Panasonic SDR S150 is Panasonic¡¯s update on the SDR-S100, a tiny SD card-based camcorder that manages to pack in three CCDs and a whole lot of image quality. But as far as updates go, this constitutes the bare minimum: SDHC-card compatibility and a trifle increase in the LCD. A lot of things that could have been improved, like the enclosed battery design, were left untouched.
Helpful consumer’s review
This model is very light and easy to use. Both the video movies and still pictures are terrific and the vivid images obviously show that the triple CCD device makes a huge difference over cheaper model.
The results compare very favourably with my older Sony DCRTRV620 which is 4 times the weight and size! The steady cam feature takes a lot of the shaking effect from recordings and the sound pickup is excellent too. The zoom if very smooth although it is difficult to hold the camera steady enough without the use of a tripod which I recommend.
Uploading to either my PC, laptop or my Panasonic HD/DVD (with SD card slot)recorder is easy. The provided editing software is good and I mastered it within a few hours of loading. I was surprised to find the UK model is not supplied with an SD card included in the bundle and for this reason I failed to give it 5 stars as I considered this to be very mean on a camera which costs the thick end of £500.
The zoom microphone facility is usefully for cutting down on surrounding noise when recording, the built in flash is useful for getting good still shots in poor lighting. The still pictures are better than the 3m spec would tend to suggest, probably because the lens itself is so good. I find in no longer necessary to carry a separate digital stills camera. The battery life is good and the web camera driver work well too. I intend to purchase a wide angle lens which can be fixed to the camera. One can also select 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios from the menu.
