Egad! Another "World's Lightest Camcorder" claim and this time it's Panasonic's turn with the Panasonic HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 1920x 1080 Full-HD camcorders. Weighing in at a confounding 0.5 lbs. each, the HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 appear up to be blatant hitmen assigned to whack the Sony MHS-CMI and MHS-PM1 ultra-portable camcorders announced earlier this year at CES.
What's more perplexing is the fact that Panasonic unsheathed the HDC-SD20 and HDC-TM20 high-definition camcorders at CES as well, but apparently they were simply not light enough. Panasonic had significantly reduced the overall size and weight of the two aforementioned camcorders, but in an age where small is the new large regarding digital imaging, it apparently just wasn't enough. Perhaps the success of Sony's MHS-CM1 and MHS-PM1 threw Panasonic into code red mode and something had to be done. Either way, we're eager to get our hands on the new HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 camcorders, but first let's check out the specs.
The Panasonic HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 are both equipped with 16x optical zooms and Advanced OIS, which corrects handshake at 4,000 times per second. Panasonic's new lightweight duo will certainly need an effective Image Stabilization system, and we've seen great things from the company's Advanced OIS in the past. iA (Intelligent Auto) mode will be available on both models, which is something we're noticing across Panasonic's digital camera and camcorder landscape this year. Face Detection, Intelligent Contrast, Intelligent Scene Selector, Pre-Record and AF/AE Tracking are all available on the HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10, so beginners will have plenty of Auto and semi-automatic toys to play with.
Touch-screen functionality was also carried over from the flagship Panasonic HDC-HS300, making the Panasonic HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 even more threatening to the Sony MHS-CM1 and MHS-PM1. Panasonic's new pint-sized models will also sport flashes and video lights and support one-touch video-to-DVD copy via the Panasonic BN1 DVD burner. To consolidate real estate, it appears as though Panasonic has stuffed the battery packs within the LCD chambers of the HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10, and we're not sure users will be able to upgrade to a larger battery pack, which is a bummer. The thin hand strap does not appear to be particularly comfortable, but it looks like both camcorders might be rocking a little faux leather trim along the grip side.
The only difference between the Panasonic HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 is that the TM10 has an additional 8GB of internal memory while the SD10 records solely to SDHC cards. The HDC-TM10 also records to SDHC cards, hence the TM (Twin Memory) handle. The HDC-TM10 will also be available in black and silver while the HDC-SD10 will only be available in black.
The Panasonic HDC-SD10 (gallery) and HDC-TM10 (gallery) are set to ship in September 2009 for $550 and $600, respectively.
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