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Panasonic AG-HSC1U First Impressions Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Apr 19, 2007 3:00 PM 
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The Front
Cosmetically, the only difference between the AG-HSC1U (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1975) and the previously reviewed HDC-SD1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99) is the matte black surface of the new camcorder. Up front, the HSC1U is all lens, with the 12x optical zoom lens occupying the entire front end of the barrel-like body. The lens has an aspherical design according to Panasonic, a 43mm filter diameter, and a focal length of 4mm-48mm. An automatic lens cover that activates when the camcorder is switched on and off. Beneath the all-encompassing lens are the white balance/remote sensor and video lamp. To the left of the lens is a flash for digital still recording.
The Right Side
A look at the right side of the camcorder reveals virtually no protruding parts above below in back or in front to catch on clothing or other pieces of equipment, a perk for low profile work. The USB and HDMI terminals are protected by a rigid plastic cover just behind the lens that can be opened by pulling on a tab. The grip area is rubberized, and the onboard speaker is in the center of the grip. The HSC1U’s hand strap is thin, and not terribly comfortable in comparison to hand straps on some other HD cams we’ve seen, including the JVC GZ-HD7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1529) and Sony HDR-HC7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1128.56), but the camcorder is small enough that it still feels balanced during hand-held shooting. The zoom lever and joystick are positioned adequately, though we found out fingers tended to overshoot the zoom lever due to the very compact girth of the camcorder.
The Back
The mode dial sits centered at the back end of the body with options for video, playback, and PC connection modes – there is no dedicated still photo mode. The Rec/Start/Stop button sits in the center of the mode dial. The joystick controller is just to the right of the Mode Dial allowing for easy one-handed thumb access. Below the mode dial are the Menu button, used to access the Administrative Menu, and the Trash button, used to discard video and still clips from the SD/SDHC flash card. The enclosed battery slot slides open from the base of the unit, and its back end can be seen below the Mode Dial. For tripod mounted operation, the bottom-loading battery slot is an inconvenience to consider because swapping out the battery will require removing the camcorder from the mount.
The Left Side
Panasonic has supplied the AG-HSC1U with the largest screen on any palm-sized HD camcorder this year, measuring 3” and boasting a 250,000 pixel resolution. This compares with the average 2.7” size of LCDs this year, and the extra real estate is fortunate because there is no viewfinder. Once flipped open, the LCD screen can be rotated through 270 degrees for multiple viewing angles, and displays a crisp, balanced image. Several ports and controls are housed in the LCD cavity including the Power LCD button and the Auto/Manual/Focus switch on top. The SD/SDHC card slot is below these buttons, and protected by a sliding plastic cover that must be closed in order to record. Below the card slot is an L-shaped port cover opened by pulling a tab along its bottom edge. This port cover can be opened when the camcorder is tripod-mounted – but only with the help of a knife blade or long fingernail. The ports are, from left to right: AV out, component, external microphone, and DC-In.
The Top
One of the unique features on this camcorder is 5.1 channel Dolby surround sound recording via the onboard microphone, mounted just behind the lens. We generally regard onboard 5.1 channel sound as a consumer gimmick, due to the low quality of onboard mics, but in the marketing material for the AG-HSC1U, Panasonic notes that this mic will record sound with increased presence. Behind the microphone is a rubber strip that extends slightly above the top of the body, and is a useful aid during hand-held operation. The rocking zoom lever and Photo button are behind this rubber strip, near the back end of the body.
