SlashScope

Digital Trends have published a review of the Panasonic HDC-SX5 camcorder. 'As always the front of any camcorder is dominated by the lens, in this case a 10x Leica Dicomar optical zoom (700x digital). Don’t bother engaging the digital zoom since the resulting footage is filled with digital noise. It has a twist off ring so you add an optional lens hood or filter. Next to the lens is a flash to help with digital stills since they’ll need all the help they can get as top quality is just 2MP (1920 x 1080 pixels). As I’ve noted many times before, it’s the rare camcorder that takes decent stills and if you can shoot HD video, why bother? Yes, I know there’s always the off chance you might want a still but a 4x6 is about as good as you can get. You’ll also find a cooling outlet, a recording lamp and the white balance/remote control sensor on the front.'

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Camcorder Info have published a review of the Palmcorder SDR-H200 HDD 10X zoom digital camcorder from Panasonic. ‘The Panasonic SDR-H200 is the company’s leading camcorder in their new hybrid hard disk drive (HDD) / SD card camcorder. Featuring an identical imaging set to the VDR-D310, their top DVD camcorder, and the PV-GS320 (Specs, $0), their top MiniDV camcorder, Panasonic obviously places a lot of stock in their quality. The trust is not misplaced. We’ve loved the other camcorders, and the SDR-H200 matches that performance with the convenience of two media. There are some considerable trade-offs with its cousin camcorders, however, and Sony’s DCR-SR200 offers some still competition.’

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A review of the Panasonic HDC-SD1 camcorder has been posted over at CNET. 'One advantage of using flash memory cards as a recording medium in camcorders is that they facilitate smaller designs. The body of Panasonic's 1.1-pound HDC-SD1, which records high-definition 1,440x1,080 AVCHD video to SD cards, is a mite smaller than camcorders which use other formats, but its tubular shape retains a bit too much bulk to be truly compact. It's not wasted space, though; the SD1 accommodates a 12x zoom lens, a 3-inch, 16:9 LCD, a 5.1-channel surround microphone, and a trio of 1/4-inch, 560,000-pixel CCDs.'

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Camcorder Info have published a "First Impressions" review of the new Pansonic HDC-SX5 camcorder. 'The front of the Panasonic HDC-SX5 borrows a lot of its looks from its predecessor, the HDC-DX1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99). It appears that Panasonic has chosen, at least for the time being, not to release another purely DVD AVCHD camcorder. The HDC-SX5 features a new Leica Dicomar 10x optical zoom with a 37mm filter diameter. It has a focal range of F3.0 – 30.0mm (35mm equiv = 42.9 – 429mm) and an aperture of f/1.8 – 2.8. Like the HDC-DX1 and HDC-SD1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99), the lens is partially concealed by a matte box that can be screwed on and off. To the side of the lens is the flash. Underneath is the remote sensor. There are no front-mounted ports here, and no manual focus ring, either, sorry.'

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Camcorder Info have published their review of the Panasonic VDR-D310 camcorder. 'Panasonic’s top of the line standard definition DVD model is not particularly enticing up front. Aside from its 10x optical zoom lens with a focal length of 3.0-30mm and 37mm filter diameter, there is little to the VDR-D310’s front end design – no video light or flash to speak of. Strangely, you can find a video light on the step-down VDR-D230. Go figure. Beneath the cannon-like lens barrel lies the built-in stereo microphone, conveniently placed to avoid sound muffling due to a large hand. The remote control/white balance sensor hides inconspicuously below, and that concludes the no-frills façade of the VDR-D310.'

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CNET have published a review of the Panasonic VDR-D310 DVD camcorder. ‘On the outside, the D310 doesn't look much different from lower-end Panasonic DVD camcorders, such as the VDR-D210 and the D230. All three models share the same basic shape and simple, direct control scheme. Most of the camcorder's shooting options can be accessed directly through the joystick mounted on the mode dial. The joystick also navigates the D310's menu. Though the casual user probably won't use the menu for anything besides finalizing the disc, this camcorder also might attract some higher-end users who might be miffed to find that there are no dedicated buttons for functions such as backlight compensation or white balance, which can be helpful when trying to change shooting conditions on the fly. Also, given that this is a step-up model, we would've hoped to find some extra controls, such as the zoom and record start/stop buttons found on the LCD bezels of most Sony and Canon camcorders.’

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Camcorder Info have posted their initial review of the Panasonic SDR-S10 flash camcorder. ‘The Panasonic SDR-S10 memory card camcorder breaks new ground for Panasonic. The new model comes from a company that built its consumer camcorder reputation on models that offer better manual controls than their peers and above average video performance. While the same excellent manual control suite is in effect on the S10, we expect video performance to be on par with other 1/6" single chip camcorders, which is to say - mediocre. What sets this little number apart from the rest of the Panasonic pack is the video-sharing, youthful, active market for which it was designed - a market the company had not pursued until now.

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CNET have published their review of the Panasonic SDR-S150 SD card-based camcorder 'The SDR-S150's modest feature set makes the menus and manual controls easy to understand and navigate. You can activate the wind filter or enable zooming for the mic; choose from among three different recording-quality options--best quality (25 minutes on the bundled 2GB card), medium quality (50 minutes), and lowest quality (100 minutes); jump between wide-screen and standard 4:3 aspect modes; enable the optical image stabilization and digital zoom; and boost the sensor gain for low-light shooting (MagicPix). When shooting in Auto mode, your options are limited to backlight compensation, Soft Skin mode, and a zoom macro mode. The Soft Skin mode seems a bit redundant, since the video is never sharp enough to show the kind of detail that makes a mode like this necessary.'

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Digital Trends have reviewed the Panasonic HDC-SD1 camcorder which records HD video direct to SDHC cards. 'The Panasonic HDC-SD1 is a perfect example of the blessings of solid state memory. Because video is recorded directly to Secure Digital or SDHC cards, bulky tape mechanisms and HDDs are nowhere to be found. This let Panasonic engineers create one of the slickest-looking camcorders ever. While it won’t have the cachet of the iPod or iPhone, it’s very sleek and stylish - a true small wonder. The -SD1 measures 2.9 inches wide, 2.71 high and 5.6 inches deep; it weighs 17.4 ounces with battery, SD card and strap.

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Digital Trends have posted a review of the Panasonic PV-GS300 3CCD digital camcorder. 'The Panasonic PV-GS300 is a rather compact camcorder, even with blank cassette recording media. It fits nicely in your hand and has a primarily silver body made mostly of metal with exception to the plastic door covering the tape mechanism. The camcorder weighs 18.4 ounces with tape, battery and SD memory card in place. A very easily adjusted Velcro wrist strap places your hand in good position to reach the main controls such as the wide/tele zoom switch. I prefer horizontal configuration camcorders like the PV-GS300 compared to the upright shape of models like the Canon HV10 but that’s my taste—you should definitely do a hands-on of this camcorder or any other you’re considering.

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David Berlind has posted his impressions of the pricey Panasonic AG-HVX200K HD Camcorder over at ZDNet. 'When, as a part of ZDNet’s effort to turn its journalists into independent video producers as well, the folks in our broadband group sent me a Panasonic AG-HVX200K to play around with, I had no idea how much the camera they were sending me would prove to be a game changer when it comes to commercial video production in a distributed, collaborative environment. At $6995, it’s a very pricey device compared to other cameras that are far less expensive and that ultimately turn out a final product that’s similar in video quality to the one that might come from the Panasonic AG-HVX200K if the Web is your final target. Mostly for performance reasons, a lot of quality must be stripped out of raw video before it’s published to the Web. '

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A review of the Panasonic VDR-D200 camcorder has been posted over at Camcorder Info. 'The Panasonic VDR-D200 is one step up from the VDR-D100, Panasonic’s entry-level camcorder. There are a small handful of extra features – centering on still features and bundled software – but the core imaging specs are the same. We certainly weren’t bowled over by the VDR-D100, and there’s little to excite us on this go ‘round. Mediocre DVD performance is one thing but combine that with a helping of poor quality stills and it proved to be more than we can handle.'

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Mobile Whack previews the new Panasonic VDR-D400 DVD Video Camera which is scheduled to go on sale during September in Japan. 'Panasonic announced the new VDR-D400, DVD camcorder that boasts, for the first time, 20x optical zoom. You read that right: 20x optical zoom. This 3CCD DVD video cam delivers high image quality even at max zoom because the camera incorporates anti-blur techniques.

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Tech Digest previews the Panasonic SDR-S150 Camcorder which is set to go on sale later in the year. ' Pitched as the camcorder ideally suited to the adventurous or sporty type, Panasonic's SDR-S150 records onto SD memory cards, allowing the company to trim down the video camera so it's small enough to slip into a pocket, as well as being resiliant enough to withstand everyday knocks and extreme conditions. The SDR-S150 uses a quality Leica Dicomar lens, which features 12 lens elements in 8 groups and low-dispersion optical glass to reduce chromatic aberration.'

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David Kender posts an informed analysis of the key features of the Panasonic PV-GS500 in the review of the device on Camcorderinfo.com. 'Easily one of the most anticipated camcorders in the last few years, Panasonic’s PV-GS500 arrived this year to replace the hugely successful PV-GS400. The GS400 offered great video quality with a bundle of pro-level features that made it a hit with the serious hobbyists and prosumers. This year, Panasonic has adopted a new approach, leaving fans none too pleased. In order to court a larger market, Panasonic has slashed prices on their top MiniDV models, and dropped most of the pro-level features in the process. So here it is – the GS500. It may be replacing the GS400, but it’s sure not much of a successor.'

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'The Panasonic VDR-D300 is extremely compact for a camcorder boasting three CCDs and a mini-DVD drive. Weighing 1 pound, 7 ounces with battery and disc, it's not a featherweight, but it's still light enough for extended shooting. The gentle curves at the top of the camera and the placement of all of the important shooting controls within reach of your thumb and index finger make the VDR-300 extremely comfortable to use. Its unassuming silver-plastic shell gives it a plain-Jane appearance, but the camcorder has a sturdy, solid feel that should hold up well in the field. A chrome ring around the lens has ridges that tease you into thinking the camera is equipped with a focus ring, but they turn out to be purely decorative.

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AME Info reports that the highly sophisticated Panasonic AG-HVX200 device has won 'Camera of the Year' award at the second Digital Studio Industry Leadership Awards 2006 which was held recently 'on the sidelines of Cabsat [Middle East International Cable, Satellite and Broadcast & Telecommunications Exhibition] 2006'. The Panasonic AG-HVX200 Camcorder is really targeted at video professionals and the amateur user with some money to spare could easily become overwhelmed with the several features of this piece of equipment.

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