Panasonic HDC-SD40

The Panasonic HDC-SD40 is a mid-cost camcorder. This camcorder features a 1MOS sensor that can capture HD video at 1920 x 1080 resolution. The 16.8x optical zoom helps to ensure a detailed subject, even if they are far away.

With the HDC-SD40, you can record to SDXC/SDHC/SD memory cards. With its low 2.5 watt power consumption, you can record for 135 minutes on a single charge of this camcorder. The HDC-SD40's iA (Intelligent Auto) feature selects the most suitable shooting mode at the press of a button. This feature includes Face Recognition, which finds the faces of registered people (up to six faces can be registered) and optimizes the focus and exposure for them. This model differs from the higher cost HDC-SD90 model in that the HDC-SD90 has Touch Zoom (which allows you to zoom with the swipe of a finger), Touch Shutter (which allows you to take a digital photo by touching the subject on the screen), has a 40x zoom (for more detailed images), a 28mm wide-angle lens (which is ideal for shooting in tight spaces) and is capable of recording 3D (with the addition of the CLT1 conversion lens). At 0.39 pounds, the HDC-SD40 is one of Panasonic's lightest HD camcorders (along with the HDC-TM40, which has the same weight).