Introduction

The Panasonic HDC-TM300 (MSRP $1299.99) is the flash memory equivalent of the HDC-HS300, which we reviewed earlier this year. Without the bulky hard drive, the TM300 has a slimmer profile that's more comfortable to hold and easier on the eyes. However, it still has the impressive video performance that drew our approval when we reviewed its hard-drive-based sister model.

The TM300 records excellent video in all lighting conditions, captures surprisingly good still photos, and has just about every feature you could want in a consumer camcorder. Combine that with some user-friendly automatic controls and you have a recipe for one of the best camcorders of 2009.

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