Panasonic HDC-SD900

The basics

The Panasonic HDC-SD900 is aimed discerning consumer who is looking for quality over style. At 66mm x 72mm x 146mm (W/H/D), the HDC-SD900 is not a pocket friendly camera, but it makes up for it with features. We got about 120 minutes out of the battery on full HD setting, which is pretty impressive.

The camera records to SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, so expect to invest in a decent sized card for maximum recording time. The HDC-SD900 also features a powerful LED video light, massive 14.2MP still image capture, 3.5” touch screen LCD and HDMI, Mini USB and composite outputs.

The good

The Panasonic HDC-SD900 is a brilliant camcorder. The customization on this camera is fantastic, allowing for manual ISO, Shutter speed and white balance, as well as manual focus bought to you by the smooth and responsive focus ring on the lens.

The optical image stabilisation is great; for the most part, videos look as if they have been filmed on a tripod rather than handheld. Still images come out crisp and naturally coloured and with the SD900’s 14.2MP sensor, images can be scaled up if needed.

With the addition of a 3D lens attachment (available separately), this camera feels more like a professional camera than a handycam.

The bad

The ergonomics of the HDC-SD900 aren’t the best – holding for long periods of time often gave a cramp in the wrist or arm, however this can be alleviated with a tripod.

The biggest issue we had was that when recording in 1080p/50fps mode, the videos we captured were unusable on our Mac. Panasonic include software to import the high quality video to Windows, but if like us, you prefer to use Apple – you will be out of luck; forced to use the next level down in the quality stakes.

The bottom line

At a shade under £1000, this camera is not to be purchased on a whim, however we feel that the multitude of features and manual control settings really make this camcorder shine. If you are a budding filmmaker or want something more from your home movies, then the HDC900 is for you.