Panasonic HDC-TM300 Camcorder Review

Audio & Other Features
• Many more audio controls than you'll find on most consumer camcorders • The built-in mic might get scuffed by people with larger hands • External microphone jack, headphone jack, and accessory shoe • Time Lapse Recording, Auto Ground Standby, and Pre Record can be useful
	Playback & Connectivity	(Page 11 of 17)	Canon HF S100 Comparison

Audio Features (5.75)

As if there aren't already more than enough bells and whistles to attract advanced users, the Panasonic HDC-TM300 comes with a good array of audio controls. For capturing sound, there is a built-in 5.1-channel Dolby digital microphone. The microphone is near the front of the camcorder, right on top. Its location is dangerously close to where stray fingers might scuff, but a little discipline should help you steer clear. Without the bulky hard drive to keep you at bay, the hazard might be greater than it is on the HS300, so that may be a consideration for users with larger hands.

If you prefer to attach an external mic, there is a microphone jack up front with a headphone jack for monitoring sound, plus the option of mounting your mic via an accessory shoe.

The built-in 5.1-channel surround mic is in a perilous position.

 What really sells the TM300 for audiophiles is the manual audio control available for the built-in and external microphone. Levels can be set using the Set +AGC feature. The interface looks more compicated than it really is.At the bottom is an AGC button for turning the auto gain control on and off. At the center is a slider for manually adjusting gain levels on a scale from -30 to +6 (fourteen increments total). In the screen capture below, you'll see five different bar displays on the AGC screen, each one representing the audio levels of a single channel. You can't adjust individual channel levels, so these bars are for display only.

Audio controls are impressively robust.

The Set AGC+ feature alone is more than you'll see in most consumer camcorders, but Panasonic takes it one step further by offering bass control. There are four different settings here: 0dB, +3dB, +6dB, and Lowcut. We hope that even intermediate users will get past the initial intimidation and experiment with the audio controls.

For more basic audio control, the built-in mic can be set to surround, zoom, or focus. The TM300 also has a wind cut feature that can be turned on and off.

Other Features (4.0)

Time Lapse Recording
The Panasonic HDC-TM300 has a time lapse feature that can be a lot of fun to play with. When engaged, the time lapse setting will condense a length of footage into a short, animated clip. Clip length can be set to 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 2 minutes. The maximum continuous recording time on the camcorder is 12 hours per clip.

Auto Ground Standby (AGS)
Auto Ground Directional Standby is a handy feature that will keep you from recording lots of accidental sidewalk footage. When the HDC-TM300 is left recording and the camcorder senses that it has dropped below its normal horizontal recording level, it will automatically shut off. This will save you battery life and precious space on your memory card.

Quick Start
A common feature on many camcorders, quick start allows the camcorder to immediately turn on when you open the LCD or extend the electronic viewfinder. We find quick start mode doesn't save all that much time, although it can be convenient if you're constantly turning your camcorder on and off.

Pre Record
Pre-Record constantly records three seconds of footage that is stored to an internal cache. The moment you hit the record button, the three seconds before you hit the Record button are added to the beginning of your clip. As long as the camcorder is pointed towards the action, it will compensate slightly for slow reflexes.

Auto Focus Assist Lamp
On the front of the camcorder is a small auto focus assist lamp that helps with auto focus in low light situations. The lamp provides assistance in photo mode only—a feature commonly found on digital cameras.

Faders
A fade can be added to the beginning or end of your video clips. With the setting turned on, a fade will begin when you press the record button (both when starting and stopping recording). The fader can be set to white or black.

See how the competition stacked up against the Panasonic HDC-TM300
Canon HF S100	Sony HDR-TG5V	JVC GZ-X900