Panasonic SDR-SW20 First Impressions Camcorder Review by Michael Perlman Published on Jan 21, 2008 7:00 AM
Related Articles News: Panasonic SDR-SW20 underwater cam first impressions review posted

Ease of Use
Beginners will want to throw the camcorder in Auto mode, but it’s no Sony Easy mode. A good deal of adjustment options are still available, but if you’re not familiar with the menu system – specifically, the purpose of all those little icons – you might find yourself in a labyrinth of inadvertent menu selections with no way out. Fortunately, the SDR-SW20 (Review, Specs, Recent News, )’s menu structure is clean and welcoming.

Flash memory is a preferred media because of its durability, shelf life, and compact size. It’s also easy to use—just pop in an SD/SDHC card and shoot away. In order to transfer video onto a computer, just pop in the SD/SDHC card and the files will be readily available. Like most MPEG-2 video, you’ll probably have to manipulate the file to edit, but at least you won’t have to deal with DV’s real-time capture or DVD’s time-consuming finalizing.

Handling
For the Camcorderinfo.com readers who didn’t get a chance to check out our exclusive CES video highlighting the SDR-SW20, you can watch it from the intro page of this review. Many of your underwater handling questions will be answered. Here’s a hands-on account anyway.

Take a gander at the SDR-SW20. Some of the items on your mind may include a pocket radio from the 60’s, a Brookstone flashlight/key holder/clock/calendar, or a mini cop radar detector. What you are truly looking at is a rugged underwater camcorder that retails for under $400. The SDR-SW20 is built with a die cast zinc frame and LCD housing, and outfitted with burly rubber gaskets. This mini warrior is shock-proof up to four feet, waterproof up to five feet, and dustproof.

There is no official way to grip the SDR-SW20—it’s whatever feels best in the hand. While underwater, you’ll most likely want to take advantage of the Sub Record button on the right side of the camcorder by holding the SDR-SW20 by the bottom like an epee, poised to attack the fiercest angles. Or you can hold the SDR-SW20 upright with your thumb resting atop the rear Record Start/Stop button. Versatility is the name of the game with this camcorder.

The SDR-SW20 is exceedingly light and can fit in a pocket or fanny pack with ease. You’ll most likely want to stock up on SD/SDHC cards and backup batteries due to their short lifespans.

The Panasonic SDR-SW20 next to a Blackberry Pearl cell phone

The SDR-SW20’s menu system is just like any other Panasonic’s—well organized, intuitive, and straightforward. You’ll rarely be left in the dark with a Panasonic menu structure. The Joystick menu is an added bonus, placing all manual controls within a press or two away. Unfortunately, the directional pad does not offer the precision and ease of use characterized by a rear-mounted joystick, but Panasonic had to slim down the SDR-SW20 in order for it to achieve its fanny pack-friendly size.

	The 2.7-inch LCD with a 123,000 resolution

LCD/Viewfinder
The SDR-SW20’s 2.7-inch LCD screen (123,000 pixel resolution) is shielded by a thick glass pane and mounted with a burly rubber gasket. We’d be hard-pressed to see this baby let in any liquid of any sort. The LCD screen flips out 90 degrees from the body of the camcorder and rotates up to 270 degrees. A clear picture can be obtained from the LCD screen, even underwater, based on our in-depth test in a mobile fish tank at the CES Panasonic booth. There are no LCD controls on the LCD panel, which is to be expected. Shooting underwater requires additional strength just to focus on the manatee or stingray that just drifted by. That last thing on a shooters mind is more controls—manual adjustments are difficult enough. The SDR-SW20 is not equipped with a viewfinder.