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Panasonic AG-HSC1U First Impressions Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Apr 19, 2007 3:00 PM
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Audio
The AG- HSC1U (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1975) can record 5.1 channel surround sound via the onboard microphone, and offers level control over every channel (unfortunately without the benefit of a headphone jack for monitoring). There are three microphone level settings that apply to all five channels at once, but not independently: Auto, Set+AGC, and Set. Auto activates the AGC (Auto Gain Control) and the recording level is adjusted automatically. Set+AGC allows you to set a desired recording level, but keeps AGC on to reduce noise distortion. Finally, Set deactivates the AGC so that natural recording can be performed. When Set+AGC or Set is chosen, a screen displaying each individual microphone channel appears and allows you to test their levels while tinkering with the gain. Also, a microphone input level meter is displayed on the recording screen, monitoring peaks and insufficient volumes.
The external microphone jack is located behind the port cover on the lower right side of the body.
Playback
Playback on the HSC1U is simple. Shifting the mode dial into playback mode cues a tabbed menu screen for videos and pictures represented by thumbnails. Up to 8 thumbnails can fill on the screen at one time, and scrolling and selecting videos or pictures is done by using the joystick. During video playback, a 32 step audio slider appears when the zoom toggle is activated, but raising and lowering the volume is like watching molasses drip in wintertime. It took over 15 seconds to go from silent to full volume, so start mastering the art of patience. In the bottom right corner, a joystick-operated submenu controls the rewind, fast forward, play/pause and stop functions. Pressing the menu button beneath the mode dial brings up a miniature menu consisting of play setup, setup, and language for both videos and pictures. Deleting footage or pictures is accomplished through the trash button, and Panasonic boosts security by providing a lot of hoops to jump through in order to officially erase a piece of media.
Connectivity
The HSC1U has a total of two port covers and a bevy of terminals. On the right side, a rectangular, hard plastic port cover houses the USB and HDMI terminals. The cover is easy to open, thanks to a generous finger groove, but closing it is another story. The hand strap blocks the bottom of the panel, requiring you to pull the strap back every time in order the close it. In addition, the thin plastic strip that attaches the cover to the body is pretty feeble, so don’t tug on it too hard. The port cover doesn’t stretch far enough from the body, either, making it difficult to plug in the HDMI cable.
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The HDMI cable can be hard to plug in |
Most ports are located in the LCD cavity. |
In the LCD cavity, a plastic, L-shaped port cover opens via a small tab underneath to reveal the A/V jack, component terminal, microphone jack, and DC jack. Panasonic opts for a round DC connection, which is not as secure as most rectangular or geometrically eccentric connections which hold tighter. The placement of the microphone jack is cumbersome in conjunction with the LCD screen, and we would have preferred it to be swapped with the USB terminal on the other side. Above the port panel is the SD card slot which opens by a sliding door. If the door is left open, the camcorder will beep at you and refuse to record, pounding the message home with a “Card Door is Open” screen. This is a great security feature to ensure that the SD or SDHC card remains free of dust or debris that could potentially hinder its performance.