Can you shoot video while plugged in? For long shoots that exceed the battery, can you have the camera plugged in while recording? Also, I have been comparing this to the Sanyo VPC-FH1 and noticed that people are complaining about lost video due to the 4GB file-size limit of FAT32 formatted SD cards. Does the Panasonic have the same problems where after the file hits 4gb, it stops recording, saves the file, then starts a new file and continues recording with a chunk of time lost forever? Can you shoot video while plugged in? For long shoots that exceed the battery, can you have the camera plugged in while recording? Also, I have been comparing this to the Sanyo VPC-FH1 and noticed... » Read More Can you shoot video while plugged in? For long shoots that exceed the battery, can you have the camera plugged in while recording? Also, I have been comparing this to the Sanyo VPC-FH1 and noticed that people are complaining about lost video due to the 4GB file-size limit of FAT32 formatted SD cards. Does the Panasonic have the same problems where after the file hits 4gb, it stops recording, saves the file, then starts a new file and continues recording with a chunk of time lost forever? « Show Less
277468
Yes you can record with the camera plugged in.The manual says the maximum recordable time for a single scene is 12 hours. If the scene exceeds 12 hours there will be a few second pause and then recording will automatically resume.
277469
Is there a way to switch back and forth from standard definition mode while shooting, and high definition mode a time period, later? Is the time period programmable?How many USB ports are on the camera? Can I plug a mouse into one of the ports on the camera, or do I have to have a host computer for that sort of thing?
277470
Manual says IMovie '09 is supported. Sorry, I don't know anything about MACs so I don't even know what IMovie is! The software that comes with the camcorder is Windows only.
277471
Camcorder records in HD only. You can convert the HD video to SD on a computer using the software that comes with the camcorder.One USB on the camcorder for connecting the camcorder to a computer. Can't plug a mouse into it.
1884109
Mine always records and stops recording when my vehicle is bumped. Haven't had any issues with the battery being drained whatsoever. This camera only records the front view-not inside the vehicle. You don't have to delete videos at all- continually records until it is stopped and saves it so it doesn't record over what was saved. Don't listen to that Vagan deusche- he probably forgot to turn it on and it's not meant for bicycles....... The camera mirror has a 2 hour back up recording capability just in case your car battery dies.
499836
Good question, I'm doing a battery test right now. So far I have taken 4,800 pictures at the 10MP setting and now switched to video mode with high resolution 1280x720. I've taken about 100, 30 second videos. I'm using lithium batteries and the camera say's the batteries are at 98%. I would say so far, so good. The next test I'm working on is how well this camera performs in cold Wisconsin weather.
375774
Well the longest I have recorded without stopping is 5 minutes, but I'm not sure of the time. Check there main website for specs. I love this camera and its worth buying. Make sure you get an external battery.
935574
No. In fact all the record functions are disabled as soon as you plug it into a computer (or USB extended life charger), so you can't record at all when it's plugged in. BUT - the good news is that it WILL record a VERY long time without having to change the battery. Don't forget, there are no moving parts in this device. It's energy consumption to operate is incredibly low. I'm pretty sure you would fill up the memory chip before you ran the battery down, but I haven't challenged it that far yet, so I could be wrong, but I don't think so.
273767
If there's a limitation on recording time with this camcorder, I think it would only be limited by the amount of time that can be recorded on the SD card. I let mine run for an hour and a half recently and the only reason it stopped was because I turned it off.
1382401
Alex, Let me just say that I have recorded very long sessions while turning it on and off repeatedly and never really though, "oh this battery life stinks!" It's simply amazing. Also, I purchsed the 64GB card for it. Basically, I have TONS of movies i have recorded since purchasing it over 2 years ago and STILL haven't pulled them off the card. Good luck.... Case
1041635
I am having a problem with 32GB class 10 card, where it just stops recording. Also I was only getting a few days of use. Having to clear files every other day is not acceptable. So I switched to 16GB class 4 card and it seems to have worked. I have just started using it, but it is recording 6 days and counting... so I hope that fixed it. If not I am selling this one. I do enjoy having a camera in the car. This one does a good job except for this possible issue. However If I upgrade I will get one with front and rear camera.... you can get hit from the rear just as easy from the rear. However this was a low cost effective device worth trying. I am having a problem with 32GB class 10 card, where it just stops recording. Also I was only getting a few days of use. Having to clear files every other day is not acceptable. So I switched to 16GB class 4 card and it seems to have worked. I have just started using it, but it is recording 6 days and counting... so I hope that fixed it. If not I am selling this one. I do enjoy having a camera in the car. This one does a good job except for this possible issue. However If I upgrade I will get one with front and rear camera.... you can get hit from the rear just as easy from the rear.... » Read More I am having a problem with 32GB class 10 card, where it just stops recording. Also I was only getting a few days of use. Having to clear files every other day is not acceptable. So I switched to 16GB class 4 card and it seems to have worked. I have just started using it, but it is recording 6 days and counting... so I hope that fixed it. If not I am selling this one. I do enjoy having a camera in the car. This one does a good job except for this possible issue. However If I upgrade I will get one with front and rear camera.... you can get hit from the rear just as easy from the rear. However this was a low cost effective device worth trying. « Show Less
13272
I have both: Sanyo and the Panasonic. Both are excellent, but the Sanyo has stereo microphone, flash, can take picture while doing a video and is better built. The quality of the videos and pictures is very good on both, but the Sanyo has an edge. The Panasonic will refuse to charge after a while, and unless you have a wall charger for your battery, well, you are out of luck.
1556842
From the manual, the battery will last for 40 minutes of continuous video under typical conditions and 1 hour 10 minutes max before the camera stops automatically. But, reading further, you'll see something interesting. The manual states that, "Recording will automatically stop when the clip file size reaches 4GB, or when the recording time reaches approximately 29 min 50 sec in 1920 or 1280 mode and approximately 1 hour when shooting in 640 or 320 mode. So, unless you're recording a long, low quality video (doubtful if you're looking at a $350 camera) you'll have slightly less than a 30 min limit. I see no way to override this. There are two reasons for it. 1) There are different tariffs imposed by the WTO for video cameras with HD recording times over 30 minutes, and 2) Some sensors cannot tolerate continuous current for long periods without overheating.
2085578
I don't use this camera for videos too much. But yes, once you stop recording it stops and starts a new. Memory wise, yes, videos take much more memory but a 32 should have plenty. I just returned from a trip to Europe and took lots of pictures, but, the limitation with this camera is the battery. It's rechargeable with save you money, but I'm planning on buying an extra one.
441509
I have a 16GB Class 10 SDHC Memory Card in it. It will record just over three hours of video at the 720p 60 Frames Per Second Setting (3H 3M 30Seconds to be exact). You can get One Hour of non-stop recording on a single battery before it runs out of power. Buy two spare aftermarket batteries here on Amazon for about 8 bucks each, and you'll be able to record for a hour, then swap the battery out to record for hour two, and the same for hour three. When figuring out how much memory is used for recording, the 720p@60 Frames Per Second will use exactly the same amount of memory that 1080p does at 30 Frames Per Second. So recording at HD levels uses about 5.4 Gigabytes per hour. I recommend the Transcend SDHC "Class 10" 16 Gigabyte card, which is currently only Fourteen Dollars on Amazon. You MUST get at least a "CLASS 10" memory card, as you need it's fast recording speed to record HD Video. The comments below about the camera stopping after a few minutes is because they used memory that was too slow, which will cause the camera to stop after a few minutes because it can't write to the memory fast enough. With a Class 10 card, this is a non-issue. This is well documented all over the internet btw, so feel free to confirm that with a google search. :-) The Spare Batteries are $7-8 each.
1937318
I haven't timed the duration of the recording, but after an estimated 2 hours ether the battery died or my card was full. I believe I was using a 2, 4 or 8 GB card. I believe it will record continuous if left plugged in.
1508026
K., I am sorry, we have used the SD card to dump still shots onto instead of taking up the limited space... we have not used it for video. Typically we shoot our segments, put them to an editing program within a week and clear the memory to optimize its limited space. Sorry I could not be of more help. You may consider going to Canon's help site to see if they have a resolution.
244950
I have recorded video on my panasonic digital camera from time to time, but I primarily take stills so I cannot attest to the hd video......but the stills come out great.
1130802
Something I really love in this camera is the battery life but I've never tried to record an entire wedding. According to this site - http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/DMC-SZ1A?t=specs - you can record continuously for about 90 minutes.
515587
You have to use the screen as a viewfinder when shooting video because the shutter is open and the mirror flipped up--so you can't see through the optical viewfinder. As for how long the battery will last, there are two things you need to know about shooting video with a DSLR. First of all, you can't shoot a single video shot lasting more than about twelve minutes because the camera will automatically divide the footage into segments. Which brings us to the second thing; the camera will shut itself down if you keep shooting continuous video for more than about thirty minutes to prevent the camera from overheating. If you, for example, want to shoot an entire event lasting an hour or more without ever stopping the camera, then you want an actual video camera such as a VIXIA or Handycam, not a DSLR. People who shoot films typically do not take single shots of longer than ten to fifteen seconds each. We take all our shots then edit them into a sequential story on a computer. We don't shoot a couple of hours of film and then edit it down into individual scenes. If you want to learn how to make video that doesn't suck, I recommend a book called "How To Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck" by filmmaker Steve Stockman. So far, I haven't had the battery run out on me during a single day of shooting video, photography, or both over the course of a few hours--but again, I'm not keeping it running the whole time and firehosing the scene like you might do with a smart phone or if you were making a really bad movie like Cloverfield. It recharges rather quickly, but I wouldn't go more than two casual outings without recharging the battery if I were relying on just the one battery in the camera body.