Panasonic HDC-HS300 Handycam

[WaGoN]

Panasonic might lose some fans over the switch to touch screen controls, which aren't as precise or responsive as traditional joystick or directional pad controls. The other big change is under the hood; Panasonic has altered the size and resolution of their three CMOS sensors. The company claims the new sensor will reduce noise, but we'll have to wait until the camorder is in our labs until we make the final determination.

The right side of the HDC-HS300 is primarily composed of the bulk of the hard drive. Your grip on the hard drive is secured by the same basic hand strap that was on last year's models. It's sturdier and more stable than the last generation of Panasonic hand straps, but it could so with some more comfort and padding. Also hiding on the right is the microphone and headphone port.

HD images contain 6 times as much information as standard images. HDTV has 1,080 horizontal scan lines, SDTV has 480. That translates into much higher resolution and much finer detail. With HD images on an HDTV, pictures are so clear and sharp that you can see textures. The shift in the industry from SDTV to HDTV is well underway. For shooting once-in-a-lifetime scenes that you want to capture in full beauty, an HD camcorder is the best choice.

[WaGoN]

3MOS System for Beautiful Images

For videos of important moments you want to preserve, you want high image quality. That's what Panasonic's 3MOS System delivers, with a combination of optical technologies that further enhance the quality of full-HD images. The 3MOS System produces extremely accurate images with superb rendition of differences in darkness and light, rich color expression, and a full 1,080 lines of horizontal resolution. This advanced technology helps turn once-in-a-lifetime moments into vivid, beautiful images.

iA (Intelligent Auto) for Smart Control

There's nothing more disappointing than shooting a once-in-a-lifetime event on video, only to discover that the images are blurry or poorly exposed because of backlighting. Panasonic's iA helps avoid problems in difficult shooting situations by automatically making the optimal camera settings and activating certain functions. For example, iA now includes AF Tracking, a new function that "locks" on and follows a subject as it moves, so images are sharply focused and properly exposed. This technology is a huge help for everyone.

Advanced O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization)

Panasonic's advanced O.I.S. helps suppress the effects of hand-shake as you shoot, for both motion and still images. This system uses gyrosensors to detect even tiny amounts of hand-shake, then shifts a lens and adjusts the optical axis to compensate - all at an astounding 4,000 times per second. It also covers approximately 3 times the stabilization area of our previous SD9 model. Because the system is optical, there's only minimal loss of image quality even when viewed on a large-screen TV. In addition, to shoot high-resolution still images, the normal O.I.S. Mode 1 is joined by an O.I.S. Mode 2, which has a higher stabilization capability. The O.I.S. corrective lens shifts and stabilizes the image the instant that the shutter button is pressed, to enable greater precision in stabilization. You get all the beauty and minimal blurring.

Get Creative - Advanced Functions for Serious Video Shooting

Craft images with intuitive ease: Manual Ring
The manual ring gives you easy, fingertip control over the focus, zoom and exposure settings. You'll find using the ring a much more intuitive, comfortable, user-friendly process than accessing a menu screen. With the manual ring and manual operation, the HS300 is a pleasure to use and gives you the freedom to craft unusually expressive images.