Impressed as we were by the
HDC-SD5 a few months back, it was still a surprise to see it become the top-selling HD model that it has. Now, less than six months later, Panasonic has brought out a new version, the HDC-SD9, which takes the solid base of the SD5 and builds some clever new features on top.
Visually, the SD9 closely resembles its predecessor, and its basic internals are essentially the same. It still uses three 1/6in CCDs with 560,000 pixels each, and a high-end optical image-stabilisation system to reduce camera shake.
But there are some key changes. The big addition is progressive scanning for true Full HD – the SD5 only recorded interlaced HD. Then there’s the new 17Mb/s AVCHD “HA” quality mode, as well as 13Mb/s HG, although recording in HA will only allow you to fit 30 minutes of video on a 4GB SDHC card.
Panasonic has also added electronic help for the novice. A button on the side toggles face detection, which works in the same way as with Panasonic’s still image cameras. Human faces are detected and exposure set so they’re recorded properly, even against a backlight. The Intelligent Shooting Guide is also there to make helpful suggestions, such as when to turn on Night Mode.
Like the SD5, the SD9 doesn’t have much for the enthusiast. There’s no built-in accessory shoe, no microphone input and no headphone jack. You can control audio levels manually, however, and there’s Panasonic’s typically impressive range of controls over iris and shutter in manual mode, too.
Most excitingly, Panasonic has built in five microphones that record 5.1 surround sound, but you can also use their directional abilities to provide Zoom Mic and Focus Mic functions, which cut out audio from the side reasonably well.
With the SD9 sticking with the same CCDs as the SD5, we expected good overall performance, with less impressive video in low light. But we were proven wrong. The SD9’s footage did become grainy in poor illumination, but its ability to resolve colour was much improved.
The HDC-SD9 is just as dinky and cute as the SD5, but now that Panasonic has added more extras it’s even more enticing. With a reasonable price to match, and the ever-decreasing cost of SDHC memory, this could be a very successful model indeed.