Panasonic HDC-HS20

The level entry end of the high definition camcorder market is becoming saturated with products, and the Panasonic HDC-HS20 is another one on offer from the lovely people at Panasonic. It is just under $800 which is still a good value unit, but what is there about this unit to make it stand out from the others at this level? We have had the chance to see this camcorder and have documented our findings so you can decide what you think, and whether this could be the camcorder for you. This was the fifth Panasonic we have looked at, and yet the write up that went with each meant we were always excited about getting the next one out of the box, and this is no exception.

Panasonic HDC-HS20 Camcorder

Design

This is similar in design to some of the other camcorders in the Panasonic range, and we like these. They are sleek and black with some sign writing, but not over the top markings. Again this is a small, light weight unit although heavier than some of the other new Panasonic high definition camcorders; however, it is a great size for popping in a handbag or pocket as it doesn’t require a massive amount of kit lugged around with it. It has a hand strap on the right hand side, and the touch screen on the left is a good size, but the touch screen technology is somewhat lacking. Panasonic make excellent quality goods, and you can tell this is a well made unit that has a good robust feeling about it. It is great for the home user, as you feel it would withstand the unavoidable knock or bump that comes with use around children or animals in a crowded family function.

Functionality

This is another good high definition unit that for the money gives rise to excellent picture quality. The images were sharp and clear and didn’t lose clarity in the shadows, so we were impressed by the light and dark contrast. High definition means that the images contain over 6 times as much information as those in standard format images, which means you get a much sharper image, and if you are recording a special event you will want to be able to preserve that in “we are right there with them’ clarity. Panasonic do not scrimp on their technologies, and even the lower end ranges get the full complement of gadgetry that we love from Panasonic.

Intelligent Automatic is a great piece of technology that means basically anyone can be the camera person, as it constantly assesses the filming and works out which are the optimal settings for the camcorder to use and adjusts them automatically. For example, it can focus on the main subject of the video and follow that person and keep them in the center of the frame, making following the bride down the aisle child’s play!

We also love their Optical Image Stabilization, which means that a wobbly hand will no longer ruin the film, as the camera has gyrosensors that compensate for any shakes of the camera and still mean that on playback the images will remain stable and still. Perfect!

The Panasonic HDC-HS20 is another 16x optical zoom lens, which gives some great functionality in terms of close up shots, but also being further away than you would like when filming, and the clarity is held really well even at maximum zoom, which again makes creating an interesting film really simple even for those of us that have minimal camera experience.

Conclusion

One thing to note that really impressed us was the 80GB internal memory as we have seen more expensive units with a lot less in memory capacities, and there is still the added bonus of the SD slot meaning the memory is virtually limitless. This is an excellent camcorder for the money; it really is user friendly and does make us think that this is an ideal unit for someone who is looking to purchase their first camcorder. We will just briefly mention the slight flaws in the touch screen technology as we don’t want to spoil this review, and that is to say that sometimes they can be a little stubborn and refuse to co-operate. However, mostly it did just fine. We like the Panasonic HDC-HS20 a lot, and for a level entry camera this probably beats the model below simply because of the massive leap in memory – more than double, which for the money just cannot be beaten.

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