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Panasonic HDC-SD5 First Impressions Camcorder Reviewby Michael PerlmanPublished on Jul 30, 2007 3:00 AM 
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The Panasonic HDC-SD5 ($999 MSRP) is the latest effort in the race to build the “world’s smallest [something],” in this case the smallest 3-chip, 1920 x 1080 HD camcorder. While the HDC-SD5 is less than thrilling, and only a minor upgrade to last year’s HDC-SD1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99), the world in which it lives has changed a great deal. Suddenly, AVCHD doesn’t look so foreboding anymore. Support for viewing and editing is sprouting up on a monthly basis. The HDC-SD5 does offer an increased capture resolution over last year, which topped out at 1440 x 1080, and a smaller, lighter body. The starting price has also dropped considerably (down $500 from last year). All these facts combined make the HDC-SD5 far more enticing than its predecessor. But it is worth diving into AVCHD just yet? Let’s take a closer look.
The Front
At first glance, the front of the HDC-SD5 resembles its older AVCHD sibling, the HDC-SD1. But upon further investigation you’ll find that the HDC-SD5 is notably smaller, sporting a Leica Dicomar lens with a 37mm filter diameter as opposed to the SD1’s 43mm. The HDC-SD5 is also saddled with an optical zoom that tops out at 10x vs. the HDC-SD1’s 12x optical zoom capacity. The HDC-SD5 has a focal length of 3.0mm – 30mm (42.9mm – 429mm when converted to a 35mm camera), and an f-stop range of 1.8 - 2.8mm. A side mounted flash is located to the left of the lens. Due to its placement, the flash could produce uneven lighting whereas a top-mounted flash offers a more balanced spread of light.
As far as looks go, the HDC-SD5 is virtually identical to Sony’s HDR-CX7 (Specs, Recent News, $1199). The HDR-CX7 has a 10x optical zoom lens with a 37mm filter diameter and flash mounted to its left side, just like the HDC-SD5. The HDR-CX7 has met its AVCHD adversary, and their architectural parallels abound.
The Right Side
The HDC-SD5 is by far one of the most comfortable camcorders you will ever hold. While Sony aimed for sleek, shiny lines with the HDR-CX7, Panasonic chose to place ergonomics at the forefront. The HDC-SD5 features an arched bump that conforms to the natural curve of the palm of the hand, and outfitted the right side with a textured, sweat resistant plastic. Built within this bump is a massive hard plastic port cover housing the HDMI and USB terminals. Though the port cover is made of a rugged, durable material, it is anchored by a flimsy plastic strip connected via a series of tiny Phillips head screws. If you give it a decent yank—which of course we did—the plastic strip will slip out of the first screw, causing the plastic to overlap. When this happens, the cover will never close fully again—unless you remove the Phillips head screw and re-bolt.
The HDC-SD5’s hand strap is thin, yet constructed of a velvety material that feels comfortable when pressed against the skin. Panasonic also added approximately 40% more material to the surface area of their hand strap, doing away with the HDC-SD1’s rigid, uninviting strip of firm, cheap plastic. Though the HDR-CX7 is blessed with Sony’s luxuriously padded and breathable hand strap, the HDC-SD5 comes in a close second.
The Back
The HDC-SD5’s backside is trimmer than the rotund mass characterized by the HDC-SD1. While the back of HDR-CX7 resembles a miniature house with chimney, the HDC-SD5 flaunts a narrow, petit frame. After seeing the HDC-SD5 up close, Panasonic’s “world’s smallest AVCHD camcorder” claim achieved ultimate validity. The only downside is that the rear controls of the HDC-SD5 are clustered tightly compared to the HDC-SD1 and HDR-CX7. Like the HDC-SD1, the HDC-SD5 features a big old mode dial slapped smack dab in the middle.
A tiny nub of plastic sits to the right—this is the joystick. The HDC-SD5’s joystick appears to have had its voluminous plastic head chopped off in order to save space and weight. The result is a finicky, miniscule little control stick that is more prone to inadvertent menu selections. Panasonic should have transferred over the HDC-SD1’s joystick. Beneath the mode dial is a grouping of three buttons—LCD open, menu, and trash. Above the mode dial is the pre-record button. Due to the HDC-SD5’s compact size, it’s easy to reach these controls with the thumb, yet it would be easy to accidentally press the delete button when attempting to access the menu button.
The Left Side
The left side of the HDC-SD5 is all 2.7” wide LCD screen. There are no external controls. In order to flip the LCD screen open, you must press the LCD open button in back. The screen hesitates a bit, but if you lightly shake the camcorder, the LCD screen pops right out. Within the LCD cavity you’ll find the disc copy button, auto/manual/manual focus switch, power LCD extra button, and a rectangular port cover containing the component and AV out jacks. There are no controls embedded within the LCD panel—no zoom or record start/stop. The HDR-CX7 features the aforementioned controls embedded within its LCD panel plus a home menu button. In addition, Sony’s LCD cavity layout is organized and concise and features a sliding Memory Stick slot door rather than a flimsy cover. We have to hand it to the HDR-CX7 on this one.
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Left side of HDC-SD1... |
and a peek at the LCD cavity. |
The Top
The HDC-SD5 is relatively barren on top. Here you’ll find the 2 channel built-in stereo microphone, playback speaker, zoom toggle, and photo capture button. Those who don’t have doll hands will most certainly obscure the mic and playback speaker. With the HDC-SD5, Panasonic chose to revamp the zoom lever found on the HDC-SD1 in exchange for a thick, rectangular zoom slider. Though we have grilled zoom sliders in the past for their shaky, awkward handling, the HDC-SD5’s zoom slider is smooth, responsive, and big. The HDR-CX7 features a zoom lever as well, and although it performs well, the HDC-SD5’s slider will undoubtedly charm you with its tamed, manageable power. The HDR-CX7 does, however, sport a hot shoe. Even though it only supports Sony products, the HDC-SD5 is devoid of any shoe, hot or cold.
The Bottom
You were wondering where Panasonic hid the battery, weren’t you? Just like the HDC-SD1, the HDC-SD5 features a hinged plastic door that flips out a full 180 degrees revealing the enclosed VW-VBG130-K battery pack. Only the HDC-SD5’s SD/SDHC card slot bunks right next to the battery while the HDC-SD1 features a separate SD/SDHC card slot located within its LCD cavity. This means you can’t change the battery or memory card while the HDC-SD5 is mounted to a tripod. Even the HDR-CX7 has a hinged Memory Stick door that can be accessed from the left side only. Negative points for Panasonic.
