[tuco]

The reasons for disappointment with the Xacti are:

The buttons to start and stop the camera require so much force that it's impossible to avoid camera shake. This is frustrating and especially so with attempting to use the high resolution still image capability of the camera.

I really don't see how camera shake is an issue turning off/on the camera. You should always have a leader and trailing footage of your scene so you can edit transitions. The shake of turning off/on won't be in your shot final edit.

[RobG]

I really don't see how camera shake is an issue turning off/on the camera. You should always have a leader and trailing footage of your scene so you can edit transitions. The shake of turning off/on won't be in your shot final edit.

I've edited this response after some work on the problem today.

The tools provided with the camera only allow you to make a simple DVD with very minor editing ability. You can remove the jump at the beginning and end of every clip. However, the supplied software doesn't have anything like the capabilities of Sony Movie Studio Platinum which I normally use. I appear to have a major issue in the form of Sony Movie Studio because it looks like the only plugin I can use for the AVCHD.264 codec is the built in one, and from what I understand, Sanyo have their own proprietary version of H.264. It also looks like only the bundled software may be able to use the Sanyo codec, and the codec doesn't seem to be loaded for other software to use like for example the Fraunhofer MP3 codec is.

I wouldn't even mind so much if you could save the simple edited clips as a file but the only option is to burn them to disk directly.

It's just not a comfortable arrangement using your thumb to start and stop the video with a button on the top right hand side of the back of the camera. A trigger on the front would have made a lot more sense given the "pistol grip" arrangement for holding it. None of the buttons on the camera are easy to operate.

Thus far, I haven't been able to record any video with the camera that I am particularly happy with unless it's viewed on a non-HD TV where the poor resolution and poor encoding is hidden by the poor resolution and interlacing of the TV. I have finally spent another $50 to buy an HDMI cable to connect the camera to the HDTV, and the picture through HDMI is far better than I could get previously using composite video. It appears that the camera's composite video output is poorly scaled. At this point it appears that the only way to get the camera's proper resolution is to play back from the camera itself through HDMI or to make a DVD (or, I hope, blu-ray disk) using the bundled software. I'll do a bit more research on the Sony forums to find out if anyone has figured out a way to get decent quality output from the Sanyo H.264 video.

[RobG]

I really don't see how camera shake is an issue turning off/on the camera. You should always have a leader and trailing footage of your scene so you can edit transitions. The shake of turning off/on won't be in your shot final edit.

Here's a clip from the Sanyo Xacti which I uploaded to Vimeo. I converted it to AVCHD format first. The camera records in H.264. This short clip is not a demonstration of good camera work. But it demonstrates how useless the camer's stabilisation is, and how awful the quality of the video is. It's supposedly full HD, but frankly it's rubbish.

Vimeo

[RobG]

Jogiba, do you have the Panasonic 700 series camcorder? I can see you're a fan of it, but do you have one?

[jogiba]

Jogiba, do you have the Panasonic 700 series camcorder? I can see you're a fan of it, but do you have one?

Yes, I thought you would have already made the connection of my user name here and on youtube and my real name on Vimeo.

Vimeo

Scanning the barcode from my TM700:
[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeVAjrrTgHg[/YT]

[RobG]

Scanning the barcode from my TM700

Do you think there's any significant advantage to the TM700 having internal memory as opposed to the SD700?

[jogiba]

I might have purchased the SD700 if it was available in the US and at least $100 cheaper than the TM700 but I do like the TM700 since I could have it make a 1080i60 copy of my 1080p60 video and write it to my SDHC card.

[jogiba]

I have the Panasonic DMC-GH2 ordered and it has the best quality HD video of any DSLR today. Here is a GH2 test clip:
[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hGB25jJoNs[/YT]

Vimeo

Vimeo

[RobG]

I have the Panasonic DMC-GH2 ordered and it has the best quality HD video of any DSLR today. Here is a GH2 test clip:

Thanks, but I don't really want to get yet another DSLR. Is the GH2 able to zoom and focus at the same time- the reviews I read didn't make it clear? Is it able to focus while shooting video? The latter is a major drawback of the K7 in video mode. Manual focus using the live view is too hard, and AF isn't possible unless you stop recording. That severely restricts what you can do in video.

[jogiba]

The video Summer Morning was shot with the 14-140mm that has AF & AE in video mode.
Digital Interchangeable Lenses | PRODUCTS | LUMIX | Digital Camera | Panasonic Global

•MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) - Panasonic's advanced hand-shake correction technology
•4 aspherical lenses and 2 ED lenses for superb optical performance
•An inner focus direct-drive linear motor for focusing, which enables smooth, silent operation of its fast and accurate Contrast AF system
•Continuous AF/AE function that supports for both photos and movies
•Circular aperture diaphragm
•Multi-coated lens elements minimize ghosts and flare
•Durable metal mount