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Introduction
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01.Product Tour
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02.Colour & Noise Performance
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03.Motion & Resolution Performance
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04.Low Light Performance
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05.Compression & Media
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06.Manual Controls
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07.Still Features
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08.Handling & Use
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09.Playback & Connectivity
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10.Audio & Other Features
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11.Sony HDR-XR520 Comparison
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12.Canon HF S100 Comparison
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13.Sanyo VPC-HD2000 Comparison
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14.Conclusion
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15.Photo Gallery
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16.Specs and Ratings
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17.Comments
Panasonic HDC-HS300
This review is organized into 17 parts
Next: Part 1
Product Tour
Introduction
The HDC-HS300 is Panasonic's new flagship camcorder. In addition to a wide range of manual controls, the Panasonic offers a manual control ring and a retractable viewfinder, something pros can appreciate. The new touch screen LCD is a nice touch, as well, though its far from iPhone-quality. With up to 15 hours of high definition video on the 120GB hard drive, the HS300 is among the most intriguing camcorders of the year.
| Section | The Good | The Bad |
| Product Tour | Has a similar aesthetic as pro camcorders | Nothing of note |
| Colour & Noise Performance | Noise and colour accuracy were excellent | Not enough colour modes or adjustment tools |
| Motion & Sharpness Performance | Smooth and sharp videos | Shows a little bit more artefacting than the competition |
| Low Light Performance | Low light sensitivity is superb, very good low light colour and noise | No performance improvement in 25p mode |
| Compression & Media | Plenty of storage in the 120GB hard drive | Editing software not very good |
| Manual Controls | Numerous manual controls and Intelligent auto (iA) features | No possibility to use manual controls and iA cannot at the same time |
| Still Features | Sufficient of image size and aspect ratio options | Burst feature not available in still mode, menu system a little confusing |
| Handling & Use | Manual control ring and viewfinder are good features to have | When not using the viewfinder other settings ring than zoom or focus when not using viewfinder |
| Playback & Connectivity | Cold accessory shoe fits many devices | Power input is inside the battery compartment. |
| Audio & Other Features | Pre-record and time lapse record very useful | Microphone and headphone jack are poorly placed |
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