The Panasonic HDC-SD100 is the less expensive sister of Panasonic’s HDC-HS100.  The lower price range is due to the absence of a large hard disk drive like in the HDC-HS100.  The HDC-SD100 records exclusively on SD/SDHC memory cards.  However, that is where the difference ends; comparing the two camcorders, almost all the features and capabilities are identical.

Overall, Panasonic did not intend the HDC-SD100 for beginners with its size, manual controls, viewfinder, new ports and other new and exciting features that are not common with other camcorders like the SD9.  Several automatic controls and new helpful tool tips also make it more user-friendly.  The camcorder weighs approximately 318 grams and measures 64×71x137mm (W x H x L).

The front of the device has the 12x Optical Zoom 2.95mm-35.4mm Leica lens.  It also boasts a 700 digital zoom capability, although there were no official tests made on this capability and performance.  Shutter speed range is 1/60 to 1/8000 seconds.  Aperture range is f/1.8-f/2.8.  It also has a 37mm thread to accommodate accessories like a lens hood or filter.  The lens also features a new ring manual focus around the lens that allows you to control not only the focus, but also the zoom, white balance, aperture and gain.  The ring is also very smooth and easy to operate.

This high definition camcorder runs on three 1/6 inch CMOS sensors.  It records in SD/SDHC memory cards that sit in the memory slot located inside the cavity of the LCD.  The camcorder comes with an 8GB card.  It can record in four different quality settings with HA (records at 17Mbps), HG (records in 13Mbps), HX (records in 9Mbps) and HE (records in 6Mbps).

Like many other Panasonic camcorders, the HDC-SD100 compresses video in AVCHD format.  Low light video capture, though, is not that impressive, characterized by a lot of noise and grain.

Although this camcorder doesn’t offer the hours of recording time that hard disk drive camcorders offer, SD recording method allows for a more robust design with less moving parts and is less likely to crash.  The camcorder comes with an 8GB SD memory card that can record 60mins of videos in the highest quality, 80mins in HG quality, 120mins in HX quality and 180mins in HE quality. 

The built-in flash sits at the right side of the lens.  There is also a remote sensor in the front and a recording lamp located below the lens.  The front also features a mic jack protected under a plastic cover.  The mic jack is a welcome addition to the features of this camcorder that its predecessors, the HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9, don’t have.  The built-in mic also sits near the lens and features a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital surround capture.

The HDC-SD100 also features a viewfinder for alternate viewing or monitoring aside from its LCD.  The EVF viewfinder has an effective resolution of 0.183 megapixels.  There is also a diopter control for the viewfinder refocusing and a switch for toggling between the viewfinder and LCD viewing.  The toggle switch will enable the user to activate the viewfinder monitoring even with the LCD open.  Both controls are easy to use and very effective.  Both controls sit on the right side of the camcorder near the back, just under the thumb as you grip the camcorder.  The viewfinder’s biggest disadvantage is its inability to extend and pivot upwards.  It also doesn’t have a rubber lining around the eyepiece that some camcorders have.

The 2.7-inch LCD screen sits at the left side of the camcorder.  The TFT active matrix LCD screen has an effective resolution of 0.3 megapixels.  The LCD can move up to 90 degrees from the body of the camcorder and rotates up to 270 degrees.  Above the LCD cavity are the buttons for Instant Auto Focus and Pre Record.  The cavity also houses the joystick and the Delete and Menu buttons.  The LCD cavity also houses a compartment with a sliding door that hides the Component and AV or Headphone jacks.  The camcorder also features an accessory shoe hidden under a plastic cover at the top of the device.

It has a still photo capability with a maximum resolution of 1920×1080.  It has an effective pixel count of approximately 2 megapixels and records in JPEG format.  The photo capture button is conveniently located at the top-rear end of the camcorder.  There is no separate Photo mode for the HDC-SD100, which means all still photography will use the same modes as in videos – which includes all manual functions.  This camcorder can also capture still photos while in video mode.  Although it can capture a descent still photo for a camcorder, it doesn’t fare better compared to digital camcorders that features 8 megapixels or more in resolution.  The camcorder also features a Face Framing feature that can identify up to 15 faces in a frame and automatically adjusts the focus and brightness based on the most prominent face.  It also has a Red Eye Reduction feature, High-Speed Burst and a Self Timer.

The camcorder comes with the VW-VBG130 Li-ion rechargeable battery that sits at the rear end of the camcorder.  The rechargeable battery can provide power for up to 2 hours of recording time.  The battery compartment is large enough to accommodate a larger battery (if you choose to upgrade) without having the battery protrude inconveniently.  Inside the battery chamber is the DC power, USB port and HDMI port.  This is a very inconvenient design as this prohibits the user from plugging the DC power without removing the battery.  This will be disadvantageous when you are in a middle of a video recording and you suddenly ran low on battery.  You would need to stop the recording, remove the battery and plug the DC source to power the camcorder; as opposed to other camcorders that will allow you to connect the DC cord with the battery still in the compartment that will allow you to shoot videos without interruption.  File transfer can also be frustrating, as you need to remove the battery to access the USB port and plug the camcorder in the DC outlet to transfer the files.

For buyers who have the money to spare and wants the same features with added recording capacity, you may want to check on the Panasonic HDC-HS100 that features a massive 60GB hard disk drive.

The HDC-SD100 came out in 2008 with a price range of $950-$1200.  This camcorder is ideal for intermediate users.  The multipurpose lens ring that allows users to control the zoom, focus, white balance and shutter speed is a great feature that will allow great manual versatility for users who wants to go manual.

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