Panasonic HDC-HS60

Audio Features (3.25)

The HDC-HS60 does not have any inputs for an external microphone, but the camcorder itself has a decent amount of audio controls. You can adjust the audio levels manually for the built-in stereo microphone (see the screen capture below), and you can turn on a zoom mic feature (the microphone's recording will focus on whatever subject the lens is zoomed into). The HDC-HS60 also features a new wind noise canceler feature that is said to be much improved over Panasonic's previous wind cut option.

This new wind noise canceler uses noise reduction technology—similar to what you'd find in noise canceler headphones—rather than simply using a high-pass filter to cut out the sound of the rustling wind, which is what most camcorders use.

Built-in microphone		Adjusting the audio levels manually

	Panasonic HDC-HS60	Panasonic HDC-HS20	Canon HF M31	JVC GZ-HD620
External Mic	No	No	Yes	No
Headphone	No	No	Yes (shares with AV)	No
Built-in Mic	Stereo	Stereo	Stereo	Stereo
Accessory Shoe	No	No	Yes (Canon mini proprietary)	No
Audio Level Display	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Audio Level Control	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Test Tone	No	No	No	No
Zoom Mic	Yes	Yes	No	No
Wind Cut	Yes (wind noise canceler)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Other Audio Feature(s)	None	None	Microphone Attenuator	None

Other Features (4.5)

Pre Record
Pre Record has become a rather common feature on consumer camcorders. It allows the camcorder to continually store three seconds of footage in an internal buffer. This way, as soon as you hit the record button you've already captured three seconds of footage (the three seconds prior to pressing record). It can be a lifesaving feature if you're shooting action-oriented sports, but Pre Record does put a strain on the battery life of your camcorder.

Auto Ground Standby (AGS)
This nifty feature will automatically stop recording if the camcorder is pointed to the ground for an extended period of time. Essentially, the camcorder thinks you forgot to hit the stop button in this scenario. The only problem with AGS is that sometimes people actually want to be filming towards the ground—so make sure you turn off this feature if that's the case.

Video Light
The video light on the HDC-HS60 can help if you're shooting in the dark, but the intensity of the light isn't very strong. You need to be very close to your subject if you want them to be fully illuminated.

Fader
Faders on the HDC-HS60 can be either white or black and they can be activated in either the main menu or the function menu.

Panasonic HDC-HS60 Comparisons
Panasonic HDC-HS20	Canon HF M31	JVC GZ-HD620