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Panasonic SDR-H200 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Sep 3, 2007 5:00 PM
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Ease of Use (6.0)
Panasonics are best suited to the more techno-savvy crowd due to its gamut of manual controls and sometimes puzzling icon-based menus. Sony makes it plain and simple—if point-and-shoot recording is all you desire, just hit the big honking Easy button and the camcorder shifts into fill idiot-proof mode. Canon and JVC do not feature an Easy mode equivalent, but many of its camcorders’ controls are highly limited in Auto mode.
Panasonic has great automatic responses in Auto mode, but limits access to the controls point-and-shooters would actually want, like the Scene modes. The only other significant change in Auto mode is the disabling of the third and fourth pages of the quick Joystick menu, which encompasses aperture/gain, white balance, shutter speed, and manual focus. All other menu options are still readily available. In a way, the SDR-H200 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $569.00) will stretch the shooter, placing them at an advanced level of control that can be dictated by the instant flick of the auto/manual switch. Yes, the SDR-H200 will not suit the entry-level crowd, but for those with even the faintest grip on manual camcorder adjustment, the SDR-H200 will be the ticket.
On the plus side, the SDR-H200 utilizes Panasonic’s tried and true menu structure—it’s straightforward (though beginners may want the manual handy), well laid out, and easy to navigate through thanks to the rear-mounted joystick. Sure, Sony’s touch screen is a hit among a wide spectrum of novices because of its ATM-like interface, but Panasonic caters to those looking to free up that left hand. In addition, the SDR-H200’s simplified structure features minimal buttons, switches, and dials that would potentially perplex and overwhelm a beginner.
We do have to mention to weak port placement, though. Mounting the USB and power terminals within the battery chamber is a poor choice. If you want to charge your battery while exporting footage to a laptop in the field, it’s not going to happen.
Handling (7.25)
Architecturally, the SDR-H200 is a peculiar camcorder. It’s slightly stunted in length when compared with the Sony DCR-SR200, yet not as brick-shaped as a JVC Everio. The SDR-H200 falls within the plush median of suitable camcorder dimensions, featuring a bulky, fat design that lends itself to optimal grip. The right side is tailored to the ergonomics of the hand, featuring an elevated bump next to the mode dial and a matte plastic ridge along the right half of the SDR-H200’s top side. When you slip your hand into the SDR-H200, you’ll notice how well it conforms to the natural arcs of the fingers and valley of the palm—the index finger falls flush over the zoom toggle, the middle and ring fingers cling to the plastic ridge, the pinky sits couched within the lens barrel and external HDD enclosure, and the thumb magnetizes naturally to the rear-mounted joystick. This is by far one of the most comfortable camcorders we’ve ever seen.
On the downside, the SDR-H200’s hand strap is pretty feeble. You’ll find this identical design on most of their camcorders. It’s thin, awkwardly anchored, and constructed of cheap, non-breathable material. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find a decent hand strap within this price range—Sony’s lacks sufficient padding and JVC’s look like they were cranked out of a bubble gum machine. Panasonic does wrap the SDR-H200’s hand strap in what appears to be a synthetic leather material, but when the sun casts its gaze over you, the back of your hand will surely sweat. Fortunately, the SDR-H200’s hand strap is decently padded, softening the blow a bit. The other issue you’ll have with the hand strap is that it hangs at an odd angle. In order to hold the SDR-H200 without it flopping to the side, you’ll have to tighten the strap with enough torque so that the bulk of the camcorder remains glued to the palm of your hand.
Amidst a flourish of control pads, touch screens, LCD joysticks, and scroll wheels, Panasonic provides superior navigation with its rear-mounted joystick. The benefits include one-handed camcorder operation, rapid menu selection, and advanced manual control adjustment. The SDR-H200’s joystick, in conjunction with the neighboring menu button and well-organized menu structure, excels far beyond Sony’s touch screen panel or Hitachi’s side-mounted mess of controls. You won’t have to worry about smudging up the screen or craning your neck at an absurd angle just to access the controls. All of Panasonic’s camcorders feature a rear-mounted joystick, a design that has withstood the test of time since its earliest models.
Now, structurally speaking, the SDR-H200 is rather preposterous. It contains a massive port enclosure that consists of only an AV terminal, while the USB and DC jacks are imprisoned within the battery chamber. Where is the logic? To make matters even worse, the SDR-H200 has a barren LCD cavity, save three buttons and the auto/manual switch. There’s another prime slab of real estate to toss ports into. In addition, the SD card slot door is shoved to the bottom ridge of the LCD cavity and opens out the bottom of the camcorder, forcing you to remove the SDR-H200 from a tripod in order to swap out cards. The cherry on the sundae is the fact that there are no LCD panel controls. The Sony DCR-SR200 and JVC GZ-MG555 (Review, Specs, $626) are far more accessible in terms of port placement and LCD panel controls.
Menu (6.5)
Panasonic’s menus are straightforward, well organized, and easy to access. The multi-setting mode dial eliminates the need for one mega menu by segmenting your options into four parts: Video mode, Video playback, Camera mode, and Camera playback. On top of that, you don’t have to wade through the Administrative menu or even a Function menu to make manual control adjustments. Panasonic’s quick Joystick menu hosts the SDR-H200’s manual controls on the last two pages of the small circular interface.
To access the quick Joystick menu, just press the center of the joystick. Shifting down cycles through pages while left, right, and up select or deselect an option. In Auto mode, two pages will appear. Page one consists of fades, BLC, and info, while page two is comprised of Soft Skin mode, MagicPix, and Tele Macro. When Manual mode is selected, a third page becomes available with iris, white balance, and shutter speed controls. When manual focus is selected, a fourth page appears, allowing you to manually focus via the left and right joystick controls. In order to clear the quick Joystick menu from the screen, just press the center of the joystick again. In Camera mode, the quick Joystick menu is identical, except there is no MagicPix option.
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The Administrative menu can be accessed by pressing the menu button. A list of five main options appears: Basic, Advanced, Media Select, Setup, and Language. In Basic, you’ll find Scene modes, guidelines, Recording mode, aspect, and clock set. Advanced is composed of digital zoom, OIS, fade color, wind cut, and zoom mic. Media select simply allows you to choose between HDD and SD card recording. Setup offers display, date/time, date format, power save, AGS, beep sound, LCD set, initial set, illumination, and Demo mode. In Language, choose between English, French, and Spanish.
In Camera mode, the Administrative menu is strikingly similar to Video mode, aside from a couple altered options. In the Basic menu, you can select the picture size and picture quality in place of Recording mode and aspect. Advanced offers two options: OIS and shutter effect. Lastly, Setup is missing the AGS option.
Portability (4.0)
In terms of size, the SDR-H200 is wedged between the full-sized Sony DCR-SR models and petit JVC Everios, measuring 70.1 x 73 x 120.8mm (2.76 x 2.87 x 4.76 inches). However, the SDR-H200 tips the scale at 450 grams (.99 pounds) without the battery pack, which is pretty darn close to the DCR-SR300 (Review, Specs, $761.95)’s mass. The good news is that the SDR-H200 handles like a champ and will not torture your hand during a full day of shooting. You’ll just have to figure out a way to comfortably position the hand strap. The SDR-H200 also has an excellent battery life. One additional pack should keep the SDR-H200 going strong for hours at Disneyland. We suggest a small camera bag, and the SDR-H200 should fit with room to spare.
LCD and Viewfinder (5.5)
The SDR-H200 is equipped with a 2.7-inch, 123,000-pixel color LCD screen that swings out at a 90-degree angle from the camcorder’s body and rotates up to 270 degrees. The LCD screen solarizes at the slightest angle and does not display the sharpest image. In addition, the SDR-H200 features the Power LCD Plus function, which shifts the brightness of the LCD screen two steps in each direction. Since the LCD screen is the only monitor on the SDR-H200, an accurate image is highly essential. If the LCD screen is too bright or dark, it will dupe you into thinking your footage is properly exposed, when in actuality it is not. The question is, how do you know what the setting should be? If you’re constantly asking yourself “is that the screen brightness or the exposure making it look so dark?” then the feature does not work well. If Panasonic is going to offer such easy access to the LCD brightness, they should also have a sensor that tells you what the best setting is for your light environment. The LCD panel is devoid of any controls—record start/stop, zoom in/out, or playback.
There is no viewfinder on the SDR-H200.
Battery Life (10.9)
We tested the life of the SDR-H200’s CGA-DU12 battery pack by recording continuously in full Manual mode, with the LCD flipped out and OIS disabled, until the battery cashed in its chips. The SDR-H200’s battery lasted a total of 144 minutes and 42 seconds (2 hours, 24 minutes, and 42 seconds). This is a truly honorable performance, and one of the highest endurances within this price range we’ve tested to date.