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Compare most popular Digital-Camcorders to Panasonic HDC-HS300

Product Name Panasonic HDC-HS300

Panasonic HDC-HS300

 Panasonic HDC-TM300 (Black)

Panasonic HDC-TM300 (Black)

 Canon Vixia HF200

Canon Vixia HF200

 Canon Vixia HF S11

Canon Vixia HF S11

 Sony Handycam HDR-XR500V

Sony Handycam HDR-XR500V
Release Date 04/15/2009 04/01/2009 03/01/2009
Price Range Check latest prices » $1120-$1571 Check latest prices » $1063-$1300 Check latest prices » $549-$890 Check latest prices » $1209-$1400 Check latest prices » $985-$1220
Review Summary A very good prosumer HD camcorder, the Panasonic HDC-HS300 still isn't as good a deal as the similarly featured but flash-based TM300 and has the same annoying touch-screen interface. A very good prosumer HD camcorder, the Panasonic HDC-TM300 nevertheless has an annoying touch-screen interface. While it's more expensive than its sub-$600 competitors, the Canon Vixia HF20 and Vixia HF200 deliver a more extensive feature set for the extra money. The HF200, which lacks internal memory, is probably a better buy than the HF20, though the HF20's all-black body is a bit classier looking. An excellent flash-based prosumer HD camcorder, the Canon Vixia HF S11 has the advantage of an excellent image stabilizer but it disappointingly lacks an eye-level viewfinder. Though their geotagging capabilities are mostly novelty and their interfaces could use a complete overhaul, the top-notch video quality, performance, and consumer-friendly feature sets of the Sony Handycam HDR-XR500V and HDR-XR520V make them worthy camcorder options. Both are overpriced, but since 14 hours of recording time is plenty--especially if supplemented with flash media--the HDR-XR500V is the better deal of the two.
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Basic Specs

Product Type Camcorder - 1080i Camcorder - 1080i Camcorder - 1080p Camcorder - 1080p Camcorder - 1080i
Digital Zoom 700 x 700 x 300 x 200 x 150 x
Total Pixels 9.15 megapixels 9.15 megapixels 3.89 megapixels
Optical Sensor Size 1/4.1" 1/4.1" 1/4" 1/2.6" 1/2.88"
Optical Sensor Type 3CMOS CMOS CMOS CMOS Exmor R CMOS
Min Illumination 1 lux 1 lux 0.4 lux 0.3 lux 3 lux
Digital Video Format AVCHD, H.264 AVCHD, H.264 AVCHD, MPEG-4 AVCHD, H.264, MPEG-4 AVCHD, MPEG-2
Image Stabilizer Optical (Advanced O.I.S.) Optical (Advanced O.I.S.) Optical (SuperRange) Optical (Dynamic SuperRange) Optical (Steady Shot)
Min Shutter Speed 1/2 sec 1/2 sec 1/8 sec
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000 sec 1/8000 sec 1/2000 sec 1/2000 sec 1/800 sec
Shooting Modes Digital photo mode Digital photo mode Digital photo mode Digital photo mode Digital photo mode
Shooting Programs Snow, Beach, Sunset, Scenery, Fireworks, Low light, Spotlight, Night scene, Sports mode, Portrait mode, Night portrait Snow, Beach, Sunset, Scenery, Fireworks, Low light, Spotlight, Night scene, Sports mode, Portrait mode, Night portrait Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Spotlight, Night mode, Sports mode, Portrait mode Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Low light, Spotlight, Night scene, Sports mode, Portrait mode Snow, Beach, Candle, Sunset, Sunrise, Fireworks, Landscape, Spotlight, Portrait mode, Twilight mode
White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic Custom, Presets, Automatic Custom, Presets, Automatic Custom, Presets, Automatic
White Balance Presets Cloudy, Indoor, Outdoor, Sunlight Cloudy, Indoor, Outdoor, Sunlight Shade, Cloudy, Daylight, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light (cool white), Fluorescent light (warm white) Shade, Cloudy, Daylight, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light (cool white), Fluorescent light (warm white)
Exposure Modes Program, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority Program, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority Manual, Program, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority Manual, Program, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority Program, Automatic
Camera Flash Built-in flash Built-in flash Built-in flash Built-in flash Built-in flash
Flash Modes Fill-in mode, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction Fill-in mode, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
Features Flash +/- compensation Flash +/- compensation AF illuminator
Widescreen Video Capture Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Enclosure Color Black
Analog Video Format NTSC NTSC NTSC
Effective Sensor Resolution 2.99 megapixels
Progressive scan Yes
Special Effects Vivid, Neutral, Skin Detail, Low Sharpening
Digital Scene Transition Art fader, Wipe fader, Black & white fader Black fader, White fader
Exposure Metering Spot, Evaluative, Center-weighted
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