Samsung HMX-R10

The Panasonic HDC-HS20 has a 80 GB hard drive, while the Samsung HMX-R10 records solely to SD/SDHC memory cards. The SD20 is also larger, has optical image stabilisation, and includes a traditional right-side hand strap. Its video doesn't have the sharpness of the Samsung R10, and its still image features are severely limited. The Panasonic HS20 only takes photos at one size, 1920 x 1080, which is a far cry from the native 9-megapixel capability on the R10.

In our video performance testing, we side with the HMX-R10 hands down. The HS20 did eek out a few better numbers in our low light testing, but its image is faded, washed-out, and fuzzy when the lights are dim. In bright light, the HDC-HS20 doesn't have the sharpness or image quality to stand up to the HMX-R10. Both camcorders captured motion quite similarly, however, and each offers an alternate frame rate other than 50i (25p).

If you don't mind the unique handling of the HMX-R10, we feel it is just as good of a product as the Panasonic HS20. The HDC-HS20 is a more traditional camcorder, however, so experienced users may prefer how it handles. Both camcorders use touch screen LCDs and neither include electronic viewfinders. If you like the performance of the Panasonic HDC-HS20, but you're looking for something more compact, Panasonic has a bunch of new Camcorders that are approximately the same size as the Samsung R10, but have similar specs and performance to the Panasonic HS20.

	Comparison Specs
	Samsung HMX-R10	Panasonic HDC-HS20
Price	£ 350	£ 549
Primary Recording Media	SD/SDHC memory card	80GB hard drive
Secondary Recording Media	None	None
Image Sensor	1/2.33-inch CMOS	1/6-inch CMOS
Effective Pixel Count	5.3 megapixels (video) 9 megapixels (still)	1.17 megapixels (video) 1.17 megapixels (still)
Mic Input	None	None
LCD	2.7-inch with 230,000 pixels	2.7-inch with 230,400 pixels
Viewfinder	None	None
Weight	229g (without battery)	415g (including battery)
Dimensions	38.3 x 56.8 x 128.2mm	67 x 69 x 128mm
HD	Yes	Yes
Frame Rates	1080/50i, 1080/25p, 720/50p	1080/50i, Digital Cinema (25p)
Compression	H.264 (MPEG-4.AVC)	AVCHD
Maximum Bitrate	Unknown	17Mbps
Optical Zoom	5x	16x
Stabilisation	Digital	Optical

Low Light Comparison (60 lux)
Samsung HMX-R10	Panasonic HDC-HS20

Low Light Noise Score Comparison