Panasonic SDR S50

alaTest has collected and analyzed 119 reviews from magazines and websites. Opinions about the design and battery are generally positive. The portability and value for money are also mentioned favorably. Some have doubts about the resolution and image quality.

zoom, value for money, portability, battery, design

features, image quality, resolution

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Camcorders the Panasonic SDR S50 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 86/100 = Very good quality.

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Review analysis

(Based on 119 reviews)

Expert Reviews  

User Reviews  

Showing 83 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews
Showing 1 - 10 of 83 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (48)

Expert review by:

Panasonic SDR-S50 (gold)

 

The Panasonic SDR-S50 is like having a small telescope that's able to capture standard-definition video. With its 70x lens you'll have no problem getting closer to your subject, and its optical image stabilization is very good even if you're moving....

Very good image stabilization; well-designed; manual controls.

Low-resolution LCD; dated user interface; poor low-light video; no external mic, headphone jacks.

The Panasonic SDR-S50 standard-definition camcorder is worth considering for its manual controls and powerful zoom lens in a very compact body--not video quality.

Expert review by:

Super-zoom SD camcorder

 

The Panasonic SDR-S50 has one standout feature: its 70x optical zoom, which experts say is valuable if you plan to shoot school plays from the back row or football games from the nosebleed seats. A CNET tester proves the point by shooting a...

Extraordinarily long 70x optical zoom, image stabilizer combats hand shake, full manual controls, price

LCD screen glares in strong light, low-resolution still photos, short battery life for its class, no external microphone, headphone jacks

Consumer review by:

"very disappointed"

 

I bought the camera to use for basic family videos. I had read several reviews on different sites that gave the camera a decent rating so I was excited to get it. I shot some video in our living room and the picture quality was very grainy, soft and...

Liked the flash for memory, camera was easy to use and had a great zoom

Terrible picture quality when shooting inside.

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Consumer review by:

very disappointed

 

I bought the camera to use for basic family videos. I had read several reviews on different sites that gave the camera a decent rating so I was excited to get it. I shot some video in our living room and the picture quality was very grainy, soft and...

Liked the flash for memory, camera was easy to use and had a great zoom

Terrible picture quality when shooting inside

Consumer review by:

Amazon review summary for the Panasonic SDR S50

 

alaTest has collected and analyzed 28 user reviews of the Panasonic SDR S50 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.0/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other products on Amazon.com.

zoom, portability, value for money, usability, viewfinder

image quality

57% of reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Consumer review by:

Panasonic SDR-S50A

 

This camera was purchased as a refurbished product and I have to say that the seller sent this in great condition and that it has worked flawlessly since being received and used by my younger son. He has had many hours of enjoyment with it and the...

Consumer review by:

Very Good

 

Very good camera, excellent zoom!!! good relation boasted - quality. Actually I am satisfied with this buy, except that I bought it re-conditioned for alone 80$ and it me works of marvel!!!

Consumer review by:

It's great!

 

This is easy to use, works really well, nice pictures. We haven't used it as much as we would like, so I don't have a lot more to say about it. I gave it to my mom as a gift and she hasn't used it as much as I thought she would.

Consumer review by:

BUYER BEWARE!

 

I bought this camcorder 2 years ago because my sony camcorder wouldn't work anymore. Now it is doing exactly what that one did. It gives an ERROR and will not work anymore. Hope you purchase a warranty when you buy camcorders because i have not had...

Consumer review by:

A nice camcorder at a very good price

 

I have not regret or any complain about this camera. It came in perfect conditions. I started using inmediatelly and take good short movies and snapshots. The quality of the movies was average and perfect for the use I will give it.

Product Specifications

Using an SDXC/SDHC/SD memory card for recording media, the compact SDR-S50 is ideal for daily use. Its superb resistance to external impact combines to give this versatile camcorder easy portability for anytime, anywhere video fun. Video clips recorded on an SDXC/SDHC/SD memory card can be played by simply inserting the card into the card slot of a Panasonic VIERA TV. This compact camcorder features a powerful 70x optical zoom lens with an enhanced optical 78x zoom function that uses the effective area of the CCD to further extend their zooming power at the wide-angle setting. This makes it possible to capture beautiful images of sweeping landscapes and pull in distant subjects for truly dynamic close-ups. Because hand-shake becomes increasingly noticeable with more powerful zooming, an optical image stabilizing function is essential for suppressing hand-shake and providing clear zoom shots without degradation. This is where advanced O.I.S. comes in. It detects and corrects hand-shake at a rate of 4,000 times per second, to provide stable images while zooming. Plus, the addition of an active mode produces clear, blur-resistant images even when shooting while walking. The 33mm wide-angle setting is especially convenient when shooting video indoors or in tight spaces. It makes it possible to shoot at a close distance from the subject while fitting both the subject and the surrounding area into the frame. This has the added benefit of allowing the voice of the subject to be clearly recorded, which is an important element in video recordings. The wide-angle setting captures beautiful images of wide landscapes and allows large groups of people to fit into the frame. The iA function includes an AF/AE tracking feature that tracks a moving subject to make sure that it continues to be recorded in optimal image quality. A intelligent contrast control, which automatically adjusts brightness to maintain the best possible contrast, has also been added to the five advanced functions from previous models, including face detection, advanced O.I.S., and intelligent scene selector, and each is activated as required by simply pressing the iA button to capture beautiful images under virtually all shooting situations.

Audio Input

Microphone Operation Mode:Stereo
Microphone Technology:Electret condenser
Type:Microphone

Battery

Battery Form Factor:Manufacturer specific

Camcorder Features

Low Lux / Night Mode: Yes
Widescreen Video Capture: Yes

Digital Camera

Supported Flash Memory:SD Memory Card / SDXC Memory Card / SDHC Memory Card/SDHC Memory Card / SDXC Memory Card / SD Memory Card

Dimensions & Weight

Depth:4.2in
Height:2.5in
Weight:7.5oz
Width:2.2in

Display (Projector)

Diagonal Size:2.7in
Diagonal Size (metric):6.9cm
Display Form Factor:Rotating
Technology:TFT active matrix
Type:LCD display

Exposure Parameters

Shooting Programs:Snow / Beach / Sunset / Sports mode / Night scene / Low light / Fireworks / Scenery / Portrait mode / Spotlight

Header

Manufacturer:Panasonic
Model:SDR-S50/SDR-S50A
Packaged Quantity:1
Product Line:Panasonic

Lens System

Lens Aperture:F/1.9-5.7
Max Focal Length:104mm
Min Focal Length:1.48mm
Optical Zoom:70
Type:Zoom lens

Miscellaneous

Color:Black/Blue

Optical Sensor

Camcorder Effective Still Resolution:0.52Megapixel
Camcorder Effective Video Resolution:520Kpix
Camcorder Sensor Resolution:800Kpix
Optical Sensor Size:1/8 / 1/8"
Optical Sensor Size (metric):3.2 mm ( 1/8 ) / 3.2 mm ( 1/8" )
Optical Sensor Type:CCD
Sensor Qty:1CCD

Optical System

Built-in Optical Image Stabilizer: Yes
Image Stabilizer:Optical (Advanced O.I.S.)

Storage Floppy Drive

Type: None

Video Input

Analog Video Format:NTSC/PAL
Digital Video Format:MPEG-2 / H.264
Digital Zoom:3500
Face Detection: Yes
Media Type:Flash card
Shooting Modes:Digital photo mode
Still Image Format:JPEG
Type:Camcorder
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