The Panasonic HDC-SD90K is our No. 2 choice in the best under $500 category, selling at the time of this writing for the extremely low price of $389.75 on Amazon (prices subject to change). Panasonic make excellent camcorders and are my favorite manufacturer due to their doing a great job in several areas, most importantly: picture quality, image stabilization, wide angle and zoom, low light performance and ease of use. The only reason this camcorder is not my No. 1 choice in the category is that it has no internal memory, relying on a SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card slot so you will have to buy a memory card.
Outstanding Video Quality
The SD90K measures up very well in all of the aforementioned areas. The HDC-SD90K shoots outstanding HD video including at 1,920 x 1,080p, 60 frames per second. This yields superb quality video with excellent color reproduction, very sharp images and fine detail. Low light performance is also very strong.
To see reviews and prices for the HDC-SD90K on Amazon, click here
3D Ready
The SD90K can shoot in 3D with the purchase of a separate 3D lens, the Panasonic VW-CLT1 3D lens is currently on sale at Amazon for $269.
Image Stabilization
Another outstanding feature of this camcorder is it’s image stabilization. The SD90K comes with Panasonic’s HYBRID O.I.S., a very effective system that works by blending the action of the hybrid optical and electrical image stabilization systems.
Wide Angle and Zoom
Wide angle and zoom is yet another strength of this camcorder. It’s 28mm wide angle lens allows you to get substantially more in the frame than most other camcorders in this class. Zoom capabilities are also extremely strong with optical zoom going to 21x and Panasonic’s “Intelligent Zoom” going to 40x. Where image stabilization would be a be a problem for most camcorders at 40x zoom, this camcorder handles this extremely well, the best in this price range.
No Internal Memory
A negative for this camcorder is that it has no internal memory, it records to a SDXC/SDHC/SD memory card slot, so you will have to buy a separate memory card. If you want this camcorder with some built-in internal memory, you can spend a few more dollars and get the HDC-TM90K (view it here on Amazon)
Automated Settings and Manual Controls
The TM90K is easy to use with the automated settings and also contains a very good set of manual controls.
3 Inch LCD Touch Screen
The touch screen menus are intuitive and can be learned quickly, the screen is bright and viewable even in strong sunlight.