Panasonic rolled out three new "semi-professional" high-definition camcorders today. The Panasonic HDC-HS300 (gallery), HDC-TM300 and HDC-HS250 (gallery) all shoot full 1920 x 1080 high-definition video and feature brand new touch-screen LCDs. With a 3MOS image sensor system (three 1/4.1" CMOS sensors), Panasonic is promising the world's highest pixel count on a consumer camcorder, over 9-megapixels. Also part of that promise is an increased low light performance, thanks to a purported luminance of 1.6 lux.
The Panasonic HDC-HS300 and HDC-TM300 feature a new Leica Dicomar lens with a 43mm filter diameter and a manual lens ring that governs multiple manual controls. Shooters will also be able to capture 10-megapixel still images with all three camcorders, which is an impressive feat in the camcorder world. Panasonic has delivered solid Optical Image Stabilization in the past, and is implementing a newly designed system that self-corrects the image at a profound rate of 4,000 times per second.
Like Panasonic's digital camera line, the Panasonic HDC-HS300, HDC-TM300 and HDC-HS250 will feature Intelligent Auto (iA) mode, allowing shooters to choose a specific Scene mode or let the camcorder choose one. The new Auto Focus feature can track a subject anywhere on the screen and allows shooters to touch a portion of the screen they want focused.
Yes, Panasonic has thrown in the towel and opted for touch-screen LCDs on its top-tier HD models. After years of stellar joystick navigation, the new Panasonic HDC-HS300, HDC-TM300 and HDC-HS250 will feature new touch-screen interfaces. We will certainly let you know if the new LCDs sink or swim when we acquire a Panasonic HDC-HS300.
Differences between the Panasonic HDC-HS300 and HDC-TM300 are limited to storage capacity. The Panasonic HDC-HS300 has a 120GB HDD while the HDC-TM300 has 32GB of built-in memory and possesses the ability to record to SD/SDHC cards. The HDC-HS250 lacks the Control ring and certain manual controls, but is more compact than its bigger brothers and features a 120GB HDD. All three camcorders will ship in April, and will be selling for $1400, $1300 and $1000, respectively.
If "semi-professional" is not your bag, Panasonic also released three budget-friendly HD camcorders today. The HDC-HS20, HDC-TM20 and HDC-SD20 are more compact, yet offer fewer features. These are the ultimate high-definition tourist cams, featuring a Highlight Playback mode, 1.9-second Quick On and an Auto Power LCD. All three camcorders will inherit the new touch-screen LCD as well. The HDC-HS20 records to an 80GB HDD while the HDC-TM20 records to either 16GB of internal memory or SD/SDHC cards. The HDC-SD20 records solely to SD/SDHC cards. All three camcorders will be available this April, selling for $800, $650 and $600, respectively.
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