Panasonic HDC-SD20 HD Flash Camcorder (Black)

With the Panasonic HDC-SD20 HD Flash camcorder, a new high-performance Leica lens makes it possible to pack a powerful 16x zoom into a compact body. Because the zoom is optical, there's limited image degradation. With Panasonic's Advanced O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), you can catch dynamic shots with no blurring in both still and motion images. You can also enjoy a 5.1-channel surround sound system featuring Zoom Mic functions.
The SD20 features a touch-screen that lets you operate a variety of functions intuitively without taking your eyes off of the subject on the LCD screen. And the AF Tracking has been added to the iA function which automatically judges the scene and makes the best possible settings, so the SD20 keeps the subject in focus even if the subject's face turns away from the camcorder.

Technical Details :
* Capture Full HD video; 1920 x 1080 resolution.
* Record directly so SD memory cards.
* 16x Leica Dicomar lens with Optical Image Stabilization.
* 9 lux low-light performance with built in video light.
* 2.7-inch touch-panel LCD.



Pansonic SD20 Highlights :
1. High-Quality Picture and Sound.
2. 16x optical zoom : You can zoom close to catch dynamic shots of distant objects. And because the zoom is optical, there's limited image degradation. A new high-performance Leica lens makes it possible to pack a powerful 16x zoom into a compact body.
3. New Leica Dicomar Lens : The SD20 also introduces a new high-performance Leica lens in which both resolution and contrast have been improved by refinements to our low-dispersion lens and aspherical lens. A multi-coating process applied to all lens surfaces helps suppress ghosts and flaring, so you get sharp, crisp images even in strong outdoor lighting. The superb rendering ability of this advanced camcorder lens makes it ideal for capturing expressive full-HD images.
4. Advanced O.I.S. : Panasonic's Advanced O.I.S. helps suppress the effects of hand-shake as you shoot, for both motion and still images.
5. HD Crystal Engine : A high-speed processing unit that handles huge volumes of data and virtually doubles the dynamic range. This advanced imaging engine helps prevent blown highlights and blocked shadows, so the images you capture on video look just the way they do in real life.
6. Digital Cinema Color with VIERA : This mode automatically switches the camcorder to the optimum setting for the Digital Cinema Color of the VIERA plasma TV series.
7. 5.1-channel Surround Sound System and Zoom Mic : The SD20 is equipped with three electret condenser microphones. The center mic helps capture the sound source and distance accurately, so you get a more 3-dimensional effect than you get with conventional systems, which capture all sounds from the front.
8. Soft Skin Mode : When this function detects skin tones, it softens the focus in that area.
9. Tele Macro : Using the zoom at full magnification, you can shoot macro close-ups while maintaining a distance of 50 cm from your subject. This makes it much easier to capture extreme close-ups without your body or camera casting a shadow on the subject and while keeping the background in soft focus.

PROS :
- Good quality.
- Ease of use.
CONS :
The mini-HDMI port has a short, requiring me to ship back for a replacement, which will not be a quick turnaround.