Is Panasonic's HDC-SD20 the perfect entry-level HD camcorder?

With so many new products competing for our attention here at SimplyDV Towers, it can sometimes take a while for us to get round to looking at products even when they've been around for some time. The SD20 is a good case in point.

On first impressions, it's a great camcorder that many newbies and upgraders-to-HD will appreciate. Everyone who has seen and handled the SD20 we've had for review loves its compactness and its overall form-factor. It's small, but not so small that its main controls are difficult to access; it's big enough to be able to grip properly when in use, but not so big that it won't fit comfortably into a pocket or bag. Its general styling is consistent with lots of other products - past and present - in Panasonic's impressive and expanding AVCHD line-up and everyone here is in agreement that it "feels right" when in use.

What's really nice about the HDC-SD20 (and also its HDC-TM20 sibling, for that matter) is the fact that its reliance on solid-state recording and playback means that it can be powered up and in use in an instant. The recently-revamped graphical menu system will appeal to many users looking for simplicity and ease of navigation, and (for some, if not everyone) the touch-screen operation makes life very easy indeed when deciding which clip thumbnail to tap in order to achieve instant playback or which part of the screen to select when attempting to manually determine the optimum focus, white balance or exposure. As we've already indentified, there are those who really don't like touch-screen - but this reviewer isn't one of them.

Read our in-depth review of the Panasonic HDC-SD20 here