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  • Introduction

  • Video Review

  • Design & Usability

  • Features

  • Performance

  • Conclusion

  • Science Introduction

  • Sharpness

  • Low Light Performance

  • Image Stabilization

  • Introduction
  • Video Review
  • Design & Usability
  • Features
  • Performance
  • Conclusion
  • Science Introduction
  • Sharpness
  • Low Light Performance
  • Image Stabilization

Introduction

Video Review

Design & Usability

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Loaded with features and options, the Panasonic HX-WA2 is too complicated to have broad appeal as a camcorder.

The HX-WA2 is an oxymoron of design. It's waterproof up to 10 feet, but it handles like one of the cheapest camcorders I've ever seen. It has tons of features, but none of them are easy to adjust. Buttons are designed terribly, the menu system is a joke, and the camcorder's strange design emulates that of a 70s-era sci-fi phaser gun, or a modern-day hose nozzle, whichever you prefer. The shape does, however, have a few benefits. The WA2 is easier to keep steady in the hand than traditional camcorders, and, while the buttons don't feel good when you press them, they are all easily accessible from the back of the camcorder. This makes one-handed operation a distinct possibility on the HX-WA2, which is something you can't always say about larger consumer camcorders.

Simply put, the user interface on this camcorder is awful.

A number of problems floated to the surface when I took the HX-WA2 out for a test drive. Simply put, the user interface on this camcorder is awful, even compared to other budget waterproof models. It feels clunky and cheap, the buttons simply don't feel right, and the controls are always a pain to work with. Yes, the WA2 has far more features than your average camcorder in this price range, but you should be certain that you’re going to want access to all these features before springing for the WA2. Sometimes simpler is better with budget camcorders—take in point the Samsung W200 and Kodak PlaySport Zx5, which are two of our favorite waterproof models right now.

{{photo_gallery "Front Photo", "Left Photo", "Left Open Photo", "Back Photo", "Right Photo", "Top Photo", "Bottom Photo", "Lens Photo", "Lens Photo 2", "3D Lens Photo", "Media Photo", "Easy Mode Photo", "Manual Controls Photo", "Zoom Photo", "Zoom Photo 2", "Ease of Use Photo", "Battery Photo", "LCD Photo 1", "LCD Photo 2", "EVF Photo 1", "EVF Photo 2", "Mic Photo", "Mic Photo 2", "Ports Photo 1", "Ports Photo 2", "Ports Photo 3", "Ports Photo 4", "Ports Photo 5", "Ports Photo 6", "Handling Photo 1", "Handling Photo 2", "Handling Photo 3", "Handling Photo 4", "Box Photo"}}

Features

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With its articulated LCD, multitude of recording options, and frenzy of still image controls, the HX-WA2 has far more controls than the average waterproof camcorder.

The HX-WA2 has a lot of controls for a little waterproof camcorder, but if you’re a die-hard fan of manual controls and settings, you’re still likely to be disappointed. Not only are controls difficult to adjust on the WA2, but the camcorder also lacks important options like aperture and shutter speed, while neglecting more obscure features like ISO controls. Even so, it can't be denied that the HX-WA2 has more features than almost any other waterproof camcorder on the market, most of which include a basic auto mode and nothing more.

The HX-WA2 has more features than almost any other waterproof camcorder on the market.

Focus and exposure can be set manually on the WA2, but the system for adjusting the controls is ridiculously imprecise. The camcorder handles everything via its joystick control, which results in adjustments that are anything but smooth. Zoom is the same story, with the camcorder's zoom buttons unable to magnify the image in a fluid manner. Of course, just the fact that the WA2 has a 5x optical zoom lens means it has more features than the competition.

Performance

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Strange problems with sharpness marred otherwise positive results in our tests.

The HX-WA2’s highs came in our low light tests, where the camcorder did very well limiting noise and producing accurate colors without much illumination. The camcorder also did well in our motion test, which was surprising, considering the HX-WA2's weak performance in our sharpness test. Overall, this is a decent budget model in terms of performance, but there are other ultracompact camcorders—mainly the Samsung HMX-W200—that matched it point for point in our tests.

Conclusion

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Despite its good video performance, the HX-WA2 inherits too many design flaws to be taken seriously.

With the HX-WA2, I hoped Panasonic would be able to polish up the Xacti line, fit the camcorder with a better user interface, and create a semi-ultracompact model that would be attractive to a variety of users. But the HX-WA2 is ultimately a failure. Yes, it has more controls and features than the competition, but it's also bulkier, uglier, and much more complicated. The HX-WA2, with its flimsy buttons, unattractive menu, and substandard auto controls has nearly as many quirks and frustrations as the Sony Xacti camcorders that came before it. Unfortunately, Panasonic didn't do enough to improve on Sanyo's flaws.

If you are a lover of features and controls, the Panasonic WA2 will probably keep you busy for some time. Its instruction manual is as thick as a novella, and its menu is full of options not found on competing camcorders. But if you’re looking for a simple waterproof camcorder to take to the beach, you should look elsewhere. The HX-WA2, like the Sanyo camcorders that came before it, is too much of a challenge for a novice videographer to work with.

Science Introduction

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Our tests revealed some strange realities about the Panasonic HX-WA2. The heart of this camcorder builds on fairly good components, as the WA2 put up decent numbers in most of our performance tests. Low light video looked pretty good, noise levels were never an issue, and even motion—often the death knell for ultracompact camcorders—looked decent. When it came for the WA2 to really put up its dukes and fight, however, the camcorder failed our most important test. Its sharpness numbers were terrible, worse than all the budget models we compared it to, and that means you won't get nearly as much detail with the HX-WA2 as you would with another camcorder.

Sharpness

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The WA2 failed what is arguably our most important performance test.

The Panasonic HX-WA2 did worse on our sharpness test than all the models we compared it to, although its numbers were very similar to Panasonic’s previous (and disappointing) HM-TA20 waterproof model. The WA2 registered a horizontal sharpness of 575 lw/ph and a vertical sharpness of 500 lw/ph, both of which are low scores. It looks like loading the image sensor with tons of pixels didn’t help give the HX-WA2 a boost in terms of sharpness.

One thing to note, the camcorder did a whole lot better with sharpness when recording perfectly still videos. Our sharpness test is performed by panning back and forth very slowly, and that’s when we noticed the steep drop in overall sharpness. For still shots, the sharpness levels were a good 100 – 150 lw/ph better than what we saw in our panning test.

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Low Light Performance

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The HX-WA2 is a surprisingly good low light camcorder.

The HX-WA2 is able to record a usable video image without the aid of much light. In our tests, the camcorder needed just 9 lux of light to hit 50 IRE on a waveform monitor, which is a good score for a consumer camcorder. Of course, the HX-WA2 does get a boost from its use of a slow shutter speed in low light situations, a feature we turn off if the camcorder allows. That's an "advantage" most ultracompact models gain in this test, though, so the WA2's numbers are still perfectly in-line to the competition.

The WA2 did a great job in our bright light noise test, but the camcorder did an even better job in our low light test. Using its regular 60i frame rate, the HX-WA2 averaged just 0.44% noise, which is a very low amount for any type of camcorder. The Panasonic HX-WA2 lets you record Full HD video using a 60i or 30p frame rate. Often there is an improvement in low light performance when using a 30p frame rate, but this wasn't the case with the WA2. In fact, the noise level rose by about 0.2% in 30p mode compared to 60i.

Like noise, the HX-WA2 was also near the top of its class in terms of color accuracy in low light. Sure, its final number (5.01 color error) was a bit worse than the Samsung HMX-W200 and Panasonic HM-TA20, but the discrepancy was negligible. The camcorder's ability to keep color saturation above 80% in low light was another impressive feat.

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Image Stabilization

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The WA2 is equipped with two levels of electronic image stabilization: regular EIS and Active Mode.

Both settings were utilized in our stabilization test, and, surprisingly, neither were found to reduce the shakiness of the video image. In fact, the Active Mode made things a tiny bit shakier, although not by much. What does this say about the WA2? It says that its EIS system is bogus and doesn’t work,

Maybe I should have seen this coming. Older Sanyo camcorders, which are the HX-WA2’s true ancestors, also performed terribly in this test. Most Panasonic camcorders, however, do extremely well with stabilization, although Panasonic includes optical image stabilization on its regular camcorders, making the HX-WA2 kind of an odd man out when it comes to stabilization.

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Meet the tester

Jeremy Stamas

Jeremy Stamas

Managing Editor, Video

@nematode9

Jeremy is the video expert of our imaging team and Reviewed.com's head of video production. Originally from Pennsylvania and upstate NY, he graduated from Bard college with a degree in film and electronic media. He has been living and working in New England since 2005.

See all of Jeremy Stamas's reviews

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