Review on Panasonic SDR-H85S Standard-Definition Camcorder with 78X Zoom, 80GB HDD - Silver (Discontinued by Manufacturer) by Patrick Hamman

This camcorder is great for the price, it's very small (almost shocking) and easy to use. The hard drive option is great and gives you 18 hours of video if you go that long without uploading a video. The main functions (power on, record/playback and zoom) are nice and easy to use. The software and video upload is also very easy. All other functions are tedious, as accessing this function requires navigating through a long menu (e.g. manual exposure/focus, disabling anti-shake functions, etc.). This brings me to the video quality. I wasn't impressed at all with the quality of the video. Even in good light it's very poor, especially compared to the $100 non-HD Tachyon XC micro helmet cam I bought at the same time. If I have time I can add a video review. In low light, i.e. indoors, it is particularly bad. The old Sony Hi-8 has exceptional video quality in comparison. Another factor is the sound quality. Even compared to older cameras, the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired at best. If you're going to film a high school band or choral concert, make sure they have a lousy ensemble or choir or they'll curse you for filming them with such poor sound quality (this was the result of my Panasonic tests). SDR-H85K). Final conclusion, I have returned the camera for a refund and am currently looking for another one. Too bad my tachyon doesn't have a zoom, that's my only hope that digital cameras aren't any worse than their old counterparts.