Panasonic HDC-TM300 Camcorder Review

by Kaitlyn Chantry
Published on Aug 28, 2009 12:48 PM

 
Intro
 Product Tour
Color & Noise Performance Motion & Sharpness Performance
Low Light Performance Compression & Media
Manual Controls Still Features
Handling & Use Playback & Connectivity
Audio & Other Features Canon HF S100 Comparison
Sony HDR-TG5V Comparison JVC GZ-X900 Comparison
Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings


Introduction
The Panasonic HDC-TM300 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.
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Section The Good The Bad
Product Tour Much more aesthetically pleasing than the HS300 The shoe adapter is an inconvenience, even if it places accessories in a more comfortable location
Color & Noise Performance Accurate, vivid color; low noise Some brown and pink hues were slightly skewed
Motion & Sharpness Performance Alternate 24p mode available; good sharpness is better than or matches the competition Some minor artifacting
Low Light Performance Excellent sensitivity; incredibly accurate, vivid colors and low noise levels Nothing of note
Compression & Media 32GB internal flash offers decent capacity and great durability Editing software isn't very useful
Manual Controls Abundance of manual controls, Intelligent Auto (iA) features are great for beginners Lens ring only controls zoom and focus unless you use the viewfinder
Still Features Excellent range of size and aspect ratio options; outstanding color accuracy Sharpness scores are only average; still mode menu structure is unintuitive
Handling & Use Slim form factor makes this one of the most comfortable camcorders to hold Manual controls and iA cannot be used simultaneously
Playback & Connectivity Good port covers; side-mounted cold shoe places accessories out of the way Shoe requires an adapter for use; DC input is still located in the battery cavity
Audio & Other Features Good array of audio adjustment controls; pre-record and time lapse can come in handy Audio controls look more confusing than they really are



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