simplydv.co.uk
Shoot, Edit and Share Your Camcorder Movies
-
Sidebar Stuff
-
Print This Page
Site Contents
Home
Reviews
InfoBase
Tutorials
Podcast
Forums
Contact
aShop UK
aShop USA
Site Terms of Use
About Us
Canon camcorders
Buy camcorder in UK
Camcorder Reviews
Review: Panasonic SDR-SW20 SDHC Camcorder
For years we've been telling people to keep their camcorders away from sand and water - only to find that Panasonic's SDR-SW20 is happy lying on a windy beach or swimming with the fish. Has the world gone mad?
Such advice still holds true for pretty much all camcorders past and present, but Panasonic has now gone and thrown a spanner in the proverbial works by bringing us a camcorder that you can not only cover in sand but which can actually withstand a dunking in the rolling surf or swimming pool. At the outset, this seems completely barmy - but no. Panasonic's "tough, active" solid-state SD video camera really is shockproof, waterproof and dustproof. All within reason, of course.
First impressions
Let me say right up front that I really like the form factor. It's a neat, compact yet ruggedly-built device that feels pretty much like a reasonably large (OK - very large) mobile phone when closed up and carried in the hand. Shove it into a pocket or bag when not in use and you hardly know it's there. Furthermore, if you see something you want to grab on video right away then all you have to do is open the LCD screen, switch it on, and you're ready to roll in less than a second. 0.6 seconds, to be precise. Why? Because the whole thing relies on solid-state recording technology based around high-capacity SD cards (SDHC) and has no moving parts whatever. It comes in two colour-ways - an eye-catching red and also silver.
Perhaps the best thing about it, apart from its rugged good looks, is the lack of controls around its slinky body; open the LCD screen and you have a main power dial, a large circular function dial with buttons placed around and within it and - most importantly - a "Trash" button with which to delete the stuff you really don't want your parents to see when you get back home.
Features
It shoots onto SDHC (high capacity) cards - of which Panasonic and others are now offering capacities of 32GB - and these slot into the underside of the camcorder where the super-slim battery also lives. The only connectivity with the outside world comes in the form of a USB 2.0 mini-B socket and AV-output socket (cables for both included) which are found sharing a compartment with the DC input socket behind a plastic door on the outer rear of the cam. And that's about it.
I've mentioned already that the SW20 is waterproof and even shockproof, so let's examine this a bit more closely. You can take it into water - fresh water and even sea-water - but to a depth of 1.5 metres only, so if you're a scuba diver or deep-sea diver you'll still need to make other arrangements. Furthermore, its shock-proof capabilities are limited to its being dropped from a height of no more than 1.2 metres, although even that is pretty good in that it can slip off a table or out of your pocket without your having to confess the fact to its rightful owner. Such resistance to shocks is partly due to the fact that there are no moving parts whatever outside or in - another plus for cameras that use flash memory cards. Being dustproof, you can actually record in places where other camcorders dare not venture - onto windy beaches or arid deserts being just two. I can't think of any more but I'm sure you get my drift.
Image Sensor, Lens and Other Stuff
Performance
Well, it's not high definition, but we're not asking it to be. Its single CCD doesn't even record what we might refer to as "proper" widescreen either; the CCD generates an image measuring 704x576 in PAL (UK, Europe, Australasia, etc) and 704x480 in NTSC (North America, Japan, etc). It produces widescreen by squeezing the image into the 4:3 image space and then un-squeezing it on playback (this is quite normal for non high-definition spec consumer camcorders). In optimum lighting conditions, the SW20 produces remarkably good pictures, although it's fair to say that shooting in low light (indoors, at night, with normal domestic lighting) produces pictures that lack colour definition and are somewhat grainy. However, we should again consider the product with its target market in mind - and in that respect it's very good indeed.
Connectivity and Sharing - YouTube too!
Movie clips and digital stills pictures can be exported to either a Windows/Vista PC or Apple Mac using the supplied USB cable for a direct connection, or the SD/SDHC card can be removed and placed into a separate card reader for onward importation. Panasonic has bundled MotionSD Studio 1.3E software to enable movies to be imported and very simply edited in PCs, but for Mac users it's easier because it should simply be a case of importing direct into iMovie, providing that the Mac is running on MacOSX (10.4 Tiger) or upwards. We tested the output of the SW20 by importing directly into iMovie '08 running on Mac OSX 10.5 (Leopard) without any problems, and with very acceptable results.
Users can also burn DVDs without using a computer by acquiring the optional Panasonic VW-BN1 DVD Burner. This connects direct to the SW20 using its own USB cable and allows DVDs to be made thanks to the camcorder's built-in USB Host software. With it, you can make copy of all of your clips (depending on the capacity of the memory card, of course) or selected clips assembled into a playlist. This is useful for making backups of card contents whilst away from home, for instance (although the VW-BN1 does require AC mains connection to operate).
We've established already that the target market is likely to want to share, quickly and effortlessly, their movie clips online using YouTube and the like, so I'm impressed to see Panasonic working with both Pinnacle and YouTube in making it easy for users to shoot clips with their SW20, perform simple editing using the optional (and free to download) Pinnacle VideoSpin software and then upload the results to YouTube in a single workflow.
The analogue AV playback option produces impressive results when showing on a 28" non-HD TV screen, and even the sound is good. Like many comparable consumer cams, the built-in electret microphone does tend to react to wind noise, but for the large part it does a good job and stereo definition and separation are pretty reasonable.
Conclusion
The SDR-SW20 isn't what we might call a "serious videomaker's camcorder" but then again it isn't intended to be by any stretch of the imagination. What it is, though, is a lightweight, no-nonsense, video camera that you can take anywhere and shoot fun clips quickly and easily without all the hassle involved in using what might be termed conventional digital video camcorders.
Not only might some people find it immensely useful to be able to take a camcorder onto the beach without having to worry about grains of sand rendering it useless, but the fact that it can shoot under water to a reasonable depth will make this very attractive to many people. The fact that there are no moving parts and that it records movies and pictures to SD memory cards is a major plus point, of course.
Pictures and sound are very good in optimum conditions - just don't expect brilliant images in dark corners. However, given the fact that Panasonic is looking seriously at how users might gain access to fuss-free methods of importing, editing and uploading their favourite clips to the web with the minimum of hassle, I have to say that the SW20 looks like being a winner. And going by the reaction to the red model by members of my household, I have to say that it has a fair chance of being considered "cool" by members of its target market. Who am I to argue? Good stuff, Panasonic.
Reviewed by: CB. April 2008.
Print This Page