Panasonic SDR-
H80 is a standard-
HD camera with 60 gb built-in hard drive.
Undoubtedly, the most prominent feature is its amazing 70x optical zoom lens, the most powerful zoom lens in any camera we 've tested.
Other notable features include smart cars (iA)
Automatically select the mode of the scene, built-in coding software uploaded by Youtube, face detection technology, and SD card slots for mixed recording.
In addition, the price is very attractive, only $829.
The downside is that the image quality is a bit soft and the camera does not perform well with insufficient light, but for this cheap and versatile camera it is a relatively small price.
Instead of the 80 gb hard drive that its name seems to imply, SDR-
The H80 actually has 60 gb of built-in memory.
Nevertheless, depending on the quality of the selected video, this is still enough to provide you with network video within 18 to 72 hours before the hard drive fills up.
These recording times can also be doubled via a 64 gb sdhccard (
Although one of these babies is more expensive than the actual camera).
Like almost all other gadgets on the market, digital camera styles have surged in recent years, and familiar black/silver finishes have been replaced by a range of stylish colors.
Unfortunately, Panasonic chose to adhere to monotonous traditionalism in the Australian version of the SDR --
H80, black and boring all the way. The old-
It is unlikely that many people will turn their heads when they finish their studies, but at least they will not be mistaken for Fisher's price toy (Sony DCR-
We're looking at you. )
We're not a fan of the battery that stands out-
This is an ugly design choice faced by many Panasonic cameras.
Panasonic SDR-size 107x53x67mm
The H80 is quite compact considering the built-in hard drive.
As you would expect, the internal mechanism adds considerable weight to the device, weighing 350g.
However, we feel that this is effective in SDR.
H80 is favored because the added weight helps against the camerashake. (
This is further supported by Panasonic's excellent optical image stabilization system
The camera is rare at this price point. )
Unlike Panasonic HDCSD20-
Thanks to a beautiful LCD touch screen-SDR --
The H80 adheres to the traditional joystick interface.
Like the previous Panasonic model, the stick is already mounted on the side of the folded display, which requires you to use both hands during operation.
This is obviously not ideal for small cameras, but we think it does the job well enough.
Although the menu layout does offer a good range of options, navigation is a bit of a hassle.
These include adjustable iris and shutter speeds, four white balance modes, manual focus, face detection, recording at 16: 9 and 4: 3, face framing (
This is obviously different from face detection)
And the usual array of numeric effects.
As mentioned earlier, SDR-
The H80 is also equipped with Panasonic's iA mode, which tries to adjust the settings dynamically for the best picture.
Panasonic SDR-
The H80 also comes with a dedicated Web mode button.
This function does not reduce the resolution as you would expect, just limit the recording time to a 10 minute interval (
Maximum length of YouTube Video upload).
This saves you the hassle of trimming clips in the editing suite, but also means that you have to capture everything in a 10 minute window-
If you walk for another second, the lens will not be recorded.
This is obviously a bit rubbish.
For image capture, SDR-
The H80 uses a single 1/8 in CCD sensor with a total pixel count of 0. 38 megapixels.
This is quite low even through the entrance
While it is worth noting that recent advances in technology have improved the quality of small sensors, this is important.
So, SDR-
The performance of the H80 is significantly better than its specifications.
Under optimal lighting, our test lenses show an accurate hue of relatively grain-free.
Although the images are not the clearest we have ever seen, they should satisfy SDR-
The target audience of H80 leisure users.
Of course, on a crt TV or PC screen, the lens looks the best because these defects are obvious on a high screendefinition TV.
Unfortunately, the lack of effective night mode means that this camera is not suitable for low lighting.
Before we finish this review, a special mention is made of 70 times optical zoom
The highest camcorder on the market.
This greatly expands the possibility of shooting open to you, and objects in the distance become very close --
Get up without moving your muscles.
Of course, you need a tripod to get a smooth lens when zooming in to the maximum, but this is predictable.
All in all, we are very happy with this camera, which provides very solid performance at asking price.
The 70-fold optical zoom is almost worth an extra star.