Panasonic HDC-SD5 High Definiton SD Card Camcorder - Silver

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Customer Reviews:

• 
  2008-05-23
  By Cheatin' Jockey, Worcestershire
  I got this to replace a tape based camera mainly due to 2 things - it does proper wide-screen recording (in HD, a bonus) and using files on random access storage media the data can be copied digitally rather than the time-consuming 'capture' process needed for tape if you want to edit the footage.
  
  The camera itself does pretty much what you'd expect - it's intuitive to use and small and light. The screen is nice and the menu system is also easy to navigate reasonably quickly; I'm glad to say they haven't filled it full of useless trickery that will never be used which often clutters the menus of this type of device.
  
  The picture quality is not 'amazing' considering it's HD (I have a 720P TV) but still better than my old SD camera and when the light drops it does go quite grainy which I guess is to be expected. I have a powerful PC so the editing shouldn't be much of an issue but I will need to upgrade my Pinnacle software; another reviewer pointed out that there is limited support for the video format currently so do check you can edit AVCHD before buying (and remember to get an SDHC reader). AVCHD is useful for me as it can be played directly on my PS3 - I tried some files strait off the camera and the PS3 played them fine.
  
  In my opinion there are be a few things that could be better: it's not a 'normal' USB device so it can't be used as a normal SDHC reader or accessed without the driver software installed, it also requires mains power while connected - it would have been better if it could have ran on USB power for card reader functions. It also buries the videos a few folders deep which is quite annoying. I've ordered an SDHC reader so hopefully I can avoid this step and just copy directly of the card. Windows Media can't play the files either, though CODECs are available I have fully investigated that yet; the Panasonic software allows you to play them back on a PC and convert them DVD compatible if you want to watch them on your TV.
  
  All-in-all if you understand what the video format means to you or you don't bother editing the videos then this is a great little camera and really deserves it's 4 star rating. Great value.
  
  
• 
  2008-06-18
  By David Talbutt,
  I'm not sure why this camera is a lot cheaper than the black version, but I bought it on the basis that:
  1. I needed a replacement as my existing Video8 camera is broken
  2. I wanted something which will be reliable and not too much trouble to take around.
  3. I wanted something that was going to still be useful in a few years time, when high definition becomes the norm.
  4. It was the cheapest High Definition SD media camera available.
  
  This video camera was by far the cheapest at the time at £350, as all the rivals were around £500. Hence no real competition. My decision was around it being better to spend £350 on a high definition camera with SD rather than £250 on a non-high definition that used DVD or a hard disc. Having seen the picture quality, it is much better than a standard definition camera.
  
  I find the video operation excellent. Even with the 4GB card provided, it shot a recent wedding event within the 25 minutes worth of storage and it was operated by people who had not used it before. The SD format is definitely the way to go. No moving parts. I bought an 8GB card, and seeing as the battery lasts for about an hour this is more than enough. The quality of the picture and the general audio is brilliant.
  
  The microphone is quite sensitive, and filming stuff at a distance picks up local audio rather annoyingly. However, when filming on my previous camera I was always criticised for not being loud enough when providing some commentary as I was filming, which is overcome by this camera. There is a zoom mic feature that I have now activated, but yet to find out if it is better in that mode.
  
  The operation is low light is disappointing. The problem is that it looks fine when filming, but doesn't come out very well in the recording. So you need to position yourself correctly with the light behind you for the best effects.
  
  The fact that you can take pictures with it as well is a very useful feature, but the quality of the stills is poor (2Megapixels) and you still need a normal camera.
  
  Because it's so small and light (although not unmanageably small like some other models) it fits in an old 35mm camera case along with my digital camera, and therefore ticks the `easy to carry around' box.
  
  Everyone has found the basic operation easy. As with most things, finding out how to do anything but the basics requires a look through the manual. Although there is a 15day licence of an editing package, you need a dual-processor PC to run it on, hence no good if you haven't upgraded to a new PC in the last 12 months. I've found converting it to standard video for now and saving the AVCHD files for future use is a good tactic.
  
  
  
• 
  2008-06-21
  By E. Andrews,
  I have just bought this camera a week ago and I am still having problem editing my footage. In fact i havent even seen my footage on my computer yet!
  
  The files captured on to the SDHC card are .mts format which is not a friendly format in most editing softwares. I'm having problems importing my footage in to Final Cut Pro 6.0.3 which Apple claim supports the format and converts it to Apple ProRes 422 codec for editing using the log and transfer window, but i dont seem to be able to do it. And i have read reviews from alot of other people who are having the same problem!
  
  Im sure that ill get it sorted eventually though. apart from that first impressions are great. its small and fits perfectly in your hand. the functions are fairly easy to use although it would be nicer if the manual options were easier to access. Im sure that the quality is brilliant in daylight but at night i think the footage will look abit grainy, but then i havent seen it on a proper screen yet.
  
  
• 
  2008-07-04
  By C. X. Linton-Willoughby, UK
  Contained accessories are: battery pack VW-VBG130, AC adapter VW-AD21E, AC cable K2CTCA00004, DC cable K2GJ2DC00020, remote control N2QAEC000023, button-type battery CR2025, AV cable K2KC4CB00024, USB cable K2KZ4CB00011, component cable K2KZ9DB00004, CD-ROM.
  
  Not listed in the manual, but included in the item checked is a 4GB 'promotional' Panasonic AVCHD memory card.
  
  
  
• 
  2008-08-31
  By Nimbus Man, United Kingdom
  Panasonic HDC-SD5 High Definiton SD Card Camcorder - Silver
  This camera is a revelation. The picture quality is excellent and I can't fault the build quality at all. Playback through my TV and computer are top rate but I have had some issues. 1) My six month old Panasonic HDD / Freeview box doesn't recognise the AVCHD card format so I can't play the videos directly from the SD card, it has to go through the wires. 2) My brand new computer will recognise the card but it is very slow to transfer the data. (30 minutes for 7gb). I'm trying to get a firewire lead as my PC has a firewire port but with no luck so far. 3) Low light quality is not very good. 4) The camera is so small and light that it's quite difficult to get a steady picture, I'd strongly recommend use of a tripod whenever possible.
  On the plus side, picture quality is brilliant, it's very simple to use, there is no motor noise (does pick up wind roar quite badly) and recording of moving objects is fine, for example I live near the high speed railway in Kent and it easily recorded a Eurostar passing at around 185mph. A very good camera.