Panasonic HDC-HS60

Motion (8.2)

The HDC-HS60's video looked very good in our motion test, and the camcorder showed significantly better motion rendering than last year's Panasonic HDC-HS20. One shocker, however, is that Panasonic declined to include its 25p Digital Cinema mode on the HDC-HS60 (the feature is also absent on the HDC-TM55 and HDC-SD60). We're not sure why Panasonic dropped this feature—it was on all of the manufacturer's HD camcorders in 2009—but it might be that Panasonic is pushing its native 25p setting on its new flagship models (the HDC-HS700 and TM700) instead. (More on how we test motion.)

	Panasonic HDC-HS60	Panasonic HDC-HS20	Canon HF M31	JVC GZ-HD620
Frame Rate(s)	50i	560i, 25p (Digital Cinema mode)	50i, PF25	50i
Artefacting	Very low artefacting for a mid-range camcorder.	Artefacting was prominent and noticeable in our test footage.	Very little artefacting—similar to what we saw with Canon's high-end camcorders	More noticeable artefacting than the Canon, but still very low for a mid-range camcorder.
Smoothness	Good smoothness in our test video.	Smoothness wasn't bad, but this camcorder was the worst of this set.	Very smooth motion, but other camcorders were stronger in this category.	Very smooth motion—one of the best camcorders out there.
Trailing	Trailing was noticeable in various parts of our test video.	More noticeable trailing than the HDC-HS60, but not by much.	Noticeable trailing on the train in our test footage, but overall this wasn't an issue.	Blur and trailing was low; on par with the Canon HF M31.
Frequency Interference	Frequency interference was relatively low throughout our test video.	Some interference was noticed on straight vertical lines, but the issue was minor.	Some light interference, but not a big problem	No major frequency interference issues.
Slow Motion Mode(s)	None	None	None	Time Lapse Record

As far as motion rendering goes the best performance came from the JVC GZ-HD620, which is a little surprise. The Canon HF M31 is not far behind though, and its two frame rates, make it one of the best mid-range camcorder for capturing motion. Still, we were impressed by how well the HDC-HS60 captured motion and the camcorder represents a significant improvement for Panasonic.

Panasonic HDC-HS60 click here for large HD version		Panasonic HDC-HS20 click here for large HD version
Canon HF M31 click here for large HD version		JVC GZ-HD620 click here for large HD version

Video Sharpness (10.97)

In our testing, the HDC-HS60 measured a horizontal sharpness of 800 lw/ph and a vertical sharpness of 600 lw/ph. These scores are both very good for a mid-range HD camcorder—and it represents a big improvement over last year's HDC-HS20 and other mid-range models from Panasonic. We're happy to see this sharpness improvement from Panasonic, and it goes to show how much impact a larger sensor can have on video performance. As far as mid-range HD camcorders go, only the Canon HF M31 captured a sharper image, but the JVC GZ-HD60 is not far behind. (More on how we test video sharpness.)

Video Sharpness Score Comparison		Compare the Panasonic HDC-HS60 to the Panasonic HDC-HS20
		Compare the Panasonic HDC-HS60 to the Canon HF M31
		Compare the Panasonic HDC-HS60 to the JVC GZ-HD620