Digital Video Camera & Camcorder Review

The Panasonic HDC-DX1 Mini DVD HD Camcorder is one of the three DVD-based HD cams that is now available in the United States. The other two DX1 are created by Sony. This is a sure-buy digital camcorder as it has everything you wished a camcorder should have. As they say, “it’s meat on its bones.”

Here are some of the special features that may convince you in getting one:

• Scene Modes – This is a special feature of HDC-DX1 which allows special recording mode to automatically switch in order to shoot quality images and videos for specific lighting situations.Fades – this feature is found in the video menu and available in both black and white.
• Fades – this feature is found in the video menu and available in both black and white.
• Back Light Compensation - BLC for short can be found on page 1 of the joystick menu. This is easily recognized as the sun icon. BLC automatically brightens the overall exposure of the image to compensate for backlit subjects.
• Soft Skin Mode - This feature automatically lowers contrast in “skin-toned” regions of the frame, and helps in smoothing out wrinkles and blemishes.
• MagicPix – The shutter speed automatically drops below 1/60 in accordance with available light during shooting. This increases the light gathering ability of the camcorder although images recorded at slow shutter speeds will have a stuttered, slow shutter appearance.
• Tele Macro - This option simply moves the optical zoom to 12x telephoto mode and auto focuses on objects in the foreground.
• Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound - The Panasonic onboard mic supports Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound.
• Zoom Microphone - The sound is recorded at higher levels when the zoom magnification is high, and when its low, audio is recorded at lower levels.
• Wind Cut – This feature can be used in windy environments as it reduces the effects of wind noise on the built-in microphone by filtering out low frequency sounds.

This camcorder features three 1/4″ CCDS and each has 560,000 gross pixels that automatically reduces to a pixel count of about 520,000. It captures to a maximum of 13Mbps and great move from the tape era. The images taken by this camcorder have a lot of strength and character as it has 3000 lux.

If still pictures are the main concern, then there is no problem with the Panasonic HDC-DX1 as it provides superb results; however, it is also a camcorder and that is where it falls a little short. There are some afterimage trailing and this can be seen even if the motion was caught in bright light.

Professionals also observed that the HDC-DX1 produced approximately a vertical resolution of 600 lw/ph and a horizontal resolution of 600 line widths per picture height (lw/ph). The standard accessories are included upon purchase:

-VW-VBG260 Battery Pack
-AC Adapter
-DC Cable
-AV Cable
-Component Cable
-AC Cable
-Remote Control
-Button-type Battery
-USB Cable

Buy the Panasonic HDC-DX1 @ Amazon

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