Panasonic SDR-H200 Camcorder Review
By Michael Perlman
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
September 10, 2007
The SDR-H200 is Panasonic’s top of the line hybrid camcorder, recording video and stills to either a 30GB hard disk drive (HDD) or SDHC flash memory card. This means no tapes or DVD discs to deal with—everything is recorded internally – keeping it simple and light. Aside from its killer looks, the SDR-H200 churns out an admirable performance in most areas. However, peculiar design quirks and advanced operation may deter point-and-shooters who crave the simplicity of a Sony.
Video quality lies at the heart of any camcorder’s value. The SDR-H200 features three 1/6-inch CCDs, each with a gross pixel count of 800,000. Three-chip camcorders are often preferable to single-chip models due to their more accurate color palette in adequate light. Needless to say, the SDR-H200 produces a stellar image in bright light, heightened by vivid color and strong sharpness. In lower light situations, such as a dimly lit restaurant or pale moonlight, the SDR-H200’s image does not darken much, but is rife with noise and color loss.
For those looking to take the director’s chair, the SDR-H200 offers the one of the most extensive suites of manual controls in the consumer circuit. Like all Panasonics, the camcorder offers manual control over aperture, gain, white balance, shutter speed, and focus. These controls are easily accessible and adjusted via the rear-mounted joystick, which proves superior to a smudgy touch screen interface or side-mounted control pad cluster. Navigating the manual controls on the SDR-H200 can be a bit tricky, but practice makes perfect.
Sometimes even the pros like to drive with cruise control on. In those instances, the SDR-H200 features a decent Auto mode. When in Auto mode, the Joystick menu sheds all manual control accessibility, and all adjustments are made by the camcorder’s electronic brain. The SDR-H200’s auto controls are quick and cater to a wide variety of shooting environments, from indoor to outdoor settings. This is a comfortable, feature-rich camcorder. However, beginners may find the menu structure and navigation to be intimidating due to its extensive options. In addition, the SDR-H200 is architecturally baffling. The DC jack and USB terminal are located inside the battery chamber. This eliminates the possibility of exporting footage on the go and charging the battery at the same time. Also, if the battery is waning during a long shoot, such as your child’s school play, there is no way to plug in the power cable without first shutting down and removing the battery.
The SDR-H200 records video and stills to either a 30GB HDD or an SDHC (up to 4GB). Hybrid camcorders have grown in popularity within the last couple of years because of their extended storage capacities and dubbing capabilities. Seven hours of the highest quality video can be recorded to the SDR-H200’s HDD, and if that’s not enough, a 4GB SD card will provide an additional 24 minutes. Be sure to make it a routine of backing up video to another hard drive. The built-in HDD is protected from shakes and bumps, but it’s likely to see a harder and shorter lifespan than your little local storage drive.
At $799 (MSRP), Panasonic’s top HDD/SD hybrid camcorder is a fierce contender. The SDR-H200 performs significantly well in bright light environments, handles like a pro, and includes all the manual controls a consumer could ask for. Its lack of low light image quality and odd design flaws are things to consider before laying down that much money. For $50 more, the Sony DCR-SR200 offers Sony’s classic touch screen LCD, Easy mode, and an accessories shoe for attaching a microphone or video light. The SDR-H200 lacks some of that flexibility, but is still a find. Head to the store to put both of these models to the test.
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