Panasonic HDC-TM300

Low Light Sensitivity (7.70)

Most of the flagship camcorders from various manufacturers this year are not stellar performers in low light. Their high resolution sensors are not conducisive to high sensitivity; the resulting footage is dimmer than usual when you’re not recording in bright light. The TM300 and its sister models from Panasonic actually seem to be an exception to this rule. They proved to require only 9 lux to peak at 50 IRE on our waveform monitor—a significantly better score than was turned in by most consumer camcorders this year. We might speculate that this performance is due to the three-sensor array used by Panasonic, but it would be only speculation. More on how we test low light sensitivity.

Most camcorders this year are turning in a sensitivity of about 15 or 16 lux, including the HF S100 and the TG5 (above). That’s also the same performance we saw in the Sony HDR-XR520V. The only high-end consumer camcorder we’ve seen that was able to compete with the TM300 is the Sanyo VPC-HD2000, which also recorded a sensitivity of 9 lux. Following the pattern of high resolution sensors with poor sensitivity, the JVC GZ-X900, with its phenomenal video sharpness, measured an abysmal56 lux required to output 50 IRE.

If you don’t mind a slower film-like aesthetic, some camcorders offer alternate frame rates, which can help improve sensitivity. Recording video at 24p or 30p allows more light to be captured. The TM300 has a 24p mode, which results in a sensitivity of 8 lux. The Canon’s 24p mode improves its sensitivity much further—to 6 lux. Unfortunately, the one camcorder of this lot that could really use the sensitivity boost doesn’t offer a slower frame rate: all video on the shot on the X900 is 60i.

Low Light Noise (11.48)

In our final low light performance test, the TM300 once again came out ahead of the competition, proving to have impressively low noise levels: the average noise percentage was just 0.78%. We were surprised to find that this was one area in which the TM300 and the HS300 did not have identical performances. Surprisingly, the HS300 registered an average of 1.42%, despite being tested simultaneously with the exact same lab conditions. You can probably chalk that up to the variation between any two units of the same model or a small change in internal processing. In any case, both Panasonic flagship camcorders have bright, clear footage in low light. More on how we test low light noise.

Panasonic HDC-TM300 Low Light Noise Comparisons
Panasonic HDC-TM300 100% Crop	Canon Vixia HF S100 100% Crop Sony HDR-TG5V 100% Crop JVC Everio GZ-X900 100% Crop More...

As it happens, the camcorders we’ve selected for comparison to the TM300 are not the best performers for low light noise. The X900 is just so dark that coarse, noisy discoloration abounds. The Sony HDR-TG5V had a decently bright image, but a surprising amount of noise mars any areas of fine detail. The closest competitor in this category is the Canon HF S100, which had 1.35% noise.

Not pictured above, there are two other camcorders so far this year that can match the TM300 for clarity in low light. Unsurprisingly, one of those camcorders is another Panasonic: the HDC-SD20 recorded an incredible 0.46% noise in low light. The other is the Sony HDR-XR520V, which had a similar low light noise performance to that of the TM300, with an average percentage of 0.87%.

Low Light Color (7.44)

Color performance in low light isn’t expected to match the accuracy and saturation that a camcorder achieves in bright light. The TM300, however, did surprisingly well in our tests at 60 lux. The colors are nearly as accurate as they were in bright light, with a color error of just 4.90. Saturation was more heavily impacted by the diminished light, registering just 65.09% in Imatest. More on how we test low light color.

Low Light Color Accuracy Performance
	Color Error Map
	The map on the left is a diagram of the color error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camera processed each particular color while capturing video. The Panasonic HDC-TM300 produced a color error of and a saturation level of in our bright light color testing.

As you can see in the color error map above, greens and pinks are still the most heavily skewed tones, as was the case in our bright light color testing. At 60 lux, however, blues were also not as accurately portrayed.

The impressive sensitivity performance of the TM300 obviously impacts the camcorder’s color performance in low light. The footage is not only brighter overall, but it has more vivid colors. When compared to the other models above, this gives the TM300 superior low light images. The HF S100 and TG5 do fine, but they are both darker and colors are more washed out. The JVC GZ-X900, which had terrible sensitivity, produced very dark, muted colors. Based solely on the reproduced Chroma Du Monde charts above, there’s no question which is the best camcorder for low light color performance.

Though not included in this batch, there have been some other camcorders this year that produced comparable colors in the low light testing. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000, in particular, had phenomenal color performance at 60 lux.