Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Discontinued by Manufacturer),Silver

• Capture video to hard disk drive; 40 GB storage for up to 36 hours of footage.
• 42x optical zoom.
• Anti-Shock Shield for hard drive protection.
• Panasonic's Advanced Mega OIS technology.
• Compatible with SD/SDHC memory cards.

From the Manufacturer --------------------- From the Manufacturer Perfect for capturing your most important memories, the SDR-H40 boasts Panasonic's Advanced MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization), which detects and corrects hand-shake approximately 4,000 times per second, which is about eight times more effective than Panasonic’s previous systems. The SDR-H40 also offers 42x optical zoom so you can always get a great , even from a distance. Record to either SD (or SDHC) memory cards or to the built-in 40 GB HDD, which features enough storage space for up to 36 hours of footage. The SDR-H40 also feature an Anti-Shock Shield that helps protect the built-in hard disk from external impact, making it suitable for rugged conditions. Panasonic SDR-H40 Highlights Panasonic's Advanced O.I.S. is a new image stabilizing function that achieves around eight times higher precision than our previous system. The system uses gyro-sensors to detect hand-shake, then shifts a lens and adjusts its optical axis to compensate. And while our previous system checked and compensated for hand-shake around 500 times per second, the new Advanced O.I.S. works around 4,000 times per second. Advanced O.I.S. enables finer, more effective hand-shake compensation. Also, because the system is optical, no image quality is lost. With Advanced O.I.S., you'll capture images that are clear, sharp and beautiful on a big TV screen. This 42x zoom can fill the screen with even a distant subject. This lens is not only the powerful zoom offered in a home-use digital camcorder, it also features low distortion. And because it's optical, there is no quality loss - you get the images in all their natural beauty. The Pure Color Engine converts the CCD output signal from a complementary color signal into an RGB signal at an early stage and extracts the low-frequency luminance component from the RGB signal. This innovative engine also achieves truly superb color reproduction for high-zoomed pictures. This model offers the High-Picture-Quality Wide Mode, which produces images that make for beautiful, dramatic viewing on a wide-screen TV. The image is processed on 16:9 area of the CCD. Because the image decoded has the same proportions as your wide-screen TV, there is virtually no picture quality degradation. You get beautiful images and all the excitement and dynamism on either a wide 16:9 screen TV or a conventional 4:3 TV. This model also features a wide 2.7-inch LCD, making it easier to frame s when you're shooting in 16:9 mode. You can enjoy shooting wide, and viewing wide. Panasonic's MPEG2 engine is a wide-range, high-precision search engine that produces smooth, beautiful motion pictures. Because it precisely records the differences in each frame, it can render fast, complex motions - like those of athletes in the thick of the action - with exceptional precision.The MPEG2 engine also uses Variable Bit Rate technology that Panasonic developed for the high-end DIGA DVD recorder. Giving LP s nearly twice the resolution captured with previous Panasonic camcorders, this lets the camcorder record clear, smoothly flowing pictures. Holding as much data as 28 DVD discs, the internal hard drive lets you record continuously for up to 36 hours without changing a disc, memory card or other media. Anti-Shock Shield: Protects recorded video data from damage due to jolts and impact: About the Anti-shock shield One-touch copying onto a DVD Connect the camera to a USB port on your PC, and you can copy your video data onto a 12-cm DVD disc by pressing a single button. You don't have to do anything to the PC. Likewise, connect the camera to a DVD burner and pressing one button is all it takes to copy data to a DVD disc. Power LCD Plus You can set the LCD to any of five brightness levels for optimal viewing in a variety of lighting conditions. When shooting outdoors on a sunny day, make the LCD brighter. When shooting indoors, lower it. This not only makes the LCD easier to see, it's also easier on your eyes. This unit records in VBR. VBR is an abbreviation for Variable Bit Rate. VBR automatically varies the bit rate (a of data in a fixed time) depending on the subject being recorded. This means if a subject with sharp movements is recorded, the time is reduced. One touch navigation joystick The joystick makes the camera much easier to use, letting you control all basic operations with one hand. As you shoot, just watch the image in the monitor and follow the instruction guide. You can handle a number of operations quickly and easily, without even taking your eye off the subject. Help mode Not sure what a certain icon means? Just switch on the Help mode and select the icon. It's explained for you on the LCD monitor. This makes it easier to learn the icons, and you spend less time reading the operating manual. Quick search and access with Disk Navigator Unlike videotape, you don't need to rewind or fast-forward to search for specific scenes. The camcorder LCD screen displays a list of the recorded scenes for quick and easy searching. Edit with Disk Navigator You can do some polished editing using just the camera itself. For example, you can delete scenes right on the spot or change the scene sequence to create your own scenarios. * Playlist Edit: It's easy to change the sequence of the scenes you've recorded, and then play them back. * Dividing and Deleting: This function makes it easy to delete the scenes you don't want and to save the ones you do. You can also split up motion pictures and delete only parts of them. Easy On / Off reduces the time required for operating the camera. When you open the LCD, the power turns on. Shut it and the power turns off. This Quick Start mode helps shoot videos on the spur of the moment. This mode lets you shoot those not-to-be-missed scenes by turning on the power just 2.1 sec. from the time the LCD is opened. Color Night View gives you smoothly flowing pictures even in dark places, where it's normally difficult to capture good s. Connect the H40 directly to a DVD burner via a USB cable. You can then copy s from the SDHC/SD Memory Card or hard disk to a DVD disc by simply pressing a button. The disc you make can be played on DVD players, so playback is easy too. USB 2.0 compatibility lets you upload a motion picture data to a PC at high speed over a single USB cable. VideoCam Suite editing software is just the tool you need to make polished, smartly finished productions. It lets you load images into your PC for putting scenes in a different order and delete the ones you don't want with simple operation. When you're finished with your video production, you can use VideoCam Suite to reserve the edited version onto a DVD disc.