2. Panasonic HDC-SD5 High Definition Camcorder

by Barry Gerber

Panasonic’s HDC-SD5 is one of the best consumer HD camcorders available today. It’s very small and light, records on SD and SDHC memory cards at a resolution of 1920x1080 for super HD images in AVCHD format, and features a fine Leica lens. The HDC-SD5 produces very good color using a 3 CCD imaging sensor usually found only in pro models, and while not all inclusive, the range of manual adjustments is pretty good when you compare this unit to other consumer-level HD camcorders. Panasonic even throws in a DVD burner!

What’s Hot?

All of the features listed above make the HDC-SD5 one of the very few must-have HD camcorders of this holiday season. At 2.6” x 2.6” x 5.3” (6.6 x 6.6 x 13.46 cm) and a you’re-kidding-me weight of 0.75 lbs (0.34 kg), it can go pretty much anywhere in a pocket or purse. If you’ve had camcorders that happily screw up audio by picking up the sound of the tape or DVD motor, you’ll find the HDC-SD5’s solid state SD and SDHC recording media a pleasure to use. One 8 GB SDHC card can hold up to 80 minutes of top quality 16:9 HD content; you can record even more at lower quality levels. The Leica Dicomar f/1.8-2.8 10x lens and 1/6 inch 3 CCD (2.1 megapixels total) image sensor combine to produce very sharp images with excellent color.

Most HD consumer grade camcorders offer 1440x1080 resolution, but the HDC-SD5’s 1920x1080 gives you 30% more resolution and true HD quality. Its advanced video codec high definition (AVCHD) recording format puts you right in the middle of the state-of-the-art in consumer HD recording. Until recently, software for managing and editing AVCHD content was limited, leading many to decry the use of the format in camcorders. Today, though, programs from companies like Pinnacle make it easy to perform a range of automatic and manual video miracles with AVCHD files.

Manual control is available for focus, white balance, aperture and shutter speed, which is quite impressive for a camcorder in this class, letting you improve some on the auto capabilities of the device. For those who don’t want to mess with memory cards, Panasonic includes a DVD recorder with the camcorder.

What’s Not So Hot

The biggest complaint I’ve heard about the HDC-SD5 concerns its lack of a microphone input jack. There are times when sound can be so much better when the microphone is placed close to the source, rather than using one that’s part of the camcorder. In the past, noisy media movement mechanisms necessitated a remote microphone. That’s not a problem with this camcorder, but a mic input jack would sure be nice. Also, audio levels are set automatically, eliminating the possibility of manual control in situations where higher or lower levels would better capture specific sounds.

While we’re on the subject of inputs, the HDC-SD5 doesn’t have a line in jack for recording sound from other sources. For me, this is not so much of an issue, because the great editing software now available allows you to add music and other audio effects with much more control than when done in the camera. And for the record, the camcorder does have an HDMI output jack.

A final concern for some is the HDC-SD5’s LCD-only viewing and composing option. There’s no eye-level viewfinder, which makes the camcorder’s manual focus option somewhat difficult to use.

In spite of its being input deprived and its LCD-only “feature,” Panasonic’s HDC-SD5 high definition camcorder would make a great gift this holiday season, especially for that advanced amateur videophile or budding videographer on your gift list.