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Panasonic HDC-SD10 High Definition Flash Memory Camcorder With 16x Optical Zoom - Black
 
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Customer Rating:
 
List Price: Varies based on product options
Sale Price: £264.99
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Customer Reviews
Fantastic HD camcorder in extreme simplicity and portability
 
Review Date: July 24, 2009
Reviewer: JR,
First I'd like to say top job as usual Amazon on a great service. Received the camcorder very quick and well packed.

Also, whoever rated this camcorder a 2 because it only took 2MP stills and not 6 like the Sanyo, remember this is a CAMCORDER, NOT a CAMERA. I don't care about the pictures it takes, I have a camera for that, the main thing being a camcorder is the video, which thankfully with all its features to help it is fantastic.

Now onto the important stuff. Well, I have to say, this is a fantastic camcorder. I chose the Panasonic SD10 over its similar sized/purpose camcorders mainly because of the 16x optical zoom which is what I need, and also mostly because unlike similar offerings including the Sony TG3 and Sanyo HD2000, the SD10 has an optical image stabiliser when filming and not a terrible electrical one, which when I saw a video of the HD2000 in action made me glad I didn't choose electrical, as for what I use it for the footage would come out no better than falling down a flight of stairs.

The Panasonic SD10 is so lightweight and easy to carry around. It is so compact that its unbelievable you can easily carry something this small with such technology in it to get great footage. It fits in my hand well when filming and can even fit in my pocket, I say it like that as my pockets aren't that loose! Although I'd advise you it would be better if you had slightly bigger pockets just to cover it better if you plan to put it in a pocket. You can easy fit it in a coat pocket or just a carry pouch or something.

Speaking of easy, the whole design and use is easy. It is very easy to use and the touch screen is easy to navigate after not much use. I barely read any of the instructions and got to grips very quick, mind you I do have a Panasonic DMC-TZ7 too so that helps, but either way, it is easy. It has a HDMI port and USB built in along with a few more common ports, so it is easy there too. Just connect it to a HD TV and watch. There is no spot for an external mic, but to be honest I don't need one, although it is worth noting.

The 16x optical zoom is very handy to have, and thanks to the optical image stabiliser, even when filming at the highest zoom, with a good hand the footage still isn't wobbly enough to the point where it becomes disturbing. Another thing I love about the filming is the 3 second pre-record function, its a fantastic idea, especially since I personaly enjoy filming concerts, it means that if you press the pre-record button on the side and something happens before you press rec, when you have stopped filming it adds the extra 3 seconds it memorized from the start using its buffer memory, so you get the clip! Great.

The video quality is also fantastic, the camcorder shoots in full 1080i HD in a number of different modes for if you don't mind using a lot of memory for the best quality, or still having good quality but taking up less memory. I use the best quality mode though, combined with a 16GB Class 6 SDHC card it works for me. Now along with the quality looking great, the sound really surprised me, it is fantastic from its Dolby Stereo speaker positioned on the top. It proved this to me from the Status Quo concert I filmed a fair few songs with it, the sound was great in my view, and if any piece of recording equipment has great sound then it gets my approval. The intelligent auto (iA) function also works very well too with good focus, along with the touch screen face detection which is hugely helpful, captures people much better. However if you don't want automatic there is a manual button/option on the side.

There are a few little issues, but in my view nothing serious, but worth a mention. Like with many a camera and camcorder, in low light there is some noticable graining, and even though it has a light for when it gets darker, don't think that will kiss it all better, as it is not the best in lower light. However even though the Status Quo videos I filmed were when it got dark at the outdoor venue, since the stage where I was focusing on was light (obviously), it came out good.

The touch screen at first takes a bit of use to hit each option correctly with your fingers, there were times when I'd touch an option and end up selecting the one next to it.

The microphone being on top is also more prone to wind, so watch out for where you film, although it does at least have a wind cut option to minimise a load of it spoiling things.

The battery also if you plan to film quite a lot does not last massively long, you get just over an hour, for me I plan to buy another battery and then you'll be sorted.

Finally, the AVCHD format at the moment is not hugely recognised, thankfully I don't really edit or want to change format, I just want to watch my stuff mostly and preserve the quality, so no biggie. Even though my computer cannot play the footage I get well at the moment, I can play it on my PS3 on my HD widescreen TV fine which suits me. The HD Writer software while not really much use to me at the moment however is easy to use, you can even easily trim and divide videos from the camcorder and the software.

Overall though, a fantastic camcorder well worth the money, I've got no regrets buying it. If you are after a great quality HD camcorder then this is a great one to get and a worthy consideration at least.
Great HD Cam
 
Review Date: June 29, 2009
Reviewer: Mr. Sj Wade, London
I bought this super small HD Camcorder after it had been highly reviewed by some websites. I then saw it advertised on TV last week and it certainly doesnt dissapoint. Its really small and light and the touch screen tracking thing works brilliant. When i plug it into my 37inch tv the footage is brilliant and it came with a free 12GB SD card - perfect! As far as HD camcorders go I would definately recommend it
Even better than expected
 
Review Date: September 8, 2009
Reviewer: David Bell, UK
I've had this camcorder for only a week but have used it quite a bit already and am very pleased with it. The features and ease of use are better than I expected. The picture quality is superb taken in normal light using the HDMI interface on an HD TV. It's still very good using CVBS (phono plugs into an older TV). Downloading video and stills into a PC using the USB socket and supplied software worked first time. Stills taken during video recording and by themselves are very good despite being only 2MPixels and the flash is a bonus. The touch screen and menu system are very easy to use with Fade, Backlight & Macro being readily accessible; the camcorder software for once appears to have been very well thought through. Indoor video shots show a hint of noise so, as expected, the camera's main weakness will be it's insensitivity in low light, but it does have a built-in LED light. I've ordered the next size-up battery as experience with my Mini-DV camcorder tells me to have spare one for long trips; same for the SD card. So, for the price and features I would recommend this camcorder.

This updates the above earlier review. After 6 months use I am as pleased as ever with this superb product. Note, however, that the supplied HD Writer AE 1.5 software does not work with Windows 7 (it does with XP) despite Panasonic saying it does and it doesn't even work in XP compatibility mode. Panasonic can't offer an upgrade, but fortunately the Windows 7 built-in software does a good job with downloading from the camcorder so no problem in practice.
Great Camcorder!!! Buy This One
 
Review Date: October 4, 2009
Reviewer: Mac User, Cheshire, UK
I reviewed all options and went for this one - cheaper than the version with on board memory even after buying the memory card.
Very easy to use, excellent results, works very well with an Apple Mac.
Crumpler Lolly Dolly 110 case fits it perfectly.
Overall - excellent camcorder
Excellent little camcorder
 
Review Date: August 9, 2009
Reviewer: MAP, London UK
This camcorder is so easy to set up and use.
The colour and picture is as good as ever. I think panasonic gives the best colour match when you playback.Is very good in low light and the touch screen is great.
I would recommend this camcorder.