Digital Trends

Panasonic HDC-SD100 October 22nd, 2008 | by David Elrich

Performance and Use

The HDC-SD100 features a trio of 610K pixel CMOS sensors. Multiplying 3 x 610 gives you 1.83MP - not even close to the single 3-plus megapixel CMOS sensors of top level Canons and Sonys. That’s why it only takes 1920 x 1080 stills compared to 3 and 10, respectively for competitors. Still I’m a NY Mets fan so I will always root for the underdog and wanted to give it thorough shot, even with all the faults already outlined.

As I do with all camcorder reviews, I started off in Auto, moved to scenes modes and finally full manual. Video was set at the highest quality--“HG” 1920 x 1080I. Gridlines were also engaged; unfortunately this only works in manual mode rather than iA. One would think beginners could use gridlines to help with horizons but I guess Panasonic engineers don’t think so. Another brilliant move...but I digress.

It was a sparkling stretch of cool Fall weather with bright blues skies, fields of colorful mums, the usual October clichés in the northeast. Still I’m a sucker for dramatic color—it’s also a good test for the video recording capabilities of this AVCHD model. I also took some scenes indoors, a gathering of friends and so on, taking snapshots along the way.

Before getting into performance, I have to say handling the SD100 is a mixed bag. On the plus side, the camcorder is very easy to hold and the auto focus is fast with little grabbing. Moving through the entire focal length is also very speedy. When using manual focus, a magnified screen appears so you can dial in the sharpness. However, I really dislike the menu system for adjusting fades, self timer, Magic Pix (low light shooting) and so on. It’s filled with cutesy icons only our friends across the International Date Line could love. Basically it’s tired and old showing Panasonic is hardly spending anything on camcorder R&D. The Help mode is decent, displaying various descriptions in a scrolling pattern.

Now it was time to review the material on my 50-inch Panasonic 1080P plasma HDTV. Since this set has an SDHC card slot, it was a breeze checking out my efforts using the built-in movie player.

Results

Let’s cut to the chase. Although improved from the older 3CCD system found in the HS9, the new 3MOS system is not in the same league as the recently reviewed Canon, JVC and Sony camcorders - and there’s more to it than just the imaging device. The Canon HG21 lens, for example, delivered much sharper videos with extremely accurate focus. The Canon’s exposure was better as well. With the SD100, extreme telephoto scenes of treetops had little of the detail captured by the Canon—or the JVC or Sony for that matter. Colors were a bit off with a slight haloing effect and a type of florescence that was very unreal. The same held true for the stills even with the flash trying mightily to improve quality. And when shooting in low light, there was digital noise by the bucketful although it was better than the 3CCD system. It did not compare to the HG21. 

On a more positive side, the surround sound mic did not turn gentle Fall breezes into tornados and Panasonic’s O.I.S. did its usual fine job of smoothing out the shakes from handheld videos.

Conclusion

From my perspective Panasonic tossed a Hail Mary pass, hoping a new 3MOS system would resuscitate a camcorder line-up that is being left in the dust by the Big Three (Canon, JVC, Sony). Although the pass made it down field (improved quality), the ball was batted away by its competitors. At $1,099 list, you’re much better off spending the extra cash and buying—in this order—the Canon HG21, Sony HDR-SR12/SR11, JVC GZ-HD40/HD30.

Pros:

• Improved video over 3CCD system
• Very good LCD screen
• O.I.S. good as ever

Cons:

• Video not competitive with the Big Three
• Poor placement of HDMI/USB outs, 4-way controller
• Outdated menu system