Panasonic HDC-SD60

Handling & Use Summary
• Camcorder is compact, but not too small—there are plenty of smaller camcorders on the market. • The battery compartment is not enclosed, so you can use the camcorder with larger battery packs (for longer-lasting performance). • The LCD and menus are mostly unchanged from last year's models.
	Still Features	(Page 6 of 11)	Playback & Connectivity

Ease of Use

The HDC-SD60 seems to be just as easy to use as Panasonic's 2009 mid-range HD models. The camcorder's touchscreen is simple to understand—although it can be annoying to use for adjusting manual controls—and the menu system is easy to navigate. We also found the size of the SD60 to be a good sweet spot for a compact camcorder. It isn't so small that it feels awkward in your hand, but it's also still small enough to be considered compact. Panasonic's iA controls are just as good as they were last year, and the new smile detection settings are a fun addition.

We still don't love the touchscreen system on the SD60 for manipulating manual controls. The touchscreen can be finicky, and using the touch buttons do set focus, shutter speed, or aperture can be difficult. So, if you want a camcorder that is easy to control manually you should definitely look elsewhere.
 

Handling

We liked the way the HDC-SD60 felt in our hand very much. The right side of the camcorder was definitely comfortable with its rounded shape and the hand strap was adequate. The strap didn't have as much padding as what you get on most high-end models, but it worked for a camcorder of the SD60's size. We found the SD60 to be significantly more comfortable in our hand than its sister-model the HDC-HS60. The HS60, of course, has its 120GB internal hard drive taking up space and making the right side of the camcorder boxier—and, subsequently, less comfortable.

The HDC-SD60 is compact, but it is still big enough to really wrap your hands around it.

One of the most important new features on the HDC-SD60 is the enhancements to optical image stabilization (OIS) that Panasonic has made. The SD60 features regular OIS, Advanced OIS (this was on some of Panasonic's camcorders last year), and a brand new Powered OIS feature. The Powered OIS is specifically meant for stabilizing images with lots of zoom or in situations that have lots of shake. We didn't get to perform our lab test on the HDC-SD60 while we were at CES, but we are very excited about testing this new OIS system. Other manufacturers have also rolled out new stabilization systems in 2010, so it will be very interesting to see who performs the best in our testing.

The camcorder feels very comfortable in your hand.

Portability

The HDC-SD60 definitely isn't the most portable Full HD camcorder you can find, but Panasonic did slim down the model a tiny bit compared to last year. The SD60 weighs roughly 255g without its battery, which is around 15g lighter than last year's SD20. All of Panasonic's 2010 models are still too large to transport in your pocket with utmost comfort, but they'll probably fit into a loose pocket if you force them.

We would have liked to see Panasonic shave even more weight off of these new camcorders, but the size of the HDC-SD60 is understandable. Panasonic increased the sensor size and optical zoom on the HDC-SD60 (compared to last year), yet still managed to make a lighter camcorder. When it comes down to it, that's a pretty resourceful feat.

Battery

The HDC-SD60 has a rear-mounted battery compartment. The compartment isn't enclosed, which means the camcorder can easily accommodate larger, longer-lasting battery packs. Panasonic also put the DC-input on the side of the camcorder with the HDC-SD60, which we're rather happy about. We have never liked it when Panasonic put the DC-input inside the battery compartment, which they did on a number of previous models.

The HDC-SD60 with its provided battery pack.

LCD & Viewfinder

There's nothing new to report about the LCD on the HDC-SD60. It's the same 2.7-inch screen with a 230,400-pixel resolution that was featured on most of Panasonic's models from last year. The LCD uses touchscreen technology that is integral for working with some of Panasonic's Intelligent Auto (iA) controls. The AF/AE tracking feature, for example, requires you to touch a subject on the screen that you want to track, focus, and expose properly as it moves about the frame.

The 2.7-inch LCD wasn't updated for this model.

The HDC-SD60 has no electronic viewfinder, which is also the case with the rest of Panasonic's mid-range HD lineup. Only Panasonic's high-end HD models—which they have yet to announce for 2010—feature viewfinders.

Menus

The menus on the HDC-SD60 have the same design as last year's models, although some of the features and settings have been switched around. You still shuffle through the menus using the touchscreen buttons, which can be something of a nuisance considering the screen isn't all that large. Still, the menu system is easy to figure out and many first-time users like the simplicity of an LCD touchscreen.

Setup menu

The menu has an information box that can be selected if you want the camcorder to give you more info about each option you select. With the info box turned on it definitely takes a lot longer to navigate the menus (a box pops up each time you select something), but it's a helpful tool for figuring out the camcorder.

Main menu

For setting manual controls like focus, shutter speed, and aperture, you must use the camcorder's Function menu. This is the little on-screen menu that appears when you tap the 'F' in the lower left corner of the LCD. The Function menu has a few more controls than last year, but the idea behind it is exactly the same. We're still not crazy about using the function menu—we'd much rather have a control ring or dial—but it's not that bad.

Function menu