adapter if your computer can't read SD/SDHC cards), download the video to the provided movie editing program and assemble an interesting flick free of uninteresting moments.
The benefits of using a removable SD card as memory cannot be understated. Without all the mechinery needed to move a tape or hard drive, the camera can take hard knocks and still run fine. It also means the video sound will be recorded without annoying gear hum. In addition, recording can begin in under two seconds from the time the LCD screen is flipped open, so you won't miss the action waiting for your camera to whir to life.
The camera has a 10x optical zoom, which is plenty. Any stronger and and you'd need a tripod to shoot video without the shakes.
The controls are simple enough for novices to understand right out of the box. Open the bright 2.7" wide LCD monitor and you'll find a scroll wheel marked with Off and On and icons for record video, play video, shoot photos (they're pretty low quality so don't rely on this as your primary still camera) and play photos.
There are several automatic and manual recording settings that you can play with, but I recommend that you leave it in auto. Every time I go manual, the lighting changes and I have to manually set the controls. By the time I'm done, my subject has moved on. You can also easily review and delete video right on the camera.
The video quality is very good on a computer monitor or TV. (This specific model is not Hi-Def.) As mentioned before, the sound is better than my mini-DV camera because it doesn't have the mechanical hum. I've shot in bright to moderately dim lighting and been very pleased with the results.
The few negatives I've found is that there is no optical viewer and it eats batteries. To frame shots, you have to rely on the LCD screen, which is made of very shiny glass that tends to glare in bright settings making it hard to see your subject. You may be able to limit this problem by shielding the viewer with your free hand. The only solution to the battery problem -- I get about an hour of shooting per charge -- is to purchase a backup and try not review shots on the camcorder. Oh, one other note: the camcorder also lacks a light, so you don't get the best shots in very low light situations.
If you're a videophile who demands Hollywood-quality video, you will find a lot to nit-pick about this camcorder. But for the rest of us who just want to record adventures, events, family, friends and pets this is the perfect camcorder.
The Panasonic SDR-S10 video camera solves several issues found in tape and hard drive cameras. Since it uses SDHC memory cards, basically flash memory, there are no moving parts in the recording process. This means the camera starts fast, runs silently and can take more knocks. Not only that, you won't have to go through the lengthy process of downloading from tapes to your computer. You can just plug the SDHC memory card into your computer or SDHC memory card reader and open the video clips for editing. The camera, which is small enough to throw in a pocket, delivers great video for home and Web use.
