The SDR-H40's 42x optical zoom lens has the power you need to take dramatic closeups or get remarkable shots of even distant subjects. But with long-distance zoom shots, even a tiny bit of hand shake has a huge effect on picture quality. That's where Panasonic's Advanced Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) comes in, suppressing the effects of hand shake as you shoot. The system uses gyrosensors to detect hand shake, then shifts a lens and adjusts the optical axis to compensate. This all happens a remarkable 4,000 times per second. And because the system is optical, no image quality is lost. Thanks to Advanced O.I.S., the images you capture look incredibly clear, sharp and blur-free even at high zoom levels.
The SDR-H40's 40GB internal hard disk drive lets you record continuously for up to 36 hours (in LP mode) without changing a disc, tape or other recording media.
Panasonic's Anti-Shock Shield helps protect recorded video data from damage due to jolts and impact. The Drop Detect function senses if the camera is falling and moves the head away from the hard disk. The Floating Structure protects the hard disk should the camera fall or be dropped. And the Buffer Memory automatically backs up data while the camera is falling.
This hard disk drive camcorder has a USB Host function, which lets you connect directly to a DVD burner (sold seperately) via a USB cable. You can then copy recordings from the hard disk to a DVD disc by simply pressing a button.
You can transfer the motion-image data from the SD card or the camcorder's hard drive right to your PC using your PC's USB port. Then with the included VideoCam Suite 1.0 software, you can easily put scenes in a different order and delete the ones you don't want. When you're finished with your video production, you can resave the edited version onto an SD memory card and a DVD disc.
Specifications:
| MEDIA | . |
| Records Onto | SD/SDHC Memory Card, Hard Disk Drive |
| Recording Format | MPEG2 (Motion Image) |
| LENS | |
| Image Sensor (Total) | 1/6" CCD (800K pixels) |
| Image Sensor (Effective) | 4:3 -- 290K, 16:9 -- 380K (Motion Image/Still Picture) |
| F Value | F1.9 (Wide) / F4.3 (Tele) |
| Optical Zoom | 42x Variable Speed Zoom |
| Focal Length | 1.8 - 75.6 mm |
| Filter Diameter | - |
| 35mm Film Camera Equivalent | 40.9-1718 mm [4:3], 33.4-1403 mm [16:9][Motion Image], 40.7-1710 mm [4:3]/33.2-1393 mm [16:9][Still Picture] |
| Lens Type | Panasonic |
| CAMERA | |
| 3CCD Camera System | No |
| Image Stabilizer | Yes (Advanced O.I.S.) |
| Still Picture Recording | VGA |
| Minimum Illumination | 2 Lux (Magic Pix) |
| Focus | AF/Manual |
| White Balance | Auto/Indoor/Outdoor/White Set (with IR Sensor) |
| High Speed Shutter | 1/30-1/8000 (Motion Image)
1/30-1/500 (Still Picture) |
| Iris | Auto/Manual |
| Backlight Compensation | Yes |
| LCD Monitor | 2.7" Wide (123,200 Dots) |
| Power LCD | Yes(Plus) |
| Pure Color Engine | Yes |
| Soft-Skin Mode | Yes |
| Easy-to-Use Mode Dial | Yes |
| MagicPix Images | Yes |
| Microphone | Stereo Zoom Mic
Wind Noise Reduction |
| Date Recording | Auto Date (in Date Code) |
| Fade in/out | Yes |
| On-Screen Display Language | English / Canadian French / Spanish |
| Digital Zoom | 42x-2000x |
| Quick Start | 2.1 seconds |
| RECORDING & PLAYBACK | |
| Cue and Review | No |
| Skip | No |
| Video Recording Format | MPEG2 (Moving Picture) |
| Recording Mode | XP (10 Mbps/VBR), SP (5 Mbps/VBR), LP (2.5Mbps/VBR) |
| Playback Mode | XP (10Mbps/VBR), SP (5Mbps/VBR), LP (2.5Mbps/VBR) |
| Audio Recording Format | Dolby Digital (2ch)/MPEG1 Audio Layer2 |
| Recording Time | HDD: 40GB: XP(9h)/SP(18h)/LP(36h), SDHC: 16GB: (up to 13h 20mins in LP)/8GB: (up to 6h 40mins in LP)/4GB: (up to 3h 20mins in LP), SD: 2GB: XP(25mins)/SP(50mins)/LP(1h 40mins), 1GB: XP(12mins)/SP(25mins)/LP(50mins) |
| Still Picture | JPEG Picture Size:
0.3 MEGA: 640 x 480 (4:3)
0.2 MEGA: 640 x 360 (16:9) |
| Still Picture Recording Number | SDHC: 8GB(640 x 480/640 x 360): 55260 High, 99999 Normal, 4GB(640 x 480/640 x 360): 27150 High, 54290 Normal
SD: 2GB(640 x 480/640 x 360): 13820 High, 27640 Normal, 1GB(640 x 480/640 x 360): 6790 High, 13580 Normal |
| Counter | Yes |
| Wind Noise Reduction | Yes |
| Remaining Indication | Yes |
| Pre-Rec Function | No |
| One-Touch Navigation | Yes |
| Help Mode | Yes |
| Disc Copy Function | Yes (when using a DVD Burner (VW-BN1), data from SD Memory Card can be copied to a 12-cm DVD Disc) |
| USB Host Function | Yes |
| SD CARD FEATURES | . |
| Built-in SD Slot | Yes (SD/SDHC) |
| DPOF | Max. 999 stills |
| PictBridge Compatible | Yes |
| JACKS | . |
| S-Video Out | No |
| USB | Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0)(mini AB) |
| Analog In/Out | Out only |
| Accessory Shoe | No |
| AV | Out |
| INCLUDED ACCESSORIES | . |
| AC Adaptor | Yes |
| Battery Pack | Lithium-Ion |
| Strap | No |
| AV Cable | Yes |
| USB Cable | Yes |
| IR Remote | No |
| SD Memory Card | No |
| Lens Cap | Built-in lens cover |
| Software | VideoCam Suite 1.0 |
| Other Cables | AC/DC Cables |
| GENERAL | . |
| Power Supply | DC 7.2/9.3 V |
| Power Consumption | 4.0W |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 2.76'' x 2.64'' x 4.57'' |
| Weight | 0.75 lbs |
