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Handheld HD Camcorders

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thePITman's avatar

thePITman

Senior Member

3,867 posts
Dec 28, 2011 4:47 PM
I'm in the market for an HD Camcorder, and I was wondering if anyone has some experience or advice.

The two that are sticking out to me so far are:
1. Panasonic HDC-SD90K
2. Canon VIXIA HF M400

I chose the SD card models without built-in storage (SD90K instead of TM90K, and M400 instead of M40) because they're a little cheaper, and I'd be using the SD cards for easy transportation/storage, anyway.

My brother, who has produced a number of HD-quality BMX/bicycle movies sold commercially, said many of his videographer friends use Canon VIXIA cameras, never heard anything bad about them, and recommended them.

On the other hand, the reviews for the Panasonic are out the roof except for a greenish hue color problem that some people have noticed... but its other features like motion stabilization, among others, are very impressive.

Any advice or personal experiences would be appreciated.
Dec 28, 2011 4:47pm
thePITman's avatar

thePITman

Senior Member

3,867 posts
Dec 28, 2011 10:52 PM
ttt
Dec 28, 2011 10:52pm
1_beast's avatar

1_beast

Senior Member

5,642 posts
Dec 28, 2011 11:19 PM
i have a samsung...it does a fine job with my sons wrestling...
Dec 28, 2011 11:19pm
S

Steel Valley Football

Senior Member

4,548 posts
Dec 29, 2011 1:59 AM
Justin likes the Panny for his vidz.
Dec 29, 2011 1:59am
McFly1955's avatar

McFly1955

Senior Member

1,441 posts
Dec 29, 2011 12:17 PM
I have the Panasonic HDC-SD90K

Got it about a year ago after our daughter was born....We have taken tons and tons of videos, and we love it....Happy with the choice.

The color seems off sometimes due to the auto adjustments...I just need to flip to manual and set it myself, but haven't had the time to read up about it...
Dec 29, 2011 12:17pm
thePITman's avatar

thePITman

Senior Member

3,867 posts
Jan 3, 2012 4:02 PM
Thanks for the comments so far.

ttt
Jan 3, 2012 4:02pm
I

I Wear Pants

Senior Member

16,223 posts
Jan 3, 2012 4:05 PM
What are you using it for?
Jan 3, 2012 4:05pm
thePITman's avatar

thePITman

Senior Member

3,867 posts
Jan 3, 2012 4:11 PM
I Wear Pants;1037048 wrote:What are you using it for?
Athletic events, home videos, catching random things that I see and posting them to my YouTube account, etc.
Jan 3, 2012 4:11pm
1_beast's avatar

1_beast

Senior Member

5,642 posts
Jan 3, 2012 4:25 PM
thePITman;1037055 wrote:Athletic events, home porn videos, catching random things that I see and posting them to my YouTube account, etc.
fify
Jan 3, 2012 4:25pm
thePITman's avatar

thePITman

Senior Member

3,867 posts
Jan 3, 2012 4:27 PM
1_beast;1037074 wrote:fify
That's why it needs to be in HD!
Jan 3, 2012 4:27pm
thePITman's avatar

thePITman

Senior Member

3,867 posts
Jan 4, 2012 5:19 PM
I sent an email to some co-workers asking their opinion. One just stopped by on his way out, and emphatically said he's used many Canons in the past - cameras, camcorders, etc - and he has loved all of them and would recommend them.
Jan 4, 2012 5:19pm
Laley23's avatar

Laley23

GOAT

29,506 posts
Jan 4, 2012 5:29 PM
Love Cannons and if your just using them for that type of thing...aka not professional shooting or anything that requires long range shooting and lots of focusing (which auto-focus usually fucks up when it has to do a lot) I would suggest the Cannon.
Jan 4, 2012 5:29pm
S

Steel Valley Football

Senior Member

4,548 posts
Jan 4, 2012 11:21 PM
Can't go wrong with the Canny!
Jan 4, 2012 11:21pm
thePITman's avatar

thePITman

Senior Member

3,867 posts
Jan 5, 2012 4:50 PM
A co-worker that's REALLY big on video, audio, speakers, cameras, radios, and all that stuff, got back to my solicitation for advice. He recommended the Canon for how I'll be using it. He also sent me a link to the CamcorderInfo.com review for the Canon. It was very good! And the neat part was that for the quantifiable results, they charted it compared to the exact Panasonic model I'm considering, and 2 others (including a Sony).

Canon Review: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Canon-HF-M40-Camcorder-Review.htm
Panasonic Review: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-HDC-TM90-Camcorder-Review.htm

Judging by that site, which was very thorough, it looks like Canon is just as good of a camera, and ranked higher, even at the cheaper price.

Finally I got the technical proof to go along with all the personal recommendations for the Canon (I really wanted both)... so I'm definitely leaning that way now.
Jan 5, 2012 4:50pm