PC World has done a quick review of the Panasonic HDC-SD1 High Definition camcorder, which features recording to Secure Digital cards. While many may think of the budget low quality camcorders when they hear about the use of flash storage, this camcorder is the complete opposite. With its included 4GB SD card, it can hold up to 40 minutes of video at 1080i, which the reviewer found to have substantial quality when played back. Even in a poorly lit area, the camcorder still produced far better footage than previously tested standard definition camcorders.
For playback, the camcorder features HDMI and component video outputs. Unfortunately, its bundled software turned out to be rather disappointing with not even any support for editing the HD content. At this time, no application provides the ability to edit the content, however Sony does plan on offering a free update to allow its Vegas video editor to import HD content taken by the camcorder. Its included software only offers the ability to export the content as standard definition, such as for creating a video DVD from.
The full review can be read here on PC World.
