The SDR-H60 is a standard definition camcorder from Panasonic that records to an internal hard drive. The performance is nothing of note, but the camcorder definitely has some allure. The 50x optical zoom is among the most powerful of any camcorder on the market, tempered by an optical image stabilization to keep wobbles to a minimum. The SDR-H60 also features a 60GB hard drive, making it one of the most capacious camcorders in this price range. The H60 is a decent camcorder, but maybe not the best value.

Panasonic's typical claim to fame in camcorders is its appeal for the enthusiast market. The SDR-H60 does not disappoint, offering focus, white balance, gain, and fully independent aperture and shutter control. No other camcorder in its class can match this for raw control. That's not to say that the H60 is the easiest to use. The interface is definitely geared towards the experienced rather than the newbie. For instance, there is no simple exposure control, only the shutter and aperture adjustments. While the net effect is the same – making the image brighter and darker – the mere terminology may be enough to cower technophobes into stuffing the H60 back into the closet. Offerings from Sony and JVC may be the better choice for novice users.

A 50x zoom will make the Panasonic SDR-H60 a camcorder of note for bird watchers, snoopy journalists, and private detectives. Of course, even with the optical image stabilization, a tripod or a flat, steady surface is a must for anything past 20x. The huge 60GB hard drive is also a selling point for those going on long vacations, or again, surveillance work. It holds up to 14 hours of video in the highest quality, while comparably priced models offer about half that much.

The SDR-H60 ships with a very limited bit of software for editing. You're essentially limited to importing clips from the camcorder and burning them to a disc. We recommend finding any of the myriad of free or inexpensive software available; both Windows and Mac come equipped with pre-loaded options that far exceed Panasonic's in-the-box software.

Performance (read in-depth lab performance data at CamcorderInfo.com)
The Panasonic SDR-H60 did little to impress us. In the lab and out, video performance was typically grainy and lacking in sharpness. The color performance was more accurate than average in this price range, but most camcorders tend to err on the side of oversaturation – producing bolder and brighter colors. It's hard to convince the consumer that they should want less green grass and less blue sky for the sake of accuracy.

In our low light testing, the Panasonic SDR-H60 completely failed to live up to the competition. It simply could not extract enough light and color in darker shooting environments. Poor low light is reason enough to be skeptical of a camcorder, no matter how powerful the zoom is.

Comparisons (read in-depth comparisons at CamcorderInfo.com)
The Panasonic SDR-H60 has some stiff competition in its price range. The best of the pack is probably the JVC Everio GZ-HG330, a 30GB hard drive camcorder with excellent performance, an intriguing interface, and a variety of colors. The Canon FS100, FS10, or FS11 would be next, all good performers that are more beginner-friendly than the Panasonic. They record to memory card only on the FS100, card plus 8GB internal memory on the FS10, and card plus 16GB internal memory on the FS11. Finally, there's the Sony DCR-SR85, which is probably the easiest to use, but is as poor a low light performer as the Panasonic.

Overall, the SDR-H60 has enough interesting features, namely the huge zoom and hard drive capacity, to lure a select group of users. Better options abound for beginners or for an all-around camcorder.