Panasonic HDC-DX1 Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Apr 4, 2007 7:00 PM 
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Ease of Use (7.75)
Like most Panasonics, the DX1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99) is pretty straightforward. The rear-mounted joystick, 3” wide LCD screen, and handy manual control submenu propel this camcorder beyond manufacturers who are fond of side-mounted controls and touch screen interfaces. Scrolling through the menus and adjusting the manual controls is simple to master because the DX1 is not overloaded with ancillary menu features and external buttons. The essentials are present, and organized well.
As far as the body goes, that’s a different animal. As mentioned before, the chunky viewfinder and diving board of a battery do not play nice together. This is not an ergonomically sound design, and you’ll most likely want to use the LCD screen, which places added strain on the battery. Also, the location of the mic jack is a bit awkward, as the microphone cord will taint the viewing pane of the LCD. And with a disc hatch that takes over 10 seconds to open, the DX1 resembles a giant, lumbering, clumsy bear that means well, but is a little slow on the uptake.
Handling (5.75)
Other than its very light weight, we liked the way the DX1’s flash-based sibling, the HDC-SD1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99), handled. That camcorder felt very light on its feet, with a very comfortable feel thanks to the gun barrel shape of the body. The DX1 is a relative bear, with a good deal more weight and height, and has none of the sleek elegance of the SD1. We did find that the added weight helped with hand-held stability, while making this a much less portable camcorder than its SD/SDHC counterpart.
The DX1 does allow for one-handed operation, and benefits from Panasonic’s lightning fast joystick interface that allows an experienced user to zip through manual image controls (other than focus), and make menu selections with ease. Yet the lack of a strong manual focus option on the DX1 is a serious liability given that this is an HD camcorder. For this reason, we pegged the SD1 as a good point-and-shooter but not a good camcorder for anyone serious about manual controls. We can’t make the same recommendation for this camcorder, however. Yes, like the SD1, auto adjustments work well, and auto focus is trustworthy in bright light, but a point-and-shooter should be all around easy to use and on that count this model has serious issues.
We found the DVD drive mechanism on the HDC-DX1 to be painfully slow. Simple tasks such as opening the DVD compartment took many seconds longer than we’re accustomed to. Accessing clips in playback mode was also much slower than on other DVD-based camcorders. Lest you think that our criticism of a camcorder that records AVCHD versus standard definition MPEG-2 footage is unfair, the Sony HDR-UX1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $729.95) offers much faster drive performance. In other words, the DX1’s drive was so frustratingly slow that we wouldn’t wish it on any novice point-and-shooter looking for convenience above all. For that kind of user, the HDC-SD1 is a good choice because it accessed clips on the included 4GB SDHC memory card quickly and efficiently.
Finally, the DX1’s OIS system deserves mention so we can leave the Handling Section on a high note. Panasonic’s two AVCHD camcorders were amazingly effective at countering the violent vibrations of our shake emulator at Speed 2, and they feature the best stabilization we’ve seen this year by a wide margin. To be sure, the DX1 does a stellar job at stabilizing an image, but that’s only a small part of the bigger handling picture. The speed of the DVD drive is also a small part of handling – but it has an inordinate effect on the overall experience of working with this camcorder. Every time you need to swap a disc you’ll wait. Every time you playback footage, you’ll wait. And every time a random error surfaces, you’ll wait again. Consumer camcorders should emphasize convenience, and a big part of convenience is working on your schedule – not your camcorder’s.
Menu (6.50)
Panasonic menus are not pretty, but they are short and sweet. The HDC-DX1 menu is classic Panasonic, with an Administrative menu accessed by pressing the Menu button, and a separate joystick control menu, accessed by pressing in on the joystick. The Admin menu has a straightforward layout, with a different set of options in each operating mode. Upon pressing the Menu button on the back of the DX1, the main Admin screen appears listing submenus for a given mode. In recording mode, these submenus include Basic (which contains Scene Modes, Digital Zoom, OIS, Guide Lines and Clock Set), Video (Rec Mode, Fade Color, Wind Cut, Zoom Mic and Mic Level), Picture (Pict. Quality, Flash Level, and Shtr Effect – all for still photos only), Advanced (Rec Lamp, Zebra, Color Bar, and MF Assist), Setup (Format Card, Display, Date/Time, Date Format, and Power Save), and Language (English, French, and Spanish).
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| The Top Level of the HDC-DX1 Admin Menu | The Basic Submenu |
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| The Video Submenu | The Advanced Submenu |
The joystick is used to navigate through menu options, and it’s a great tool for this purpose allowing for four directions (up, down, left, and right) and in (to make a selection). All the options on a given menu page are visible at all times, which means you won’t need to search multiple pages for a desired option. However, this design decision on the part of Panasonic means that the placement of many options seem arbitrarily placed just to adhere to the one-page rule.
The joystick menu on the DX1 is more accessible than on previous Panasonics thanks to the inclusion of additional explanatory banners and text. When a preset option is selected from the menu, such as MagicPix, a text description of the option appears momentarily along the bottom of the screen. Because these options are represented only by icons, using them without explanatory text easily leads to confusion, especially for new users who haven’t memorized the meaning of the various symbols. The text descriptions, as well as the Help mode on page 1 are welcome additions on these new AVCHD camcorders from Panasonic.
Portability (4.0)
Although the SD1 revels within the loins of portability, its bastard cousin is not equipped with the same genes. The DX1 looks like a Picasso gone wrong with oblong, asymmetrical shapes and lines. It’s also a tank, weighing in at 800 grams with battery, disc and SD card on board. DX1’s measurements are (92x91x174mm) excluding projecting parts like the viewfinder, which adds another 10mm when extended. Don’t even think about attempting to fit this sucker in a pocket unless you’re wearing a clown suit. A carrying case is a must have. Here’s another quandary: the gargantuan battery only has a lifespan of 40 minutes during typical recording. If you’re planning on spending a little extra time at Epcot, a couple backup batteries would be needed. But at around $150 a pop, these space eaters will not treat your wallet well. To add to the madness, the typical DVD-R recording time is 14 minutes, which means an arsenal of backup discs is required, taunting the piggybank even more. The DX1 does not fare well on the road.
LCD and Viewfinder (7.5)
The DX1 boasts a 3” LCD screen with a resolution of 251K pixels. Very nice. The image quality is sharp, and the colors are balanced. The LCD flips out swiftly via a thin tab, but be careful during transport, as it has a tendency to swing open with the slightest shake. A power LCD button is located in the LCD cavity. This boosts the brightness of the LCD screen, but dupes the shooter when it comes to a true image.
As mentioned before, the viewfinder on the DX1 is in direct competition with the fat-bottomed battery, barely clearing its absurd mass. The viewfinder is wide and thick, but does not include a rubberized eye cup, adding more bulk to the hard plastic party in the back of the DX1. Once pulled out, the viewfinder’s fan-shaped dioptric adjuster is located on the top of the shaft.
Battery Life (9.4)
The Panasonic HDC-DX1 includes a VW-VB260 battery pack that extends from the back of the body under the viewfinder. This is a very large battery, significantly bigger than the one that ships with the HDC-SD1. We tested the life of the included VW-VB260 battery pack for continuous recording, in Manual mode with the LCD set to normal brightness and OIS set to off. The battery on our HDC-DX1 lasted 94 minutes and 14 seconds (1 hour, 34 minutes, and 14 seconds).