Panasonic HDC-HS300 First Impressions Camcorder Review

by Kaitlyn Chantry
Published on Jan 9, 2009 3:49 AM

 
Intro Audio
Compression & Media
 Manual Controls
Still Features Handling & Use
Playback & Connectivity Other Features
Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings



Compression
Video from the Panasonic HDC-HS300 is compressed in the AVCHD format. This is the same format used by most high definition camcorders last year, including Panasonic's high def lineup. When AVCHD was first developed by Panasonic and Sony, there was a lot of doubt as to whether the quality would live up to that of MiniDV's HDV format. Without bringing the HDC-HS300 into our labs, we can't really judge the video quality. However, results from last year's AVCHD lineup were more than satisfactory. It seems that the format is finally keeping pace with its HDV cousins.

There are four quality settings to choose from on the Panasonic HDC-HS300, each of which corresponds to a maximum bitrate and a resolution. The HA setting (17Mbps) and HG setting (13Mbps) record in full 1920 x 1080 at either 60i or 24p frame rates. The HX setting (9 Mbps) records full 1920 x 1080, but only at the 60i frame rate. The lowest setting, HE (6 Mbps), has a resolution of 1440 x 1080.

Media
The HDC-HS300 can record to either the internal hard drive or SD/SDHC memory cards. There is also a step-down model, the HDC-TM300, which is identical to the HS300 except it records to internal flash memory or SD/SDHC cards.

Recording Media
Primary Media 120GB Hard Disc Drive (HDD)
Secondary Media SD/SDHC Memory Card


Editing
This year, Panasonic is emphasizing its new support for the Apple MacIntosh operating system, including compatibility with iMovie. Panasonic joins Samsung and Sanyo as the only major manufacturers promoting Apple support for their camcorder line.

The HDC-HS300 also ships with the HD Writer AE 1.0 editing software. This allows you to import video, perform simple editing, and output finished movies to high definition or standard definition DVD or memory cards. We haven't had the opportunity to test out the new software, but we hope that it's more detailed and intuitive than the version of HD Writer that shipped with last year's high definition models.




<< Audio | Manual Controls >>