Panasonic HDC-SD10 HD Camcorder Review
With a view of making camcorders available and reasonable to all, Panasonic has taken a great leap towards producing a new range of camcorders that are cheap and easy to use. In this process, after a few misfires in the past, Panasonic has recently introduced its new camcorder, the Panasonic HDC SD10. It was liked by many people and expert reviewers around the world, so much that they hailed the way it is designed and also the way it performs. People who did not own a camera before thought that this one would be ideal to them. But those who already have one under their belt, thought “Why didn’t I wait for this one?” So, this gives you the gist of what is to come. Though it led to many surprises in the beginning, it still stands as one of the better cams produced by Panasonic. Let us begin the expedition as we start from the design part of the Panasonic HDC SD10.
Design:
The HDC SD10 Camcorder is almost half the size of your palm. So, you can imagine how sleek and small this one is and hence is very easy to hold on to. When the LCD screen is closed, it almost looks like a mobile phone. Its dimensions measuring 47.5 x 63.0 x 114.5 mm (H x W x D) prove this statement. It also weighs pretty less when compared to the normal cams in the market, measuring just about 227 grams. Hence you find it easy to hold it in one hand and you might think that statement no sense, but this means a lot as many users believe that if two hands come into play, then the cam starts shaking a bit and hence the image quality is lost in the end. Everything else is almost normal. All the things are the same and none of their positions are changed. But the only thing is that they are pretty neatly arranged and their sizes are also minimised. Hence the design part of the Panasonic HDC SD10 is absolutely fine and this is one of the sleeker and the smaller camcorders you will ever see.
Sleek Design with a great Display:
One of the things that have really transformed photography has been the display screen. This enables you to look at everything before it is actually filmed. The Panasonic HDC-SD10 has a 2.7 inch wide LCD screen that gives you an excellent preview of all the pictures beforehand. This screen has good contrast levels and also its range is pretty good, with 230,400 pixels. It also has the ability to rotate on its axis and hence giving the users more flexibility in shooting their videos. It also has a wide range of viewing, with a viewing angle of about 170 degrees. This display is particularly very good for self capturing. You can easily look at yourself before you click and hence the pictures look great. Therefore, it can be said that this is one of the best displays in the market and we are pleased with its performance.
Features:
This part of the camcorder is very vital. It is this section of the camcorder that often decides its quality and popularity. This is because all the camcorders in the world have almost everything in common except the features. The features of different cams are different and those that are featured on the Panasonic HDC SD10 Video Camcorder are unique as well as useful. Hence it is always necessary to know well about all the features of any gadget for that matter, because every feature is pretty new and unforeseen on most occasions. Here is a deeper look at the different features and utilities of the camcorder.
Intelligent Auto Mode:
With the Intelligent Auto or the iA feature, you can automatically activate some important functions that let you shoot comfortably and easily. This option, when switched on, makes all kinds of adjustments in order to make the picture clear and the environment in which the picture is captured is also smoothly altered so that you get pictures that are very apposite to the situation. Subtle adjustments like sharp focussing on to the people in the picture and small changes in the brightness levels and the colour contrast of the images; these are the things that are taken care of by this Intelligent Auto mode. Intelligent scene selector is also one of the options that come in to play here. It selects the appropriate scene or background to the pictures. One important thing that needs to be noticed here is that there is an option called the Auto focus/ Auto exposure, which focuses on the required subject in the frame. All this can be done by just touching the subject with your finger. This virtual alteration of the conditions makes the Panasonic HDC a very interesting one. Hence, this can be considered as a mix bag of several vital functions that are really necessary.
Face Detection:
This feature is seen in almost every camcorder nowadays. Even though this is one of the most common ones, it is still very vital that any cam cannot survive the competition without this feature. The Face Detection feature is automatic and as the name itself suggests, it detects the faces of people in the picture frame very accurately and hence alter the picture options accordingly. This feature is responsible for the phenomenon that is, the faces of the people are more candid than the other parts of the picture. This feature also automatically sets the other conditions and the skin tone of the persons will look more natural as well. Hence there is nothing complex when it comes to the Face Detection feature.
Optical Image Stabilisation:
Also known as the Active Mode (only in the Panasonic HDC SD10), this feature is related to the camera part of the camcorder. As we all know, our hands shake a bit while using the camcorder and especially while capturing videos. This ultimately results in either reduction in the image quality or blurring of the videos. Hence, in order to minimise this loss in the image quality, a new technology, called the optical image stabilisation has been introduced in the recent past. The name itself explains everything. The shaking effect that is caused while shooting is minimised to the maximum extent possible and smoother pictures are produced so that there is nothing that is fuzzy. This has also been one of those features that is being used by most of the manufacturers in their camcorders. This has become so vital that it is recently being used in the cameras of the mobile phones.
Connectivity and Networking:
SD Networking is available on the Panasonic HDC SD10. All you need to do is just pull the SD type memory card out of the camcorder and then insert into the Panasonic Viera TV and play the videos. For that matter, you can play the videos on any HD TV by just connecting to the TV using an HDMI cable. But if you have the Viera TV, you can also control your camcorder with your TV remote. You can also place this memory card inside the slot of a Blu Ray Disc Player for the same purpose. Hence the process of networking is easier than ever before. There is also the facility of uploading your videos onto YouTube. For this you need to simply encode the media to mpeg-2 format and then upload it on YouTube. This procedure is not mandatory but doing this eases the process.
Highlight Playback:
This is one of the amusing features you will find on the Panasonic HDC SD10 High Definition Camcorder. By using this feature, you can select the most important videos and photos from all of them and then the camcorder plays them randomly in order to give you a highlights package of the video or picture content. You will feel like watching a trailer if a movie when you actually come across this feature. If none of them is selected, then the camera itself selects the more exciting and brighter scenes from the array and then compiles them as a special package of highlights in order to give you a glimpse of all the others as well. A few more things add to the beauty of this feature. The pictures that are played at random are provided with various effects like panning, zooming and swivelling. They are also backed up by lively music that is already installed in the camcorder. Hence, all these combine to provide a great feature called the Highlight Playback.
Hence, these are precisely the main features of the Panasonic HDC SD10. They are not only good in number but also very good in usability.
Performance:
Till now, we have discussed about all the features and the design and they have been very good. So, it is natural that we expect terrific performance from the Panasonic HDC SD10. Besides this, the aspect of performance is also the most important thing and the foremost thing that one wants to be very good. But Panasonic seems to have no problems at all in providing excellent performance from its HDC SD10. Let us see what we have in store for us, regarding its performance.
Camera and Sensor:
This one has got a very good camera and the lens can be ranked among the best. The camera is powered by the latest CMOS technology to give you great pictures. The very advanced 16x zoom is also one of the main features of the HDC SD10. Although normally you get distorted pictures when zoomed to this extent, this camera, as we already discussed above, has the OIS or the Optical Image Stabilisation feature that stabilises the pictures in order to reduce blurring and distortion to the maximum extent. The unique feature of this lens is that it can identify hand shaking about 4000 times a second and immediately minimises the effect. Hence, you almost get a continuous smooth picture with very slight blurring. It is also comfortable to record videos when you are in motion so that your movement is also minimised. Coming to the details of the camera, the luminosity levels are good, at 1400 lx. The focus is automatic although you can adjust it manually. There is an array of shutter speeds that alter the image quality and they can be set manually according to the shooting conditions. The HDC-SD10 Flash Memory Camcorder also features Backlight compensation so that your picture quality does not degrade much even in poor lighting conditions. This feature is also both automatic and manual.
Lens:
The lens is the next most important aspect of a camcorder, after the camera itself. Regarding the lens of the HDC SD10, it is one of the better ones you will find in the market. You see pretty good numbers and statistics when you look at this lens. The F value of the lens ranges from 1.8 (wide) to 2.8 (tele). The filter diameter is about 30.5 mm. The lens also allows digital zooming of the images up to 1000 x. The focal length of the lens ranges from 2.95 mm to 47.2 mm. You can film videos of 35mm camera equivalent with 16:9 ratios with the Panasonic HDC SD10. Coming to the image sensor that is featured here, there is a 1/6” MOS of 1.47 megapixels. Effective pixels are also featured in addition to this in order to enhance the quality of the camera. For still images and also for motion images, it is about 1.17 megapixels.
Video Performance:
With such a good camera, you would expect fine video performance from the Panasonic HDC SD10. Apart from the usual video recording technology that you will see everywhere, Panasonic tried some new features in order to make the videos look better on the HDC SD10. The most important of them is the HD Advanced Pure Colour Engine. This very new feature enables a wider tonal expression and also high speed video processing. This is possible due to the impression of advanced imaging and printing circuitry which you will normally find inside the professional cameras. This very advanced new imaging engine handles large volumes of data at a time and also prevents blown images and blocked shadows, which cause minor problems otherwise. Hence the images look so real and as they are in real life and therefore you have great video performance with the HDC SD 10.
Audio Performance:
In general, the audio recording performance of this cam is good. But an important feature here is the Stereo Zoom Microphone. This means that the microphone of the cam is linked to the lens action. This means that the sound effects are changes subject to the changes in the zoom level. If the picture zoom level is normal, then the sound is also normal and all the sounds that are emitted during capturing are recorded as they are. But if the camera is zoomed to a particular subject, then the sounds that are emitted from that particular subject are recorded in detail when compared to the other sounds. This is just like the 3D effect and it definitely looks great. The overall audio performance is good and one of the better ones we have tested.
System Requirements:
The system requirements for the compatibility of the HDC SD10 are: An operating system that is either of Microsoft Windows XP (service packs 2 and 3) and Microsoft Windows Vista (service pack 1). The Mac version is also available in selective regions. The CPU must be Intel Pentium III or higher, with 1.0 GHz.
Miscellaneous:
The miscellaneous performance aspects include the Digital Camera Mode that allows you to shoot pictures at 1080p and at 25 frames per second. Then there is the progressive scanning procedure that makes sure that you get movie like videos. The soft skin mode detects the skin tones of people to the most intricate detail and gives you pictures that are very natural. The Magic Pix and the Tele Macro options allow sharp focussing even in poor lighting conditions. Then there is the High Speed Burst shooting feature that allows you to split videos into fifty parts or frames per second. This is good splitting by any standards and is one of the add-ons to the HDC SD10 compact Video Camcorder. There are also different scene modes that make the scenes more natural. These are namely: Sports, Low, Portrait, Surf and Snow, Spot Light, Sunset, scenery, fireworks and beach. These will be selected by the camcorder automatically.
Package contents:
Along with the Panasonic camcorder, you are provided with other hardware that consists of an AC adaptor, an AC cable, a DC cable, a rechargeable battery pack, a video component cable, an AV cable, a USB cable, a stylus pen, and the included software (HD writer AE 1.5). These are only minimal accessories and if any others are needed, you need to buy them separately from the stores. But in most of the cases, these are more than enough.
Battery:
The 725 mAh Lithium ion battery gives you a very good battery life of about an hour and twenty minutes. This is also above the normal ratings for the battery life of such camcorders. This battery is rechargeable. There is also a rechargeable battery pack available in the kit along with the camcorder. Normally this suffices your needs but it is better if you have a reserve battery with you all the time.
Warranty:
There is a twelve month international warranty when it comes to the parts as well as the labour. You can get the repairs done in any of the Panasonic Help centres around the world. This helps you a lot if your cam does not work properly in your holiday as you can get it fixed anywhere in the world.
Verdict:
The Panasonic HDC SD10 Digital Camcorder has popped up suddenly into the camcorder market leading to the surprise of many. It has one of the better designs in the world and is certainly good for students as well as the novice users equally. The display screen is very big for such a camcorder and it is nice to see it work very well. The HDC SD10 also included some very unique and interesting features and will certainly be of very good use to all. The camcorder performed really well and it passed various tests quite comfortably. The flexibility and customisability are two of the very best features of the HDC SD10. The flexibility shown in the warranty service is commendable. The cost of this cam is also pretty reasonable to all. It is good to see such a fine camcorder for such a reasonable rate. All in all, this is a good choice for almost anyone, from students to the professionals.
Check other Latest Panasonic Camcorder Reviews, best High Definition Camcorders in this website.
Panasonic HDC-SD10 Camcorder – Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | Panasonic |
| Model Name | Panasonic HDC SD10 |
| Model Number | HDC SD10 |
| Camcorder type | Mini, HD Camcorder |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 47.5 x 63.0 x 114.5 mm |
| Weight | 227 grams |
| Colour | Black and Maroon |
| Display | 2.7-inch TFT LCD |
| Video Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Still Picture Mode | Yes |
| Still Recording format | JPEG |
| Video Recording Mode | HA (17Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080) / HG (13Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080) / HX (9Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080) / HE (6Mbps / VBR) and (1440 x 1080) |
| Image Sensor | CMOS |
| Lens (focusing) | Optical auto focus |
| Optical Zoom | Up to 16x |
| Digital Zoom | 40x – 1000x |
| F Value | F1.8 (Wide) / 2.8(Tele) |
| Standard Illumination | 1400 lx |
| Minimum Illumination | 9lx (1/25 low light mode) 1lx (colour night view mode) |
| Exposure control | Auto |
| Focus | Auto and Manual |
| White Balance | Auto, Indoor 1, Indoor 2, Sunny, Cloudy and White set |
| Video compression format | MP4,avi |
| Face Detection | Yes |
| Shutter type | Electronic |
| Frame rate | 25 fps |
| Media Card Slot available | Yes (SD Memory card) |
| Image stabilization | Optical Image Stabilization |
| Audio input | Microphone |
| AV out | HDMI component-out and normal |
| Speaker | Yes (Dolby Digital) |
| Digital voice recorder | Yes |
| MP3 player | No |
| TV playback | Yes |
| Self timer | Yes |
| Quick Start | Yes |
| PC interface | USB 2.0 |
| Power adaptor | Yes |
| Accessories | USB Cable, software, Rechargeable battery pack, A/V connecting cable, component A/V cable. |
| Battery | Li-ion rechargeable battery |
| Warranty | One Year |
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