Camcorder News

August 01, 2007

Panasonic HDC-SD7 - One More AVCHD for Japan

By David Kender

August 1, 2007 – Panasonic snuck one more camcorder into the fray today with the announcement of the HDC-SD7. This AVCHD camcorder, which appears to have a Japanese release only, comes just days after the U.S. division announced two AVCHD models. The HDC-SD7 touts the "World’s Smallest Full-HD Camcorder" title, a feat last achieved two days ago when Panasonic announced the HDC-SD5.

The HDC-SD7 records to SD memory cards (a 4GB card comes included). Like the HDC-SD5 and HDC-SX5, the new camcorder is capable of recording in full 1920 x 1080 in the highest quality setting (13Mbps CBR). The two lower quality settings (9Mbps and 6Mbps) are both 1440 x 1080. Additional features include a revamped optical image stabilization that corrects 4000 times per second and a Pre-Record function that stores three seconds of footage in cache memory while the primary recording media starts up.

The HDC-SD7 takes its design cues from upright, pistol-grip camcorders like the SDR-S100 and SDR-S150. The button placement is almost identical, with most controls located on the rear, including: Mode dial, Joystick, Menu button, Up/Down Zoom toggle, Record buttons, Auto/Manual/Focus switch, and ports. The SD card slot is located on the bottom underneath a pop-up cover. The battery, an enclosed design, is also found there. The body of the HDC-SD7 is very small, weighing only 290 grams (0.96 pounds) and measuring 52 mm x 110 mm x 87 mm (2.05' x 4.3' x 3.4'). The press release indicates it will be available in two colors, silver and black.

The HDC-SD7 will retail for ¥140,000 (approx. U.S. $1181) with a ship date of Sept. 8 in Japan. The HDC-SD7 has not yet been announced for the U.S. market.

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