Las Vegas (NV) – While the PMA show in Las Vegas is primarily meant for photographers, Panasonic and other companies have taken the opportunity to show off their upcoming camcorders.  At the pre-show DigitalFocus event, Panasonic reps lets us handle two of their smallest camcorders, the water-proof SW20 and the insanely tiny S7.

PMA 08 VIDEO - Panasonic's waterproof,shockproof and dustproof SW20 

PMA 08 VIDEO - Panasonic's ultra tiny S7

Both camcorders record standard definition to either SD or SDHC cards.  A 10X optical zoom along with a 2.7 LCD screen is also common between the cams.
If you are an extreme sportsman, then the SW20 may be for you.  Panasonic claims the cam can withstand up to five feet of water (seawater included) and is shock-proof against drops of up to four feet.  It also has a dust-proof housing for those pesky desert environments.

The Panasonic S7 is definitely the smallest camcorder we’ve ever seen.  In the above video, you can see that it’s just a bit bigger than your average mobile phone.  Panasonic reps agreed with us that high-end consumers may not want just standard definition video, but added that the camcorder will produce video that is perfect for the web.

The Panasonic SW20 with be available in February 2008 for $400 while the S7 will retail for $300 in May.

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