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Panasonic SDR-H18

Manufacturer: Panasonic   Part number: SDR-H18
$429.99 - $514.65at 6 online stores.
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CNET Editors' rating: 7.4 out of 10
Average user rating: 6.0 out of 10


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$429.99
TheNerds.net
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$446.99
Amazon.com
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$514.65
Beach Audio
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PCNation.com
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CNET Editors' review - Panasonic SDR-H18
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Very good

7.4

out of 10
CNET Editor's rating: 7.4 out of 10
Reviewed by Philip Ryan
Review date: 7/27/07

The good: Records to hard drive or SD card; optical image stabilization; 32X optical zoom; comfortable grip.

The bad: No macro mode; menu button a bit hard to reach with a thumb; USB jack hidden behind battery; awkward manual control switch.

The bottom line: Combining the simplicity of SD recording, a roomy 30GB hard drive, a long zoom, and pleasing image quality, the SDR-H18 is a good choice for a standard-definition, hard-drive camcorder.

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Product brief - Panasonic SDR-H18
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Description: The Panasonic SDR-H18 is a hard disk drive-based, home-movie camcorder. Compared to other home-movie camcorders on the market, it is expensive at around $900.

Pros: Has optical stabilization, which is somewhat more favorable than some similarly priced camcorders. (While many camcorders have electronic image stabilization, optical stabilization generally produces superior results.) Supports manual focus, which helps savvy users to shoot in hard-to-focus situations. Weighing a little over a pound without battery or media, this camcorder is reasonably portable.

Cons: None noted, given available product data.

Suitability: Suited for recording important family events.

Value: In general, this camcorder's features are as expected for this price.

Suggestions: For more help selecting the right digital camcorder, visit CNET Reviews' buying guide .

User opinions - Panasonic SDR-H18
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Good

6.0

out of 10
Average user rating from 9 users

Sort 9 user opinions by:

9 out of 10 - Spectacular
Very good HDD camcorder DO NOT pay attention to the other review
the camera does what is supposed to do: record your videos in the hdd and transfer them into your... Read more
by figueroa7 (see profile) - May 29, 2007

140 out of 156 users found this user opinion helpful.
1 comment posted to this opinion

5 out of 10 - Average
descent price for size and picture qualty
I purchased the SDR-H18 for the HDD and because it had at least as good a picture quality as the... Read more
by eckhaaw (see profile) - March 30, 2007

55 out of 80 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 comments posted to this opinion

6 out of 10 - Good
OK, but not editing-friendly
If you're a soccer mom and you love to zoom, zoom, and zoom in some more, this is great for you.... Read more
by dressner (see profile) - November 5, 2007

35 out of 35 users found this user opinion helpful.
1 comment posted to this opinion

8 out of 10 - Excellent
Great overall package, but images a little dull around the edges
I bought one of these at the same time as a Sony DCR-SR42 camera, for almost exactly the same... Read more
by Onlies (see profile) - September 12, 2007

35 out of 35 users found this user opinion helpful.

7 out of 10 - Very good
Very handy camera. Good features/quality for cost. Software and files a bit...
This is my second camcorder, and wow what an improvement. The physical size and capacity are just... Read more
by NJKirchner (see profile) - September 27, 2007

25 out of 30 users found this user opinion helpful.

5 out of 10 - Average
Average Camcorder
So, after reviewing camera after camera in the $500.00 price range I chose this Panasonic model. ... Read more
by MikeynDnvr (see profile) - January 5, 2008

10 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.

6 out of 10 - Good
Great overall but limited editing capabilites
First off, there is no doubt in my mind after reading reviews and Consumer Reports that this... Read more
by dlester (see profile) - December 18, 2007

10 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.

6 out of 10 - Good
It's fine - but there's better out there
I bought one of these but returned it. I just wanted better video quality. But the camera seemed... Read more
by af847 (see profile) - August 9, 2007

20 out of 40 users found this user opinion helpful.
1 comment posted to this opinion

2 out of 10 - Terrible
Average camera produces files that cannot be edited
The camera is okay, but the .mod files it produces are virtually impossible to edit. The provided... Read more
by ogman (see profile) - May 12, 2008

1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.





Full specifications - Panasonic SDR-H18
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Manufacturer: Panasonic
Part number: SDR-H18
General
Product Type Camcorder
Digital Zoom 1000 x
Optical Sensor Size 1/6 in
Optical Sensor Type CCD
Min Illumination 2 lux
Digital Video Format MPEG-2
Image Stabilizer Optical
Digital Scene Transition Black fader, White fader
Min Shutter Speed 1/60 sec
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000 sec
Shooting Modes Digital photo mode
Shooting Programs Low light, Spotlight, Sports mode, Surf & snow, Portrait mode
White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
White Balance Presets Indoor, Outdoor
Exposure Modes Program, Automatic, Aperture-priority
Widescreen Video Capture Yes
Main Features
Camcorder Effective Still Resolution 0.3 megapixels
Color Support Color
Still Image Format JPEG
Remote Control Camcorder remote control - Infrared
TV Tuner None
Memory / Storage
Supported Flash Memory SD Memory Card
Floppy Drive None
Digital Storage Media Hard disk drive - Built-in - 30 GB
Image Storage JPEG 640 x 480, JPEG 640 x 360
Media Type Hard disk drive
Recording Speed LP, SP, XP
Lens System
Type Zoom lens - 2.3 mm - 73.6 mm - F/1.8-3.7
Focal Length 2.3 mm - 73.6 mm
Lens Aperture F/1.8-3.7
Optical Zoom 32 x
Lens system type Zoom lens
Min focal length 2.3 mm
Max focal length 73.6 mm
Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
Filter Size 37 mm
Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
Additional Features
Self Timer Yes
Low Lux / Night Mode Yes
Digital Still Camera Function Yes
Additional Features DPOF support, Direct print, PictBridge support, USB 2.0 compatibility, Backlight compensation
Remote control Camcorder remote control - Infrared
Software Drivers & Utilities
Included Accessories Lens cap
Display
Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.7 in - Color
Digital Player (Recorder)
Type None
Microphone
Type Microphone - Built-in
Microphone Features Zoom, Wind noise reduction
Connections
Connector Type USB, Composite video/audio output, S-Video output
Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Audio Input
Audio input type Microphone
Microphone type Built-in
Microphone Operation Mode Stereo
Power
Power Device Power adapter - External
Battery
Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included )
Viewfinder / Display
Display Form Factor Rotating
Display Format 123,000 pixels
Physical Characteristics
Width 2.8 in
Depth 5 in
Height 2.9 in
Weight 15.2 oz
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Manufacturer Info - Panasonic SDR-H18
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Manufacturer info
Panasonic 


Manufacturer profile
http://www.panasonic.com/
Browse Panasonic products on CNET Shopper.com


Website: http://www.panasonic.com/
Address: One Panasonic Way
Secaucus, NJ 07094
Phone: 800/662-3537
E-mail: N/A
Fax:N/A