Quick Review Camcorders: Panasonic HDC-DX1

The HDC-DX1 is equipped with three 1/4” CCDs, each with a gross pixel count of 560K, which is an identical imaging system to its more stylish cousin, the HDC-SD1. Therefore, you can expect both camcorders to produce the same image. In bright light (3000 lux), the DX1 boasted a sharp picture with a good color balance and strength. In low light, the tables turned as the HDC-DX1 hopped the nearest train to Noiseville. At 60 lux (our higher low light setting), the DX1’s AVCHD compression and non-sensitive chips led to a blurry image. At our lowest light setting, 15 lux, the DX1’s noise grew like wildfire and most of its color information was lost.

The HDC-DX1 was beaten with the ugly stick, while the HDC-SD1 stole all of the good genes within the Panasonic family. It’s massive, weighs a ton, and will scare away small children. This is not a portable camcorder. Its battery juts out of its back end, creating an ample amount of junk in the trunk. The disc hatch is gargantuan and takes anywhere from 10 seconds to a full minute to open. The good news is that it has a convenient rear-mounted joystick, accessory shoe, and retractable viewfinder—although good luck attempting to use it with a face full o’ battery. The menu interface is identical to the SD1; it’s straightforward and easy to navigate through. The DX1’s hand strap is low strung and feeble, but the camcorder’s vast rock face of a tape hatch provides you with plenty to grab onto.

Just like the HDC-SD1, the HDC-DX1 performs well in auto mode, and a help mode is available for more comprehensive menu navigation via explanatory banners that guide the shooter along the way. The DX1’s manual controls include manual focus, exposure, shutter speed, white balance, and gain. Pressing the center of the joystick triggers a mini menu. Here, you have one-touch access to most manual controls. The DX1 also includes classic party favors such as zebra stripes (a feature that highlights overexposed whites), color bars, and screen guidelines.

The HDC-DX1 records to DVDs in the AVCHD format, a relatively new compression introduced by Sony and Panasonic. DVDs are not as effective as MiniDV tapes due to their low 14 minute capacities and loss of quality during compression. AVCHD can only transfer at a maximum data rate of 15mbps, while DV and HDV are capable of 25mbps. In addition, there are currently no non-linear video editing programs available for AVCHD footage, pinning the DX1 as strictly a home movie camcorder.

One final note – the Panasonic HDC-DX1 seems to take a long time to do everything. Whether you want to open or close the disc hatch, or see the list of clips during playback, or just turn it off, this thing takes its sweet time. It makes for an incredibly frustrating experience.

It’s big. It’s bulky. It’s not a pretty sight. The HDC-DX1 will appease those who wish for a sharp image, broad range of manual controls, and the ability to throw a DVD into the DVD player. However, there aren’t any DVD players that support AVCHD footage, so you’d have to hook the DX1 up to a TV. At $1299, is this giant, lumbering bear of a camcorder worth the dough? If you really crave the AVCHD format, look into the pimped out SD1.

Panasonic HDC-DX1 - THE BOTTOM LINE Rating: 217.85

Likes

- Video quality in bright light - Manual controls

Dislikes

- Load time / wait time - Portability - Editing frustrations with AVCHD format

Panasonic HDC-DX1 Compared to the...

Panasonic HDC-SD1 Rating: 214.05	Panasonic VDR-D300 Rating: N/A	Canon HV20 Rating: 314.36	Sony HDR-SR300 Rating: N/A	Sony HDR-UX7 Rating: N/A
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
-Portability -Battery Life -Handling	-Video Performance -Lowlight Performance -Handling -Portability -Ease of Use	-Video Performance -Lowlight Performance -Manual Controls -Automatic Controls -Handling -Battery Life	-Ease of Use -Handling -Automatic Controls	-Manual Controls -Handling -Battery Life -Automatic Controls
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
-Video Performance -Lowlight Performance -Manual Controls -Ease of Use -Zoom Ratio -Automatic Controls	-Manual Controls -Automatic Controls	-Ease of Use	-Battery Life	-Editing
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
-LCD and Viewfinder	-LCD and Viewfinder -Zoom Ratio	-LCD and Viewfinder -Zoom Ratio	-Video Performance -Manual Controls -Zoom Ratio	-Zoom Ratio