cameras camcorders

1. ( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jun 25 2008

   Panasonic Camcorder, Model VDR-D50P/PC I have had no experience operating a camcorder until I purchased this one. Detailed instructions come with the unit and once I became acquainted with some of its many functions, I found it very enjoyable to use. The clarity of the movies recorded on DVD and photos stored on the SD card is of superior quality. Both, the movies stored on the DVD and pictures stored on the SD card can be viewed on TV by connecting the camcorder to the TV via the USB cable that comes with the unit. (I found that the DVD might have to be finalized first) The software that comes with the camcorder which is advertised to allow editing of movies (particularly designed for "VISTA") does not seem to want to download into my computer. I have contacted Panasonic on the problem twice already, but the technicians were unable to help me install the software. I suggested that the software might be faulty, and asked for another disk, but have had no further response from Panasonic since the latter part of May 2008. Hopefully I can get the software to work on my "Windows VISTA". As that was one of the features I desired when I purchased the camcorder.

2. ( 2 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: May 4 2008

   Panasonic VDR-D50 DVD Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom The Panasonic VDR-D50 DVD Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom is easy to use, light weight, and decent video quality. I recommend it to anyone who wants a relatively inexpensive camcorder without sacrificing much.

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1. ( 3 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jun 11 2008

   I purchased this camcorder to document the vacation of my lifeime. And I have been extremely pleased with its performance. Panasonic has addressed several design flaws in previous models to make this one sweet little unit. They've also added a few new improvements. The bottom line is that it takes good video overall. Quality is very good in outdoor lighting. Indoor performance is good; low light performance is minimal, but much better than expected. Considering what you pay, video quality is on par with units costing hundreds more. Pros: 1. Great video for a single CCD camera. Great for outdoor shooting. 2. Amazing 42x optical zoom. Picture stays crisp & clear. 3. Advanced Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). Panasonic has a reputation of having the best. This allows you to zoom in and move the camera with minimal screen jitter. Better than other brands costing $100's more. 4. Uses inexpensive miniDV cassettes. These can be purchased just about anywhere if you need one in a pinch. 5. Lots of software available to do video editing. You'll also need a firewire cable and card to transfer the video to computer. 5. Built in lens cover; it slides open and close by moving a sliding button. Say goodbye to dangling or lost lens covers. 6. Firewire port has been moved to side of camera under the foldout LCD. You no longer need to remove the battery to get to it. The AV output is on the front right side. 7. A usable built in LED light. It won't light up a room but just enough helpful illumination for a subject 3 to 5 feet away in dim areas. 8. Lots of manual control. User can switch from Auto to Manual modes at the touch of a button. Controls include focus, white balance, iris, f-stop, and others. 9. Shoots and displays video in widescreen 16x9 and standard 4x3 formats. Cons: 1. Poor battery life. Battery included barely lasts 1 hour. Using the viewfinder instead of the LCD helps a lot. You'll definitely need to buy an extra battery. 2. Expensive replacement batteries. I found that the batteries for previous Panasonic camcorder models work just fine, and are a fraction of the cost. 3. Poor low light performance. 4. No slot for memory card. Takes video stills. Plan on using your digital camera for regular pictures. 5. No way to use accessories such as lighting kits or extra lenses. Basically what you get is a minimalist digital camcorder that takes good video. The limitations of this camcorder are hardly "cons" considering how little you pay for it. MiniDV is on its way out, but is currently still a viable media. If you need a camcorder that takes HD quality or good low light video, this is not the camera for you. But if you are looking for a great first time camcorder, or an inexpensive little unit to document that once a year vacation or occasional event, you'll be pleased with this one.

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1. Posted: Jun 17 2008

   This is a great camera and easy to use. But the software is really BAD.

2. Posted: Jun 17 2008

   This is my husband's new toy and he seems to be very pleased with it. It really is just replacing the limited video feature on our Kodak Easy Share camera. It has great zoom so you don't have to stress if you are sitting towards the back at a soccer game or ballet recital. My favorite feature is its compact size. It fits very comfortably right in your palm. If you're looking to take videos of the kids this camcorder should do the job for a decent price.

3. Posted: Jun 16 2008

   This was a group gift for a friend, and even with the free shipping, it got there in only 4 bus days, right on her birthday. She hasn't used it much yet, but so far is very satisfied and finds it very easy to use, which was huge because she's pretty technically challenged. Next step is to get a DVD burner.

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1. Posted: Apr 20 2008

   The Archos Helmet Camcorder is good in the sense that it's extremely easy to use and setup. However, the lack of picture quality is enough for me to start looking for another bullet camera to replace the Archos. Here are the three things that rock with the Archos bullet cam... 1) Easy to setup... You take your Archos Helmet Camcorder and plug it directly into your Archos recording device, and you're good to go. 2) The Archos Helmet Camcorder is powered by the Archos recording device, (Archos 604 for example). For those of you that have never owned or have seen the other bullet cam systems, most of them require a separate power supply to power both the camcorder and the microphone. The Archos uses the battery power of the Archos 604 to power both the camcorder and the microphone. 3) Control of record start and record stop are at your fingertips. No need to purchase an extra control Lanc. device, or any other third party remote that may or may not work with your setup. The Archos Helmet Camcorder has the controls you need, in a place that's easy for you to get to. Now the downside... PICTURE QUALITY!!! Yes, 420 lines of resolution is good, and yes 640X480 is good, but it's just that... Good. If you're looking for great, you need to go for a bullet camera that has 520 lines of resolution or even splurge for the Sony 580 ExView bullet camera. The problem with these bullet cameras however, is the problem I mentioned above. These bullet cameras require extra power supplies. Now, you're probably thinking what's the big deal with an extra power supply? Let me say this. I ride dirt bikes with three other guys that own bullet cam systems, but they never use them because it's such a process to put them together. That's the difference between the Archos helmet cam, and all the others helmet cameras out there. The Archos unit is easy to use and setup... It's as simple as that. I gave the Archos Helmet Camcorder three stars because Archos is on the right track. They just need to come out with another helmet camcorder, just like this one, only next time with more resolution! Also, the DVR travel adapter that allows the helmet camcorder to attach to the Archos recording device (which is included) is a little rickety. Sometimes the DVR travel adapter will pop off of the recoding unit, making your video stop in the middle of its recoding. This is bad! One more thing... I had to purchase a helmet mounting kit from a third party, (Viosport). Why wouldn't Archos sell helmet mounts? They sell a helmet camcorder, but don't sell mounting kits... Whatever! If I had to put another helmet cam system together, I would buy the Archos 604 recording unit, and buy a higher quality bullet camera. Get yourself the proper Viosport mounting kit and you're good to go. Pass on the Archos Helmet Camcorder.

2. ( 5 of 6 found this review helpful ) Posted: Oct 15 2007

   The camera seemed to work ok and the picture looked good. I was just hopping something made to mount on a helmet would be much more durable. Sound was low and hard to hear. After reading the instructions I was afraid to use this on my dirt bike. It is not water resistant and it also said not to use in a dust or sand environment. Also the camera attaches to the Archos similar to how the docking station does. It just seems way to weak and easy to break. The mount strap might work ok for a bicycle helmet, but will not work at all for a motorcycle. If you plan to ride a bicycle on the road, this might be ok, but for a dirt bike, forget it! I ended up returning it because I do not think this would be suitable for a motorcycle. Chad

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1. Posted: Mar 31 2008

   Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3M7E23MHDZC54 My name is Sandor ....or DJ SANDOORS .This is a video of RC Formula 1 racing in Savannah, GA. I have other videos on You Tube, look for DJ Sandoors movies. I've had this camera for six months and bought on Amazon. For a lightweight camera of plastic material, it can be a good buddy for me. It's good for action footage and I could call this a semi-professional level. I'm an independent camera man with short films of nature, music, sports and portraits. It might make a high level movie maker angry, but for the price, it's working well.

2. ( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jan 29 2008

   I had three must-haves for a video camera: - three ccds - record to miniDV - audio-out port Most of the cameras with these three features are up in the $3000 range, essentially going for the low-end professional market. All the cameras currently selling for around $600-$700 skimp on some aspect of performance. If all you care about is making home movies to keep and share memories of kids' birthday parties, by all means, go for a HDD camera, or just hope that your sound will turn out okay. But if you want to put together footage that has real production value, shell out the extra few hundred for this model. It will really show in the finished product.

3. ( 0 of 4 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jan 16 2008

   Avoid this camera. Had it a month, and gave it away. Buy the DVC60 if you can even find one still around

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