So I decided to get the Panasonic SDR-S150

After going back and forth deciding between the Canon HF100 and the Panasonic SDR-S150, I decided to get the Panny.  After reading numerous reviews, I went with the Panny for it’s size and even though the video is not HD, it is still pretty good.  I got the camera yesterday and the only thing I was kind of worried about was the video quality from indoor shots.  With my previous Panasonic camera which was Mini-Dv, indoor video shots were dark and grainy, but with the SDR-S150, the video was pretty impressive for standard video.  The Panny is pretty small…small enough to fit in my cargo short pockets comfortably.  The camcorder really feels like it is well made and built to last and is really easy to use.   The biggest gripe I have about this camera is that I can’t connect via usb and take the pictures and videos off the SD card.  I have to plug in the AC Adapter even with a charged battery in it!!  That is kind of ridiculous.  It’s not that big of a deal since I can just use a card reader, but it’s a pretty crappy design flaw.  The only other annoying thing I could find was that the camcorder records in a .MOD file format which no programs will recognize except the software that comes with the camera.  All you have to do is change the file extension to .MPG and you are good to go.  After that, you can edit in Windows Movie Maker or any other program.  Why didn’t Panasonic just use the .MPG extension instead to make it a little more user friendly?  Oh well…the camera was definitely worth the $350 purchase price from Amazon.  I will post some video I have taken with the camcorder after my vacation to Houston to give you guys some examples in a week or so. 

Panasonic SDR-S150 at Amazon for $350