Panasonic SDR-SW20

Ease of Use (6.75)
While Panasonic has one of the cleanest menu systems for certain parts of its operation, there’s definitely a learning curve involved in engaging manual controls. For a camcorder this basic, Panasonic still bombards the shooter with an array of options. That is, of course, a strength and a weakness. Most SDR-SW20 owners will probably never dabble with Gain or White Balance, the options are there just in case Mom took a film class in college. In Auto mode, the SDR-SW20 is simple to operate—it’s not as idiot-proof as Sony’s Easy mode, but the menu is trimmed down and all the shooter has to concentrate on is hitting the Record Start/Stop button.

All controls are located within the LCD cavity, which is disadvantageous for making adjustments on the fly. The four-directional d-pad on the left side is not as welcoming as a Joystick, but what would you expect on a budget underwater camcorder? Make all or most adjustments prior to diving in—Auto mode might be your best bet for most aquatic shooting environments. For the best experience, make a date with the instruction manual before you even leave the house. It’s not always apparent what the little icons on the screen signify.

Fortunately, the SDR-SW20’s media of choice is one of the easiest to work with. Just throw your SD/SDHC card into your computer and the .MOD files are readily available. No real-time capture is necessary, and the .MOD files are compatible with most major editing software.

Handling (6.0)
Obviously, the SDR-SW20 is on a different plateau from most conventional camcorders. The ocean, pools, and rainy days are the intended shooting environments for this compact camcorder. It’s worth noting that the SDR-SW20 can only stave off the threats of water up to 5 feet deep—after that, it’s a crap shoot as to whether the SDR-SW20 can hold its own. This limits the fun factor a bit, so most shooters will want to stay within the shallow end of the pool and take advantage of low tide. Hot tubbers—you’ll be just fine….

Advanced shooters are not going to like handling the SDR-SW20—it has no viewfinder or hand strap and limited external controls. This is a strictly consumer-driven design that offers two distinct grip methods. You can grasp the SDR-SW20 traditionally by latching onto the right side, thumb mounted over the rear Record Start/Stop button. Or, you can hold the SDR-SW20 from underneath, thumb hovering above the side-mounted Record Start/Stop button. When you’re swimming, the latter method makes the most sense, as your body will be somewhat horizontal.

For a camcorder that looks like the back of a chunky cell phone, the SDR-SW20 is relatively comfortable to hold. There are no controls on top, aside from the Zoom toggle, to tango with overshooting fingers. The SDR-SW20 is shock proof up to 4 feet, so it can take a minor beating. We dropped it in the office from about 5 feet and it still powered up without a problem. The port covers are also lined with gaskets to keep water and liquid out. In order to make sure the port covers are locked tight, a red strip embedded in the release tab will disappear to notify the shooter that the cover is closed entirely.

The control panel is not the same as a Joystick, and you’ll have to get used to the downgrade. For Manual control freaks, the LCD cavity control panel will not be very exciting to use, but on a $400 vacation camcorder, this is to be expected. The Zoom toggle could be worse—it’s on the small side, but offers enough control for smooth movement, as opposed to jerky Zoom tabs found on other pocket size cams.

Menu (6.5)
Panasonic’s menu interface is uniform across all of its consumer camcorders. The SDR-SW20’s menu is simple and well-organized. Options are logically laid out in two distinct areas: the Administrative menu and the Manual Control menu (this is our terminology, not Panasonic’s).

The SDR-SW20’s Administrative menu is accessed by pressing the Menu button, located in the LCD cavity. The Administrative menu contains the following options:

Video Administrative Menu
Basic	Scene Mode, Guide Lines, Record Mode, Clock Set, Set World Time
Advanced	Digital Zoom,  EIS, Wind Cut, Zoom Mic, Auto Slow Shutter, Aspect, Fade
Setup	Display, Date/Time, Date Format, Format Card, Quick Start, Power Save, Audio Recording, Beep Sound, Power LCD, LCD Set, External Display, Initial Set, Demo
Language	English, Espanol, Francais

To access the Manual Control menu, press the button in the center of the d-pad. When this is activated, a small menu appears in the lower right corner of the screen. The options are spread out across three "pages." A fourth page appears when you hit the Manual Focus button, an external plastic button in the LCD cavity. The Manual Control menu is composed of the following items:

Manual Control Menu
Page 1	Fades, BLC, Information
Page 2	Soft Skin Mode, MagicPix
Page 3	Iris, White Balance, Shutter Speed
Page 4	Focus

Portability (9.0)
Portability is the name of the game with the SDR-SW20, aside from its waterproof and shockproof capability. The SDR-SW20 is slightly longer than a Blackberry Pearl when stood up vertically, and about twice as thick. The SDR-SW20 measures 33.8mm x 63.4mm x 115.4mm (1.33in. x 2.50in. x 4.54in.) and weighs approximately 224g (.49 lbs.) without the supplied battery pack and an SD/SDHC card. You can easily pocket the SDR-SW20, or fit it into a small tote bag—fanny packs are back, so take advantage. SD/SDHC cards take up almost no space and are fairly durable. A backup battery or two should definitely be purchased, in addition to an extra SD/SDHC card if you plan on shooting in the highest quality (XP).

LCD and Viewfinder (4.0)
The SDR-SW20 is equipped with a 2.7-inch LCD screen with a 123,000-pixel resolution. The LCD screen is protected by a thick glass pane that is mounted with a rugged rubber gasket. Unless you unscrew the plate, we don’t see water or liquid seeping into the screen. The LCD screen flips out 90 degrees from the body of the camcorder and rotates up to 270 degrees. Though the resolution is low, the SDR-SW20’s LCD screen offers a crisp picture that is visible underwater. You won’t find any LCD controls on the LCD panel—all playback control is governed by the control panel. The SDR-SW20 is not equipped with a viewfinder.

Battery Life (7.5)
We tested the life of the SDR-SW20’s VW-VBJ10 battery pack by recording continuously in Manual mode with EIS disabled. The SDR-SW20’s battery lasted a total of 74 minutes and 57 seconds (1 hour, 14 minutes, and 57 seconds). This brief lifespan can be attributed to the SDR-SW20’s enclosed battery design, which eliminates the possibility of a larger pack. The SDR-SW20’s battery is the size of most cell phone batteries, so you’ll have to stock up on multiple batteries for lengthy vacations.