Customer Reviews
This is the one 
2008-02-26
I've had this unit 1 month & can not be more pleased..It was a replacement for a pana pv-dv953 digital cam that I really liked until it decided to die on me and it was a little bit on the big.heavy side, but I was very pleased with its performance..this 3ccd hard drive cam is incredible for my uses so far..the fit/weight/ergonomics are very very good..my wife (who never touched the pv-dv953) has even shot some footage with this unit & seems to have liked doing so..I didn't even have to instruct her on its use to much..I do agree with some of the reviews I've read that you need to take the time to read the owner's manual..you might be surprised @ what this beauty can do..Some reviews complained about having to remove battery and connect unit to outlet to playback on tv's or to download..I just have not found that to be a problem for me personally..Bottom line is I think anyone in the market for a hard drive/3ccd camcorder need look no further..this is the one....
Great video camera and still picture capability is an added bonus 2008-02-21
Great video camera. Looks HD like on my plasma tv. Pictures are ok. But being able to take them if needed is real nice. I personally think anything under 4.1 megapixel is a little grainy. The Sd card slot is a very nice for added storage. I put in the best 8gb card I could buy. I bought a type 6. I think there is 2, 4, and 6 for transfer rate. I have had this a few months and have only used a few times, but it works great.
Love this camera 
2008-02-13
I love this camera. It does very well with any kind of lighting. It also does well with motion, although you do have to set the device to allow it to do so. Even it's function as a digital camera is pretty solid. The software that comes with it is another story. It is not good, intuitive, or flexible. I'll be using something else.
I am SO PLEASED - and link to my video as example 2008-02-12
I purchased this camera in December, mainly for the purpose of capturing video of the bands we love. Most are performed in low lighting, so I researched this a lot. After reading tons of reviews, it boiled down to this camcorder or no camcorder (in my budget.)
It was easy to learn after reading the manual. I have no problem with the controls, or the software or charging it. I bought 2 extra batteries and they charge in a snap.
Features I love - the light. It's amazingly bright.. in fact, if you are too close to the performers, it might create a little glare on their faces..so I am going to try putting a little piece of tissue paper over the light next time..but it's so nice to have it! It's really quite powerful and I would say enhances things as far as 20 feet away.
The color- even in dim settings - nice bright color. The darker it gets - little - to- no graininess, no greenish, orangish hues. (Don't use the "gain" setting) for the money, it's great. Do some people expect the camcorder to make the room look even brighter than it was?
The anti shake! Wow. The video I'm going to point you to (on Google Video- search for Caroline's Jazz drum solo) is a fantastic example. People in the room in this old building were stomping their feet - and the wooden floor was shaking. I had the camcorder on a tripod on a table, and I could SEE the shaking in the view finder..this was going to be the ultimate test. But you can not see it in the video... great!
The sound captured is excellent. The files come off into the included software and you save them automatically as MPEG2. Then I pull up my NERO program and edit and save again as whatever I want.
My side-to-side pan in that Google video is shaky, but I had the wrong type of tripod. I now ordered the SLIK Camcorder tripod from Amazon, and it's smooth as silk.
[...]
Good videos, mediocre photos 2008-01-31
We originally purchased the SDR-H18, but then we realized that the still photos on the H18 are very low resolution, so we traded up to the SDR-H200. Turns out that the still photos still aren't all that great in quality. Nowhere near the quality of our dedicated compact digital camera. And there is no flash for still photos. So don't get this model thinking that you'll be able to carry only this camera and get good video AND photos in one package.
But the video is good quality and the camera is pretty easy to use.
Good for the price paid 2008-06-30
Have owned SDR-H200 for about 8 months.
Pros: Decent price, good video quality in well-lit areas, no tape, digital recording.
Cons: poor low light video quality - not unusable, but noticeably grainy picture. Cannot get widescreen mode to work. Video clips are coming in as 4:3. Supplied software leaves a lot to be desired.
recommended.
Great 2008-04-19
I had it for about three months. No problems what so ever. I just don't like the fact that I need to connect it to a power plug as opoosed to running it on battery when transferring files to the computer.
Great Camcorder! 2008-03-30
Very easy to use, very good video quality, plenty of manual controls.
Handling is pretty good, just weird to have the battery coming out so much, especially when using the larger capacity batt... but does not interfere with the controls.
Joystick is very precise, zoom is sensitive to your touch and will go fast or slow as needed.
Not so great on dimmed light, but video light will help, however with some noise in the pic.
Compact, light, very easy to transfer data to pc and edit or burn. Heard issues with mod. files... I use cyberlink power director and everything is smooth (the enclosed software is ok).
The Panasonic SDR-H200 is awesome ! 2008-03-21
The panasonic SDR-H200 has met & exceeded all my expectations.
I did a lot of research, and read many reviews. In the beginning, I fully expected to go with a JVC or Sony camcorder, but found the Panasonic SDR-H200 blew them away! The SDR-H200 is the bast value hands down: Color, picture quality, features, ease of use. Panasonic uses the same 3 CCD technology in the SDR-H200 camcorder that is used in the really pricey $1,500+ camcorders.
I bought this camcorder ahead of a recent trip to Hawaii, and it met & exceeded all my expectations. They say not to plan for good still pictures from a camcorder, but I found this panasonic camcorder takes great still pictures, in addition to awesome video. Made a great second still camera for our trip.
This camera has a ton of features to satisfy the video aficionado. I learn something new every time I use it.
I got great battery life, 3+ hours between charges, as long as you keep the view screen light level turned down to a reasonable light level. Even at the low light level the view is really good.
The remote works great for running the camera while taking couple shots on a tripod, or reviewing footage with a TV.
Thanks to the folks who provided recommendations in this forum on manipulating the files. I'm learning the best ways/software to manipulate my files.
I've bought a lot of books through Amazon.com, but this was the first time for electronics. Worked out great! Great price, turn around, convenience, review info.
Great little camera 2008-03-13
I love this little camcorder. I am very pleased with the size and the ease of use. Picture quality is great as long as you don't use the RCA cables. Indoor quality with marginal lighting is so-so but I can't say that I have ever seen a camcorder that works really well in low light. Once complaint that I do have is that the camera does not have a very wide field of view. Other than that, I love it.
