Camcorder Reviews

There are no prices for guessing that the biggest revolution right now is 3D. Hardly any of the Kids movies come out without the 3D version and there have been choices to replace the widescreen HD TVs you bought last year, like the Samsung UE55C8000. Now, you can create your own 3D content, and one of the first sources is a surprise from this Taiwanese company Aiptek.

If you are living in a constant and expensive state of being ahead of the technological curve, you might be already thinking of buying a 3D camcorder. However, Aiptek’s latest i2 3D HD Camcorder will not put strain on your budget and pave way to your quest to be in the advancing technology. This is the world’s first compact 3D camcorder and despite having a dual fixed focus lenses, it is still light weighing. Its ability to shoot regular 720p HD video at up to 30fps is quite good, but it really does 3D and has real depth. This camcorder not only offers its consumer with the extra dimension, but does it incredibly for less than 200 pounds.

Design:

Instant 3D view:

Form factor wise, the Aiptek 3D i2 can be said to be a pocket camcorder, but is a little bigger than most of them in this genre. For instant viewing, there is a built-in 3D LCD, hence you get to preview them instantly without the need of the polarised glasses. This 2.4″ preview LCD makes use of Parallax Barrier Technology to offer you with the instant 3D playback without the special red and blue glasses.

Parallax Barrier:

This parallax barrier works by positioning a series of slits of every other set of pixels on the LCD screen meaning each eye will see a slightly different image if viewed from the correct angle. It is this technology that is likely to be featured in the Nintendo 3DS and a string of laptops and smart phones being released soon. Without any hesitations, we can say that this LCD will prove to be one of the unique selling points of Aiptek. This glass free technology will not work that well on TVs, but is OK with small devices like this, as it is just one viewer issue. The connectivity options include a USB stick, a SD memory card slot and a tripod socket.

Simple, uncomplicated User Interface:

After taking the Aiptek i2 3D 720HP Video Camcorder out of the package, it is quite unlikely that you would need to read the instruction manual as Aiptek has stripped this camera to its essentials. Recording on the i2 has been made incredibly simple, as all of the features are just a touch away. Just a touch is all that takes to record videos in 3D and another touch to take still shots. And, another button to playback your media. Aiptek has offered a 4x digital zoom camera that is activated by just placing the joystick on the backside of the camcorder in a vertical way, and this is just going to reduce the image quality. And that is actually the only feature you will be getting. You will find four other buttons, which are used for alternating between 3D and 2D modes, toggling record, deleting clips as well as take still images. On pushing the joystick right, the menu is pulled out, which has very limited options.

Features:

The major specs:

The features are pretty limited, and inside, there is a 5 megapixel CMOS sensor with a healthy 1/3.2” diagonal. With this lens, you can get 2592 x 1944 pixels still images, but the videos are only at 720p and at a frame rate of 30fps. Keeping the sensor fed are two lenses placed on both the corners at the top of the camcorder and, while shooting is 3D, both of these lenses are used while shooting in 3D, but just one is employed for 2D. Since these lenses are fixed ones, there is no optical zoom.

The menu:

As we had mentioned earlier, the menu has very limited options for its consumers and just has a few settings to fiddle with. The only most exciting feature you will be able to change is setting the frequency to avoid light flickering. Since there are no manual controls, there are no scene modes and we feel nothing will actually need any kind of attention once the initial setup is done. Hence, the Aiptek  i2 3D Dual Sensor Camcorder is pretty much a ‘point and shoot’ camcorder. However, as soon as you unpack the i2, you might just want to show off its 3D capabilities, things that pop out of out of it or move towards, rather than worrying about the menu options.

Get a Memory card:

Since the i2 does not have any built-in memory for recording, you will have to invest on a SDHC memory cars in to its card slot. Considering that the i2 3D HD camcorder will need under 3mbps in the 3D mode and about 7mbps in the 3D mode, an 8GB SDHC memory card will be more than enough for about three hours of 3D coverage or, say about 6 hours of 2D recordings. All, we wanted to convey here is, do not worry about investing on a high capacity memory card.

3D on TV:

As soon as you are done with capturing your video, Aiptek has offered two means to load it off and view. To view it in a TV, i2 is equipped with an in-built mini HDMI socket and the necessary cable has been supplied in the box. Though you will be able to send both 3D and 2D content to your TV, the 3D format alone is being sent is a side-by-side format. Hence, you are left with two separate video streaming that provide separate images for each of the eyes, which are simply combined horizontally and given as a single frame. There is nothing to worry about the side by side format, as it is pretty much a standard with the 3D TVs, hence, the latest 3D TVs can do the job just perfect. However, if you are looking at a 2D telly, all that you will be getting is merely a squished frame, the way it was recorded.  It is just unfortunate that Aiptek has not managed to come u with something that will enable the i2 to mix its 3D footage into some format that can be viewed in a 2D telly. So, unless you are rich enough to be owing a 3D TV or buying one soon, the next option will the only way for you to view the 3D footage.

3D on PC:

So, the next option is to watch 3D on a PC. Since the i2 has got a built-in USB plug that slides out from beneath, and offers an extension cable in the box that helps manage the little snug with the device to fit multiple USB slots, it can be hooked on to a PC. Once the connection is established, the required application will automatically install from the device itself, and we simply love the pocket internet camcorder for that reason. However, this is a bad news for Mac users as the computer has to be Windows PC, as Aiptek has not included any Mac software.

ArcSoft TotalMedia HDCam:

The software included by Aiptek i2 3D Camcorder is ArcSoft TotalMedia HDCam that is quite limited in terms of features when compared to the application that is offered by Flip camcorders. As far as editing is concerned, you get to trim in and trim out points in a clip, then you get to combine a series of them together and play them as a single file. The main functionality of the software is to just browse and display the 3D footage as well as uploading it to the web. In the package, Aiptek offers a pair of red and cyan specs that allows you to watch your recording on the monitor in fantastic 3D. This software is the one that has the job of taking the side by side footage and mix it to a red any cyan anaglyph for real time watching. Note that, the ArcSoft TotalMedia HDCam software also has support for NVIDIA’s stereoscopy system. This simply means that, having this set-up in your PC, the glasses can be used to watch the footage on PC.

Your 3D on web:

The MP4 files that are created by the i2 3D HDTV Playback camcorder can be imported and edited in other applications. Hence, as long as you got the same frame orientation and format, you should be able to apply filters and trim clips in your favourite video editing software. You also get to convert the clips permanently to red and cyan with the help of the ArcSoft software. These footages can be uploaded to YouTube directly and you will not have to convert it to the red and cyan format, since YouTube also supports side by side 3D video instantly. This also allows the files to be interpreted in a native fashion. When you get to see 3D footage on YouTube, there is an additional button beneath the video that enables you to choose the 3D presentation mode to match the 3D specs that you are using to watch your YouTube sample. However, with Facebook, it does not support side by side 3D, so you will have to convert you footage before uploading them. Most of the other social networking sites may also require you to do the 3D conversion locally.

Performance:

Minor quibbles:

Now, let us movie on to the performance factors of the Aiptek i2 3D Recording camcorder. Since the lenses have been fixed about a meter away, when the objects come closer than this measure, they appear to go out of focus, and we did not find any macro mode options that could compensate. The dual 5MP sensors offer acceptable quality of videos and photos.

When the 3D craze first aroused in the 1950s, the limitations in anaglyph presentations with the colour tinted glasses that became one of the main reasons why its fall was quick and steep too. Unfortunately, the Aiptek i2 3D Still Photos Capturing camcorder suffers from similar issues, as the effects that the device creates results that are far from perfect. It is very much unlikely that the glasses on offer will have perfect calibration to your display. Hence, this will result is some ghosting if images that are meant for one eye, within the picture that was actually meant for the other, making the image very much untidy that the polarisation technology that is used by the RealD cinema presentations or IMAX’s shutter based specs. Some of the consumers will not be able to even perceive the 3D effect at all. But that is not to say that it does not work as the 3D can be quite effective too, with the objects that travel towards the camera, and hence getting the users to crave for it temporarily.

Excellent in poor illumination:

The performance of the Aiptek i2 3D HD camcorder in poor lighting is quite surprising as it actually manages to provide a brighter image in 3D mode than in the 2D mode. However, the low illumination actually highlights one of the quibbles for anaglyph style 3D. However, overall, we feel that the low light capabilities of i2 3D HD is appreciable, considering its price tag as well as on par with the pocket Internet camcorders.

Package:

The package contents of the Aiptek i2 3D HD includes the camcorder itself, AC Charger cable, HDMI Cable, USB Cable, lithium ion battery, and user’s guide.

Warranty:

Aiptek backs its 3D HD Camcorder with one year warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

The Aiptek i2 3D HD camcorder, is one of the most potent camcorders in the current market, as it makes use of the influential dual HD sensors that enables you to capture 3D stills and videos which can be converted with the software, to be watched on most major 3D TV brands. It basically will not be the kind of machine you would want to use if you are looking to shoot the next 3D sensational Hollywood movie. But its price tag is such that you really need not worry about that much. The only extra investment for you is the SDHC memory card and the price tag is not higher than an average pocket camcorder. Hence, if you are looking for a pocket camcorder in the market, the Aiptek i2 is one to consider as it had got the fun advantage of an extra dimension.

If you are interested in 3D TV, we recommend www.3dtvreviews.org.uk for exclusive reviews, price comparison for 3D Television models available in UK.

Check other Camcorder Reviews in this website.

Aiptek i2 3D Pocket Size Camcorder – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Aiptek
Model Name	Aiptek i2 3D HD Camcorder
Product Type	3D HD Camcorder
Dimensions (W x D x H) in	2.75″ x 1.0″ x 4.5″
Display	2.4″ 2D/3D TFT Panel
Resolution	480 x 240 Pixels
Display type	Glasses Free Stereoscopic TFT
3D Display	Parallax Barrier
Display Viewing	Best at 11.8″ Distance
Weight	4.3 oz. without battery; 5.2 oz. with
Sensor Type	5 Mega-Pixel CMOS (2592 x 1944); 1/3.2″
Video Resolution	720P (1280 x 720), up to 30 fps, 16:9
Still image	5 Mega-Pixel CMOS (2592 x 1944), 4:3
3D File Format	Video: AVC H.264 (.MP4) Photo: .JPEG; Side-by-Side
2D File Format	Video: AVC H.264 (.MP4) Photo: .JPEG
Internal Memory	128MB for Software and e-manual
External Memory	Up to 32GB SDHC Card
Lens	Fixed Lens x 2
Digital Zoom	4 x
Focus Range	1m ~ ?
Night Mode	Auto (for Video and Photo)
White Balance	Auto
Exposure Control	Auto
Power Save Mode	Yes, 3 minute Auto Off
Integrated Memory	NA
Microphone	Built-in Stereo Microphone
Speaker	Built-in Stereo Speaker
TV-Out	HDMI (3D/2D Output)
YouTube Upload	Supported by Embedded Software
USB Interface	Integrated USB2.0
System Requirements	Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Vista, Windows 7 Macintosh 10.4, or above (File Upload Only) Pentium 4 – 3.2 GHz or above Direct X 9.0c or above 1GB of system RAM (2GB recommended) Video Card with 256MB of RAM 4x Speed CD-ROM or higher An Available USB Port QuickTime 7.4 or above
Cables Included	AC Charger cable, HDMI Cable, USB Cable
Power Device	Power Adapter- External
Battery Type	NP-60 1200mAh, 3.7V Li-Ion Rechargeable
Warranty	1 year

Canon camcorders have always had a great reputation for their image quality and excellent features. However, the company is not so famous for its budget options. The most recent model to challenge the budget end of the market is Canon Legria HF R18. We would all love to have the bank balance of James Cameron, but that does not mean that we all would want to master any of the latest 3D movie cameras or high range HD. Considering that you are further interested in filming your holidays and ilks, somewhat like the Canon Legria HF R18 will just be everything you will need. While it does not possess all the gimmiks, it is simply painless to use. Let us find out if this model will give Canon the edge for the most price conscious consumer.

Design:

Sophisticated:
The Canon Legria HF R18 Camcorder has a glossy silver and black structure that looks quite smooth. Dimensions wise, it is not precisely pocket friendly, but the compact HF R18 has been designed to fit into your hands and is deceivingly light too. The Canon HD video lens has an automatic cover over the glass. The battery pack has been secretly fitted within the device, which streamlines the design, making it more comfy take video. While the HF R18 is available in only black, its immediate siblings R16 and R108 are available in silver and a range of other shades respectively.

Display:
The LCD screen is clear, sharp and colourful, but it can be a real challenge to use in strong daylight conditions, where reflections off the screen make it hard to compose a video accurately. It is a shame not to see an electronic viewfinder on the HF-R18, as this would offer a useful alternative when the LCD screen becomes tricky to use.

Ports and slots:
Doors at the rear cover a comprehensive set of video output ports, alongside the USB 2.0 connection. There is mini HDMI, component and composite analogue. Cables are supplied for both the analogue connections, but not the mini HDMI, so you will have to fork out a little extra if you want to view your video digitally on your HDTV.

User interface:

Simple operation of the Canon Legria HF R18 Digital Camcorder means almost anybody will be able to utilize the HF R18 and obtain sensible results. Easy action of the camcorder is further simplified by Canon’s ‘smart auto’ feature, which chooses the most suitable scene mode from thirty one accessible. Its choices are based on stuff like distance from subject, brightness, type of subject and heaps more. For instance, it will even tell if you are recording a little close up and mechanically change to macro mode. If you delve into the full menu, goodies like x.v.Color can be found. There is flicker removal for 50Hz and 60Hz sources, great for shooting when there is a TV in the background. For those not interested in manual configuration, the Smart Auto mode detects conditions and sets the scene mode accordingly, although there are not quite as many different modes as, for example, Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto.

Though there is no touchscreen control, the settings and menus are all quite simple to manoeuvre with the mini-joystick. On its own, this operates a quick menu, which provides rapid access to a few of the most often used functions, including manual exposure and focus. The latter can be a little fiddly to operate with a joystick, but at least there is an assist function, which magnifies the frame to help you with adjustment.

Features:

Technology wise, the HF R18 sports the combination of one of Canon’s HD video lenses possessing sole 1/5.5 type CMOS and the company’s DIGIC DV III processor. The HD resolution of up to 1080i can be recorded to whichever the devices’ 32GB inner memory or a detachable SD/SDHC memory card. Even though you get a 20 x optical zoom, you do not get the powered OIS image stabilizer found on most of the other Canon camcorders. At £380, though it might not be too much on the low-end, but you certainly will not need James Cameron’s bank balance to buy one.

Additional features:
Extra family friendly features come in form of video snapshots which are tiny bursts of two to eight secs of video, face detection, and a quick auto-focus.

Downmix:

Legria HF R18  Flash Memory Camcorder also has the capability to downmix the HD recordings to SD in camera, in case you need a lower resolution version of your videos.

Memory:

The major highlight feature of the camcorder is its 32GB of ready made store room that has been hidden among HF R18’s innards. The Canon Legria HF R18 High Definition Video Camcorder is actually one of the top of the range of three models that share almost all of the specifications. While the R18 integrates 32GB of flash memory, the R16 has only 8GB and the R106 has none at all. All incorporate an SD card slot, so you can add more storage if you want. In the R18 and R16 if you run out of memory while shooting, the camcorder can switch automatically to removable memory without a break in recording.

Value-hit:
There can only be 2 major reasons why you would want to go for a cammy with a great range of interior storage space; one is convenience and the other is obviously the value. Sometimes, and in particular with the hard disk based ranges such as Sony’s Handycam HDR-XR155E, it can be lesser money to give for storage right away, instead of paying for detached memory cards. Bad news is that, the camcorder’s internal flash storage is there for handiness sake only and this is when you will not be reducing any money. The fact is, at Amazon’s present prices, it would actually work out to be £120 lesser to purchase the flash-free Legria HF R106 with two 16GB SDHC memory cards in its place of a disappointing all-in-one HF R18.

Handy though:
Having said that, it is still quite useful to possess 32GB of storage for you, especially when you are away on a holiday and not able to abandon the recordings on a DVD or PC. With this memory you will be able to get about four hrs of footage on the interior memory if you are recording at the high quality FXP setting. You always have the option to add additional storage space through the SD slot of you require.

Performance:

Video:
When compared to the still images, we would say that the video mode is much better. At the fullest quality, you will be able to take some very good shots, especially of you film in the open in the well sunlit situation. However, if you look at them in detail, it will reveal some small quibbles. For instance, there are relics available in shadow and mid-tones with some overflow on tough colours. Under indoor conditions, the camcorder just managed to unearth some more issues. In artificial lighting, the picture degenerates rapidly, which is a disgrace because we have seen quite a few mid range camcorders that proved recently themselves to be very competent in the low light conditions.

Still images:
photo and Video performance is perhaps more disappointing than the memory value. As far as still photos are concerned, they are comparatively of low resolution and do not stand up to scrutiny. The detail is very low and shades can look oddly unrealistic too. We found there is too much of noise than what is usual, particularly in low light conditions. The details are quite good in good lights, however, the colours were missing the pop of high definition that you will usually find in the Canon camcorders. As you can imagine, the 1.5mp still mode in the camera is not too great. Overall, we can say that this one is a reliable camcorder, but lets you down as far as performance is concerned.

Sensor is to blame:
It is very likely that most of these problems arise from Legria’s relatively small and low resolution CMOS sensor, which has just 1.56 effective megapixels to have fun with. Canon Legria HF R18 just proved that it just is not technically as able as many of its peers and while we would have forgiven this issue in a budget model, at this price range, the HD Camcorder should execute superior in this time. The R18′s performance implies that the company should consider back-side illumination technology if it wants to compete on quality using a CMOS sensor this small.

Audio:
The recorded sound quality is reasonable, though the small internal microphone does not wow with its audio capture. If you zoom the lens while recording, there is an unfortunate mechanical sound that is picked up by the mic. This camcorder does not have any external audio options.

Warranty:

Canon offers its Legria HF R18 camcorder one year warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

Most consumers who are seeking to make their personal videos will require a camcorder that is just as fitting and budget friendly as it is quite capable at making some good quality pictures. As it is, we are quite content to allow a minor quality hit when weighed against to the high end models, particularly as the Canon Legria HF R18 has a great deal of ease of use and offers its own storage space. The issue here us that, at just under £400 online and much higher on the markets, the HF R16 just does not stand for any fine value.

Canon Legria HF R18 Camcorder – Technical Specification Details

Manufacturer	Canon
Model Name	Canon Legria HF R18
Camcorder type	HD
Dimensions (W x H x D)	60 x 64 x 124mm
Weight	Approx. 270g
Display	6.7cm (2.7″) widescreen colour LCD
CCD Type	1/5.5 type CMOS
Total pixels	2.39 megapixel
Filter	RGB Primary Colour Filter
Optical Zoom	20X
Digital Zoom	20x 400x / 80x (selectable)
Focal Length	3.0-60.0mm
Maximum Aperture	f1.8 to f3.6
Image Stabilizer	Dynamic Electronic Image Stabilizer
Image Processor	DIGIC DV III
Face Detection Technology	Yes
Manual Adjustment	Brightness, backlight
Minimum Lux	Approx. 0.4 lux (Low Light Mode)
Night Mode	Yes
Battery	Lithium ion
Battery Life	1hr 25mins
Warranty	One year

One of the biggest behemoths of Electronic goods, Samsung, has been reputed for some of the most stunning and innovative breakthroughs ever in consumer electronics. Following the old evolutionary rule ‘Survival of the Fittest’, Samsung has been producing some very fit and spick products. Though it is mostly reputed for its ultra slim LCD TVs or even of late, the mobile industry, it is still not quite as successful as Sony is when it comes to the camcorders. Hence, it was decided that Samsung had to break the shackles and give a tight competition to the other established manufacturers of camcorders. Even since then, Samsung has started producing some ultra compact camcorders and now here, we are going to have a look at one such camcorder, the Samsung C20. Let us not waste any more time by diving into the details right away.

Design:

Camcorder or a Mouse?

This is the most discussed topic regarding the Samsung C20. It has got one of the most unconventional yet cute designs ever in the history of camcorders. It resembles a computer mouse both in the way it looks and also in its size. It is very tiny that sometimes you would wonder if it is a real thing or just a play thing. Measuring just about (H x W x D) 35 x 56 x 109 mm, it fits into the hands of any person in the world. Even children can handle them without the fear of dropping it. It is also quite light in weight as you can see, weighing just 145 grams, and hence the camcorder is as heavy as your mobile phone. This is the reason the Samsung SMX-C20 Camcorder has been the talk of the town of late. It is small, light and also extremely portable. You could put it in your pocket or handbags or whatever but it fits in so well. The overall round shape that it possesses is also an advantage because round objects occupy lesser space than their rectangular shaped counterparts. You also can comfortably use one hand to hold it while shooting, which is more often than not an advantage for both the rookies and the pros.

Display:

The Samsung C20 Digital Camcorder has got a very user friendly display system, which is obviously a TFT LCD screen. The screen size is 2.7 inches and it is appreciable that Samsung has managed to fit a 2.7 inch LCD into the design of such a tiny camcorder. The screen completely occupies the left side of the camera and it has got a very special feature. It can be turned and twisted in any kind of direction. It turns 360 degrees on its axis, which is a very good sign. This can be very vital for the camcorder since it has got an angled lens, which will be discussed in the later part of the review. Now obviously, since the device is so small, it would not be very comfortable if there are buttons for navigation. Hence, the screen is touch responsive. You can select the options and change the settings by just a mere touch. This makes it easy for you to interface with the camcorder and its utilities.

Features:

Since the Samsung C20 is a camcorder for the rookies and it is not tailor made for the professional photographers, you see that there are only a few features in it. There are not many advanced jaw dropping features which are seen on the High Definition camcorders from Samsung itself, but then the existing features are really useful and they suit the device and its design. Let us have a look at the features seen on the Samsung C20.

Angled Lens:

Perhaps the first time in the making of a digital camcorder, an angled lens is introduced. Normally, the lens of the camcorder points in the direction of the rest of the body. But Samsung, which is widely known for experimentation and innovation, has gone against the odds this time around and introduced an angled lens system for the C20 camcorder. What happens with this very system is that the lens of the SMX-C20 camcorder is angled up to an amount of 25 degrees. You may wonder what difference it makes to the shooting experience. But you will see that there is actually a lot of difference. For instance, you can position your hand in a direction such that the camcorder is parallel to the ground. You will feel that you cannot hold your hand like that for longer time periods. Your wrist hurts a little while doing this. Titling your wrist a little towards the ground will prevent this situation and your wrists will not pain. Since this feature is the result of intense experimentation and examination, it can be said that it is more useful than expected.

YouTube Compatibility:

Many of us want to show our videos to our friends and relatives. And YouTube is the best place in the world to post pour videos online so that everyone could see it. As we know, when we post our videos on to YouTube, not only our friends and family, but everyone else in the world can see it. But in normal cases, for you to post videos online onto YouTube, you need to first copy the videos onto your computer, and edit them in a movie maker software and then post them to YouTube. But the C20 does not need all these steps in order to post videos online. All you need to do is just connect the camcorder to your computer using the cable given, sync them both and then select the videos directly in the camcorder itself and send them to YouTube directly. There is an upload button on the camcorder which, when pressed, sends all the selected videos to YouTube at a time. The built in YouTube Compatible software does all that you need to do otherwise. This process is very useful since it not only reduces manual labour, but it also saves your valuable time and at the same time, avoids the use of third party software. Hence, these utilities make the YouTube Compatibility feature a really utile one. Not many camcorders in the market today feature this kind of technology and hence the Samsung C20 may win a few points here.

Intelligent Image Enhancements:

Intelligent Image Enhancement feature gives you very high quality photographs. This feature is only limited to photos and not videos. Hence the videos are not high definition but the pictures are. You can capture high quality photos up to 2 million pixels or a resolution of about 1600 x 1200 in Samsung SMX-C20 Camcorder. Hence you can capture high definition pictures thanks to this technology. All the images are of jpeg format, giving you very good compatibility so that these photos can also be viewed on most of the mobile phones and PDAs, not to forget computers and HD TVs. Then there is digital image enhancement which is also intelligent of course. This means that after you have captured your photos, you can digitally enhance them, which otherwise is also known as digital zooming. This will not reduce the image quality and the resolution will be adjusted in order to achieve optimum picture quality.

Smart Auto:

As usual, there are a few preset scene modes on the Samsung SMX-C20 10x optical zoom lens camcorder. This feature greatly reduces the manual stress you need to put in if you want to adjust the scene settings depending upon the situation and shooting mode. Smart Auto uses a few built in sensors and detects the information regarding the shooting scene and the surrounding environment. Things such as luminosity, colour contrast are taken into consideration and hence the settings are adjusted so that you always manage to capture the best and bring out the best from your camcorder. Scene modes such as Night Portrait, Portrait, White, Night, Landscape, Night, Macro, Outdoor and Indoor are seen on the Samsung C20 camcorder. According to the shooting situation, the camcorder shoots pictures aptly. This makes the C20 an almost fully automatic camcorder which in turn reduces a great deal of manual work.

Time Lapse Recording:

The Time Lapse Recording Feature is also another marvel that technology has brought home. With the Samsung C20, you can shoot pictures at various time intervals and then the pictures are automatically arranged in a sequential order, or to say more appositely, in a chronological order and then the array of pictures is played such that you get a stage wise recording of the pictures taken. Things like budding of a flower, sunrise, sunset, etc., can be shot in this way using this very new feature from Samsung. What actually happens here is that the camera takes the pictures at preset intervals of time and then arranges them in an order, and then most importantly reduce the huge time lapse into fractions of a second so that the changes become unnoticed. This utility is not just for the professionals or filmmakers but it can also be fun for others too to makes such breathtaking videos. Hence, Time Lapse Recording can be one very exciting new feature on the Samsung C20.

Well, that is it with the features on the C20. As discussed earlier, there are not many features on this tiny camera but the existing ones are really utile and user friendly, which, at the end of the day, is taken into account.

Performance of SMX-C20:

With the features list being cropped tight, you might have already guessed that Samsung has concentrated on performance this time around more than anything else. With more features, the performance may not be as catchy as it would be with minimal features. Since this is a small camcorder which targets the youth and the inexperienced who want a small camcorder in their pocket every time they go out, it is designed to perform well in almost all conditions. Let us have a look at various performance aspects of the Samsung C20.

Video Performance:

With the Samsung C20 CCD Image Sensor camcorder, you can shoot pretty decent videos with pretty good quality. The videos are not high definition nor there exists an optical image stabilization facility, but still you can shoot good videos at 480p, which is next to high definition. The videos can be recorded in H.264 codec system, which allows you to shoot longer as it uses minimal battery. The frame rate can also go as high as 50fps, which is a good sign too. The younger generation or even the starters may find this as a very good beginning step towards photography and filmography. Since there are not many features that make shooting pretty easy for you, you will have to be very careful while shooting the videos, which indeed will be a very good learning experience for the rookies. Hence, if you are still a starter when it comes to shooting decent videos, this video performance is enough to actually support you.

Audio Performance:

Firstly, we look at the audio performance of the camcorder. It is actually stereo and is pretty good for a small camcorder like this one. You get decent audio output. It may not be of high definition or like a 5.1 channel digital surround, but it still gives you enough to get good voice clarity. The voice signals are given good priority but unfortunately there is no noise reducer. But on the whole the audio is decent and is expected to complement the videos well.

Connectivity:

Now connectivity is the best part of the performance of the Samsung C20 Compact Size Camcorer. The SMX-C20 camcorder comes with Intelli Studio, a built in PC software that allows you to easily connect your camcorder to your Personal Computer and hence share the videos and pictures. The pictures and video can also be edited on your computer using various editing software available in the market. Then these pictures and videos can be shared with your friends and also across the globe as you can directly upload them onto YouTube and many other social networking websites. The Samsung C20 comes with a portable small mini USB cable, which is used for the connection and synchronization. This feature also makes it quite user friendly. Hence you have got pretty good connectivity options on the C20 camcorder.

Battery:

The Battery seen on the Samsung C20 camcorder is of a very special type and lasts longer than usual. The batteries from Samsung have gone through rigorous changes in the recent past and newer technologies are being used day by day. Now, through the eighth generation chip solution technology and also through enhanced energy efficiency, you can use the C20 camcorder for longer durations. While otherwise you can shoot for only about half an hour, with this new battery system, you can shoot for more than 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is too good actually for a camcorder that is as basic as this one as it supports young rookies while they shoot their movies.

Warranty:

The Samsung C20 camcorder comes with an international warranty for parts and labour, for a period of one year from the original date of purchase.

Verdict:

With all the points being discussed now, one thing is pretty clear. This is a basic camcorder. It is a tiny but cute, starter camcorder which has decent features and also performs very well under most conditions. With the youth being the target, this camcorder is also priced very low and is hence very affordable. If you are looking to learn a few things regarding video shooting, you can start with the Samsung C20. But if you are looking for better and a higher range of camcorders, you can go through their reviews on our website.

Samsung SMX-C20 Pocket Camcorder – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Samsung
Model Name	SMX-C20
Type	Pocket Camcorder
Dimensions (H x W x D)	35 x 56 x 109 mm
Weight	145 grams
Colours	Black, Purple, Blue and Red
Screen type	LCD
Screen size	2.7 inches
Screen Resolution	640 x 480
Tripod mount	No
Sensor	CMOS
Sensor Size	1 / 6″
No of pixels	680K
Storage Media	SSD / SDHC slot
Optical Zoom	10x
Optical Zoom Banding	10-14x
Video resolution	480p
Video Codec	H.264
Frame rate	50 frames per second
Zoom	Digital Zoom
Internal memory	No
Online Sharing	YouTube
Recording capacity	2 hours and 45 minutes
Digital video file format	.mp4 (H.264)
Exposure Adjustment	Auto or Manual
Still image format	JPEG
Still picture	1600 x 1200 pixels
Signal Type	PAL
PC connection	Built-in flexi USB connector
Features	Manual Focus Manual Exposure Manual White Balance Backlight Compensation
TV Out	HDMI (HDMI cable included)
Microphone	Built-in
Speaker	Built-in
Included Software	Intelli Studio 2.0
Battery life	2 hours and 45 minutes
Warranty	One year

Sanyo had recently released the Xacti VPC-SH1 Hybrid Stills and Video Dual Camcorder that is compatible with SDXC and sporting a wide angle lens with Full HD capture. Breaking with the vertical pistol grip design of the previous Xacti Dual cameras, it has moved on to a more traditional camcorder look incorporating a 35mm equivalent wide angle lens which is something quite new on a consumer use Full HD video camera. Hence, in spite of the fact that it is one of the original fans of pocket camcorders, the Xacti VPC-SH1 Camcorder has lots similar to the conventional models than the flip video. Being a little dear than a few of the other of products of Sanyo too, the big question here will be that if it has the muscle to beat the high end manufacturers at their own game.

Design:

The conventional look:

Despite the dual camera marketing (about which we will be discussing later), the Sanyo Xacti VPC-SH1 Camcorder looks just like an everyday camcorder that is mainly proposed for taking video, with a good full-fledged camcorder design that replaces the compressed pistol grip look that you will find somewhere else in the Xacti range of Sanyo. Although it apes the manifestation of many of the full sized camcorders, the carved barrel grip body of this Sanyo camcorder is still rather smaller than a lot of the other video camcorders and even some of the conventional models. Dimensions are a manageable (H x W x D) 42.8 x 117.9 x 59.2mm.

There is undoubtedly been some subtle cost cutting to bring the device in at this price. For starters, squeeze the VPC-SH1′s chassis and you will discover a slightly plasticy feel. Only slightly mind, meaning it is well disguised by the attractively glossy exterior with sleek rounded edges, further distraction provided by the neatly ergonomic indentation to the right hand side that allows it to sit snugly within the palm, and enjoy a narrower overall depth than competing devices. There is no automatic lens cover to protect the glass at the front from dirt and scratches, as offered by more expensive models, merely a clip-on cap that will quickly get lost or discarded.

The Strap and Controls:

Of course, the Xacti is very much handy, but regrettably does not seem to come with a grip strap that is any good. In its place, the wrist strap that comes in the package can be attached to the tripod thread underside the camcorder to be a temporary grip. It is not the finest of the solution, as the camcorder tends to lean to one side unless you keep a firm hold on it. Sanyo acknowledges the fact that some of the consumers might want to clutch the camcorder in their own way while recording, providing couple of video and photo start and stop controls. While one of the sets is on the back of the device where the thumb rests, the other is on the top on the way to the lens lodging, and as you can imagine, this will just be ideal for those who fancy to film with both hands. And, we would certainly recommend 2 handed recording whenever and wherever possible.

Memory, Slots and Battery:

The Sanyo Xacti VPC-SH1 Camcorder includes a very small, that is, 50MB of internal memory, but supports SD media, including high-capacity SDXC cards. You will also find HDMI output, a front-mounted LED flash and a reasonable 120 minutes battery life, along with the other positives.

User Interface:

We were surprised to find that the Xacti VPC-SH1 has several traits in common with Toshiba’s Camileo SX500. There are just so many similarities that in fact, we have actually begun to doubt if Sanyo and Toshiba have been sharing their ideas and factory room with each other. Not only does it have similar price tags and a similar set of features, both of these models also feature a very similar menu interface and navigation system. And there is nothing much to compliment here is that, it is somewhat old school in that.

Recording:

There is also quite a comprehensive array of recording options, accessed with a press of the “menu” button wedged between a separate shutter release button for still image and red video record button at the back, with joystick labelled “set” for their implementation sitting directly above. The video recording modes include Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels in either 60 fields a second or 30 frames per second, a slightly lower “HD ready” 1280 x 720 pixels at 60fps or 30fps, further 960 x 540 at 30fps option, or standard definition 640 x 480 pixels at 30fps. There are further web friendly modes of 448 x 480 or 192 x 108 pixels at a whopping 300fps or 600fps respectively.

Navigation:

There are simply no touch-screen capabilities, and you will just find a 5 way mini joystick to aid you with making your selections. However, it is reasonably easy to use, and there are a few fascinating stuff on offer. The very first thing you will want to do after switching this device is, just switch off the annoying musical tone and chirpy female voice that greet you whenever you switch the camcorder on. As you might intuitively expect, flipping the LCD outwards at 90 degrees to the body automatically powers up the device, allowing the user to be up and recording in just over 2 seconds. Filming is really just as simple as pressing the record button to start and once again to end. Though there is an actual power button, mystifyingly it’s hidden out of sight beneath the monitor – stored screen inwards – when the SH1 is inactive. The LCD can be tilted forward or back to a limited degree to provide a variety of compositional and viewing angles.

You will also find a light smattering of manual controls to investigate like the white balance, exposure and ISO. It also sports a targeting feature that allows you to track the faces or colours. And, in case you are not too keen in any of these settings, it is still possible for you to switch the camera to simple mode and the simply banish any of the device’s potentially puzzling options from being even displayed.

Features:

Sanyo is promoting its camcorders as ‘Dual Cameras’, did not get it? It is just that they are making the claim that they are in fact, equally as good in taking pictures as they are at recording video. The specifications of the VPC-SH1 will scream this fact too. In addition to recording video of up to 1080p, the SH1is also capable of taking high resolution images of up to 3648 x 2736 pixels with interpolation, which works out at about 10 MPs.

Dual camera:

The Dual camera series of the Xacti VPC SH1 aims to offer its users with a higher enjoyable experience while offering cameras that allows the user to easily capture both still images and video in daily life, along with recording those precious moments.

Zoom:

With the new zoom function, the video filming area on the image sensor is enlarged from approximately 2-Megapixels (Full HD image area) to approximately 3.5-Megapixels.

Video:

The video format used for this model is MPEG-4 AVC / H.264. This video format is single file format, similar to the one used for still photos and is fully supported by the latest Windows® OS, “Windows 7”, which was launched last year.

Further compatibility is offered v with new Eye-Fi media cards; inserting one effectively makes the VPC-SH1 a wireless device. If you haven’t inserted a card, upon power up a voice prompt warns you that any footage will be committed to internal memory; helpful for beginners perhaps, but the sampled dialogue can quickly become irritating.

Still Image:

The new Xacti has a 4-megapixel sensor, but as a stills camera, it produces interpolated 10-megapixel photographs.

Sound:

“Sound Zoom” function enables clear sound recordings according to the scene. The VPC-SH1 has three microphone modes for recording clear sounds according to the scenes and purposes. The Wide Mode is used for Stereo recording with high channel separation, Gun Microphone Mode for recording that focuses on sound emanating from the direction that the camera is pointing, while reducing sounds from other directions and the Zoom Combination Mode automatically changes the directivity and sound gathering format according to the image zoom conditions. The SH1′s built-in microphone does pick up wind noise, even a light breeze by the river on an otherwise seemingly perfect day. Output is via mini HDMI port, with that cable unsurprisingly costing extra. You do also get combined AV/USB port, with relevant lead provided.

Performance:

Video:

While experimenting the 1080i, 1080p and 720p quality settings on the Sanyo Xacti VPC-SH1 Camcorder, we came to the conclusion that the 1080i is probably the finest for playing back on a TV, while the 720/30p is preferable if you are just shooting for the sake of YouTube. However, to be fair, at 1080i you also get the benefit of a higher frame rate of 60 fields per second, which in turn offers a much smoother moving image than the 30fps rate of 1080p. Overall, the quality of the picture is quite rich, with extravagant colours and a fair amount of detail. You will be able to witness heaps of artefacts, that is, in areas of shadow, though. And even a fairly leisurely panning shot, the image breaks up quite dramatically, rather than blurring in a more innate way. Compared to the other camcorders, we would rather say that the SH1 produces superior video quality to most pocket video cameras, but falls a little short against mainstream AVCHD models.

As we had mentioned in the design section, it is the best way to keep your camcorder steady, especially because of the fact that the electronic image stabiliser of the VPC-SH1 is simply shoddier than useless. In fact, we found that switching this feature on actually causes the footage to look jerkier than with it kept off.

Still Image:

Moving on, the still image quality, on the other hand, is simply excellent for an HD video camera. There is one slight nag in that framing 4:3 shaped photos is difficult on the 16:9 shaped 2.7 inch LCD screen. Each time, you will you need to press the photo button down a fair bit to know what your real frame looks like. However, the still images we captured, themselves easily beat down the cheaper compact cameras, with high levels of detail, balanced, saturated colours and realistic skin tones. We found some blurring at the far end of the zoom, but this is quite common with the zoom on. Speaking of zoom, the 23x optical magnification that is offered for the still images is expanded to a 30x ‘advanced’ zoom for shooting video, which essentially makes use of the sensor’s additional pixellage in order to digitally zoom in without any loss of image quality. Depending on how you feel, it will be definitely impressive when compared to the short or the digital-only zooms that are found on most portable video cameras, though it is just about average for a mainstream camcorder.

Verdict:

The Sanyo Xacti VPC-SH1 dual Camcorder has realistic performance as far as the video is concerned, along with some above average still image quality and some helpful options create the Xacti VPC-SH1 a feasible alternative in the budget range. Among its other positives are affordability, easy to use simple modes and 23x optical zoom extends to 30x with no loss of quality. But the bad news for Sanyo is that, there is some rivalry at this price point now a days, and we would whole heartedly advise comparing this camcorder up alongside both the Panasonic HDC-SD60 and the JVC Everio GZ-HM330 before you purchase; because we feel that both of these camcorders provide appreciably better video performance for a alike outlay, although neither of them come anywhere near the still image quality of the SH1.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-SH1 Camcorder – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Sanyo
Model Name	Sanyo Xacti VPC-SH1
Dimensions	42.8 (W) x 117.9 (D) x 59.2 (H) mm
Weight	Approx. 234 g
Display	2.7-inch low-temperature polysilicon TFT color widescreen LCD, approx. 230,000 dots (7-level brightness, 285-degree rotation)
Photo resolution	10M: 3648 x 2736
Sequential	10M: 3648 x 2736 (8 fps / 16 shots); 4M: 2288 x 1712 (8 fps / 16 shots)
Video resolution	1920 x 1080 (60 fields / sec., 16 Mbps); Full SHQ: 1920 x 1080 (30 fps, 12 Mbps); HD-HR: 1280 x 720 (60 fps, 12 Mbps); HD-SHQ: 1280 x 720 (30 fps, 9 Mbps)
Hi-speed	Web-SHR: 448 x 336 (300 fps recording, 60 fps playback, 1/5 slow, 8 Mbps); Web-UHR: 192 x 108 (600 fps recording, 60 fps playback, 1/10 slow, 8 Mbps)
Lens	f = 4.0–92.0 mm; F = 3.5 (wide)–4.1 (telephoto); Auto focus: 8 groups, 11 elements (2 aspheric elements, 2 aspheric surfaces), Built-in ND filter
Angle of view/zoom ratio (35 mm equiv.)	Photo: f = 35.0–805 mm, 23x Optical zoom; Video: f = 35.0–1050 mm, 30x Advanced zoom
Digital zoom	Shooting: max. Approx. 50x (total zoom range: 1,150x [photo] / 1,500x [video]); Playback: max. Approx. 58.0x ([10M] mode, varies with resolution)
Focus	Auto (Photo: 9-point AF / spot AF; Video: continuous area AF); Manual: 22 steps
Scene select	Auto / Sports / Portrait / Landscape / Night Portrait / Snow & Beach / Fireworks / Lamp
Digital filter	Standard / Cosmetic / Monochrome / Sepia
Digital image stabilizer	Photo: multi-calculation electronic image stabilizer; Video: electronic image stabilizer
Exposure correction	1.8 EV (in 0.3 EV steps)
Flash	Auto, Forced (with slow synchro in Night Portrait mode), Off
Flash range	GN = 4.0, approx. 50 cm–2.3 m (wide), approx. 1 m–2 m (telephoto)
White balance	Auto: Full auto TTL; Manual: Sunny / Cloudy / Fluorescent / Incandescent / One-push
Audio	Microphone: built-in stereo (with Sound Zoom); Speaker: built-in monaural (L/R mixed output)
Interface	AV output (Video: HDMI, Composite video [NTSC/ PAL]; Audio: stereo, USB 2.0 (high-speed mode)
Power supply	Lithium-ion battery (DB-L90, included: 1200 mAh)
Power consumption	Using battery: 2.9 W (when shooting video)
Battery life	Photo: Approx. 350 photos (CIPA standard); Video: Approx. 110 min. (Full HD mode); Continuous playback: Approx. 330 min.
Warranty	One year

One of Panasonic’s great ideas for life is the high definition camcorder, and if you look back at all the previous camcorder models released by Panasonic in the recent past, all of them have enjoyed great success in the market. But, along with technology, these camcorders have gotten better and better day by day and now, here we have with us one of the best and the most advanced camcorders in the world, the Panasonic HDC-SD60. It is one of those few camcorders, which leave you awestruck even after considering the fact that they are non professional. Hence, they are excellent at performance and also at the same time, easy to use and handle. Here is an in depth analysis of this very promising camcorder from Panasonic.

Design:

Eye Catchy:

The first and the foremost thing anyone looks out for while purchasing a new camcorder is the design part of it. Any electronic gadget must only add to your beauty and must not at all be a burdensome load. The Panasonic HDC-SD60 has got one of the most awing designs ever. But then again, there is nothing so special about it or the design is not exaggerated. Everything is kept quite simple and compact so that it fits into almost all hands and also will be comfortable to hold whole shooting. Measuring about 51.5 x 65.5 x 112.0 mm, it is one of the cutest designs ever, engineered very well in order to fit into any hand. At 255 grams, this is one of the lightest camcorders ever in the market. And coming to the details of the design, as we have already discussed, it is quite simple and basic instead of being too flashy and complex. This also makes it a very suitable camcorder for domestic use.

Display:

Display comes after design while deciding the primary attributes of any camcorder. The Panasonic HDC-SD60 has got a very good 2.7 inch LCD which fits so nicely into the design of the camcorder. Like in most of today’s camcorders, the LCD screen is easily rotatable. This helps you look at the subjects beforehand so that the video comes out well at the end of the day, which is what you always wanted. There are also a few quick on screen options that allow you to quickly change some of the settings and amend the camcorder for a better performance. There are also quite a few on screen languages that make it easy for global users to use the camcorder comfortably. The languages are English, Arabic, Persian, Hindi, Thai and Chinese Traditional. Due to the excessive popularity of the Panasonic Camcorders among the Asian multitude, the major Asian languages are included in the camcorder. This makes the Panasonic HDC-SD60 even more user-friendly.

Features:

In general, all the camcorders from Panasonic have got lots and lots of features that try and gain public attention. All of them seem to have followed the same tradition and the Panasonic HDC-SD60 is not an exception either. You are going to see some of the best features in the market combined with some new exciting ones too. But each one of them is equally interesting and also effective when it comes to the overall contribution to the performance of the camcorder. Let us have a look at all the important features of the HDC-SD60.

Quick Power on, 1.0 Sec!

Now most of the camcorders today take some time to start even though technology has been reducing this starting time over the years. This can pose a bit of a problem when you need instant videos or photographs. But, with the new option on the Panasonic HDC-SD60 Flash Memory Camcorder, which is known as Quick Power On, you do not have to worry about the time taken by your camcorder to start. This camcorder takes only a second to start everything and to allow you to record any kind of pictures, either still or motion. This is hence a very useful feature, since in this fast moving world, everyone craves for fast results and performances. This makes the Panasonic HDC-SD60, one of the fastest camcorders on this planet.

Wide Angle Lens:

Since the camcorder shoots only two dimensional pictures, sometimes when you shoot at the corners of a room or in a narrow place, the pictures may seem a little awkward. Another thing with the normal camcorders is that their lens is not capable of capturing a wide area. But, do not worry as this happens only with the normal camcorders and not the fully equipped Panasonic HDC-SD60. Here is a very good lens system introduced by Panasonic which has got some excellent capabilities, one of which is the ability to capture a wide area of pictures. The 35.7 mm wide lens fits in more people and other subjects that the other conventional lenses. This wide angle lens is particularly useful while capturing group photos and also self portraits. One more important property of this lens system is that it is very capable of taking effective pictures even when the subjects in the frame are too close to the lens. This cluster of very important properties makes the Panasonic HDC-SD60 a very luring camcorder.

Crystal Engine Pro:

This new engine from Panasonic, called the Crystal Engine Pro, is one of the most advanced engines in the world of camcorders and this engine is, along with the lens, the most important reason behind the excellent quality of the images and videos of the Panasonic HDC-SD60 AVCHD Camcorder. All the data from the lens of the camcorder is sent into this engine, which is precisely a super microprocessor that handles all the data. It then processes and enhances the data in order to achieve full HD pictures. Even the zoomed pictures are analyzed pretty well and are extended so that there is no pixel loss or even noise. This Crystal Pro Engine also completely removes the noise that will be added during zooming and low light conditions and hence provides you great pictures. The edges of the images are made more visible and also more significant so that the pictures look quite clear and vivid enough to be called as truly high definition pictures. This processor is also the very reason behind the extra resolution that the camcorder boasts of. The Panasonic HDC-SD60 has got 1.3 times more pixels than that of the normal camcorders from the other manufacturers. With 2.1 million effective pixels in all, the pictures that pass through this Crystal Pro Engine look very lifelike and abundantly coloured.

Intelligent Resolution Technology:

It is quite natural that when you film with a zoomed lens, you find that the pictures are not that crisp and also the edges are a bit blurred. But Panasonic came up with the idea of an Intelligent Resolution Technology and hence preventing the loss of high resolution when the lens is zoomed. This Intelligent Resolution Technology is incorporated inside the already discussed Crystal Engine Pro and its main function is to detect the blurred portions of the image and then enhance the pixels there in order to improve the resolution in that area. But, intensifying the edges of the pictures is not the only duty of this technology and since it is intelligent, it has to do what is need most. For an example, it smoothens the objects that have no edges, like the sky and gives extra crispness to a pattern such as a field or a terrain. A cluster of such features is embedded into this very new technology and it definitely means a lot to your high definition pictures.

Power OIS:

Optical Image Stabilization has now got a first name and what’s better for a first name than Power? This is a more advanced version of the already existing Optical Image Stabilization in both the SD and the normal HD camcorders. To give you a brief idea of what’s new in this latest addition to the OIS, we shall give you an example. When you shoot without a tripod or a stand, your pictures are susceptible to shaking and hence your videos look slightly blurred. And the situation is worse when you zoom a bit. The blurring of the images and the dragging of the edges becomes more and more evident as you go on zooming your lens. Even the slightest shake leads to great losses in picture quality. This is what the Power OIS medicates. It gives new life to your pictures, even the zoomed ones. It takes the extra care needed in order to make your pictures look perfect. It’s almost like you will get great pictures even if you film while running. Another advantage with this new feature is that, it helps the lens capture pictures with great crispness even of the subjects in the frame are moving. So even fast moving objects can be captured very well and also with ease. This contributes a lot to the picture quality and vividness.

35x Zoom!

Have you, even by chance, ever heard of a 35x zoom? Well, Panasonic is known to have given some sweet shocks to its customers and this one is definitely one of those shockers. While there is already the 25x optical zoom which is very good by any means, you still have a long way to go into the depth of your pictures as you can zoom them up to 35 times. This is technically called Digital Zoom which means that you can zoom the pictures after you have actually shot them. While you can only zoom up to 25 times while shooting, you can go up to 35 times after finishing your job. This helps a lot in cropping whatever portion of the overall picture that you want, and then editing such portions if necessary. This will actually be a very good feature because you can identify and clearly distinguish between different portions of the picture.

Wind Noise Canceller:

This is another wondrous feature that technology has brought us. Previously, there used to be this Wind Cut feature which cuts the noise of the wind after recording. Of course, to be honest, this was not that effective at the end of the day and if the wind noise was too high, you could still notice the noise even after cancellation. But now, with the Wind Noise Cancellation feature, the camcorder automatically notices the noise of the wind and does not record it at all, which makes you record only the voices and other sounds. This gives you ultimate sound recording performance, giving you an impression of studio quality recording. The voices are also given the top priority. All these small but important things make the camcorder more invaluable.

Face Recognition and Face Detection:

Face Recognition has been there for quite a while in all the latest cameras and camcorders. It helps the camcorder recognize the faces of the subjects which are in the frame and then alters the settings so that the faces of the subjects are given the maximum importance, compared to the other parts and the background. The lens of the Panasonic HDC-SD60 camcorder can detect multiple faces so that all of them fit in the frame nicely. It also gives you a warning if any one of the faces is covered or obstructed by another. This feature is especially very utile during group or family photos and also helps you tag the persons separately after the pictures have been taken. Now, coming to the face detection technology, this is quite a new thing for many people around the world since not many cameras or camcorders are featuring it.  It allows you to register the faces of people so that their names will be displayed on the screen the moment they are seen on the camera. The lens detects that particular person and tags them automatically. You can register lots of names and attach them to the faces in the pictures. This is also a wonderful utility for those of you who love to take group pictures and later tag them.

Scene Modes:

There are a few scene modes which are embedded into the Panasonic HDC-SD60 35x Digital Zoom Camcorder by default and this helps the camcorder decide the situation automatically and then alter the settings and other preferences if necessary, all by itself in order to get the best out of the scene. Some of the settings that will be altered include the brightness of the picture, the colour contrast, the picture vividness, optical image stabilization and so on. These settings will be changes by the camcorder automatically if the intelligent mode is switched on before shooting. You can also alter these settings manually if you wish to and you need to set the camcorder to manual and switch off the intelligent mode. The Scene modes include the following: Sports, Sunset, Spot light, Portrait, Low Light, Fireworks, Scenery, Night mode, Night Scenery, Snow, Night Portrait, and Beach. This is a pretty good attempt by Panasonic in proving a few scene modes by default.

Soft Skin Mode:

Now here we have a very beautiful advent of technology and we hope that would attract almost all the people in the world. It is a clear fact that every person in the world would love to look a bit younger than their actual age. And most of the times, your face is the index of your age as well as your mind. There is definitely nobody in the world who loves to see wrinkles all over their face. Now, we are not talking about removing these wrinkles in reality but at least, with the use of technology, you can look a lot younger than normal. The Soft Skin Mode is like one of those Photoshop applications which soften your skin and make slightly blur the wrinkles, moles, scars, blemishes, spots and what not, on your face and makes it look a lot riper. This feature worked exceptionally well for all camcorders, under all shooting conditions and most importantly, for all types of people and skin tones. No matter what your skin tone is, your face will be beautified. And now undoubtedly, this is the most interesting thing regarding this camcorder, especially to the older multitude.

Tele Macro:

Tele Macro has been one of those very effective technologies of late, which have contributed to the success of many high definition camcorders. This feature plays a key role during very close shooting. When the subjects are very close to the lens, you would normally see slight blurring of the edges and the focus shifts to the backgrounds instead of being on the required subject. Tele Macro corrects this very behavior of the lens and allows you shoot very close range objects. Here is a trick for those of you who do not know about shooting very close objects. You must see that there is a shadow over the subject but the background must be left well lit. Now here comes Tele Macro. This makes the lens concentrate on the subject, blurs the background very effectively, giving you stunning high definition pictures.

Dolby Digital Support:

Coming to the audio of the Panasonic HDC-SD60 High Definition Camcorder, there is one but very important feature that makes your audio high definition. While recording videos, this feature records the sounds in manner that is different from most of others. It records the sounds exactly in the way they are produced during recording and then it processes the sounds in order to cancel any noises in the audio signals. Then these sounds are played accordingly while playing your videos on a home theatre system and this gives you a home theatre surround sound experience since you get a fully three dimensional sound effect. This is also a commendable effort put in by Panasonic as there are only a few other camcorders in the market, from the giants of Sony and Samsung, which can boast of a similar audio recording performance. Hence, the audio complements the already high definition videos.

Hence, all the features discussed above are really of great value and they are definitely going to boost the quality of the Panasonic HDC-SD60 camcorder.

Performance:

Though everything regarding a camcorder is quite important, its performance gets the better of all the other features and properties. Speaking of Performance, we will have a look at the overall performance of the camcorder, including the video and the audio performances. Firstly, after having a look at all the important features discussed above, it is very obvious that you are going to get wonderful videos out of this camcorder. Video quality was superb in almost all the conditions, during the tests that were conducted. The iA and the Intelligent Resolution Technology have both taken recording experience to a whole new other level. The videos are reco0rding with the best resolution available, which happens to be the 1080p HD and also it records the pictures in the best known format, which happens to be the H.264. And with Dolby Digital, you will be having a great audio recording performance. You can hence record videos that come with a 5.1 channel home theatre surround sound effects. The overall performance is also excellent, taking all the features and unique options into consideration.

Considering the facts that are discussed above, all that we can say is there are no doubts regarding the fact that the Panasonic HDC-SD60 is one of the best performing camcorders in the market today.

Battery and Power Consumption:

The Camcorder consumes about 4.4 watts of power during recording while it requires at least 7.7 watts during charging. A 3.6V / 5.0V DC battery, weighing about 255 grams, is provided along with the camcorder. You can normally record for one hour and 45 minutes on an average, without any interruption. This is enough for domestic purposes more often than not. But if you still need more recording time, you need to possess an additional battery, a reserve one which is fully charged, so that you can use it whenever necessary.

Warranty:

The Panasonic HDC-SD60 camcorder is warranted against parts and labour for a period of one year starting from the date of purchase. More information regarding warranty can be found in the manual or on the internet.

Verdict:

After reading this review, most of you must have already come to a conclusion that the Panasonic HDC-SD60 is one of the best camcorders out there. It has got in it almost all the features in the world that leave you awed. The only thing that might cause disappointment is the fact that there is no internal memory provided. While there are a few other similar camcorders in the market, either from Panasonic or from other companies, which come with an internal memory and at the same time, all the features discussed above, the HDC-SD60 has got no memory at all. You need to spend separately on memory. But then, we must also consider the price of this camcorder, which is quite good and affordable. There is a fantastic balance between the price that it demands and the features that it provides. This makes it one of the best and most affordable camcorders in the market. But there are better camcorders in the market than this one, only at a higher price. If you are ready to spend more bucks, then there are always better options for you to choose from. You can have a look at all the best camcorders in the market here, read their reviews and select the one which suits you best.

Check our Panasonic Camcorder Reviews Section for other Panasonic Camcorder reviews.

Panasonic HDC-SD60 Camcorder – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Panasonic
Model Name	HDC-SD60
Camcorder type	Professional Camcorder
Dimensions (W x H x D)	51.5 x 65.5 x 112.0 mm
Weight	255g (without battery)
Display	2.7″ LCD Screen
VIDEO FEATURES
Formats Supported	1080p
Optical Zoom	25x
Compression of still image	JPEG
Image Size	2592 x 1944
Instant Shooting	Yes
Digital Zoom	35x
AUDIO FEATURES
Audio System	Dolby Digital
Built in Microphone	Zoom microphone
Specific features	Built in Speaker
CAMERA FEATURES
Lens	Panasonic
Snap Shot	Yes
Switching	Yes, picture to video and vice versa
Photo Burst Mode	No
Digital Still Resolution	5.0 megapixels
Features
Specific features	Power Optical Image Stabilisation, Shooting Modes, Tele Macro, Face Recognition, Wind Noise Canceller, Wide Angle Lens
Others
Recording Format	H.264, Mpeg-4
Recording Speed	17 Mbps
Internal Memory	None
Memory Card Compatible	Yes
PORTS AND CONNECTIVITY	Hi Speed USB 2.0
Battery Life	1 hour 45 minutes approx.
Warranty	One year