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Camcorders that will work in hostile places can tend to be very expensive. Sun, snow, dust, rain and humidity can all affect the ability to shoot by varying degrees, and the protection that needs to be afforded in the form of specialized housings can be the equivalent of a deposit on a small Porsche.
Certainly, if all you need is a single scene shot in a rainy environment, or perhaps even some fun stuff while snorkelling, the use of this sort of equipment (and its costs) cannot be justified in most cases.
The Panasonic SDR SW20 does not pretend to be a full blast underwater camera; at a maximum rated depth of 1.5 metres, this is way out of the range a dedicated SCUBA diver wants or needs. But for the shooter who wants a go-anywhere, small and tough camcorder that takes great footage (although only MPEG-4 based), it is just the goods.
Panasonic did its launch of the SDR SW20, along with a bunch of still LUMIX cameras with housings, at a small eco-island on the Great Barrier Reef. The surroundings certainly made for some fantastic imagery, and the experience was enhanced by the words of wisdom from Ken Duncan and Jack McCoy who will be familiar to photographers and videographers alike.
For the gadget-fan, the SDR SW20 is about the size of a remote control and around 5cm thick. It features 10x optical zoom with a Zeiss lens, and writes to a supplied 4GB SD card. Battery life is not stated, but certainly in my stint of snorkelling of around 45 mins, there was still at least a half left on the meter.
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| The Panasonic SDR SW20 |
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| Image courtesy Nick Ross, PC Authority |
Using the camera while snorkelling, the first thing you need to get used to is the angle of deviation caused by refraction. Your eye says you are pointing at the object to film, but it is not in the flip out LCD! The art here is to zoom out fully, centre the fish, coral or whatever, and then slowly zoom in. The other thing to come to grips with ? pardon the pun ? is how to hold it. In practice everyone at the launch seemed to deploy a different method. It boiled down to what you felt comfortable with.
One tip here though, make sure the strap is firmly around the wrist when using the SW20 as if you drop it, not only will the seals not last beyond a few metres depth, but this camera sinks. Quickly. Indeed, the one we were testing was inadvertently taken to around 2.5 metres and after that there was a suspicious dampness inside the battery compartment! Like all equipment that is subject to a damp environment, it is wise to apply some grease around any seals.
Being waterproof also makes the SW20 ideal for skiing trips and of course, will also keep dust and sand out making the SW20 an ideal "fun" camera. At $399.95 list price including the 4GB SD card, it won`t break the bank either.
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David Hague comes from a photographic family with both his father and older brother having been professional photographers. David's experiences include writing and directing the suite of training videotapes for Microsoft for Office and Windows, training tapes for Filemaker Pro and Autocad Lite and numerous TV commercials, documentaries and corporate videos. He was for 3 years the Managing Editor of Australian Video Camera Publications and is now publishing and editing AusCam magazine and PC Update. He has a bent for fishing and motor sport and is an unashamed Aussie who makes a killer Home Brew. David lives in the south west of Western Australia among the dolphins and pelicans of Mandurah, 45 minutes south of the capital, Perth.Related Sites: DV Format , CEN - Consumer Electronics Net , CEN - Camcorders , BN - Panasonic
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