Panasonic SDR-SW20 Digtial Camcorder: A Waterproof Camcorder

When it comes to digital camcorders, it seems like most people use them for recording things like first steps, making funny YouTube videos and vacations. Now can you imagine that you decide to go snorkeling on that vacation, don't you wish you could capture the sights and sounds of that part of your trip? Now you can thanks to the Panasonic SDR-SW20. This digital camcorder is waterproof down to 5 feet and is shock- and dust-proof, too. I have been using this camcorder for several weeks and I'm going to let you know how well it has been performing for me to help you decide if it is worth purchasing.

Image Quality: 3/5

Features: 5/5

Value: 5/5

Overall: 4/5

Product Overview:

This digital camcorder is pocket-sized and can certainly go on the road with out much fuss. It is very durable and can take a little abuse like 3 foot drops. Like I mentioned above it is waterproof up to 5 feet for a manufacturer quoted 30 minutes. It definitely is from my tests, just make sure you don't drop it in the deep end or you could end up with a $300 8 ounce paper weight!

Now the image quality doesn't live up to its price tag. Unfortunately the major selling point for this camcorder is that durability. It records to an SD card and has a 10 times zoom but you'll find that zooming while recording leads to a shuddering in the video. This camcorder makes decent movies if your only trying to share them on the web with friends and family (or the world on youtube) however it isn't something I would recommend for those taking more traditional home movies.

The features are kind of limited but it does have an effective under water shooting mode which not only adjusts the video picture settings but audio settings for improved under water shooting. You can also manually adjust your focus and it is all rather intuitive with their well laid out menu.

Product Value:

The Panasonic SDR-SW20 digital camcorder comes in at just over $300 at most major electronics retailers both online and in the brick and mortar stores. If you're primarily interested in shooting videos for the net or youtube then this just may be the camcorder for you. If you're trying to archive pricesless first steps or graduations to watch on televisions for years to come then I might recommend looking for another option. For the price you can get a pretty decent camcorder if you're interested in sacrificing the shock and waterproofing. Look for pretty decent deals with the approaching holiday season, I think that this camera has a little bit room to fluctuate in the price department.