Camcorders: Panasonic SDR-H200 or Sony DCR-SR200?
Panasonic SDR-H200 or Sony DCR-SR200?
by geekwanttobe - 5/6/07 5:56 PMMy wife and I are expecting our first child. I have been looking at camcorders for a few weeks and haven't been able to decide between these two models. The Panasonic has three 1/6" CCD's - the Sony has one 1/3" CMOS. Price is very similar for the two models and the fact that the Sony has 10GB more is not really a factor (30GB is plenty of space for my needs). One turn off for me is the Sony has a LCD touch screen menu that seems to asking for warranty trouble down the road (the Panasonic uses a joystick menu). If anyone has any input about the video quality of the two different technologies (3 CCD vs 1 CMOS) I'd love to hear from you.
are touch screens supposed to be bad?
by boya84 - 5/7/07 1:30 PM In reply to: Panasonic SDR-H200 or Sony DCR-SR200? by geekwanttobeI've been using my HDR-HC1 for about a year, and it works great... and I regularly jump into the manual controls (which means using the touch screen) for aperture, switching from hidef to standard def, manual audio, shutter speed, etc...
RE: are touch screens supposed to be bad?
by geekwanttobe - 5/7/07 1:41 PM In reply to: are touch screens supposed to be bad? by boya84I don't know if touch screens are supposed to be bad. All I am saying is the LCD is probably the second most expensive item on a camcorder (behind the sensor) and I didn't know it could withstand the wear and tear of people constantly pushing on it.
Here are some things...
by whizkid454 - 5/7/07 2:11 PM In reply to: RE: are touch screens supposed to be bad? by geekwanttobeThe two sensor configurations (3 smaller CCDs or 1 larger CMOS) have their pros and cons as does every other thing you compare in the world practically.
A single large sensor will provide better low-light quality provided that the manufacturer does not try to cram too many pixels onto this chip. Cramming too many pixels onto the same area means that each individual pixel is not able to take in as much light as if it were if it was larger. The smaller each pixel size is, the less light can enter. The less light that enters, the worse the video quality in low light situations. After this being said, the next thing you should look at after the sensor size is the amount of effective pixels used on the chip. Fewer, larger pixels will create better low-light situations but will suffer when you are trying to capture crisp details whereas many, smaller pixels will not do well in low-light but will excel in capturing fine detail.
A three sensor arrangement will give better color representation and most likely a better picture overall. Because each sensor is assigned its own job of capturing each color separately (red, green, blue) colors appear richer and create a nice image. With this configuration however, it normally does not perform well in low-light situations. Again, look at both the sensor size and the effective pixels.
Hope this helped... 
P.S. about touch screens: I have a Sony DCR-SR100 camcorder (the last year's model from the SR200) and I enjoy using a touchscreen. Fingerprints are no problem as what some people say. The screens are actually quite durable. They use a couple layers of protection so you can't *accidentally* scratch or crack it. Another tidbit, the sensor and its associated parts account for about 40% of the cost of the entire camcorder. LCD, around 15%. Body, 30%. Labor/other, 15% 
.
Panasonic SDR - H200
by eshurtle - 5/8/07 7:07 AM In reply to: Panasonic SDR-H200 or Sony DCR-SR200? by geekwanttobeI too have been looking over the panasonic SDR-H200 and can't find any solid reviews on it yet. However the one thing that has me leaning towards the Panasonic is its ability to record video on SD media instead of just for pictures only (Sony).
The only thing that is stopping me is the "low light" performance. It is not known how it functions under low light conditions. Anxiously awaiting for a review either at cnet or another website or if someone can offer up information on it.
I am in the same spot...maybe we'll get a review soon
by nperdue - 5/8/07 12:31 PM In reply to: Panasonic SDR - H200 by eshurtleI too have decided that it is between these two models. I like the OIS in the Panasonic and the ability to use the SD card. I like the night vision and the ability to take a picture without stopping filming (and a few of the other settings for sports etc.) of the Sony. One person, whose opinon I value highly, suggested the Panasonic...but its a close call.
low light performance
by andriy - 5/14/07 9:35 AM In reply to: I am in the same spot...maybe we'll get a review soon by nperdueI bought SONY DCR-SR200 on March 13th...after exploring all the options I found a solution to poor low-light performance that some are complaining about. All you have to do is set the camera to Twilight setting when filming in low light both indoors or outdoors...
Bought the H200
by nperdue - 5/14/07 5:50 PM In reply to: I am in the same spot...maybe we'll get a review soon by nperdueAfter going back to stores and messing around with both the DCR-sr200, and the SDR-H200, I decided to go with the H200...the size and layout seemed to fit my hand much better. I got it today and have recorded several demos in all three quality settings and have messed around with making a movie from several clips using the included software.
So far, I am really pleased with my choice and think that it will be a great camera for me to travel with.
Update
by geekwanttobe - 5/15/07 3:34 PM In reply to: Bought the H200 by nperdueBaby is due any day now so I was getting impulsive. I was still very indecisive between the two models, but in the end I bought the Sony DCR-SR200. I've played around with it the last few days I am happy with the camera. I never used the Panasonic so I am not going to say the Sony is better. None of the comments in the forum swayed me one way or the other, so I just went with my gut. Baby is still not here - I'm glad I didn't pay for the expedited shipping. Still hope to see the reviews.
In the same boat...
by CouchFisher - 5/20/07 7:46 AM In reply to: Update by geekwanttobeCongrats on the new baby. My wife is due in September and she is already getting on my case about making up my mind and purchasing a camcorder.
I've been debating between the the Sony and Panasonic models as well. I really want the remote microphone capability of the Sony but I also like the SD Memory card option of the Panasonic. How do you like your Sony model? With the limited 10x optical zoom do you find it powerful enough to record something that is over 100' away? Thinking ahead to the evenings of dim lighted school auditoriums I want the flexibility to do so. I see that Sony also has a model with 100GB drive for more recording space. Are the hard disks replaceable without sending the device to a Sony repair facility? It would be nice to upgrade either model in the future. How's battery life? Sony has always been the front runner in technology but the catch tends to be the price, proprietary formats, and frequent release of newer and better models. Do you have any regrets or advice now that you have had a chance to play with the new toy?
Thanks!
RE: In the same boat...
by geekwanttobe - 5/20/07 8:32 AM In reply to: In the same boat... by CouchFisherI happy with my Purchase. Yesterday I had a valid excuse to use the camera - my wife's nephew had his 5th birthday and his parents organized an Steve Irwin type guy to come to the house with animals. I recorded for 45 and still showed battery life of 80 minutes. The owner's manual does state if you constantly stop and start recording you will not get the maximum battery life. The picture quality is pretty good - I do not own a high def television and my wife and I agreed that we wanted to be able to record memories (we're not filming documentaries!). The 10x zoom seems adequate - there seems to be a trade-off in the camcorder market. If you buy a lessor sensor on the HDD camcorder you get higher zoom capability. On the high optical zoom cameras you need a tripod to record or the picture would be too shaky (even with image stabilization). I too had a issue with memory card for the Sony since I do not own any memory sticks (I do own a few SD memory cards). This concern was negated by the fact that you can record pictures right to the hard drive - so I do not plan on buying an Sony memory stick. As far as the lighting the Sony is supposed to have superior dim lighting picture quality (this is one of the reason's I bought the camera. The hard disks are not replaceable to my knowledge, but when is someone going to record 7+ hours (at the highest video quality setting) and not have a chance to dump it to a computer. For me the 40GB was plenty of space. So no, I have no regrets as of right now. I know the high def camcorders are going to come down in price, but I needed a camcorder now and was not willing to pay for it. Hope this was helpful.
I just got the Panasonic SDR H200
by shelby4321 - 5/15/07 12:46 PM In reply to: Panasonic SDR - H200 by eshurtleI'm not at all tech-savvy, but here's my first impression and then a question for the Forum experts ....
Comment about the H200 -- I took my first video using the H200 inside an indoor pool with fluorescent lighting. Setting was automatic and Recording mode was SP (normal, 13.5 hours of video on 30 GB). Quality of video as seen on my regular TV -- terrible. I realize fluorescent lighting has an adverse effect. There are some controls/settings to optimize but none of those seemed to help. So I took another clip of my daughter, at night, under bright recessed lighting. Quality of video as seen on my TV -- better, but still a little worse than what I used to get with my mini DV tape-using camcorder, which I had to retire. The 3CCD, which is the reason why I bought the H200, does not seem to give me any advantage, as far as my eyes can see.
QUESTION FOR FORUM EXPERTS -- will switching the Recording mode to XP (highest quality, 7 hours of video on 30 GB) give me noticeably better quality, as seen a regular TV? Or would it be about the same as VCR settings where you really can't tell too much of a difference between SP and LP. Thanks in advance.
The problem in this situation is...
by whizkid454 - 5/15/07 1:04 PM In reply to: I just got the Panasonic SDR H200 by shelby4321The 3CCD sensor.
Here is a link you might want to take a look at. It's addressing another question, but the information applies here.
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7594_102-0.html?forumID=59&threadID=246477&messageID=2480668#2480668
The quality setting you are thinking about changing will not help the dark and grainy pictures much. BTW, the XP mode and SP mode look pretty similar on my DCR-SR100 when viewed on a 43" plasma TV.
Take the Panasonic
by mycalrp123 - 3/13/08 3:32 PM In reply to: Panasonic SDR-H200 or Sony DCR-SR200? by geekwanttobeI am not going to go into the details because of my time, but I researched camcorders a lot and exactly these two were my final showdown. I went with the Panasonic after hearing from people who had used both.
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