Panasonic HDC-HS300

Playback (6.5)

Playback controls on the HDC-HS300 are relatively ordinary. The camcorder has a dedicated playback mode, which is accessed by turning the switch on the back of the camcorder. Footage is arranged in a thumbnail format and the amount of thumbnails displayed can be adjusted by using the zoom toggle (between 1, 9, or 20 thumbnails at a time). VCR controls are all located on the touch-screen, which can be a bit difficult to use and often obstruct the video image if you're watching on the camcorders LCD screen.

The mode dial lets you switch from Video, Photo, and Playback modes.

Playback controls on the HDC-HS300 are relatively ordinary. The camcorder has a dedicated playback mode, which is accessed by turning the switch on the back of the camcorder. Footage is arranged in a thumbnail format and the amount of thumbnails displayed can be adjusted by using the zoom toggle (between 1, 9, or 20 thumbnails at a time). VCR controls are all located on the touch-screen, which can be a bit difficult to use and often obstruct the video image if you're watching on the camcorders LCD screen.

The video playback screen		The still playback screen

Videos can be sorted by date or scene, and there's also an option for Panasonic's Intelligent Scene Selection—a feature that has the camcorder automatically exclude parts of your footage that have blurry motion or poor focus. Highlight Playback is another option for viewing your footage. With this feature, the camcorder automatically creates a short collection of 'highlights' culled from your footage. Music can even be played in the background with Highlight Playback, although there are only four choices (Pop, Classical, Natural, and Dynamic). Sony offers a similar feature on the HDR-XR520V, although you can upload your own music to play in the background.

The video playback menu		The still playback menu

Connectivity (6.38)

The Panasonic HDC-HS300 has the standard fare when it comes to ports and connectivity options. Inside the LCD cavity, near the bottom of the camcorder, are the video output options: A/V, Component, and HDMI. These three ports are located behind a sliding plastic shield that opens and closes like a garage door and protects the ports well. it is good to see these ports located on the left side of the camcorder in an easy-to-access location. On last year's models, Panasonic awkwardly placed the video outputs inside the battery compartment—which meant you had to remove the battery and connect the DC-input every time you wanted to connect the camcorder to a television or computer.

From left to right: A/V-out, Component-out, HDMI-out, USB (below HDMI)		The SD/SDHC card slot

The USB connector, which is protected by a flexible plastic cover, is located just beneath the video output ports. The SD/SDHC card slot is also located here, and it is covered by a flip-down door that pops open with the flick of a small switch. On the top of the camcorder is a cold accessory shoe. The shoe is covered by a large piece of plastic that is hinged to the side of the camcorder. The plastic does a good job blending in with the rest of the camcorder and it offers a decent seal for protecting the accessory shoe compartment. Even though the shoe is cold (not powered), Panasonic should be applauded for not using a proprietary-fit design like Canon and Sony. The shoe will fit any normal-mounting accessory or device.

The cold accessory shoe		The microphone and headphone jacks

Up front, on the right side of the camcorder are the external mic and headphone jacks. While the inclusion of these ports is excellent on the HS300, their placement is a bit uncomfortable. The ports ride a bit too close to the edge of the camcorders hand strap, which means the side of your hand may rub up against the plug when you have headphones or a microphone connected. Still, this will only be a problem if you plan on doing lots of hand-held shooting with an external mic or pair of headphones connected to the camcorder.

The DC-input is annoyingly located inside the battery pack.

Despite the fact that Panasonic moved its video-output ports to the left side of the camcorder, it decided to keep the power-adapter-input inside the battery compartment. By placing the power-connection here, it forces users to stop recording and turn off the camcorder whenever a switch from battery to power operation is required. So, if you want to continuously record for longer than an hour or so, you'll need to have the cable plugged into a power source for the entire time. This may only be a problem for certain users, but if you like to consistently switch between battery power and DC-input, the design of the HDC-HS300 will certainly frustrate you.