Panasonic HDC-SD5 review

This new 3CCD high definition camcorder uses memory cards, rather than tape or hard disk, to record and play back full 1920x 1080i HD movies and stills - with impressive results.

Because it can take advantage of affordable SDHC Class 6 cards with capacities of up to 16GB, high-quality solid state video recording is now within everyone's grasp.

Not that the SD5 has everything: viewfinder, headphone socket, microphone input and accessory shoe are just some of the features missing. But it makes up for such shortcomings by turning in some fantastic full HD images. Its 10x Leica Dicomar lens was developed for HD, and the three 1/6 inch, 2 megapixel CCDs generate beautifully resolved images with vivid, rock-solid colours. It's not so good in low light, but at this price that's OK.

The SD5 comes in two finishes, consumer camera silver and a glossy black. As with some of Panasonic's still cameras, its 2.7 inch LCD screen has an optional brightness boost, very useful in sunny conditions. Most the available manual settings - such as focus, aperture, electronic shutter and white balance - are made using a well-designed menu system via a mini joystick at the rear. Not as immediate as twisting a ring, but it's easy to change aperture or focus while recording.

Ever missed the beginning of something because you didn't start recording? Pre-Rec shoots a cached loop of three seconds, which is added to the beginning of your footage when you press Record. So as long as the camera was pointing in the right direction, you didn't miss a thing.

The SD5 uses the AVCHD compression system to produce full 1920x1080 interlaced high definition. You can play back and download your footage via ports including HDMI, composite video and good old-fashioned analogue outputs. If you don't want to bother downloading to a PC, the optional VW-BN1 DVD drive connects via USB to let you burn HD DVDs directly on a full range of formats.

The SD5 is a fabulous, easy-to-use HD camera that produces superb sound and pictures.