Panasonic SDR-SW20 Camcorder Review

A Nice Start for a Durable Camcorder

By James DeRuvo

The Panasonic SDR-SW20 is a rugged, portable camcorder that wants to be your summer-fun companion. Take a look at everything it can do and decide whether it's up to the challenge.

The Panasonic SDR-SW20 is an ultracompact digital camcorder that claims to be durable, rugged, and most-importantly, waterproof. The SDR-SW20 claims to be able to take excellent video at depths up to five feet (1.5 meters) and has quick-start functionality so you don't miss a thing. It's a vacation camcorder, for highly-active consumers that want a camcorder that can follow them anywhere.

Overall, the video and digital still photo quality of the SDR-SW20 is fine, and the Dolby audio recording that Panasonic has thrown in is a definite plus. Still, the design of the camera leaves a little something to be desired, and at times I found certain aspects of the button layout counterintuitive.

Design

The SDR-SW20 is not the most comfortable camcorder, as it has been designed for portability and durability more so than comfort. Buttons are placed at odd angles that seem to serve the camera better than the user. In particular, the same button is used both to initiate video recording and to snap a digital still photo. This wouldn't be a big deal if this dual-use button were located on the top-side of the camcorder. However, Panasonic has placed it in the rear (where you'd typically expect a 'record' button for video to be). The downside is that when you want to snap a digital photo, pressing the rear button requires a little more movement than it would if it were mounted on the top, leading to some degree of camera shake and movement that can alter your desired shot. It's an unfortunate, though minor, concern.

Another irritating design aspect is the camera strap, meant to provide support while taping. It's not only the hand strap, for shooting with the camera, but also the wrist strap. Despite its many roles, the strap itself is very thin, and though it can be cinched up with a tiny rubber slider for a tighter fit, it tends to slide loose very easily.

Water and Shock Resistance

On the other hand, the SDR-SW20's water resistance is a major positive and a nice feature for those looking to take to the beach (or the surf) in the upcoming summer season. Users can easily videotape waterslide action, as long as you stay within the camera's operational depth of four or five feet. It's a great pool party camera, perfect for capturing fun summer moments at the water park or along the shore. Since it's sealed up nice and tight to prevent water from entering the casing, you don't have to worry about getting any dust or dirt in their either.

The SDR-SW20 is also shock-resistant, though it can only take drops of about three feet. So if you're walking along and the camera slips out of your hands, you have a fighting chance of not completely ruining it. It should take the hit and keep on taping.

Performance

The Panasonic SDR-SW20 records standard-definition video with the MPEG-2 compression format, directly to Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) memory cards. No tapes, no mini-DVDs, none of that old-fashioned media. The SW20 accepts tiny little SDHC flash cards, giving you one less thing to worry about.

The video quality isn't half bad, though there is one issue that stood out to me. The SDR-SW20 is capable of shooting in both the square 4:3 aspect ratio (for regular TV sets) and the 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio (for HDTVs, though please note that this does not make the video high-definition, it just makes it fit the screen). The problem is, in widescreen mode, the SW20 appears to lose about 10% of its pixel count from the 340,000 pixels available in 4:3 mode. It's a shame, since widescreen mode should be an enhancement to the video, not a reduction in quality.

The SW20 features a 10x optical zoom, small, but reasonable considering the overall size of the camcorder. It lacks optical image stabilization, something that would be very helpful, considering the small, easily shaken up design. I really enjoyed the SDR-SW20's audio recording capabilities. The camcorder has a stereo microphone and records in Dolby, and though it doesn't entirely make up for the fair video quality, it's a nice bonus.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that the Panasonic SDR-SW20 is a good first effort at a sporty, all-weather camcorder that can handle the extremes of water and impact trauma. And there's nowhere to go but up from here. If you're looking for a camera that can withstand some abuse and still take decent videos that you can share online or with your family, the SDR-SW20 would make an excellent choice.