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Panasonic SDR-S26 SD Camcorder (Black)
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| Panasonic SDR-S26 SD Camcorder (Black) |
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Product Description |
| SDR-S26-K black SD camcorder |
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Product Details |
- 1CCD camera system
- Records to SD/SDHC memory cards
- 70x optical zoom; 100x digital zoom
- Intelligent Auto Mode automatically selects Face Detection, Scene Selector, Optical Image Stabilizer and Intelligent Contrast Control
- 2.7-inch widescreen touch-panel LCD
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Video Reviews |
 No video reviews found for this product.
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Customer Reviews |
 Don't Be Confused, O.I.S. vs. E.I.S., and Camcorder Movement! |
| Review Date: June 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: C. Strauff, Ithaca, NY |
This Panasonic SDR-S26 camcorder is by far the best you can buy for the price, and is rated best camcorder of 2009 CES!
I have owned a few others and none of them had true O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) and I assure you that this one does. My others had E.I.S. (Electronic Image Stabilization) and believe me there is a big difference. I have noticed a few other reviews on this camcorder, and some say the image stabilization works great out to 20x and good to 40x 70x is still tripod territory. That's good advise as a tripod will assist in producing great videos with virtually no camcorder movement. Please don't be confused between the O.I.S and plain old camcorder movement, with camcorder movement at 70x optical zoom the object that you are looking at may move somewhat due to arm and body movement, BUT notice with O.I.S. the image remains clear and crisp, with great detail, even with some hand shakiness. With E.I.S camcorders, which usually have less zoom capabilities, approx. 40x optical zoom, you'd notice while zoomed out, not only is there camcorder movement BUT the image is also a bit blurry and has limited detail, due in part to hand shakiness. So don't be confused or fooled by plain camcorder movement or the difference between O.I.S vs. E.I.S, as Panasonic's SDR-S26 with O.I.S and 70x optical zoom will absolutely exceed your expectations, as did mine, and amaze you with a spectacular camcorder experience. I am an extremely satisfied owner of the Panasonic SDR-S26 Camcorder, and I know you will be also.
You can also search the WEB for the Panasonic sdr-s26 and view some of the you-tube video zoom tests that were performed by camcorder owners and see the quality of the O.I.S. and the 70x optical zoom for yourself.
P.S. Don't forget to pick up a SD/SDHC flash memory card (preferably a 16GB, priced around $40.00)and possibly an extra battery (part # B-9681, priced around $14.00) both at AMAZON.COM. |
Good decision
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| Review Date: July 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Richard L. Steiner, OREGON United States |
The Panasonic SDR-S26 SD Camcorder is a gem. I bought the thing for many reasons, but one draw for me was the effective anti-shake feature it has. That element smoothes out the video considerably. The camcorder also has an optical zoom that is rated at 70x. I find that to be a bit of overkill, but what the heck, it is about the most `zoomy' of any camcorder on the market today and it gives me bragging rights. The SDR-S26 has a host of manual settings for various light, subject and composition conditions, but the intelligent auto mode feature does a great job at figuring out how to set things no-hands needed.
The camcorder is all digital (no tape) and is capable of storing over 25 hours of video with a 32 GB SD memory card installed. I have been using an 8 GB card and that has provided enough capacity for me so far.
Although there is editing software (VideoCam Suite 2.0) included on a disk provided in the box, I have been transferring my pictures to my computer via an SD card reader in order to utilize my Adobe Premier Elements editing program.
There is no hurky and heavy battery hanging on the back of the Panasonic SDR-S26. The battery is small (like a cell phone battery) and located in an internal compartment. The battery life is purported to provide over an hour of continuous recording time. I doubt that is possible in ordinary and real situations, but the battery life is pretty good none-the-less. I would suggest carrying a spare battery when using the camcorder for documenting a major and lengthy event or when traveling away from an electrical outlet.
The unit has both video and still photo capacity. That is standard on most camcorders. However, the still pictures that it produces are not very good. The default picture size provides only 640x360 pixels and that resolution is wimpy. I didn't buy the camcorder to shoot still pictures, but it is nice to have that option occasionally.
I must admit that I am not a big fan of home video. I have had a couple of camcorders over the years and now have stacks of family oriented and travel video tape that I can't get anyone to watch even if a VCR is still around in working condition.
Be that as it may, I originally decided to buy one of those little `Flip' type video cameras just in case I found myself in a situation where recording the action was called for. After extensive research I discovered those popular miniature camcorders have some serious limitations that the Panasonic SDR-S26 did not have and it really wasn't that much larger in size. I wanted a small camera that I could easily carry around just in case I found an appropriate action scene that should be recorded. I found that both were small enough to fit in a pocket--shirt for one, pants or jacket for the other.
The SDR-S26 cost nearly twice as much as one of those pocket sized units, but I thought it was worth the extra money even if I probably won't use it every day.
When all was said and done, I decided to buy the Panasonic SDR-S26 instead of a Flip or the new Kodak ZX-1 because it did more than either, had that anti-shake feature, an extraordinary zoom and it was not all that much larger. It was a choice between buying a trendy toy or buying a `full function' camcorder. I went with the grownup version by Panasonic and do not regret it.
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Just what I needed...Very Happy...See my YouTube Video, too!!
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| Review Date: August 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: OrinK3, near Chicago |
You can't currently beat these features at this price-point. This Panasonic SDR-S26 camcorder represents my best effort to meet my needs at a price point I can afford. I shoot birding videos and was not happy with my tape/mini-dvd camcorders for several reasons. This 70x optical zoom is terrific on a good tripod. It makes all the difference when your subject is not close. This camcorder does have good stabilization, and facial recognition tracking, but you must have a tripod for best results with any zoom camera...especially one that offers 70x optical zoom. You won't find high optical zoom, HD video, and low price.
See my 7 minute video on You Tube. Do a search for "2009 Pileated Woodpecker Nest". Note the excellent sound. I specifically chose the SD card version of this camcorder over the hard disk choices to avoid mechanical noise interfering with the sound. You must spend big bucks to get an external microphone option and a good external microphone so that you can get away from the internal noises caused by internal hard drives, mini-DVD, and tape drives. This camcorder also offers manual focus assistance, a must-have when your auto-focus can't give you correct focus because other people, objects, or tree branches and leaves surround your true target.
Battery life with small camcorders is about one hour in the best quality standard video mode. Get extras. |
Panasonic SDR-26 SD Camcorder
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| Review Date: November 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Razzierb, Virginia |
I spent quite a bit of time shopping for a standard definition camcorder and landed on this Panasonic. I gave it five stars due to the ease of use, the incredible 70X Zoom,the optical stabilizer, and the price. If you've looked for a digital camcorder, you already know that there are lots of choices and tradeoffs in terms of features, format, and performance. I did read through the reviews on this camera and believe that some of the low ratings are coming from folks that expect a $200 digital camera to perform like a $1000 digital camera. No, the quality from this camera isn't up to what my $1000 Sony 8mm rig used to produce, but it is LIGHT YEARS ahead of my $110 Flip Video camera (not even comparable). Only negative I've noted thus far is short battery life (about an hour), which I mitigated by ordering a couple of batteries with charger off Ebay for less than $20 delivered. In addition to internet research, I did spend an hour or so at Best Buy trying out the various comparable Canons, Sonys, Panasonics, Samsungs and noted that the optical stabilizer on this Panasonic was more effective at eliminating camera shake during high zoom shots than many of the other brands.
Two to three years from now when I have a more powerful PC and when Canon / Panasonic and the others produce less expensive HD video cams with software and file formats that are easy to manage, I'll go that route. For now, $228 for this camera is a bargain.
UPDATE: 1. The SDR-26 is a nice snug fit inside a LowePro Rezo 50 camera bag / case that can be had from Amazon or Best Buy for less than $15. It fits best with the lens up and the hand strap moved to the bottom of the camera body. Tried lots of bags for this camera and this one was the best nice snug fit in a small package. No extra room in the camera compartment, but room for a spare battery and memory cards in the outer pouch. The bag is weather resistant, but the zipper for the camera compartment runs across the top of the bag. What were they thinking :-) ...
2. The supplied software enables a higher quality video than simply copying the files over and using Windows Media Player. I'm not sure why, but several mention other downloads that make Windows work better. Suspect I'll eventually buy Sony Vegas as many have recommended on this and other camcorders, but for now, the Panasonic software is OK since I'm not doing extensive editing.
3. Been using the camcorder in marginally lit natatoriums (indoor pools) to film swimming events. I'm using a monopod and leaving the camera on automatic and thus far, the videos have exceeded my expectations. Using the monopod, I'm able to be all the way across an Olympic 100 meter pool in the stands .. up high .. and can zoom in for super close ups on my kids. The 70X zoom and the optical stabilizer are the primary reasons I bought this camera and they really do work well. |
This Camcorder rocks
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| Review Date: April 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Randall Kesterson, Portland, OR USA |
| I'm not sure why the other guy had problems. I got mine today. I also bought a 16gb Class 6/SDHC card from Amazon for $35 and it worked right off the bat. All you have to do is format the SD disk and you're on your way. This camera is Sooooo simple to use. It's clear, crisp and really light weight. The manual is very easy to read and understand and pretty much covers everything you'll need. I haven't got much to compare it to because this is my first camcorder. But, I have to say, I sure like it. |
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Lots of Good information in your post, I bookmarked your site so I can visit again in the future, Cheers
Can anyone help? I just received my camera I wanted to record a football game, after everyplay I would pause it till the next play. When I reviewed it, put everyplay as a separate scene. It didn’t record like a movie. Do I have to keep it on the whole time??? Also battery life sucks I had to buy 3 batteries to record one football game. Am I doing something wrong?
This camera…
I HATE IT SO MUCH.
First Audio–Its horrible. I record shows, ranging from Folk to rock, to hardcore and beyond. It has such a small dynamic range its pathetic. Considering it was the sole purpose of getting it. SOO. if your a showgoer or concert junky this aint for you.
PICTURE– It is kinda grainy. I dont like how compressed it looks when transfered to my pc. AND… Recording simple 5 minute clips, bout 3 minutes in the recording ****’s up, the picture scrambles and skips or simply put: reminds me of digital satellite when a storm rolls through. gets all digitally and ruins the overall clip.
PERFECT SIZE, fits in the hand, and looks amazing. But i guess you cant read a book by its cover. Its whats on the inside that counts. and this one cant count past 1. 1 star on this cam.