Panasonic HDC-SD100 Camcorder Review

by Kaitlyn Chantry
Published on Sep 26, 2008 3:30 PM

 
Intro Performance
Format Auto / Manual Controls
Still Features Handling and Use
Audio / Playback / Connectivity
 Other Features
Conclusion & Comparisons Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings


Audio (9.0)
Some important upgrades were added to the Panasonic HDC-SD100—upgrades that will please advanced shooters and low budget prosumers. The previous generation HDC-SD9 offered paltry audio options, no microphone or headphone jacks, and no accessory shoe. The built-in 5.1-Channel Dolby Digital Surround microphone is the only method for picking up audio on the HDC-SD9.

The new HDC-SD100 is equipped with the same built-in Dolby Digital mounted to the top of the camcorder, but now sports all those accessories we missed on the SD9. Now shooters won't have to rely on the camcorder's onboard audio—an external microphone can be attached via the 1/4-inch jack on the front of the camcorder. You can either go the handheld route, plug into an existing sound system, or use the jack for a microphone mounted to the accessory shoe up top. The Headphone jack shares time with AV outputs, but it's not too difficult to switch from one output to the other using the Administrative menu. Headphone monitoring greatly reduces the tendency to record sound that is too loud or soft.

In addition to headphone monitoring, the HDC-SD100 has a microphone level meter that appears on the LCD screen. The level meter contains eight increments, two of which are tinted red to indicate when decibel levels are too high. Although this is a nice tool to have, it doesn't contain enough steps for a truly accurate reading. Headphones remain the best option for maintaining appropriately balanced audio. The most recent models from Canon offer a similar level meter, but with more robust offerings: the meter indicates Left and Right channels and includes far more increments.

The microphone level adjustment is a nice addition.


There are three primary audio recording modes on the HDC-SD100: Auto Gain Control (AGC), Set +AGC, and Set. The camcorder automatically adjusts the sound levels in AGC mode, which is essentially just an Auto mode for sound. AGC is best suited for most situations containing unpredictable sound levels, like a parade. For harsh sounds, Set +AGC allows you to lower or raise the decibel levels in order to keep the levels out of the red zone. AGC is still functioning in Set +AGC mode, in order to reduce the amount of overall sound distortion. Set mode will allow you to record sound in its most natural form. In Set mode, all level control is executed manually, without the help of AGC. When you select Set +AGC or Set, a screen containing 2 front, 2 back, and 1 center microphone levels will appear. A decibel meter is located in the center of the screen, allowing you to adjust the sensitivity from -30 to +6 decibels.

The HDC-SD100 also has Zoom Mic capability, which enables the microphone sensitivity to increase in tandem with the action of zooming in and out. This comes in handy when a subject is far away but you want to catch the audio as well. A Focus setting concentrates all sound pickup on the area directly in front of the camcorder, which is ideal for talking head interviews. Lastly, Panasonic tacks a Wind Cut feature on the HDC-SD100. Like all Wind Cut features we've ever encountered, this is appropriate for reducing the sound from a light breeze, but does little to mask a truly blustery day.

Playback (4.25)
To switch into Playback mode, simply turn the Mode dial towards you, past the off position and select the green Playback option. This will bring up a screen full of thumbnails, each representing an individual clip. By default, the playback screen shows video thumbnails, however, you can use the joystick to switch to the still photo playback tab, which will show thumbnails of your still photos. Navigating these screens is actually a little unintuitive.

To select a video clip or still, simply move the "cursor" to that thumbnail, then click down on the joystick. The joystick also becomes controls during playback: Up is Play/Pause, Down is Stop/Return to Index, Left is Rewind, and Right is Fast Forward. When a clip is paused, the Left and Right actions choose Next and Previous clips. The Zoom toggle controls sound volume. In Photo Playback, Play/Pause begins and pauses a slide show.

An Intelligent Scene Detection mode is available, which functions by automatically weeding out all scenes that the camcorder deems are unusable (poor exposure, shaky, out of focus, etc.). This is useful for scenes that were accidentally recorded while walking around, unaware that the Record button was engaged. You can also browse for scenes by Date, which will come in handy if you have hundreds of clips to wade through.

Selecting the clip you want is an easy click of the joystick.


The playback menus are accessed by pushing the Menu button while in Playback mode. If you are in the still photo tab of Playback mode, the menu brings up a Still Playback menu (see Still Features). If you are in the video tab of Playback mode, the Menu button brings up a Video Playback menu:

Video Playback Menu
Video Setup Repeat Play, Resume Play, Scene Protect, Guide Lines (Off, Horizontal, Grid 1, Grid 2)
Edit Scene Divide, Delete
Setup Display, Date/Time, Date Format, Power Save, Beep Sound, Power LCD, LCD Set, EVF Set, Component Out (480i, 1080i), HDMI Resolution (Auto, 1080i, 480i), VIERA Link, TV Aspect (16:9, 4:3), AV Jack (AV Out, Headphone), Format Card, Card Status
Language English, Français, Español

Video playback options are limited, but sufficient.


Connectivity (9.0)
We've already expressed our discontent at the ludicrous port placement on Panasonic's high def camcorder line. In this review alone, we've mentioned this shortcoming when describing the back of the camcorder, Portability, Handling, and Battery Life. At the risk of sounding redundant, we don't like this port placement. By tucking the USB, mini-HDMI, and DC outputs inside the battery chamber, they are completely inaccessible unless you remove the battery. This means that you can't transfer files or output your footage via HDMI without taking the battery out and plugging in the camcorder. It also means that if you're in the middle of filming your son's school play and the battery starts to die, you can't simply plug in the camcorder. You have to remove the battery (thus powering down the camcorder and losing precious moments), then plug in the adapter. Think you can charge the battery while the camcorder is plugged in? Think again. The AC adaptor doubles as a charging station, but won't work unless the cable connecting the adapter to the camcorder is unplugged.

Very frustrating. Very disappointing.

 

It's not all gloom and doom in the connectivity department. This year's SD100 gives us a few connections that were sorely missed last generation: namely, a cold accessory shoe, microphone jack, and headphone jack. The accessory shoe is in the customary location up top and houses a wide variety of standard accessories (no proprietary-fit shoe like we have on Sony camcorders). The cover is secured by two flimsy rubber anchors—don't pull too hard or you'll end up with a broken shoe cover, as we did on our HS100.


The SD100's accessory shoe is not proprietary (hooray),
but the cover is cheap (we broke ours).

 

The microphone jack is housed beneath a decent plastic cover on the bottom of the front of the camcorder. The cover would be easily yanked loose, so take care when handling. And be sure to tuck stray cords out of sight so they don't ruin your shot.

The headphone jack is nestled in the LCD cavity, under a convenient sliding cover. We love this location and we love this cover. It's a little unfortunate that one port is doing double duty with headphone and AV out, but you're not likely to need both at once and it's not too difficult to chang the output in the Administrative menu. This sliding door also houses the Component output, which accommodates the cable that comes packed with the camcorder.

The last of the ports is the SD/SDHC card holder, which is hidden within the LCD cavity under a spring-loaded cover. The hatch is opened via small switch directly above the cover. Even though the cover flips down, we had no trouble removing and inserting memory cards while the camcorder was mounted to a tripod.

 
The Panasonic HDC-SD100's Component
and AV/Headphone outputs...
...nestled in the LCD cavity right about the
SD/SDHC memory card slot




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