The Panasonic HDC-SD1, the first AVCHD camcorder with an SD card was recently exhibited at CEATEC and is now currently in production. This new HD Video Camera supports AVCHD H.264 format with SDHC cards and has 1080i FULL HD (1920x1080) video recording capabilities. Thus expect it to create a lot of buzz once it hits the stands!

The HDC-SD1 is equipped with a 3CCD sensor and includes features like; Dolby 5.1 audio recording capabilities synchronized on the zoom, HDMI support, 3 different VBRs , 40mn of video on a 4GB SDHC at 13Mbps and 90mn at 6Mbps. 

Specifications:

GENERAL
Power Supply     DC 9.3 V / 7.2 V
Power Consumption     8.0W
Weight (w/o Battery)     430 g
Dimensions (W x H x D)     74.1 x 67 x 137 mm

LENS SECTION
Image Sensor     1/4" CCD x 3 (560 k x 3 pixels, Total / 520 k x 3 [16:9] (Motion Picture / Still Picture) Effective)
F Value     F 1.8 (wide) / 2.8 (tele)
Optical Zoom     12x Variable Speed Zoom
Focal Length     4.0 - 48.0 mm
Filter Diameter     43 mm
35 mm Film Camera Equivalent     38.5 - 462 mm [16:9] (Motion Picture / Still Picture)
Lens Brand     Leica Dicomar

CAMERA SECTION
Minimum Illumination     2 Lux (MagicPix®)
Focus     AF / Manual
White Balance     Auto / White Set / Indoor / Outdoor (with IR Sensor)
High-Speed Shutter     1/60 - 1/8000 (Motion Picture), 1/60-1/8000 (Still Picture)
Iris     Auto / Manual
Backlight Compensation     Yes
Monitor     3.0" Wide LCD (250 k pixels)
OSD Language     English / Canadian French / Spanish
Flash     1m-2.5m (approx.)
Microphone     Stereo 5ECM, 5.1-ch Surround Sound, Zoom Mic, Wind Noise Reduction
Date recording     Auto Date ( in Data Code)
Image Stabilizer     O.I.S.
Digital Zoom     30 x - 700 x
Self Timer     Yes (10sec. / 2sec. / OFF) (Only Photo)
CARD SECTION
Card Slot     SD / SDHC
Still Pictures     JPEG Picture size: [16:9] 1920 x 1080 2.1MEGA
DPOF     Max. 999stills
PictBridge     Yes

VIDEO SECTION
Moving Picture
Recording Format     AVCHD
Recording Time     HF: 40 min. / HN: 60 min. / HE: 90 min. (w / 4GB SDHC Memory Card)
Recording Mode     HF / HN / HE HF: 13 Mbps / CBR, HN: 9 Mbps / VBR, HE: 6 Mbps / VBR
Audio Recording Format     Dolby Digital (AC3) / 5.1ch or 2ch
Thumbnail Display     8 Scenes / Page

INTERFACES
AV     Out
HDMI     Out
Microphone (Stereo mini)     Yes (in)
USB     2.0 High Speed (mini B)
Component Video     Out

STANDARD ACCESSORIES
AC Adaptor     Yes
AC Cable     Yes
DC Cable     Yes
Battery Pack     Lithium-Ion
Component Video Cable     Yes
AV Cable     AV Multi
IR Remote     Yes
PC Cable     USB
SDHC Memory Card     4GB
CD-ROM     HD Writer Ver 1.0E for SD1

Review:

The Panasonic HDC-SD1 features the full gamut of 1080i, 3CCDs, and recording onto SDHC cards. The Leica lens allows for a 12x optical zoom, and the 3 inch LCD screen should let you see all the HD action easily along with the ever important focus.

Up to 90 minutes of footage can be recorded onto the 4GB SDHC card included with the Panasonic HDC-SD1. There is still no viable way to edit AVCHD footage, and no word yet as to what solution Panasonic will bundle with the HDC-SD1.

Each CCD on the Panasonic HDC-SD1 is 1/4? in size, which are sufficiently large and should result in great color accuracy and sharpness. Although the AVCHD codec is capable of higher bitrates, the HDC-SD1 will max out at 13Mbps, which is also shy of Sony’s HDR-SR1, which records at 15Mbps. This may or may not result in more noticeable compression artifacts, especially when there is a lot of movement in the picture.

Other features on the Panasonic HDC-SD1 include HDMI, microphone jacks, and the ability to record in Dolby 5.1 surround sound.


Source:
http://www.digitalcamcordernews.com