Panasonic HDC-SD9eb
Full HD 1920 x 1080p
5.1 Channel Microphone and Focus Microphone
3CCD
Advanced OIS
Face Detection
Intelligent Contrast Control
Product Description
World smallest Full HD 1920 x 1080p Camcorder with 3CCD for highest picture quality.
Worldwide, there is a strong and growing trend toward large-screen, high-image-quality televisions and high-definition (HD) broadcasting. In line with this, manufacturers are transitioning to HD quality in all other types of video equipment too. Panasonic, consistent with its long-time position as a leader in the video field is proud to introduce an advanced full-HD 3CCD camcorder, the HDC-SD9.
The HDC-SD9 offers full-HD 1920 x 1080 progressive recording (25 frames per second)** to capture images with a richness and beauty simply not possible with previous consumer camcorders. Users can record motion images with the kind of film-like quality enjoyed in movies at the cinema. Even though there is a natural conflict between high image quality and a high compression ratio, the 17-Mbps bit rate of the HDC-SD9 gives superb image quality and motion response, while its high compression ratio enables one full hour of recording onto a 4-GB SD Memory Card (in HX mode) at full-HD resolution. The model also introduces new features such as Face Detection and the Intelligent Shooting Guide, which make it easier to capture mistake-free shots. It also offers Panasonic's original 3CCD camera system, Advanced O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), and a Leica Dicomar lens - three technologies that team up to deliver full-HD images of exquisite beauty. Viewed on today's high-quality large-screen TVs, video clips shot with the HDC-SD9 are simply breathtaking, with vivid colouring, intricate detail and exceptional clarity.
The SD9 records on both SD and SDHC Memory Cards. Even more compact than the previous SD5 model, the SD9 debuts as the world's smallest and lightest* 3CCD full-HD camcorder. Because SD Memory Cards require no transport mechanism, the SD9 is highly resistant to external impact. This combines with its small size and weight to achieve unmatched mobility. After recording, the SD Memory Card can be taken from the SD9 and inserted into the card slot on a Panasonic PZ700 or PY700 VIERA TV for easy, instant playback of beautiful HD images on a large screen.
* For 3CCD camcorders capable of high-definition recording, as of 6 January 2008.
** In HA/HG mode. "Full-HD video with 1920 x 1080 pixels" in Panasonic home-use camcorders refers to video recordings with 1,920 pixels in the horizontal direction and 1,080 pixels in the vertical direction
Feature Explanation
Digital Cinema Mode <Actinic:Variable Name = 'New'/>
1920 x 1080 Progressive (25 fps)* Full-HD Recording.
All around the world there is a steadily growing trend toward large-screen, high-image-quality televisions and high-definition (HD) broadcasting. For camcorders, the ability to record 1920 x 1080-pixel HD images will soon be considered essential. Full-HD recording, with its total of 2,070,000 pixels, provides exceptional image details. The SD9 and HS9 feature the Digital Cinema mode to record using the world's first 1920 x 1080 progressive scanning (at 25 frames per second*), a method that captures twice as much image data** as Panasonic's previous models with 1920 x 1080i systems.
Digital Cinema Colour
When the Digital Cinema mode is turned on, the camera automatically records with the Digital Cinema Color function. This produces stunningly natural, true-to-life colors, because it achieves a color palette that approaches the color range used in Hollywood digital filmmaking. The rich greens of leafy trees and bright reds and yellows of springtime flowers, which are particularly important colors for camcorder images, are rendered in all their rich, natural beauty. When viewed on a TV with ?x.v.Color? compatibility, images have a wider range of colors than conventionally recorded images***.
* In HA/HG mode.
** Image data per picture.
*** The color range varies depending on the TV.
Face Detection <Actinic:Variable Name = 'New'/>
The SD9 and HS9 introduce the world's first* Face Detection function for use in recording moving pictures with a camcorder. Face Detection automatically locates any faces in the picture and adjusts the exposure, contrast and skin tone to achieve optimal results. Even when the faces are backlit or the lighting is low, the recorded faces are clear and easy to see and not lost in the shadows. With Face Detection, there's no longer a need to use different correction functions in different kinds of shooting situations.
* As of 6 January 2008.
Advanced O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer)
Panasonic's O.I.S., which uses gyrosensors to detect hand-shake and shifts the lens unit to correctly align the optical axis, has been further improved to prevent blur even more effectively. The Advanced O.I.S. checks and compensates for hand-shake around 4,000 times per second. Because this is an optical system, there is no loss of quality, resulting in images that are captured in all of their original beauty. Advanced O.I.S. prevents the subtle blurring that can be caused by even a slight bit of hand-shake, and it is truly necessary in an age of large-screen, high-resolution TVs, when every image imperfection is easily visible.
3CCD Camera System
Most professional broadcast equipment uses the 3CCD camera system. This includes Panasonic's professional video cameras, which have brought breathtaking images to viewers around the world since 1992, when they were first selected as the broadcast equipment for the Olympic Games. Panasonic has downsized its professional 3CCD camera system for use in consumer models. In a 3CCD camera system, the light received through the lens is split into its three primary colour components (red, green and blue), and the signal from each is processed by one of the three CCDs. Compared with conventional 1CCD camera systems, Panasonic's 3CCD system provides more vivid, true-to-life colours, greater detail and richer gradation.
Leica Dicomar Lens
Photographers around the world know Leica Camera AG as a maker of superb cameras and lenses. This company's advanced optical technology has been fused with Panasonic's leading-edge digital technology to create the Leica Dicomar lens. The Leica Dicomar lens provided in the HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 features 12 lens elements in eight groups and uses low-dispersion optical glass to reduce colour blurring. A special multi-coating process is applied to the 14 lens element surfaces to minimise chromatic aberration, so images are crisp, clear, and free of flare and ghosting.
*Leica is a registered trademark of Leica Microsystems IR GmbH, and Dicomar is a registered trademark of Leica Camera AG.
HD Crystal Engine
To maximise the capabilities of the CCD that was designed for HD quality and featured in the SD9 and HS9, Panasonic has further enhanced its renowned Crystal Engine image-processing engine. The result is the HD Crystal Engine. The noise reduction circuit combines with the Intelligent Contrast Control circuit to boost image quality while reducing power consumption. Offering superior images and longer battery life, the HD Crystal Engine takes camcorder performance to new heights.
New Codec LSI
The new codec LSI raises image quality even further by adding the precise, real-time coding control that was developed for Panasonic's DIGA recorders and camcorders to the world's top-class image coding technologies from the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, which created the H.264 High Profile technology to allow high compression while maintaining full-HD (1920 x 1080) resolution.
Intelligent Shooting Guide <Actinic:Variable Name = 'New'/>
A number of convenient new shooting functions have been introduced in camcorders, but many users don't know how to use them ? and continue to make shooting errors as a result. The SD9 and HS9 propose to solve this problem with the world's first** Intelligent Shooting Guide. This function detects when shooting conditions are poor ? such as when the camcorder is panning too quickly or tilted, the user's hand is swinging, the subject is backlit, or the lighting is too low* - and displays operating advice in the LCD. Users become aware of a potential problem before they shoot, rather than later when reviewing or playing back the recording. This gives them a chance to correct the settings and get good, error-free results every time.
*Also includes situations such as when Intelligent Contrast is turned ON even though there is no backlighting, or when Low Light mode is turned ON even though the lighting is sufficient.
** As of 6 January 2008.
Intelligent Shooting Selection Playback <Actinic:Variable Name = 'New'/>
While the Intelligent Shooting Guide helps prevent recording errors, this playback function makes recordings more enjoyable to view. It automatically skips over any shots that have serious errors, such as hand swing, fast panning, out-of-focus images or shots of the ground taken when the user forgot to turn the camcorder off. You see only the good, error-free shots.
5-Microphone, Advanced 5.1-Channel Surround Sound <Actinic:Variable Name = 'New'/>
The HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 feature a 5.1-channel surround sound system with 5 microphones. When recordings made with these models are played on a 5.1-channel home cinema system, viewers are surrounded by a clear, detailed sound that makes them feel as if they are right in the middle of the action. A Zoom Mic function links the microphone's action to the camera's action. When you zoom in on a bird in the distance, for example, the microphones also zoom in and record the bird's chirping. There is also a new Focus Mic function that picks up the sounds from sources in the area in front of the camcorder, regardless of whether the lens is focusing on a near or distant object.
25 Frames/Sec High-Speed Burst Shooting <Actinic:Variable Name = 'New'/>
This function lets the camcorder snap up to 25 consecutive 2.1-MB-resolution still images in a second, or up to about 75 consecutive shots in 3 seconds. You can use this to analyse a golf swing, tennis stroke or other motion. You also can use it to get good shots of subjects in fast motion; fire off a number of shots without stopping, then keep the best ones and delete the rest.
World Timer <Actinic:Variable Name = 'New'/>
Handy for travellers, this function makes it easy to set the camcorder time when you cross time zones and again when you return home. Simply select your destination from the displayed map, and the camcorder is automatically set for that time zone. The time for two different places can be set ? such as home and destination ? and you can switch between the times by simply pressing a button.
0.6-Sec Quick Start <Actinic:Variable Name = 'New'/>
The Quick Start function allows the HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 to begin recording just 0.6 second from the time the LCD is opened. The HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 start operating in about 1/3 the time that it takes for a camcorder that records onto DVD discs to start, making it easier to catch those special moments that come with no warning.
Pre-Rec
With many camcorders it is easy to miss capturing a critical moment, even when you think you've pressed the Record button at the right time. For example, if you want to capture a goal being scored in a football match, you have to press the Record button every time a player attempts to shoot. The problem, of course, is that very few shots actually result in goals, but you have to record every one just in case. The Pre-Rec function eliminates this problem. When the Pre-Rec function is on, the camcorder continuously records three seconds of images into an internal buffer memory. Then, when you actually press the Record button, the three seconds immediately prior are added at the beginning of the clip you record. This lets you capture the player in the act of kicking the ball even if you don't press the Record button until after he has made the goal. The Pre-Rec function is especially helpful in capturing a sudden shooting opportunity.
Intelligent Contrast Control
This intelligent function continually measures the ambient light intensity and adjusts the contrast as it changes. Providing control over a wider range of lighting conditions than previous functions, Intelligent Contrast Control helps prevent a washed-out look in bright parts of an image and black-outs in shadowy parts. You can capture images with natural nuances and contrast. Even when you're shooting toward the light source, Intelligent Contrast Control lets you capture true-to-life pictures with outstanding depth.
Wide Viewing Angle LCD Monitor
The HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 incorporate a LCD that has 300,000 pixels and a wide 170-degree viewing angle both vertically and horizontally. The wider viewing angle is a big advantage in high-angle and low-angle shooting. It's a big advantage in playback too, allowing several people at the same time to enjoy viewing the video clip you just recorded.
Power LCD Extra
The brightness of the LCD can be set to either of two levels to match the ambient light condition. At the brighter setting, the LCD provides clear, easy viewing even when you're shooting outdoors on a sunny day.
Networking
VIERA Link
The HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 are compatible with Panasonic's VIERA LinkTM. Connect either one to a VIERA TV via an HDMI cable, and you can operate the camcorder using the TV remote control and following on-screen prompts. This adds extra ease and convenience to the fun of viewing the full-HD videos you record.
Direct Viewing with SD Card Slot
The SDHC/SD Memory Card can simply be taken from the HDC-SD9 or HDC-HS9 and slipped into the card slot of a Panasonic PZ700 or PY700 VIERA TV to view full-HD images recorded in the AVCHD format.
*JPEG format still images can be viewed with other SD card slot-equipped VIERA models.
Editing & Archiving
Creating and Playing Back DVD Discs with One-Touch Ease
Most people use their camcorders for three main purposes: to shoot, play back, and archive video recordings. They want each of these to be as easy as possible. The SD9 and HS9 are equipped with a number of functions designed to do exactly that. In the past, copying video recordings from an SDHC/SD Memory Card or a hard disk to a DVD disc was a two-step process that involved transferring the data to a PC, then copying from PC to disc. The SD9 and HS9 do away with all that, thanks to a one-touch function that makes it easy to copy your video recordings onto DVD discs for easy playback and storage. Connecting the SD9 or HS9 via USB cable to a VW-BN1 DVD Burner (optional) and pressing a single button is all it takes to copy recorded video clips from an SDHC/SD Memory Card or hard disk to a DVD disc (DVD-RAM/-RW/-R/-R DL) in the original AVCHD format. The copied DVD can be played by the DVD burner, so all you have to do to view exciting, large-screen images in HD quality is have the DVD burner connected to the SD9 or HS9, and then connect the SD9 or HS9 to an HDTV.
One-Button Dubbing (HS9)
The HDC-HS9 is a hybrid camcorder that records full-HD images onto either a hard disk or an SD Memory Card. With simple one-touch operation, the HS9 can also copy the recorded images from an SD Memory Card to the hard disk, or vice versa. This makes it easy for users to put the video clips they have shot onto the kind of media that best suits their purpose. For example, if you want to watch your recordings in spectacular HD quality on the large screen of a Panasonic PZ700 or PY700 VIERA TV, copy the data from the hard disk onto an SD Memory Card, then just slip the card into the slot on the VIERA TV.
"HD Writer 2.5" Editing Software <Actinic:Variable Name = 'New'/>
The SD9 and HS9 add new functions that make editing easier than ever. Using HD Writer 2.5 editing software together with the camcorder's new Intelligent Shooting Selection Playback function, recorded clips detected as mistakes (such as inadvertent ground shots) can be automatically deleted after the recordings are uploaded to a PC. Uploading has been improved in other ways too. Previous software uploaded all image files on the SD Memory Card or hard disk, including ones you don't need ? a waste of time. HD Writer 2.5 saves time by letting you specify which files to upload. Also, HD Writer 2.5 remembers which image files have been uploaded to the PC, so you don't have to worry about uploading the same file twice. This is convenient when there is a large amount of image data on the SD Memory Card or hard drive and you intend to upload it over several sessions.
Includes standard accessories as supplied by Panasonic UK Please note Panasonic do not supply an SD card
For product specification click here
