Up until this camcorder I was recording off of the HDV format. With the emergence of Blue-Ray as the winner of the HD war, I decided to switch. After much research, I bought this model refurbished from Amazon Warehouse Deals. The first one arrived without a battery, so I returned it. The second one arrived in great condition (except for a tattered box) with all parts accounted for. This is my second transaction with Amazon Warehouse Deals for a refurbished product, and I think they offer great value if you can live with the fact that the box has been opened and may not be in the best of shape.

I only shoot family events (vacations, birthdays, etc.) but I wanted to make sure that all of our personal, memorable moments could be viewed for years to come in as best quality as affordably possible. So, along with this camcorder I also bought a Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blue-Ray DVD player, plus the Panasonic VW-BN1 DVD burner. I couldn't be happier with my choice for all three. Now I have a fairly simple process for taking family videos, saving them to disc, and playing them in the Blue-Ray format.

As others have mentioned, the HDC-SD5 takes outstanding video outside in bright light, but is not so great indoors, in low light situations. I was torn for quite some time between this one and the HDC-SD1, because the SD1 has quite a few features the SD5 doesn't, namely a microphone input jack, 5.1 Dolby sound instead of only stereo, 12X zoom instead of 10X, and larger image sensors for better low light performance (1/4" instead of 1/6"). One advantage of the SD5 over the SD1, though, is its resolution, with full HD output at 1920 X 1080 compared to 1440 X 1080 with the SD1. I am admittedly not sure how much difference this makes, or if this compensates for the smaller CCD sensors in the SD5. Regardless, what finally sold me on the SD5 was simply its compatibility with the VW-BN1 burner, which I believe from internet readings the SD1 does not have and which I consider to be about the greatest thing since night baseball. It is SO EASY now to transfer my recordings to a DVD-R disc in full Blue-Ray HD. Since they are unedited, they transfer "warts and all" but I don't usually edit my home videos anyway. Maybe some day I will, but for family footage I just never bothered with it. With the BW-BN1 burner about 40 minutes of recorded video only takes about 20 to 30 minutes and voila! My memories are stored on DVD. An amazing feature, in my book.

My only dislikes about the SD5 are no viewfinder, which is starting to be more and more common for small camcorders, and the quirky placement of the input jacks for the HDMI and the USB connection, which are beneath a panel under the hand strap; very awkward. You also have to put in a fake battery that is connected to the power cord for AC hook-up, which causes you to have to insert this fake battery in the battery slot on the BOTTOM of the camcorder, run the cord through the battery cover via a tiny slot in the cover in order to close the cover, in order to operate the camcorder, that lay in the house that Jack built. It won't turn on with the cover open. Really goofy, no? You also cannot utilize the USB via battery power (which also means you can't operate the VW-BN1 burner via battery power) so you have to go through this exercise every time you want to do anything with USB connectivity. Presumably this "USB via AC power only" rule is so you will not lose power during a file transfer, etc, so I can understand the rationale behind it, but the placement of the jacks and the AC hookup process really makes it a pain.

The SD card slot is also on the bottom, by the battery, so you have to open the battery cover every time you want to remove/replace it (you access card slot on the SD1 model via the flip-out LCD screen). The Panasonic Blue-Ray player I bought will read video right off of the card, so I find myself accessing it often, and it's also less than convenient.

As much as it may sound as though I am knocking this camcorder, I am very happy with the purchase and love shooting video with it, largely because I view it as part of my overall system (camcorder, burner, player). As mentioned before, the video quality is outstanding, but only so-so in low light. The sound is also excellent, despite the downgrade to stereo from 5.1. However, if the SD1 would work with the VW-BN1 burner, I would have gone that route. As a final comment, I will NEVER go back to mini tapes now that I have gotten used to the SD cards, which seem to be dropping in price almost every day.

Anyway, I hope this long-winded review helps you in your decision making, thanks for reading!

THIS VIDEO CAMERA IS THE BEST IVE EVER USED,TRUE BLU RAY HIGH DEF,BRIGHT COLOR AND CRISP PICTURE.I USE A 16GB SDHC CARD,YOU DO NEED A BLU RAY PLAYER FOR HD,BUT YOU CAN ALSO RECORD IN STANDARD 640X480 WHICH CAN BE WATCHED 0N ANY DVD PLAYER!GREAT VALUE UNDER $800.

I bought this camera after much research. My previous camera was a Sony. I needed a camera that was compatible with Apple. It has mostly worked well. However, some video has not and I've had to rely on PC in order to download my video. I find Panasonic's customer support to be a bit lacking. I also had a hard time finding another battery to purchase. Every site that carried them was out of stock. Thankfully one was sufficient. I love the fact that I can leave the camera on and as long as the LCD screen is closed the camera is off. When I open the screen it turns on. Great feature. I was disappointed not to have a neck strap. I love the DVD burner. That was one of the main selling points for me. Travels well. The video quality is great but I haven't had much time to play with video I have taken. Video is definitely a memory hog. Be prepared to have room.

The last camera I had has been collecting dust for years. Too boring to use on a regular basis. The Sony is officially retired. The colors, the definition, the ease of SD capture made it so easy. I have a new puppy and all of this recording in such great clarity has turned me back into a creative artist. And it's so easy to pop out the card and plug it into a reader, into my Mac and into iMovie or Final Cut.

I got a 16GB SDHC card on Amazon, so the prices are good on those as well. And I've shot over an hour at a time with still plenty of room. Great! Nice thing is that every start stop is it's own scene. Sure DV cameras did this before, but with this, I can just selecdt and delete a scene just like a picture on a digital still.

Just be sure your computer has the power to process video in ADCHD. For a Mac you need an Intel based machine and iMovie '08 or later or Any HD final cut. I don't know about a PC but check your specs.

Overall, it's great and I waited since february, watching for the right price.

this is my first HD camcorder , at first i was confused between the canon HF10 and the panasonic HDC-SD5, to be honest am not photo expert, i want something light, small, comfortable and reliable for my travel in august to Munich and Paris.
after i tested the camcorder , its very easy to use , almost no weight, after all am very pleased with the results , for both the pictures and the motion videos .
add to that u will get every single wire or cable u need with this camcorder which u dont get with most of other camcorders. all u need is HDSC flash card and u are ready to get wonderful life memory videos .