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Home > Consumer Camcorders > Camcorder Reviews > Panasonic Camcorders > Panasonic SD Camcorders > Quick Review Camcorders: Panasonic HDC-SD1

Quick Review Camcorders: Panasonic HDC-SD1

by Michael Perlman
Published on May 10, 2007


On the runway this year, the Panasonic HDC-SD1 ($1299 MSRP) is turning heads. It’s small, sexy, and generates an appealing video image in bright light. The SD1 is also the first AVCHD camcorder to record directly onto bite-sized SDHC cards, and provides a pleasurable palette of automatic and manual controls. Editing solutions have just become available for AVCHD, making the format a viable buy for the first time. Read on to find out if the SD1 will strike an epic pose or go tumbling clamorously down the catwalk.  
 
Panasonic manages to pack three 1/4" CCDs, each with a gross pixel count of 560K, into the HDC-SD1’s minuscule frame. In bright light (3000 lux), the SD1’s image is clean with strong lines and borders and rivals the Canon HV20’s image. The color balance and strength was outstanding in bright light, but the HDC-SD1 suffered in low light because of AVCHD’s compression artifacts, reducing video resolution and heightening noise. At 60 lux (our higher low light test setting), the HDC-SD1 produced a significant amount of noise and colors drifted away from their natural habitats. In the lowest light setting (15 lux), we had to crank up the gain all the way just to reveal a washed out noise festival engulfing the SD1’s image.
 
The HDC-SD1 oozes hotness. It’s basically a giant lens barrel with a hand strap and looks like something you’d find on Optimus Prime. Aside from the SD1’s uncanny style, it’s tiny, light, and simple to use. A giant joystick-embedded mode dial sits smack dab in the middle of the camcorder’s back end. Navigating though the menu is a snap thanks to the rear-mounted joystick’s responsive, one-touch interface. The HDC-SD1 flaunts a 3” wide LCD screen with a vibrant 250K pixel display. Because this camcorder is so compact, those with hands larger than a kindergartener’s will have difficulty accessing the top mounted zoom toggle. The hand strap is low strung and requires the shooter to hold on to the HDC-SD1 for dear life in order to prevent it from flopping about. A camcorder this good-looking is bound to sacrifice handling for attractiveness.

 
In most environments, the HDC-SD1 performed without a hitch in auto mode. Although the SD1 is not equipped with an “Easy” mode, a Help mode is available, guiding you through the menu with explanations and pointers. All of your core manual controls are available such as manual focus, exposure, shutter speed, white balance, and gain. There is also an audio level control operated by the joystick. While Panasonic is known for its generous offering of manual controls, the SD1 is acquiescent and user-friendly, no matter what level of experience you have.
 
The HDC-SD1 utilizes the AVCHD format, which is a brand new compression introduced by Sony and Panasonic. The SD1 records to stamp sized SDHC cards, but the video quality will not match that of HDV or DV because of a loss in data transfer (DV is 25mbps vs. AVCHD’s maximum of 15mbps). In addition, there are currently no video editing programs that are directly compatible with AVCHD footage.
 
For those looking to shoot family videos in style, the HDC-SD1 is the camcorder for you. It’s easy on the eyes, highly portable, and chock full of user-friendly features. Just make sure you have a high-definition TV to watch your treasured memories on. Of course, all these good looks and convenience cost money, making this camcorder a pricey proposition. And if you manage to get your hands on some editing software, you’d better have a powerful computer to run it, otherwise you’re looking at some awful render times.



 

 

Panasonic HDC-SD1 - THE BOTTOM LINE
Rating: 214.05


   
 
Likes
- Compact
- Silent operation
- Manual control set
Dislikes
- Noisy compression
- Editing solutions few and processor intensive
- Handling

 




Panasonic HDC-SD1 Compared to the...

Panasonic HDC-DX1
Rating: 217.85 

Sony HDR-SR1
Rating: N/A

JVC GZ-HD7
Rating: 209.01

Panasonic SDR-S150
Rating: N/A

Sony HDR-UX7
Rating: N/A





 

Better

Better

Better

Better

Better
-LCD and Viewfinder

-Video Performance
-Low Light Performance
-Automatic Controls
-Manual Controls
-Battery Life
-Ease of Use
-Handling

-Video Performance
-Manual Controls
-Handling
-Ease of Use

-Zoom Ratio
-Ease of Use

-Manual Controls
-Handling
-Battery Life
-Zoom Ratio
-Automatic Controls

Equal

Equal

Equal

Equal

Equal
-Video Performance
-Lowlight Performance
-Manual Controls
-Ease of Use
-Zoom Ratio
-Automatic Controls

-Zoom Ratio

-Audio

-Automatic Controls
-Manual Controls

-Format/Editing

Worse

Worse

Worse

Worse

Worse
-Battery Life
-Handling

 

-Portability

-Lowlight Performance
-Automatic Controls
-Zoom Ratio
-Battery Life

-Video Performance
-Lowlight Performance
-Handling
-Battery Life

-Ease of Use