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Panasonic HDC-SD100 Camcorder Reviewby Kaitlyn ChantryPublished on Sep 26, 2008 3:30 PM
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Still Features (7.5)
Still photography is managed in the same fashion on the Panasonic HDC-SD100 as it was on its predecessor, the HDC-SD9. Like all of Panasonic's consumer camcorders, there is no separate Photo mode; all photography is handled using the same menus and modes as are used in videography. This means that you'll have to sift through the regular menus to find relevant settings, but you'll also have a distinct advantage over other camcorder photographers: with the SD100, you can capture a still photo while recording. This isn't as flexible as simply exporting your video and doing a still capture within an editing program, but for many people, it's more convenient. And fun!
Despite having this great feature, the SD100, like nearly every camcorder out there, cannot compete with even the most entry-level digital camera. The maximum still image size is 1920 x 1080 (approx. 2 megapixels), compared to the 8-12 megapixels of an average entry-level camera. The SD100 does have several of the features you might see on digital cameras, but the features are generally not as robust or as well implemented.
Features relevant to still photography include Face Framing, High-Speed Burst, Flash, Red Eye Reduction, Shutter Sound, and Self Timer. Face Framing works much as it does when recording video: you can set the feature to Off, Primary, or All, depending on how many faces in a given shot you'd like to frame. "Framing," in this case, means finding the nearest and most prominent faces (up to 15 when set to All) and adjusting brightness and focus accordingly.
Then there is the host of options that are accessible while recording video, but only impact still photography: High-Speed Burst enables continuous photo capturing while holding down the Photo Capture button. The flash, embedded to the left of the lens, can be set to Off, Auto, or On and can be adjusted to one of three flash levels: -, +/-0, and + (Low, Normal, High). There is also an option of turning on or off the camcorder's built-in Red Eye Reduction, and turning on or off a Shutter Sound effect—thankfully, the effect does not play when you're recording video and take a still. Finally, you can set a Self Timer to either 2 or 10 seconds for those moments when you want to run around and get into the shot yourself.
Perhaps the best thing about taking still photos with the HDC-SD100 is that all the manual control options available for shooting video are available for capturing a still photo as well. You can troll around the menus to adjust sharpness, color, or exposure, or try out the Scene Modes, Backlight Compensation, Intelligent Contrast Control, Face Framing, Soft Skin Mode, Magicpix, and Tele Macro. You can also utilize Panasonic's fantastic new multi-function ring for adjusting Focus, Zoom, Shutter Speed, White Balance, or Iris (aperture/gain). Some of these settings aren't as finely tuned as what you might find on a digital camera, but the ring control is a nice touch that you won't find on many digital cameras, especially traditional point-and-shoots.
Since there is no separate mode for still photography, you'll find all the still features integrated into the larger menu system. The Camera Function menu (accessed via the Cam Function button) is only available in Manual mode. All features are applicable to both still photography and video:
| Camera Function Menu |
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| Return | Exits the menu and allows you to toggle between manual zoom and manual focus |
| White Balance | Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Indoor 1 (incandescent), Indoor 2 (color fluorescent), and Manual |
| Shutter Speed | 1/60, 1/100, 1/120, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, 1/8000 (1/24, 1/30, 1/48 are available in some settings) |
| Iris | Aperture: f/1.8 (Open), f/2.0, f/2.4, f/2.8, f/3.4, f/4.0, f/4.8, f/5.6, f/6.8, f/8.0, f/9.6, f/11, f/14, f/16 Gain: 0dB, 3dB, 6dB, 9dB, 12dB, 15dB, and 18dB |
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The multi-function ring controls options in the Camera Function menu.
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Pushing the Cam Function will bring up the Camera Function menu, allowing you to adjust White Balance, Shutter Speed, and Iris.
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The Joystick Menu (accessed by clicking on the center of the Joystick) is available in both Manual and Auto mode. All items except for Fade and Headphone Volume Adjustment are applicable to still photography:
| Joystick Menu |
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| Page 1 | Fade (select black or white in the Admin menu), Backlight Compensation, Help Mode |
| Page 2 | Self-Timer (2sec/10sec/Off), Intelligent Contrast Control1, Automatic Face Detection1 |
| Page 3 | Soft Skin Mode, MagicPix, Tele Macro |
| Page 4 | Headphone Volume Adjustment2 |
1 Feature not available in Intelligent Auto (iA) mode
2 Feature available only in Headphone mode (selected via Setup tab of Admin menu)
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| The Panasonic HDC-SD100 has a surprisingly responsive joystick. | Pushing on the center of the joystick brings up the Joystick menu. |
The Administrative Menu, which is accessed via the Menu button, houses the majority of the still photography options. Features relevant to still photography are marked in bold below:
| Administrative Menu | |
| Basic | Scene Mode (Off, Sports, Portrait, Low Light, Spotlight, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Scenery)2, Digital Zoom (Off, 30x, 700x), Guidelines (Off, Horizontal, Grid 1, Grid 2)1, Set World Time |
| Record Setup | Face Framing (Off, Primary, All), Record Mode (HA1920, HG1920, HX1920, HE1440), 24P Digital Cinema1, Fade Color (White, Black), Wind Cut2, Mic Setup (Surround, Zoom Mic, Focus Mic), Mic Level2, AGS, Hi-Speed Burst1, Flash, Flash Level, Red Eye, Shutter Sound |
| Advanced | Recording Lamp, Auto Slow Shutter1, Shooting Guide, Digital Cinema Color, Picture Adjust (Sharpness, Color, Exposure)2, Manual Focus Assist2, Zebra2, Luminance2, Histogram2 |
| Setup | Clock Set, Display, Date/Time, Date Format, Power Save, Quick Power On, Quick Start, 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), Initial Set, Format Card, Demo Mode |
| Language | English, Français, Español |
1 Feature not available in Intelligent Auto (iA) mode
2 Feature not available in either Auto mode or Intelligent Auto (iA) mode
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Clockwise starting upper-left: Basic Submenu, Record Setup Submenu, Advanced Submenu |
In Playback mode, you can alternate between video clips and still images by selecting the corresponding tab. Within the still tab, pressing on the Menu button will bring up the Photo Playback Menu:
| Photo Playback Menu |
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| Picture Setup | Slide Interval (Short, Normal, Long), Scene Protect, DPOF Set, 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 |
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| The playback menu on the Panasonic HDC-HS100 (the SD100 is nearly identical). |
Playback settings on the Panasonic HDC-SD100. |
Still Performance (7.78)
To test still performance, we shoot an X-Rite Color Checker chart at an even, bright light, then import the stills into Imatest imaging software. The software then analyzes the stills for color accuracy, noise, and saturation. At best, the Panasonic HDC-SD100 produced a color error of 7.71. This was a better score than previous generation HDC-SD9 and better than the Canon HF11. It's about on par with the Samsung SC-HMX20 and not quite as accurate as the competition from Sony and JVC, especially the Sony HDR-CX12, which scored very well in color accuracy for still photography.
The noise from the Panasonic HDC-SD100 measured 0.4%, an exceptionally low noise score. The previous generation of Panasonics also had low noise, but this was significantly better. The only competitor to even come close to this score was the Samsung SC-HMX20, which did well, but not as well as the Panasonic. Finally, the saturation measured 99.72%.
Still Resolution (9.74)
Still resolution is tested by shooting an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart at an even, bright light. We again run the images through Imatest imaging software to determine the resolution in line widths per picture height (lw/ph). The Panasonic HDC-SD100 produced a maximum horizontal resolution of 740 lw/ph, with an undersharpening of 16.0%. The vertical resolution measured 573 lw/ph, with an undersharpening of 0.7%.
These results are average for a camcorder, especially one that outputs all still images to 1920 x 1080 (a little over two megapixels). However, the still photography is clearly not intended to replace your dedicated digital camera and also falls short of the performance of some competitors, such as the Sony HDR-CX12 and Samsung SC-HMX20.
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