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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
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IntroductionNext: Part 2
Colour & Noise Performance
Product Tour Summary
• The small, low resolution sensor isn't a recipe for a powerful video performance
• Sleek, black contours are easy on the eyes and easy in the hand
• Same basic architecture as last year's HDC-SD9
• Panasonic finally moved the AV ports out of the battery cavity (but not the DC input)
Lens & Imaging System
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| The Panasonic HDC-HS20's Leica Dicomar lens |
The Panasonic HDC-HS20 has a more modest lens compared to its more impressive cousins in Panasonic's 300-series. The wide angle was particularly unimpressive—at just 46 degrees, you may want to consider using the 43mm filter threads for a wide angle lens. The sensor is also especially small and somewhat of a downgrade from the three CMOS sensor arrangement in last year's HDC-SD9. On paper, you would expect a significant decrease in image quality. You'll see in the video performance section that it seems to have only resulted in a small decrease in quality, mostly in sharpness. For fans of the three CMOS sensor array, you'll have to stick with Panasonic's top-of-the-line this year.
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| Filter Diameter | 43mm | Type | CMOS | |
| Focal Range | 2.95mm - 47.2mm | Size | 1/6-inch | |
| Focal Range (35mm equiv.) | 44.1mm - 706mm | Pixel Count (Gross) | 1,470,000 | |
| Aperture | f/1.8(W) - f/3.3(T) | Pixel Count (Effective) | 1,170,000 (video) 1,170,000 (photo) |
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| Lab Tested Wide Angle* | 46° | |||
| * How We Test Wide Angle | ||||
Front
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Flash for still photos |
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f/1.8 lens with a 16x zoom lens |
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Tally lamp |
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LED light |
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No lens control ring (but there is one on the Panasonic HDC-HS300) |
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Right
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Thin, but comfortable hand strap |
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Back
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Indicator light |
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Mode dial for Playback/Record modes |
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| Record Start/Stop button |
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| Rechargeable VW-VBG070 battery |
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Left
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Manual/Auto mode button |
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Playback speaker |
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| 2.7-inch LCD with 230,400-pixel resolution |
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Optical image stabilisation on/off |
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LED light on/off |
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Component AV-out |
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| Menu and Delete buttons |
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SD/SDHC card slot |
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HDMI |
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Composite AV-out |
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USB |
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Top
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5.1-channel mic |
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Shutter button for still photos |
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Zoom toggle |
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Intelligent Auto Mode on/off |
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Pre-Record on/off |
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Bottom
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Battery release switch |
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Tripod mount |
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Latest News & Reviews
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29-Apr-2011
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10-Mar-2011
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TypeConsumer -
£764.952Panasonic HDC-TM700
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4JVC Everio GZ-HM1
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£966.505Canon Legria HF S21
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Features
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