Panasonic SDR-S10 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: It's a mini adventure with the S10. A go anywhere, shoot anything cam that won't break the bank and delivers well for its size

Pros: Tiny size. Rugged build. Great in good light

Cons: Awkward ergonomics. Ropey indoors. Only 0.3MP pics

Verdict: With dust, shock and water resistance, the S10 is one tough cookie but, like all tough-guys, it has a vulnerable underbelly - or, in this case, lens. With no protective cap, either internally or externally, it's seriously exposed. A decent camera case is

Review summary: The S10 is targetted at gadget fans rather than enthusiasts

Pros: Easy to use, Good colour reproduction, Decent audio for the price

Cons: Basic features, Picture fizz in fast-moving shots

Verdict: Choosing the top-quality XP setting will only allow you to store around 25 minutes of footage to the 2GB card, but the S10 is also compatible with the higher capacity SDHC card

Review summary: The words 'small' and 'light' are frequently attributed to Panasonic's various camcorders, but with the S10 the company has gone one better and come up with what it claims to be the world's smallest SD camcorder.

Pros: Easy to use, Good colour reproduction, Decent audio for the price

Cons: Basic features, Picture fizz in fast-moving shots

Verdict: If it's quality you're after, pound-for-pound a mini DV cam will give you better footage, more features and longer recording time. But for sheer carry-anywhere convenience, the S10 offers a neat solution with acceptable image quality that will be

Review summary: A dinky, water-resistant, SD card camcorder for a very attractive price. But how does it perform?

Verdict: At under -300, though, the SDR-S10 manages to pull of a bit of a coup. Normally, you would expect to pay a premium for the gadget desirability of a camcorder like this. But the price puts it amongst the lower end of the DV camcorder market. Now that you c