Performance

The Panasonic SDR-H200 packs three small imagers, each measuring 1/6-inch with a gross pixel count of 800,000 (effective pixel count in 16:9 is 540,000; in 4:3, 640,000). This is the same imager set found in Panasonic’s top-end DVD camcorder, the VDR-D310, and their top-end MiniDV camcorder, the PV-GS320. Panasonic obviously put a lot of stock in the technology, but its faith may be a bit misplaced. While the bright light performance is indeed quite good, the small size of the imagers tends to fall apart in low light. We’ll get to that in a minute.

First, let’s look at bright light performance. In our shooting in the testing room, we found the SDR-H200 produces some very good looking video. The most impressive aspect, as expected, was the color. The difference between Panasonic’s one-chip and three-chip camcorders is quite clear, and it’s all in the color. The dynamic range looked pretty good, though it definitely tended to blow out the highlights in a shot with strong highlights and lots of shadows. We recommend lowering the exposure a notch or two (most easily done by increasing the shutter speed). Motion rendering was fair, but the MPEG2 compression shows some drag during fast movement.

In the lab, we shot a DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde color chip chart at an even 3000 lux. Under this ideal lighting, the image is great for its price range. The three-chip imaging set really works to Panasonic’s favor in bright light. Colors pop without too much oversaturation. Of course, this is more than their pro camcorders saturate, but consumer camcorders are expected to have a little more "oomph." We did not enjoy being reminded that the camcorder used MPEG2 compression, which produced artifacting that led to some slight fuzziness. The same issue occurred with the VDR-D310 (also MPEG2), but not the PV-GS320, which uses DV compression with a much higher bit rate. Of course, the PV-GS320 is tape, and nobody seems to want tape anymore.

In comparison, the JVC GZ-MG555, its top-end standard definition HDD camcorder, is also very similar to the SDR-H200. The GZ-MG555 uses a larger, single chip, though it managed to produce almost the same color . The greens were a little more saturated and the reds a little less, but that could change under a different lighting condition. Finally, Sony offers the DCR-SR200, their penultimate standard definition HDD camcorder. While we haven’t reviewed that model yet, it’s built on the same chip set as last year’s DCR-SR100, which we absolutely loved. The SR300 tended to warm the image more than the other camcorders, but the sharpness and lack of noise was a huge plus. Overall, we liked Sony the best, though it was a close race. These are all top-level camcorders, and act accordingly. At least in bright light, that is.

Video Resolution* (4.88)*

To test resolution, we turned the Panasonic SDR-H200 on a DSC Labs video resolution chart and analyzed the results on our monitor. This test measures the resolution of the final outputted image, not the "spec" resolution that the company usually touts. We found the camcorder to produce a horizontal resolution of 325 line widths per picture height (lw/ph) and a vertical resolution of 300 lw/ph.

Low Light Performance* (1.97)*

No camcorder is safe from our battery of low light testing, which involves several stages, several formulas, and several monkeys randomly pushing buttons. The first stage involves shooting a DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde color chip chart at an even 60 lux and 15 lux, then holding the results up against the competition for analysis.

At 60 lux, the Panasonic SDR-H200 displayed a good deal of color loss compared to our bright light test. Overall, the noise was low, but there was also a fall-off of fine detail, like in the resolution trumpets, where the noise and compression artifacting simply overran it. The noise was of a fine grain, and not overwhelming. Importantly, the noise was black or gray, with none of the bluish noise that affects some camcorders, especially the lower-end Sonys.

The Panasonic VDR-D310, which has the same chip set, produced an identical image at 60 lux. The PV-GS320, a MiniDV camcorder also with the same chip set, produced exactly the same color performances, but had a sharper picture. This is most likely due to the DV compression, which is better than the MPEG2 compression of DVD and HDD camcorders. JVC’s closest competitor is the GZ-MG555, its top HDD camcorder. At 60 lux, the GZ-MG555 produced brighter colors thanks to its larger imager, but was not as kind to the fine details. JVC’s image looks fuzzy, while the Panasonic was noticeably sharper. Finally, Sony retails the DCR-SR200, an HDD camcorder, at only $50 more. We haven’t reviewed the SR200 yet, but we did test its predecessor, the DCR-SR100, which has a matching chip set. The DCR-SR100 had an incredible performance at 60 lux, easily topping the competition. The colors were bright and strong, the noise was very low, and the detail retention was nearly as good as in bright light. We expect the same good show from the DCR-SR200.

The SDR-H200, like all Panasonics, offers manual control over gain once the aperture has been opened all the way. At 60 lux, the gain was already automatically pumped up to about +15dB. The maximum setting is +18dB, so there wasn’t much wiggle room once the camcorder was switched over to manual. At +18dB, the image did show a noticeable boost in exposure, but the corresponding increase in noise did not make it worthwhile.

At 15 lux, occasionally referred to as the "widow maker test," things typically go downhill. The Panasonic SDR-H200 was able to retain very little information at this light level. Some colors are discernable, but the noise is overwhelming and most fine detail has been lost. This is no great surprise, but always a little disappointing. The Panasonic VDR-D310 and PV-GS320 told the same sad tale. The JVC GZ-MG555 was able to produce a brighter image overall, but the color balance was not very good and the picture was very fuzzy. The Sony DCR-SR100, once again, topped the bill, doing a great job staving off noise and retaining necessary information.

The next stage of the test measures sensitivity. We monitor IRE levels and drop the light steadily until the camcorder is able to produce a peak 50 IRE, and then record the corresponding lux level. At best, the Panasonic SDR-H200 was able to produce a peak 50 IRE at 24 lux. This was about the same score as the Panasonic VDR-D310 and the PV-GS320, and is not an impressive score. Several low-end camcorders have scored better than this, and reinforce our findings from anecdotal shooting. This is not a low light camcorder.

The final test determines color accuracy, noise, and saturation in low light by shooting a GretagMacBeth Color Checker chart and running frames through Imatest imaging software. The SDR-H200 achieved a color error score of 16.6, which is rather high. A closer look at the results showed the error was a matter of undersaturation, due to the small chips, rather than some terrible skewing of the colors toward the wrong tonality. This is a small consolation. The same tests revealed the noise level was a modest 0.88 percent, right on par with the Panasonic VDR-D310. The saturation was only at 53.91 percent.

Overall, the Panasonic SDR-H200 is not a low light performer. Stick to bright light shooting and you should be satisfied. However, indoor shooting is a risky proposition, and night shooting in the backyard is out of the question.

Stabilization* (8.37)*

The tested the SDR-H200’s OIS effectiveness by mounting it to our custom-built shake emulator, crafted exclusively for CamcorderInfo.com. With the SDR-H200 in full Auto mode and the LCD flipped out, the camcorder was tested at two speeds. Speed one simulates a casual walk along the sidewalk while capturing video with the SDR-H200. Speed two is closer to a jittery car ride or light jog. The SDR-H200 produced an 84.5 percent shake reduction at speed one, and an 81.2 percent shake reduction at speed two. These are fairly admirable results. Panasonics tend to be equipped with superior OIS systems, and the SDR-H200 is testament.

Wide-Angle* (9.6)*

We tested the SDR-H200’s maximum field of view using a vertical laser at both left and right angles. The camcorder was placed on a tripod directly underneath the laser, with the LCD flipped out, zoom pulled back fully, and optical image stabilization turned off. The SDR-H200’s maximum field of view proved to be 44 degrees—a reasonably decent wide-angle measurement.

 

 

 

 

Format

Compression* (4.0)*

The Panasonic SDR-H200 records in the MPEG2 format to both the HDD and SD card, common to nearly all standard definition hard disk drive (HDD) and DVD camcorders. There are variations from one manufacturer to the next, but the quality of the compression is largely the same. MPEG2 is prone to producing some artifacting during motion and even in motionless shots. The artifacts can them create a slightly blurry look to areas of fine detail, as was the case here. That’s why the SDR-H200 and the VDR-D310, a DVD camcorder, looked identical in image quality, while the PV-GS320, compressing in the DV format to tape, looked sharper, despite all three having the same core imaging system.

The SDR-H200 offers three quality settings for the video that correspond to bit rate. A lower bit rate means that more video will fit on the recording media, but the image quality will be significantly reduced. Settings include: XP (10Mbps), SP (5Mbps), and LP (2.5Mbps). In the highest quality, about 7 hours of video can be recorded onto the HDD. In the lowest quality, it fits about 27 hours.

Media* (8.0)*

The SDR-H200’s offers two recording media: an internal, non-removable 30GB HDD or SD/SDHC card, up to 4GB. HDD is quickly become the media of choice, and it’s easy to see why. They offer the same basic conveniences of DVD – random access to clips and easy importing a computer – without the capacity limitations or fragility of DVDs. The HDD in the SDR-H200 is fairly well-protected with shocks and scratch prevention, but it is by no means infallible. Footage should be backed up routinely to a separate hard drive and/or archived onto DVDs. Partner the capacious HDD with the ability to record onto SD and SDHC cards up to 4GB, and you have a lot of choices before you. The SDR-H200 ships with a 512MB SD card, which holds a much less impressive 3 minutes of video in the highest quality or 12 minutes in the lowers quality.

Editing* (5.0)*

Footage from the Panasonic SDR-H200 is transferred via the USB port. Inconveniently located in the battery cavity, Panasonic needles you into remembering that the DC power must be plugged in to connect to a computer. The process cannot be done by battery power, meaning that it cannot be done in the field. Of course, recording to the SD card avoids the need for the USB connection, provided you have a card reader.

Editing MPEG2 footage was once a nightmare. It has since gotten considerably easier. Once connected, the files are not easily imported with a drag-and-drop process. Like most DVD and HDD camcorders, the file structure is split up and some kind of intermediary software is necessary to piece it back together. Many video editing programs already have a function like this built in. The SDR-H200 ships with a version of Pixela’s ImageMixer 3, which allows for very simple editing and DVD authoring. This program will also allow you to import the clips from the camcorder.

 

 

 

 

Auto / Manual Controls

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (6.5)

One word describes the auto responses on the SDR-H200: fast. The white balance, the focus, and especially the exposure all worked with great speed for most adjustments. The white balance shifts between indoor and outdoor were quite good. It also handled itself well in mixed lighting, such as shooting indoors near a window, a situation many camcorders have a problem with. The auto focus was great, traversing even the biggest jumps from close up to far away subjects in 1 to2 seconds. What we noticed most was the auto exposure, which was very, very fast. Point-and-shooters are going to love this, because it means less time hassling with the manual controls. Of course, we must make a small concession to the concerns of the pro shooter, who would criticize the adjustments for being too fast. Most pro camcorders produce more gradual transitions. The better models even have the ability to dictate the auto response speed. For consumer concerns, however, the SDR-H200 functions very well on its own in moderate light.

Low light shooting can cause some problems for the automatic controls. Auto focus will slow down, and you may have to employ manual control. At a certain point, the auto exposure will simply conk out because the camcorder has exhausted its ability to gather any more light or even amplify a weak signal with gain. This is due to the small CCD imagers. Many camcorders in this price range, like the JVC GZ-MG555 and the Sony DCR-SR200, have larger imagers that produce better low light response.

The SDR-H200 has a number of one-touch controls that can improve the image quality without you having to understand how or why. However, you will have to read through the manual or use the Info feature on the Joystick menu to learn how to read the menu icons. One-touch controls on the Joystick menu include backlight compensation, Soft Skin mode, MagicPix night mode, and Tele Macro mode. In the Main menu, under the Basic submenu, you’ll find Scene modes, which can be used in specific shooting environments often tricky to properly expose. Scene modes include Sports, Portrait, Low Light, Spotlight, and Surf & Snow.

Overall Manual Control (6.75)

Panasonic always packs in the manual controls, though its position as champion has been challenged by Canon in the last few years. However, Panasonic remains the only consumer brand to offer independent shutter and aperture, as well as direct gain control, which is why it has remained the choice for serious, hands-on budget shooters.

Once again, Panasonic has made a gross error in its online specs, duping customers into thinking the SDR-H200 has a manual focus ring. It does not. The manual focus is performed with the joystick, and it’s terrible. Panasonic made this same mistake with the VDR-D310, and though Panasonic was alerted it, it has yet to be corrected.

While the joystick may make for a lame focusing tool, overall it performs very well as the all-in-one interface for manual controls and menu navigation. The rear-placement makes one-handed operation possible, which is always a plus. You might want that other hand to wave people into and out of the shot, hail a cab, or eat a sandwich. It would prove more comfortable for big hands if it had it been positioned a little farther away from the hand strap.

*

Zoom (6.5)*

The zoom control on the SDR-H200 is a raised toggle with a nice, wide grip. It has a very smooth action that actually makes it hard to produce a good crawl. We were only able to find about two zoom speeds depending on finger pressure. Also, if you’re trying for a crawl, the zoom will automatically speed up after 4x. This may be detrimental to student filmmakers who want a good crawl.

When zooming, a graphic appears in the upper right corner of the screen with a sliding scale to represent the zoom range and a numerical value to indicate exactly what the zoom power is. When the digital zoom is activated, the sliding scale does not enlarge. Instead, a portion of the scale appears blue.

Zoom Power Ratio (10.0)

The Panasonic SDR-H200 offers an optical zoom of up to 10x. This is a standard length for camcorders with better imaging sensors. It’s a matter of optics. Larger chips require longer barrel lengths for big zooms. Because keeping the overall size down is a principle goal, the zoom ratio is reduced. Though the individual chips on the SDR-H200 are small, there are three of them, and a prism in front to split the incoming light. That takes room, which costs zoom power. Cheaper camcorders with small chips often puff up the zoom power to make them seem more attractive. Don’t get fooled. You generally don’t need or want it. After 4x to6x, the picture will become too shaky.

The digital zoom is activated in Main menu under the Advanced submenu. It can be capped at 25x or extended to its full (and ridiculous) 700x. Never in a million years will a 700x zoom do you any good. In fact, just pretend we never mentioned it.

Focus (4.0)

Contrary to the manufacturer’s specs published on their site, the Panasonic SDR-H200 does not have a manual focus ring. The ring around the lens of the camcorder is used to open the lens cap, and nothing more.

Manual focus is engaged by pushing down on the auto/manual/focus switch in the LCD cavity. When pushed down all the way, an "MF" icon appears on-screen in the upper left and an "MF +/-" in the lower right. Use the joystick to push back and forth until you like the look. This is probably the worst manual focus control of any manufacturer. Sure, most of them are pretty terrible, but at least JVC and Sony usually give you little icons of a man and a mountain to indicate that pushing in one direction will shift the focus closer and the other far away. With the Panasonic, what do a plus and minus sign mean? This is a problem in conjunction with all the other, normal problems on consumer camcorders. If the LCD is the only means of gauging focus, why is the LCD only 2.7-inches? Why is the resolution only 123,000 pixels? The chances of making an inaccurate decision based on the LCD are high, especially when shooting outside on a sunny day when the screen glares. Whenever possible, leave it in Auto mode.

Exposure & Aperture (5.69)

The SDR-H200, like all Panasonics, offers aperture control independent of the shutter speed. To access the control, called Iris, make sure the camcorder is in Manual mode, then toggle through to the third page of the Joystick menu. Settings include: Open (f/1.8), f/2.0, f/2.4, f/2.8, f/3.4, f/4.0, f/4.8, f/5.6, f/6.8, f/8.0, f/9.6, f/11, f/14, and f/16. In between each of these is another increment that is completely unspecified, but it’s doing something. The picture gets noticeably darker or brighter when you hit these halfway-increments. Stranger still, if you do this in Still mode, the information still does not appear in the EXIF data.

While aperture control is great, some beginners have no idea what an f-stop is, let alone how it affects picture quality (Hint: it measures how wide the iris is open. The smaller the number, the larger the opening.). In those instances, it would be great to have a simple exposure or "brightness" control. Unfortunately, that’s not available here, and it’s going to frustrate a lot of newbies. This is all Sony offers, and both Canon and JVC typically offer f-stop control and a simple exposure tool.

Shutter Speed (8.1)

The shutter speed control on the Panasonic SDR-H200 is independent of the aperture, meaning one can be set and locked before you move onto the other control. No other consumer camcorder brand offers this ability. Shutter speed options include: 1/60, 1/100, 1/120, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, and 1/8000. It’s frustrating that, despite the poor low light performance, Panasonic did not offer a slower shutter speed than 1/60. There are two special night modes, MagicPix and the Night Scene Mode, but those do not offer the same level of control.

White Balance (5.5)

The white balance options are located on the third page of the Joystick menu, along with the aperture and shutter controls. The manual white balance adjustment is great and works quickly, but the presets are disappointingly few: Indoor and Outdoor. A more varied list covering multiple color temperatures (such as fluorescent and incandescent) would have been more useful. Thankfully, the auto correction is quite good.

Gain (6.0)

The Panasonic SDR-H200 offers gain control only after the aperture has been opened all the way (f/1.8). The gain can be shifted in 3dB increments from 0dB to +18dB. As with the aperture control, there is a half-increment between each setting that is not reflected in the displayed numerical value, but nevertheless has an effect on exposure.

Gain is a digital signal boost to the information that’s already coming in. This is, in theory, great for low light shooting. The problem with boosting any signal is that you also increase the noise within that signal. The noise produced by the SDR-H200 was not too noticeable in our low light testing, which is great. But even pumped up to the max +18dB, the camcorder still performs poorly in low light.

Other Manual Controls (1.0)
Guidelines - The Panasonic SDR-H200 offers a guidelines option in the Main menu. This creates three horizontal lines across the LCD to help you line up shots. The lines do not appear on the recorded footage.

 

 

 

 

Still Features

Still Features* (6.75)*

In order to access Photo mode, shift the SDR-H200’s mode dial to the camera icon. You can capture JPEG stills in the following sizes: 2048 x 1512, 1920 x 1080 (widescreen), 1280 x 960, and 640 x 480 at either fine or standard quality. Stills can be captured to the 30 GB HDD or SD card. The HDD can hold up to 19,160 images in the highest resolution, or 2,520 images on a 4 GB SDHC card.

Scene modes, guidelines, and optical image stabilization (OIS) are carried over from Video mode, except Photo mode’s OIS features a "mega" setting which increases the effectiveness of the OIS when the shutter button is pressed halfway. The SDR-H200 does not include a flash, but it is equipped with a high-powered video light and the same manual control set found in Video mode.

The only other still feature to be found on the SDR-H200 is the shutter effect setting, which applies a sound effect when the photo button is pressed.

Still Performance* (7.57)*

Still performance is tested by shooting an industry standard GretagMacBeth Color Checker chart at an even 3000 lux and running those stills through Imatest imaging software to determine color error, noise, and saturation. At best, the Panasonic SDR-H200 was able to produce a color error of 7.93, which was about average for a camcorder in this price range. The noise level was at 1.2875 percent, and the saturation was at 106.6 percent. In order to get the most accurate color, the exposure had to be lowered, which is typical for most camcorders and point-and-shoot cameras. In Auto mode, the camera was shooting at f/2.4 and a 1/60 shutter. We closed the aperture to f/2.8.

To the eye, the still images from the SDR-H200 are just slightly grainy, but the color is good. This is about the same quality we’ve seen with low-end point-and-shoot cameras.

Still Resolution* (23.74)*

In order to find the still resolution, we shoot an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart and run those stills through Imatest imaging software to determine resolution in line widths per picture height (lw/ph). This test measures the actual resolution of the final image, and not the resolution of the sensor prior to processing. At best, the Panasonic SDR-H200 produced a horizontal resolution of 1324 lw/ph – with a clipping of 2.5 percent and an 83 percent oversharpening – and a vertical resolution of 691.6 lw/ph – with a 4.89 percent oversharpening.

We tweaked the exposure to several different settings, but the Auto mode still produced the best resolution score. Auto adjustments set the camcorder to f/2.8 and a shutter of 1/120. One thing we could not shake was that clipping score. The cause becomes apparent when you look at the image of the chart. Notice the intense sharpening – the white halo effect along the black edges – that is meant to increase the appearance of sharpness. But as a result, many of those pixels in the white area are blown out or clipped. No manual setting seemed to get the clipping under 3 percent.

*A 200% blow-up of the still resolution chart. Notice the results of too much in-camera

sharpening - the thick black and white borders a few pixels wide on either side

of high contrast areas. *

 

 

 

 

Handling and Use

Ease of Use* (6.0)*

Panasonics are best suited to the more techno-savvy crowd due to its gamut of manual controls and sometimes puzzling icon-based menus. Sony makes it plain and simple—if point-and-shoot recording is all you desire, just hit the big honking Easy button and the camcorder shifts into fill idiot-proof mode. Canon and JVC do not feature an Easy mode equivalent, but many of its camcorders’ controls are highly limited in Auto mode.

Panasonic has great automatic responses in Auto mode, but limits access to the controls point-and-shooters would actually want, like the Scene modes. The only other significant change in Auto mode is the disabling of the third and fourth pages of the quick Joystick menu, which encompasses aperture/gain, white balance, shutter speed, and manual focus. All other menu options are still readily available. In a way, the SDR-H200 will stretch the shooter, placing them at an advanced level of control that can be dictated by the instant flick of the auto/manual switch. Yes, the SDR-H200 will not suit the entry-level crowd, but for those with even the faintest grip on manual camcorder adjustment, the SDR-H200 will be the ticket.

On the plus side, the SDR-H200 utilizes Panasonic’s tried and true menu structure—it’s straightforward (though beginners may want the manual handy), well laid out, and easy to navigate through thanks to the rear-mounted joystick. Sure, Sony’s touch screen is a hit among a wide spectrum of novices because of its ATM-like interface, but Panasonic caters to those looking to free up that left hand. In addition, the SDR-H200’s simplified structure features minimal buttons, switches, and dials that would potentially perplex and overwhelm a beginner.

We do have to mention to weak port placement, though. Mounting the USB and power terminals within the battery chamber is a poor choice. If you want to charge your battery while exporting footage to a laptop in the field, it’s not going to happen.

Handling* (7.25)*

Architecturally, the SDR-H200 is a peculiar camcorder. It’s slightly stunted in length when compared with the Sony DCR-SR200, yet not as brick-shaped as a JVC Everio. The SDR-H200 falls within the plush median of suitable camcorder dimensions, featuring a bulky, fat design that lends itself to optimal grip. The right side is tailored to the ergonomics of the hand, featuring an elevated bump next to the mode dial and a matte plastic ridge along the right half of the SDR-H200’s top side. When you slip your hand into the SDR-H200, you’ll notice how well it conforms to the natural arcs of the fingers and valley of the palm—the index finger falls flush over the zoom toggle, the middle and ring fingers cling to the plastic ridge, the pinky sits couched within the lens barrel and external HDD enclosure, and the thumb magnetizes naturally to the rear-mounted joystick. This is by far one of the most comfortable camcorders we’ve ever seen.

On the downside, the SDR-H200’s hand strap is pretty feeble. You’ll find this identical design on most of their camcorders. It’s thin, awkwardly anchored, and constructed of cheap, non-breathable material. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find a decent hand strap within this price range—Sony’s lacks sufficient padding and JVC’s look like they were cranked out of a bubble gum machine. Panasonic does wrap the SDR-H200’s hand strap in what appears to be a synthetic leather material, but when the sun casts its gaze over you, the back of your hand will surely sweat. Fortunately, the SDR-H200’s hand strap is decently padded, softening the blow a bit. The other issue you’ll have with the hand strap is that it hangs at an odd angle. In order to hold the SDR-H200 without it flopping to the side, you’ll have to tighten the strap with enough torque so that the bulk of the camcorder remains glued to the palm of your hand.

Amidst a flourish of control pads, touch screens, LCD joysticks, and scroll wheels, Panasonic provides superior navigation with its rear-mounted joystick. The benefits include one-handed camcorder operation, rapid menu selection, and advanced manual control adjustment. The SDR-H200’s joystick, in conjunction with the neighboring menu button and well-organized menu structure, excels far beyond Sony’s touch screen panel or Hitachi’s side-mounted mess of controls. You won’t have to worry about smudging up the screen or craning your neck at an absurd angle just to access the controls. All of Panasonic’s camcorders feature a rear-mounted joystick, a design that has withstood the test of time since its earliest models.

Now, structurally speaking, the SDR-H200 is rather preposterous. It contains a massive port enclosure that consists of only an AV terminal, while the USB and DC jacks are imprisoned within the battery chamber. Where is the logic? To make matters even worse, the SDR-H200 has a barren LCD cavity, save three buttons and the auto/manual switch. There’s another prime slab of real estate to toss ports into. In addition, the SD card slot door is shoved to the bottom ridge of the LCD cavity and opens out the bottom of the camcorder, forcing you to remove the SDR-H200 from a tripod in order to swap out cards. The cherry on the sundae is the fact that there are no LCD panel controls. The Sony DCR-SR200 and JVC GZ-MG555 are far more accessible in terms of port placement and LCD panel controls.

Menu* (6.5)*

Panasonic’s menus are straightforward, well organized, and easy to access. The multi-setting mode dial eliminates the need for one mega menu by segmenting your options into four parts: Video mode, Video playback, Camera mode, and Camera playback. On top of that, you don’t have to wade through the Administrative menu or even a Function menu to make manual control adjustments. Panasonic’s quick Joystick menu hosts the SDR-H200’s manual controls on the last two pages of the small circular interface.

To access the quick Joystick menu, just press the center of the joystick. Shifting down cycles through pages while left, right, and up select or deselect an option. In Auto mode, two pages will appear. Page one consists of fades, BLC, and info, while page two is comprised of Soft Skin mode, MagicPix, and Tele Macro. When Manual mode is selected, a third page becomes available with iris, white balance, and shutter speed controls. When manual focus is selected, a fourth page appears, allowing you to manually focus via the left and right joystick controls. In order to clear the quick Joystick menu from the screen, just press the center of the joystick again. In Camera mode, the quick Joystick menu is identical, except there is no MagicPix option.

The Administrative menu can be accessed by pressing the menu button. A list of five main options appears: Basic, Advanced, Media Select, Setup, and Language. In Basic, you’ll find Scene modes, guidelines, Recording mode, aspect, and clock set. Advanced is composed of digital zoom, OIS, fade color, wind cut, and zoom mic. Media select simply allows you to choose between HDD and SD card recording. Setup offers display, date/time, date format, power save, AGS, beep sound, LCD set, initial set, illumination, and Demo mode. In Language, choose between English, French, and Spanish.

In Camera mode, the Administrative menu is strikingly similar to Video mode, aside from a couple altered options. In the Basic menu, you can select the picture size and picture quality in place of Recording mode and aspect. Advanced offers two options: OIS and shutter effect. Lastly, Setup is missing the AGS option.

Portability* (4.0)*

In terms of size, the SDR-H200 is wedged between the full-sized Sony DCR-SR models and petit JVC Everios, measuring 70.1 x 73 x 120.8mm (2.76 x 2.87 x 4.76 inches). However, the SDR-H200 tips the scale at 450 grams (.99 pounds) without the battery pack, which is pretty darn close to the DCR-SR300’s mass. The good news is that the SDR-H200 handles like a champ and will not torture your hand during a full day of shooting. You’ll just have to figure out a way to comfortably position the hand strap. The SDR-H200 also has an excellent battery life. One additional pack should keep the SDR-H200 going strong for hours at Disneyland. We suggest a small camera bag, and the SDR-H200 should fit with room to spare.

**

LCD and Viewfinder*** (4.0)*

The SDR-H200 is equipped with a 2.7-inch, 123,000-pixel color LCD screen that swings out at a 90-degree angle from the camcorder’s body and rotates up to 270 degrees. The LCD screen solarizes at the slightest angle and does not display the sharpest image. In addition, the SDR-H200 features the Power LCD Plus function, which shifts the brightness of the LCD screen two steps in each direction. Since the LCD screen is the only monitor on the SDR-H200, an accurate image is highly essential. If the LCD screen is too bright or dark, it will dupe you into thinking your footage is properly exposed, when in actuality it is not. The question is, how do you know what the setting should be? If you’re constantly asking yourself "is that the screen brightness or the exposure making it look so dark?" then the feature does not work well. If Panasonic is going to offer such easy access to the LCD brightness, they should also have a sensor that tells you what the best setting is for your light environment. The LCD panel is devoid of any controls—record start/stop, zoom in/out, or playback.

There is no viewfinder on the SDR-H200.

**

Battery Life*** (10.9)*

We tested the life of the SDR-H200’s CGA-DU12 battery pack by recording continuously in full Manual mode, with the LCD flipped out and OIS disabled, until the battery cashed in its chips. The SDR-H200’s battery lasted a total of 144 minutes and 42 seconds (2 hours, 24 minutes, and 42 seconds). This is a truly honorable performance, and one of the highest endurances within this price range we’ve tested to date.

 

 

 

 

Audio / Playback / Connectivity

Audio* (3.5)*

The SDR-H200 features a built-in stereo zoom microphone mounted to the front of the camcorder. This is an optimal placement given the SDR-H200’s compact size. If the mic was mounted to the top, it would most likely be prone to sound muffling due to an overlapping pinky or ring finger. The SDR-H200’s mic features a zoom function, which is linked to the camcorder’s standard zoom. When zooming the picture in or out, the mic increases or decreases gain to provide a more balanced, clear audio recording. In addition, the SDR-H200 is equipped with a wind cut function that reduces the sting of heavy decibels.

Unfortunately, the SDR-H200 does not feature a mic jack, headphone jack, or hot shoe. For a point-and-shoot of this caliber, this is no surprise. Panasonic’s first AVCHD models, the flash-based HDC-SD1 and DVD-based HDC-DX1, offer advanced audio level and gain control, in addition to a mic jack. The HDC-DX1 even features a cold shoe. Panasonic’s top HDD model should serve up a much fuller plate in the audio department. In contrast to the SDR-H200’s top notch manual controls, the camcorder’s point-and-shoot audio appetizers are not fulfilling.

Playback* (4.25)*

Playing back recorded video clips and stills on the SDR-H200 is done by shifting the mode dial to either the video playback or camera playback icons. A screen containing up to eight thumbnails representing individual video clips or stills will appear. In order to access a recorded video clip or still, scroll with the joystick to the clip or image you want to play back and press the center of the joystick to select it. The clip or still will appear within the entirety of the LCD screen. Playback controls are governed by the joystick. Just like the quick Joystick menu in video or Camera mode, pressing the center of the joystick during playback cues a small circular menu containing rewind, fast forward, stop, and play/pause controls. When illumination is activated, a rectangular blue light appears, coinciding with individual playback controls.

From the clip/image thumbnail screen, the Administrative menu can be accessed by pressing the menu button. Here, a list of five options appears: Delete, Play Setup, Media Select, Setup, and Language. Delete allows you to delete all or select which clips or images you wish to delete. Play setup is composed of Play mode, resume play, lock set, and playlist. Media select lets you choose between HDD and SD card recording. Setup is identical to the Setup menu in Video mode, in addition to Language. In Camera mode, there is a picture setup option that includes lock set and copy settings.

Connectivity* (5.0)*

The SDR-H200’s quizzical port layout left us with a large dose of bewilderment. In back, the SDR-H200’s AV terminal hides behind a massive, covert plastic enclosure that camouflages itself a bit too well. When you finally realize that the large arced sheet of plastic is a port cover, you’ll have to pry it open from the left side. Here, you’ll find the AV jack mounted within a whole lot of bare real estate. Now, you’re probably wondering where Panasonic put the USB and DC terminals, seeing as the rest of the SDR-H200 is relatively bare. Well, slide the battery pack off and there’s your answer. What is the point of this design? We’re afraid it’s Panasonic’s poor attempt at lightly hinting at the camcorder’s inability to connect to a computer without the DC power plugged in. Rather than having an annoying screen message that demands the power plug be inserted, they’ve simply circumvented the problem by designing it so the power must be plugged in. Furthermore, the SDR-H200 features an SD card slot located on the bottom ridge of the LCD cavity. The only issue is that the SD card door swings down, forcing you to remove the camcorder from the tripod in order to swap a card. With oodles of unused plastic, Panasonic opted for some of the worst connectivity placements we’ve ever seen.

 

 

 

 

 

Other Features

What’s in the Box?

The Panasonic SDR-H200 ships with the following items:

-512 MB SD Card

-CGA-DU12 Battery Pack

-PV-DAC14D AC Adapter

-AC Cable

-DC Cable

-AV/S Cable

-N2QAEC000023 Remote Control

-CR2025 Button-type Battery

-USB Cable

-CD-ROM

This is a wealthy offering. The inclusion of a 512 MB SD card is a rarity among manufacturers, and the SDR-H200 comes equipped with the higher capacity battery pack.

Other Features* (2.0)*
*MagicPix - *Panasonic’s version of Night mode operates by making the signal charging time of each CCD up to 30 times longer to achieve a brighter picture in dark environments – not dissimilar from a digitally-created slow shutter effect. The downside is that your image will most likely be pelted with noise and choppy motion.

*Fades - *The SDR-H200 offers this entry-level editing feature. When engaged, your recorded video will fade in and out at the beginning and end of each clip. Choose between black and white.

*Tele Macro - *When Tele Macro is selected, the SDR-H200 begins automatically zooming in until the lens has reached its full 10x optical telephoto extent. The purpose of the Tele Macro feature is to focus on subjects in the foreground while blurring the background. You can also achieve the same result with more control by using the zoom lever.

*Video Light-  *This is one of the brightest video lights available on a consumer camcorder. To turn the video light on, press the Light button located within the LCD cavity. Two beam strengths are available—high and low.

*Power LCD Plus - *This deceptive feature brightens or darkens the LCD screen up to two exposure steps in each direction. Keep in mind that this does not affect your recorded footage at all, but may lead you to believe you are recording at the proper exposure level when in fact you are not.

*BLC (Backlight Compensation) - *In order to protect a backlit subject from being darkened, the backlight compensation function will brighten the image. You can also manually adjust the aperture to avoid blowing out the picture.

 

 

 

 

Comparisons/Conclusion

Comparison
Panasonic SDR-H20
The SDR-H20 ($599 MSRP) is the SDR-H200’s cheaper little brother. We know a $200 price drop is an enticing factor, but let’s find out if the SDR-H20 is worth any green at all. First off, the SDR-H20’s video quality will shrivel next to the SDR-H200’s, due to its single 1/6-inch imager with 680,000 gross pixel count (versus three 800,000 CCDs). Yikes. Next in line is the SDR-H20’s maximum still resolution—a whopping 640 x 480, rendering the camcorder’s Camera mode essentially pointless. Lastly, the SDR-H20 ships with a smaller battery, external lens cap, and no remote control. So, do all of these aforementioned traits add up to $200? Three CCDs is a significant upgrade by any means. Most shooters can live without the glamour of a lens ring switch and remote control. So, it’s down to video performance, larger stills, and higher battery life. You’ll have to deal with the same preposterous port placement, hand strap, and barren LCD panel. Novice point-and-shooters: you’ll be fine with the SDR-H20. Advanced point-and-shooters: seriously consider the SDR-H200.

Panasonic VDR-D310
The Panasonic VDR-D310 ($699.95 MSRP) is the SDR-H200’s DVD equivalent. Both camcorders feature three 1/6-inch CCDs with a gross pixel count of 800,000 and matching compression and data rates. Expect strikingly similar video quality. As far as features go, the VDR-D310 has more to offer. The VDR-D310 is equipped with a cold shoe, extendable viewfinder, and mic jack. For $100 more, these should be standard on the SDR-H200. The only perks apparent on the SDR-H200 include a video light, fancy lens switch ring, longer battery life, and massive HDD recording time. The VDR-D310 is the clear winner, but those who loathe DVD camcorders will most likely opt for the SDR-H200.

JVC GZ-MG555
The JVC GZ-MG555 ($899.95 MSRP) is the top dog standard definition Everio, and needless to say, a fierce contender. The GZ-MG555 is equipped with the largest imager found within a consumer camcorder—a colossal 1/2.5-inch CCD with 2,322,540 pixel count, creating a beautiful image. Low light for both camcorders is severely lacking, but the GZ-MG555 offers an auto gain control function that acts as a lifejacket as the lux decreases. The GZ-MG555 features a video light, flash, cold shoe, mic jack, old-school program AE dial, and an LCD-mounted joystick. The SDR-H200 can only answer with better manual controls, slightly higher battery life, better playback control, and a higher 10 Mbps maximum data rate versus the GZ-MG555’s 8.5 Mbps. Regardless, the winner is the GZ-MG555, despite its $100 price jump.

Sony DCR-SR200

The Sony DCR-SR200 ($849.99 MSRP) is another source of prime intimidation with a 1/3-inch CMOS 2,100,000 gross pixel sensor and 40 GB HDD. Yes, the video quality is very good, though it lacks the vibrant color palette produced by the SDR-H200’s three CCDs. Still, it’s a close call. The DCR-SR200 features Sony’s classic Easy mode and touch screen LCD—two highly esteemed traits celebrated by the most basic point-and-shoot crowd. Manual controls will not match the advanced level of the SDR-H200, but you won’t have to deal with ridiculous port placement or a thin, uncomfortable hand strap. This is a toss-up. Head to the store and try before you buy.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters

The SDR-H200 is a mixed bag. Its simplified body, lack of LCD controls, and poor connectivity options appears to lock horns with its stellar manual controls, superior rear-mounted joystick, and top-notch handling. Point-and-shooters looking to take the director’s chair will most likely fall in love with the SDR-H200.

Budget Consumers

At $799.95, the SDR-H200 will not lure big bills out of your wallet. Budget consumers will want to look into the stepped-down SDR-H20.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid

The SDR-H200 allows you to record video or stills to the 30 GB HDD or an SD card at up to 2048 x 1512 in size. In addition, the SDR-H200 actually ships with a 512 MB SD card and offers optical image stabilization. However, there is no Burst or Bracket mode. Still photo/video camera hybrid fanatics—this cam may be for you.

Gadget Freaks

Gadget freaks will grow giddy over the SDR-H200’s sleek, chrome design, three CCDs, and mesmerizing illumination light. Other than that, this is just another HDD camcorder.

Manual Control Freaks

Between aperture, gain, white balance, shutter speed, and focus, what more could a consumer ask for? A cam control ring would be nice, but for a point-and-shooter, the SDR-H200 boasts a saturated manual control suite.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists

The SDR-H200 is geared toward a particular crowd: point-and-shooters. A pro is miles beyond this target.

Conclusion

The SDR-H200 is the top model in Panasonic’s freshman year for hybrid camcorders, combining HDD and SD/SDHC card recording capability. They have come out of the gate with a very strong camcorder. The SDR-H200 feels great in the hand, with well-placed buttons and those classic Panasonic handling touches like the rear-mounted joystick. Nuances like the clean lines and glowing light-up panel on top give it some much-needed visual appeal. The bright light performance is hard to top, and exactly matches that of the VDR-D310 DVD camcorder.

On the down side, the three small CCDs did not do much for low light performance. It seems high time that Panasonic offered shutter speeds slower than 1/60th to compensate for this fault. We didn’t care much for the low-slung hand strap, which necessitates keeping a tight grip on the body to hold it steady. Also, as a warning to those who’ve viewed the incorrect specs on Panasonic’s web site, the SDR-H200 does not come equipped with a manual focus ring.

Overall, this is the HDD or hybrid camcorder to buy for power users not looking to upgrade to high definition just yet, as long as you can deal with the poor low light performance. The Sony DCR-SR200 is likely to rival or beat the SDR-H200 in performance, but the manual control set is not as strong. It does offer an accessory shoe (proprietary fit), but as a counterbalance, the electronic stabilization is not as good as Panasonic’s OIS. If high definition is a possibility, we recommend checking out the Sony HDR-SR5 or holding off until the Canon HR10 starts shipping.

 

 

 

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