Panasonic SDR-S7 Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Black)

I got the cheaper (silver) model here on Amazon about a week ago, and am mostly pleased.

In my opinion, the real competition for this camcorder are not the Canon FS100 or similar flash-based mainstream camcorders, but rather the "Flipcams," Aiptek handhelds, etc. Compared to any of those that I've tried, the quality is much better, and the size is still miniscule.

That said, the quality is slightly worse than the 3+ year old MiniDV camera it's replacing... but at 1/4 the size, and entirely flash based, it's MUCH more convenient, very much a "go anywhere" pocket camera.

Key reasons to get this:
- size and portability, a "go anywhere" portable camcorder
- convenience and low cost of flash memory

Key reasons not to get this:
- want a more general-purpose camcorder
- want a useful still picture resolution (VGA-resoltion stills are useless.)

Other Pluses:
- good zoom range

Mixed bag:
- decent video quality
- good range of controls, but not the easiest to handle through the menu

Minuses:
- so-so low light performance
- electronic rather than optical image stabilization

I only feel obliged to write this because I have owned both camcorders. I bought the Panasonic at Wal-Mart the 1st of August. I wanted to tape my sons football games with it. The first couple of weeks I tried it ou and it seemed to do OK. Even though the MOD files could not be recognized by my computer the supplied software, while basic, did transfer them from the camera into the computer as mpg files that it would recognize. I successfully created a DVD using Roxio 10. As I used it more I noticed how bad the video was (I guess the newness wore off). The background in shots looked extremely soft and fuzzy. Anything that was close (10 to 15 feet) or if you zoomed way in was OK. When I was really disappointed was when I tried taping my sons first football game. I used it in conjunction with the video mode on my Fuji camera. I just put the panasonic on a tripod and did not zoom in far so I could capture the whole play with out moving the camera. I was not expecting to see good detail doing this but what I got turned my stomach. It was so fuzzy and the color was so bad that I could not tell one team from the other. there was no way I could have ever read a jersey number. Even being able to sort the players by teams would have helped but the video was useless. Luckily I had a few days to still take it back. I paid $299 for it at Wal-Mart. I decided to go with the Canon FS100 ($399 at Wal-Mart but I got mine through amazon for $315). It is a SD Card based camera just like the Panasonic. The Panasonic is the smallest camcorder I have ever seen, so it is handy to have if the video quality is not an issue. The FS100 is about twice the size but fits more comfortably in larger hands (still smaller than a pop can). It feels more solid. When I saw the video I knew I had made the right choice. it records in MOD format also. Unfortunately the software that came with it would not load on my computer. I have heard that the software is not worth much any way. I had WINAMP on my computer which converted them. I have read that you can just change the file name from *.MOD to *.MPG but I have not tried that yet. I had video from the Panasonic on my computer still so i duplicated those shots using the CANON and made another DVD alternating Panasonic,Canon,Panasonic,etc. The difference was unbelievable. If you want a small camcorder for goofing off with friends the Panasonic might fit the bill. If you would actually like to be able to go back and enjoy the videos, produce good DVDs and use the videos as a learning tool, choose the CANON FS100. By the way - I just started buying stuff from Amazon and they are wonderful. I ordered the camcorder on Monday about midnight and I was playing with it by noon on wednesday.

I recently purchased this product from best buy (yesterday) and will be returning it today. The picture quality is just too bad to justify the $300 dollar price tag. It does have positive attributes such as size, portability and ease of use. The problem is my digital camera (still) takes the same if not better quality video as the SDR-S7. It's too bad because the positives would have made this a great camera if not for the YouTube like video quality.

I was looking for a camcorder to capture memories of our kids. I'm pretty cheap and not a video snob. That being said, I wanted a camcorder that wouldn't break the bank and one that I wouldn't be afraid to take out of the house. I purchased it from Best Buy only because I needed it right away, it was on sale for the same price as here. I brought the camcorder home and charged the battery and started shooting. Played it back on 42' DLP HD TV and the picture quality, while certainly not HD, was just a good if not slightly better than our old Sony HI8 camcorder, and this was SP video setting (medium). I tried some recording using XP setting (highest quality) and didn't notice enough of a difference to sacrifice half of the recording time. Dark settings do not record well, I think there is a night setting but haven't explored that yet. The 40 minute life of the battery isn't anything for Panosonic to brag about but for my needs, multiple 1 to 2 minute clips and occasional longer ones, its longer than you think. I found many websites that sell the battery for as little as $11.00 and ac/dc chargers for $20.00, a very affordable solution in my opinion. Now the ultimate test, will it work with my macbook? Yes. Sold. I just pluged it in and iphoto grabbed the still pics and imovie grabbed the vids. I have a new macbook w/ intel processor and iMovie '08, I understand older versions will not work. To sum it up, Affordable price, good video quality, compact and lightweight, and not afraid to take it anywhere. It is just what I was looking for.

We're days away from the birth of our first child, and we wanted something to be able to capture some quick video... it's (of course) not an HD camera, but the quality is fine for viewing on the computer screen or a standard def TV. The size is great, the price is right.

As has been said, the battery life is listed at 40 minutes, though I haven't tested that, that's real world use (through starting and stopping, etc.), it should last longer than an hour of continuous shooting. I also bought an off brand replacement battery along with it for $12.

The 3 main requirements I had were small size, low price, and records to flash (Because I knew I'd never use the camera if I had to keep up with tapes, and I didn't trust the performance of DVDs or the longevity of hard drive). If you're willing to accept a slightly lower quality for those things, then this should fit the bill perfectly.