Summary: My YouTube Camera

Comment: I bought this camera at BestBuy when I found out what YouTube was all
about. Economical, compact, and had the software for editing and uploading. So far, I've done 5 videos, they're all on the website, and I'm
happy with the results. I probably would have liked a move around mic, but I've no complaint with the sound as it is. Surprisingly tiny for the
things it does. Battery business is just fine for my varieties of nonsense. It should be remembered that this came out for the YouTube
generation, and it fits this niche very well.

Summary: Very disappointing

Comment: After seeing mixed reviews on this product (Panasonic SDR-S7 Flash Memory Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom), we decided to try it anyway. Only took a minute or so of video before the camera got so hot you couldn't hold it in your hand. We let it cool off and tried again. Same thing. We took the memory card out and plugged it into the computer to view the result. The images were broken up and jerky. We sent this camera back for a refund -- it was utterly useless. We really expected better from Panasonic.

Summary: Can't beat the size, quality is acceptable

Comment: 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

Summary: Panasonic SDR-S7 vs Canon FS100

Comment: 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.

Summary: Disappointing Video Quality

Comment: 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.