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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 & Sharpness 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.Canon HF20 Comparison
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12.Sanyo VPC-HD2000 Comparison
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13.Sony MHS-CM1 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-HS20
This review is organized into 17 parts
Next: Part 1
Product Tour
Introduction
For those who do not want to spend too much money for a good camcorder, Panasonic offers three models. One of which is the Panasonic HDC-HS20. With a price of £549 it is a few hundred Pounds cheaper than the HDC-HS300 or top-of-the-line models from the competition. Besides the 80GB hard drive, to store hours of videos, the HS20 offers a beginner-friendly and intuitive design. But the HDC-HS20 does not just save you some money. Unfortunately the quality and performance are mediocre—especially compared to the Canon HF20 and other, more expensive camcorders.
Panasonic's mid-range camcorder also offers some Among the highlights of the HDC-HS20 is the auto mode with its effective and straightforward functions. One of it is Panasonic's Intelligent Auto (iA) technology, with AF/AE Tracking and optical image stabilisation. The touch screen and the easy automatic settings also adds to the rewarding experience. So if you are a bargain shopper, and don't mind the quality loss, then the Panasonic HDC-HS20 is made for you.
If you don't need 80GB of memory, you can consider the HDC-SD20. It is basically identical to the HS20, but the SD20 records to SD/SDHC cards only and is about 150£ less expensive.
| Section | The Good | The Bad |
| Product Tour | simple, sleek aesthetic |
Rather small sensor with low resolution |
| Colour & Noise Performance | Noise is fantastic | Colour accuracy worse than competition |
| Motion & Sharpness Performance | Fairly sharp and even motion, for a midrange camcorder |
Tons of trailling and artefacting |
| Low Light Performance | Again, excellent noise |
Image is very soft, sensitivity is below average |
| Compression & Media | AVCHD is universal, four bit rates |
Interface of editing programme is cluttered and complex |
| Manual Controls | Automatic controls are superb, including Intelligent Auto (iA) |
Some manual controls are buried in submenus, touch screen inexact for manual focus etc. |
| Still Features | Fabulous colour and noise |
Slim set of features, photos just with 1920 x 1080 |
| Handling & Use | Very beginner friendly, OIS very good |
Simultaneous charging and recording not possible |
| Playback & Connectivity | Nice to have: Highlight Playback and Intelligent Scene Selector |
Power input hidden, no headphone or microphone connection |
| Audio & Other Features | Sophisticated audio control, 5.1 channel surround sound |
Microphone is positioned bad (can be rubbed easily) |
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