[howardtay]

I'm in the process of buying a Panasonic SD9 does anyone have any experience with this Camcorder?

I currently have a standard Canon MV650i which suffered the screen of death, which, thankfully to this forum I managed to have fixed FOC. But I'm no longer happy with Canon, hence the reason to move to the SD9.

What I really need to know is how good is low light shooting with the SD9 and its 3 CCDs, we will be shooting off to Epcot in Florida in January and I want to be able to get exceptional footage of the Reflections of Light firework display so I need a Camcorder capable of filming this and at around £500 to £600.

You guys have helped me in the past, so any help would be great.

[redsox_mark]

Low light performance isn't a strong point for the SD9. For your budget, the Canon HF100 performs better.

Shooting fireworks, they can actually be quite bright, so the SD9 may do OK.

[mattr]

I'd add that even if a camcorder is rubbish in low light it can usually shoot fireworks ok just because they're pretty bright. I've got a Sony SR190E and it's utter rubbish in low light (even in a moderately lit restaurant in produces noisy colourless images) but the fireworks footage (from Epcot !!!) in its fireworks mode looked fine. Fireworks mode looks nice and clean in fact.

[howardtay]

Thanks guys, the last time I went to Epcot my Canon shot some pretty nice footage but was just slightly grainy in parts, so it looks as though the SD9 will fit the bill.

When filming fireworks like at Epcot, is it a good idea to turn off auto focus, I kept it on last time on my Canon, could that be why it was slightly grainy?

[redsox_mark]

Auto focus won't cause grain, but manual focus is a good idea for fireworks anyway, otherwise the camcorder can hunt for focus (as the sky changes from bright to dark). You could try a slower shutter speed as well, which will allow more light in, though at expense of smoothness of the video.

[howardtay]

I think I'm going to buy the SD9, I like the size of it and the convenience of SD card over mini DV tapes, and as I always use a tripod or monopod at these events, I'll try turning off the auto focus and changing the shutter speeds to see if this helps on fireworks on November 5th, I want to get it right before visiting Epcot in January next year.

Does the SD9 have a Firework mode?

Thanks guys, a great help, you've done it again!

[redsox_mark]

It doesn't have a "Fireworks" mode, no.

It does have a "Colour night view" you could try; I think this automatically reduces the shutter speed. Though this comment in the manual for this feature gives me a laugh...

"Colour night view function makes dark scenes
that are usually invisible can be recorded in
bright colours. For this reason, bright dots that
are usually invisible may be seen, but this is
not a malfunction."

[meirion658]

I am also thinking about buying the SD9 as i have a litte one on the way in august. The camera will be used mainly for that and days out etc etc as you do. I am not a pro at these things and never will be. How bad is the bad low light and is it so bad to justify the extra 100 for the cannon?

[redsox_mark]

Take a look at this site
http://www.camcorder-test.com/camcorder.html

Control-click on both the SD9 and the HF10 to do a comparison. Look at the images labled "Testbild 12 Lux", which is pretty low light.

[meirion658]

Thanks for that i can see where there is a clear difference however how often would you shoot in such a low light?

[redsox_mark]

You may not shoot in 12 lux light so often; but inside a typical house at night, with normal lighting you are looking at 50-60 lux, which will still look mediocre with any of the consumer models (just some a bit better than others). Regardless of model you choose, adding a video light will make a big difference for indoor shots.