Panasonic SDR-H90

The Panasonic SDR-H90 is an entry-level, compact camcorder that weighs just 300 grams. The second of three Panasonic SDR-H camcorders, the Panasonic SDR-H90 is an upgrade from the Panasonic SDR-H80 in that it features an 80GB (versus 60GB) HDD.

In all other ways, the SDR-H90 is practically an equivalent of its peer. For instance, the SDR-H90 also features a 0.8 megapixel sensor, a 70x optical zoom, a 100x digital zoom, and a 2.7” LCD display. In addition, the SDR-H90 boasts an SD/SDHC memory card port. Users have the option of recording video either onto the HDD or onto an SD card in MPEG-2 format. In fact, the HD can store up to 14-54 hours of video, whereas a typical 8GB SD card can store approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes of video. The SDR-H90 also includes Optical Image Stabilization, and Face Detection functions for smoother recording, not to mention a YouTube video mode for Internet-ready recording. The Panasonic SDR-H90 retails for a slightly more expensive $499.95 (versus $449.95) and comes with a 1 year limited warranty.