Hey guys,

I'm new to camcorders and the advent of flash recording is finally making me interested.

I'm thinking of picking up either the Sony CX7 or Panasonic SD5.

I'm assuming they probably have similar quality, has anybody tried both ? What are your opinions? I'm a little worried about the focus problems mentioned on the CX7.

The Sony looks like a slick piece and I'm leaning towards it, I'm only going to buy 1x 8gb stick so paying a little more doesn't bother me. I almost always have my mac with me so I can transfer the data over. Has anyone confirmed the 8gb card works?

Both cams are fairly new, and I tried to search around for what was already written about them .. is there any massive advantage to going with the SD5?

One more thing: do HDV flash recording cameras exist? seems like all the new ones are AVCHD. Seems like these cams got the shaft with some of the missing features - kinda makes me just want to get the HV20

Thanks!

Just received my SD5 the other day and the shots I have taken and played directly on my 32" LCD HDTV are great. Great color and very sharp. The few samples I've seen posted on the net don't do the camera justice. I did some low light shooting and that's when things get "grainy", as pointed out in some reviews, but it isn't too bad especially since I never would be shooting in those conditions anyway. Overall, I give it a big thumbs up...hopefully I can post some samples after this weekend. I plan on taking the cam up into the mountains. I looked at the CX7 too...I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

I haven't seen any flash based units that record in HDV.

I have a CX7 and it is an amazing camcorder. After filling up two 8GB cards, I have not experienced any focus problems except once in very dim light. The Picture Motion Browser S/W supplied with the camera will not work with your Mac and its features are limited. However you can easily import into your Mac with an inexpensive Card Reader. Mac S/W is compatible with AVCHD input but can not burn Full 1920 x 1080 HD (960 x 540 max) DVD's, this is not a constraint of the CX7, it applies to any AVCHD camcorder input. PMB and Nero S/W can burn Full HD (or SD if that is all you need) but only work on PC's.

I'm really happy with my SD5...posted up my own review along with some samples on my webpage:

http://web.mac.com/colorado_freeskier/Site/Camcorder_Review.html

Thanks for the post...SD-5 reviews are few and far between. Any chance of some indoor/low light videos?

I used my CX7 for the first time on my 3 1/2 trip to China and Tibet this month. I used the Sony HDR-HC1 on my travels before that. Haven't had much time to compare the pictures between the two yet, but from a brief glance, they look comparable. Two things that I really like about the CX7 is that it is very light and the fact that it uses flash memory. However, for me there is one big negative - it has no viewfinder (none of the other flash memory camcorders seem to have either). This is not a big deal for a camera, but for a camcorder it is (at least for me).

I am not a professional photographer and use the camcorder only for my travels, where I am basically a point-and-shoot guy. Advantages of a viewfinder:

1. Holding the camcorder to one's head makes for somewhat steadier shooting.
2. I find framing a picture, panning, and zooming in on interesting parts easier with a viewfinder since, for most of the shooting I do when I travel, I often do not have any time to prepare for a shoot and one cannot practice what one might want to do.
3. Because of the lighting, it is sometimes hard to see what is on the LCD.

Anyone considering a camcorder without a viewfinder should consider these points. I normally do a very good job filming my travels and end up discarding very little but have a feeling that this will be different with the CX7 once I carefully look over my film. Nevertheless, I should add that at the moment though I think that the flash memory and light weight of the camcorder will outweigh this downside for me.

Let me work on that...might take a couple of days.

I went to Circuit City last week. I did play with these 2 camcorders for a while and finally, I didn't like any of them.
The CX7 has only 1440X1080 video output.
The SD5 lack of accessory shoe (for video light)
But if you ask me which one I like the most, I'll pick the SD5.
SD5 look more sleek that CX7, its colors on the LCD look better and best of all, a "one hand operate" feature. What I mean is with 1 press of button, the lens cover open and so the LCD screen (to 90 degree), and the SD5 is ready for the REC button. It'll work the other way if you close the LCD screen.
SD5 will be the winner (at least for myself) if it has a micro input, a viewfinder (even small), an accessory shoe and relocate the flash card compartment to the side for easy access.