JVC Everio GZ-X900 Camcorder Review

JVC GZ-X900 versus Panasonic HDC-TM300
• TM300 is larger and has more traditional design than X900. • Low light performance much better on the TM300 • TM300 includes lots of manual controls, connectivity options, lens ring, and viewfinder.
	Sanyo VPC-HD2000 Comparison	(Page 13 of 17)	JVC GZ-HD300 Comparison

The Panasonic HDC-TM300 is a great camcorder and its sister-model, the HDC-HS300, currently sits at #1 on our ratings page. Yes, the camcorder is a bit pricey ($1299 MSRP), but it performed extremely well in all of our performance tests. The camcorder also includes 32GB of built-in flash memory in addition to an SD/SDHC memory card slot. The camcorder has a traditional design and includes an electronic viewfinder as well as an LCD screen.

We found Panasonic's new touchscreen LCD system on the TM300 and HS300 to provide an easy shooting experience that is very intuitive to use. And, if you don't like touchscreens, Panasonic includes a lens ring on all its top-of-the-line HD camcorders that can be used to make manual adjustments. Panasonic uses three small CMOS sensors inside the TM300 rather than one large sensor like most manufacturers, including JVC, tend to do.

The Panasonic HDC-TM300 is a very different camcorder than the GZ-X900. It is definitely larger and heavier than the JVC, and it is also loaded with controls and connectivity options that are absent on the X900. The main performance difference is the TM300 superb low light capabilities that really blow the GZ-X900 out of the water. We think that if you're going to go with an expensive, top-of-the-line camcorder you should probably go with the best—and right now, the Panasonic HDC-TM300 and HDC-HS300 are the best all-around camcorders on the market.

Update: The Panasonic HDC-TM300 was ultimately selected as our 2009 Camcorder of the Year. To see why we selected it and read about our other awards, check out the 2009 CamcorderInfo.com Select Awards.

	Comparison Specs
	JVC GZ-X900	Panasonic HDC-TM300
Price	$999.95	$1299.99
Primary Recording Media	SD/SDHC memory card	32GB built-in flash memory
Secondary Recording Media	None	SD/SDHC memory card
Image Sensor	1/2.33-inch CMOS	Three 1/4.1-inch CMOS
Effective Pixel Count	Unknown (video) 9-megapixel (stills)	2.07-megapixels (x3) video 2.65-megapixels (x3) stills
Mic Input	None	Yes, 3.5mm
LCD	2.8-inch with 207,000 pixels	2.7-inch with 230,400 pixels
Viewfinder	None	Yes
Weight	298g with battery	445g with battery
Dimensions	37 x 66 x 124mm	72 x 70 x 141mm
HD	Yes	Yes
Frame Rates	1080/60i	1080/60i, 24p (digital cinema mode)
Compression	AVCHD (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264)	AVCHD
Maximum Bitrate	24Mbps	17Mbps
Optical Zoom	5x	12x
Stabilization	Optical	Optical

Low Light Comparison (60 lux)
JVC GZ-X900 100% Crop	Panasonic HDC-TM300 100% Crop

Low Light Noise Score Comparisons