Customer Reviews
Great for its purpose...... 
2008-05-13
Panasonic SDR-SW20 is pretty specific camcorder designed for pretty specific individual. Having wrote that, allowed me to explained some of the good points about this camcorder. First thing you notice is that its a pretty small camcorder and very light. In fact, this camcorder is smaller then some of the point and shoot cameras out there and I brought a p/s camera case to stored this camcorder in. Second thing is that its super easy to use. Its very minimal in design and dial switch with simple on and off button to record. And yes, this camcorder is waterproof and you can dunk it up to five feet as noted. If it waterproof, then it got to be dustproof as well. I haven't tried bouncing this camcorder off the floor but I'll take the manufacturer's word on the shock-proof. It has a 10x optical zoom that worked just fine while recording and an electronic stabilizer that works pretty well. The camcorder do come with several scene modes, manual focus as well as aperture and shutter speed control although its at a pretty basic level. The 2.7 inch LCD worked just fine and its in widescreen mode. The still photo are shot in 4:3 mode. All videos and photos are save on the SD card. I recommended that you get at least 2 gig to get started. It does accept SDHC cards although the manual states that you are better off using a Panasonic brand or else it might not work properly. I'll just buy more 2 gig cards instead.
For the negative side of this camcorder, the video image isn't very good. I would regard the video image to be just average, nothing to blow your mind on but its better then you hope for. The video image really get "noisy" when shooting in dark locations or night times. Its still acceptable but barely at times. Its far superior then the Flip video device but far less then some of the more expensive ones. Let me put it this way, bigger the screen, worst it will look. Smaller the screen, better it will look. This applied even at the XP mode, their highest rating. This camcorder does take still photos but only at .3 mpx, no better then a phone camera. The audio is bit on the weak side and you will get a lot of debris noises no matter what you do.
Reason for my four stars is this, despite of the video image shortcomings, this camcorder fitted my need. I wanted something small, light and bombproof from the elements in a camcorder. I can live with the average video in such a trade off. Due to the size and weight, I can take this camcorder anywhere and used it almost anytime. I like to hike, bike and backpack so this camcorder is perfect. (Of course, bring extra batteries since battery life is pretty short due to the small li-on battery they use for this camcorder.) I supposed it even possible to attached this camcorder to dashboard or on a bike handle and used it that way. The LCD cover does not have to be open for this thing to record. My camcorder fit my needs perfectly but unless your needs are like mine's, you may not be happy with this camcorder since the video image is not as good as bigger ones out there. Just be aware of that.
Nice product 2008-05-02
Very happy with the size and features. I bought this as a beach/boat video camera and it is doing a great job!
Setting the Record Straight 
2008-04-30
Have just received my camcorder and would like to confirm that it works perfectly fine with iMovie 08 on my MacBook Air. Just plug in the USB cable and open up iMovie and movies can be downloaded very easily. Photos can be imported onto iPhoto just as easily. Considering it's small size and reasonable price the video footage isn't bad at all. I don't fly to Belize for another week or so, so can not comment yet on it's performance underwater. But from my initial impressions (have had the camcorder about an hour!) I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a basic pocket camcorder, especially for water fun. Without opening the manual I have easily been able to take photos and record video and transfer them to my Mac, so it is clearly easy to use. I am looking forward to seeing what else this little gem can do!
[UPDATED] Beware Mac users ... This Camera is Not campatible with my Mac... 
2008-04-01
UPDATE: Evidently ... this camera does work on some Macs. I am using Mac OS 10, and iMovie HD... and it did not work on my system. However, I have heard that it DOES work with iMovie 08... sorry for the confusion.
I just got my camera in today, and have been trying to figure out all day how to get video onto my mac from this camera.
I have NEVER had this much trouble connecting anything to my mac.
I am using OS 10 on my Macbook.
I called customer support, and the rep was just as shocked as me... this camera is NOT campatible with a Mac.
It is unfortunate that Panasonic would not make this camera compatible, because it actually is a really cool camera.
So anyways... mac users... you may want to try another alternative.
I hope this review helps... I will be returning this camera tomorrow!
Great Camcorder 2008-07-14
I really like the portability, durability, and features of this little unit. I am happy with my purchase, still, there are a couple weaknesses potential buyers should be aware of.
Battery Life is abismal. You may want to order another battery. Also, turning the unit off, rather than just closing the door (which puts it into standby), will save additional battery life.
The unit needs a fair amount of light to take decent video. There have been several low light situations where there was enough ambient light to see, but the video came too out dark.
Video quality is good for such a highly portable unit, but falls a bit short of standard camcorders. Video stabilization isn't very good. Overall I'd rate the quality somewhere between digital cameras and standard camcorders.
nice camera 2008-07-06
Very nice and practical little camera. Very easy to use for a novice user, can stick it into any bag without a cover and not really worry about it. Picture quality seems decent, however if you want HD quality don't buy this camera. If you wan't something very practical and easy to use and carry around, then I would highly recommend it.
Interesting Product 2008-07-05
Recently purchased the SDR-SW20. I was looking for a easy to use, practical video camera that I didn't need to worry about getting dusty or wet. The first day I owned it we took it to the pool. The camera performed well in video mode. The stills it takes lack the quality I was hoping for. Be sure to buy an extra battery as I ran through mine in what felt like a short amount of time. Overall, I'd recommend it.
Lightweight, easy to use, cool but not good with stills 2008-06-30
The little red camcorder is easy to use and carry with a dial mode. Videomaking is simple but don't use it for taking photos. Though it's a 8MP camera supposedly, the photos came out very grainy and not useful. Also, there is no flash so dark pictures remain dark even with photoediting. Overall, it's fine for simple videography. Haven't tried underwater yet, still new.
Didn't meet expectations 2008-06-21
I bought this camcorder for my backpacking trip on Mt. Whitney. I figured since the manufacturer claimed their product was waterproof/dustproof/shockproof (surprised there was no lens cover), that this would be a good fit for the environment I would be placing the camcorder in. It is very easy to use and the menu was easily figured out. I did record while it snowed and it performed fine afterward. However, what I wasn't prepared for was the poor and low quality of the pictures and video that I took on this trip. I was severely disappointed and had to spend time on Photoshop to make the photos look decent. The videos also had a lot of contrast and the sound quality on the videos were fuzzy and muffled. I liked the look, weight, easily handling and use but that's about it. I'm returning the product.
