Panasonic HDC-SD60

Most of Panasonic's updates with the HDC-SD60 took abode beneath the hood. We're actual aflame to analysis the camcorder with its fresh 1/4.1-inch CMOS sensor and we should see some stronger after-effects over aftermost year's models. The HDC-SD20 (the antecedent archetypal to the SD60) alone had a 1/6-inch CMOS sensor.

Other centralized improvements accommodate the 25x optical zoom lens on the SD60 as able-bodied as an upgraded angel stabilization system. Panasonic continues to use optical angel stabilization (OIS) in all of its camcorders, but now these fresh models affection both Active OIS and Power OIS. We're absolutely agog to get the HDC-SD60 into our labs to analysis this fresh Power OIS feature.

Panasonic didn't absolutely change annihilation with the compression arrangement on its 2010 camcorders. These fresh HD models still use AVCHD compression, which is congenital on the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec. Panasonic additionally didn't admission the best bitrate for recording video with these fresh HD camcorders. They all still top out with a bitrate of 17Mbps—which is decidedly lower than the 24Mbps beam offered by AVCHD. Both Canon and JVC accept 24Mbps settings on their customer camcorders.

Panasonic doesn't accommodate a cast freshcomputer application amalgamation with the HDC-SD60. Instead, the camcorder ships with an adapted adaptation of HD Writer AE (this year its adaptation 2.0). The 1.5 adaptation of thecomputer application was appropriate abundant for importing your footage, but we won't apperceive what affectionate of updates accept been fabricated to the affairs until we get a archetype of the fresh adaptation to try out.

Since the HDC-SD60 annal AVCHD video, the camcorder charge appear with the admonition that you'll charge a actual able computer to assignment with the footage. AVCHD files can booty consistently to acceptation if you accept a apathetic computer—and they can booty a continued time on appropriate computers as well. If you plan on accomplishing all-encompassing alteration with AVCHD footage, accomplish abiding you accept a computer (and abundant adamantine drive space) that is up to the challenge.

We're a bit afflicted that Panasonic didn't action added improvements to its chiral controls or touchscreen interface. The arrangement is aloof as accessible to use as it was aftermost year, but the touchscreen arrangement isn't accessory for ambience absolute chiral controls. Still, you can consistently move to higher-end models if you appetite admission to lens rings or ascendancy dials. The HDC-SD60 additionally didn't appearance us too abounding fresh interface appearance added than an added account acclimatize advantage (color temperature) and the fresh smile bang setting. We are somewhat absorbed by the fresh Wind Noise canceller setting, however, and we'll try to amount out a acceptable way to analysis the affection of that affection in our labs.

Overall, we're appealing aflame about the HDC-SD60. The camcorder is basically the HDC-SD20, but with an bigger lens and sensor, so we are assured acceptable things from our achievement testing.

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