HDC-SD9
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Panasonic's flash-based HDC-SD9 HD camcorder gets reviewed
Although Panasonic's HDC-SD9 is mighty, mighty small, reviewers over at CNET felt that it fell short in a number of key areas. For starters, Panny included a few quirky design choices; for instance, removing the battery requires the LCD cover to be open, but doing so can also turn the camera on unless you place it in a different mode. Granted, the minuscule size didn't leave the outfit too much to work with, but if you're easily flustered by these kinds of niggles, you can run far, far away right now. As for image quality, critics noted that still shots were marginally better than awful, but capturing full motion HD clips was something it did manage to do relatively well. Overall, no one handling this critter was enthusiastically shouting for joy when all was said and done, so do yourself a favor and eye the review down there before clicking that order button.
Panasonic's new HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 camcorders shoot 1080p
Panasonic has a pair of new HD camcorders, the HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 (pictured after the break), that should make any prosumer proud. Both cameras feature 3CCD sensors that record at full 1920 x 1080 to the AVCHD video format. The SD9, which is smaller than last year's SD5, records to SD and SDHC cards, while the HS9 can do SD and SDHC, or record to its built-in 60GB hard disk. Teamed with a 16GB SDHC card, that gives the HS9 29 hours worth of full HD recording. Both cameras feature face detection for auto-adjusting exposure and contrast to best portray skin tone, and Panny's Intelligent Shooting Guide for providing shooting tips on the LCD so users can adjust settings before capturing sub-par footage. Both cameras also have HDMI plugs, 5.1 channel surround sound (with five built-in microphones) and a high-speed burst still shot mode, with 24fps at 2.1 megapixela. The cameras will both be out in March 2008, with the SD9 retailing for $800, and the HS9 selling for $1,100.
Hands-on with Panasonic's new HDC-SD9 1080p camcorder
We managed to squeeze in and get our grubby mitts all over Panasonic's newest entry to the HD camcorder market, the HDC-SD9... and it was sweet. We're not sure if the pictures can do it justice, but this thing is super tiny. The company is claiming that it's the "smallest and lightest" full HD camera available, and we're inclined to agree. The 1080p cam uses SD cards for storage, and seems to have the electronics-maker's new 32GB SDHC card in mind for trapping your precious memories. Check the gallery and see the little badboy for yourself.%Gallery-12768%
