With the cost of memory cards falling, camcorders that use them for storage are becoming more attractive, particularly as they can be smaller than DV-based cameras. Panasonic's SDR-S10 is one of the smallest and most attractive camcorders we've seen.
The SDR-S10 is the most stylish camcorder ever to grace the pages of Shopper. The design is incredibly minimalist, with a simple shape that's unspoilt by the controls, which have been kept to a minimum. It's also very compact, measuring just 31x63x114mm, so it slips easily into a pocket or handbag. It comes without a lens cap or case, though, so you'll need to buy a camera pouch if you want to keep it looking pristine.
Despite its glamorous appearance the SDR-S10 is surprisingly robust. It is shock resistant and should survive a fall of up to 1.2m on to a hard surface. It's also water resistant, and suffers no ill effects from splashes, although it won't work underwater like Sanyo's Xacti (What's New, Shopper October 2007).
It's as easy to use as it is good looking. All you really need is the zoom control on the top and the record button on the back. There are few settings to play with, and none that really needs adjusting, plus a small joypad that makes navigating the menus easy. The 2.7in LCD has 123,000 pixels, which is the same size and level of detail we've seen on camcorders twice its size.
The SDR-S10 records video to either SD or SDHC memory cards. A 2GB SD card is included with the camcorder. You can adjust the quality of recorded video using the LP, SP and XP presets. This sets the level of video compression used for the MPEG2 codec. In LP mode you can capture 100 minutes of poor-quality footage; SP mode is good enough for most uses and will fit roughly 50 minutes on a 2GB card; and XP mode is more suitable for darker conditions or scenes with lots of movement, but you'll get only 25 minutes on a 2GB card. It's a pity Panasonic didn't opt for a more efficient codec, such as MPEG4.
This camcorder uses a 1/6in CCD sensor like most budget MiniDV and DVD camcorders. Video quality is acceptable, but footage can seem a little gloomy and some of the detail we usually see in our test subjects was lost even at the XP quality setting. It's on a par with most budget DVD camcorders, although certainly not as good as the best of them. If you plan to upload the results to the internet, it's fine, but you will notice the inferior picture quality compared with a similarly priced MiniDV camcorder if you view it on a large TV.
A splash-resistant door on the camcorder's base opens to reveal the card slot and a small battery. This lasted for 76 minutes of continuous recording in our tests, which is respectable for such a small camcorder. Also on the base is a screw-hole for attaching a tripod.
The SDR-S10 looks great and is not bad value when you consider the quality of its construction. We only wish the video quality were a little better.
SD or SDHC storage, 10x optical zoom, 1/6in 0.8-megapixel CCD, 2.7in LCD screen, composite and phono output, USB2 interfaceAuthor: Seth Barton
Panasonic SDR-S10