Panasonic HDC-TM20-K SD & HDD Camcorder (Black)


Product Feature
- Capture Full HD video; 1920 x 1080 resolution
- Records to Secure Digital card or 16 GB built-in HDD memory
- 16x Leica Dicomar lens with Optical Image Stabilization
- 9 lux low-light performance with built in video light
- 2.7-inch widescreen touch-panel LCD
Product Description
HDC-TM20-K black SD & HDD camcorderPanasonic HDC-TM20-K SD & HDD Camcorder (Black) Review
I'm not an expert in video equipment and I don't have experience with the peers of this item.However, I wanted image stabilization since I have a slight tremor in my right hand and I read in a few places that Panasonic's Optical Image Stabilization is very good.
Other competitors have Electronic Image Stabilization which I am guessing is like digital zoom... not the real thing. Anyway, I wanted a hard drive AND an SD card slot, in case the hard drive ever fails. I wanted a nice zoom and 16X is pretty good. To get the 70x zoom... you must purchase the Standard Definition model and besides...to use anything over 16X... you need a tripod with you anyway. And I DID want HD!!! By the way, many camcorders say HDD on the side which stands for Hard Disc Drive, NOT High Definition, AND THAT confuses many people. Not only that... it has an SD slot, that can be confused with Standard Definition, which this camera is not. TOO many confusing abbreviations and acronyms!!! :>)
OK, I am happy with my purchase. The battery charges very fast (no more than 2-3 hours) and lasts 45 -60 minutes. I notice very little shake in the "video" (do you still call it video?). Sound quality is fantastic. Outside image quality is beautiful. With low-light, it is a bit grainy (not horrible)... so you need to turn up the lights even with the built in light. I was worried that since this affordable model uses the cheaper sensor, that it wouldn't look too good... but I was quickly satisfied. I guess I would have to spend at least $300 more to try and see if there is a difference. The touch screen is easy to figure out. The face detection is incredible. You point the camera at a group of people and there are squares around everyone's heads! I pointed it at my Shih-Tzu... but it did not work :( no dog snout detection system. It seems to have a lot of great features and I'm sure I won't use them all anytime soon. But I will always leave it on the highest settings. I hate to shoot things only to realize I forgot to change it back to high.
The one thing I don't like is that the zoom toggle is difficult to use positioned where it is. If my hands were dainty, it may be easier. But I think they're all like that now... with the body so small. I also found myself not recording when I thought I was. I wish there was a more noticeable "record on" indicator. But I guess I will have to pay more attention.
Also, it weighs nothing. You get it and you're like... "I paid how much for a piece of air?" But that's what is being touted now... lightweight. These camcorders are so small now, you can easily fit them into the side pocket in cargo pants/shorts.
Hook this up to my Mac via USB cable and after a few moments it shows up and I can save clips easily through iMovie.
I would definitely recommend this camcorder to those who want high definition, a hard drive, a card slot and a nice zoom. I paid about $503 including tax after my $100 in Amazon vouchers.
There are sample videos on Youtube if you do a search on HDC-TM20. But remember, the quality is usually degraded when a person uploads them to Youtube unless they have a paid account. Once you compare an HD sample to an SD sample... you really want to spend the extra cash for the HD. There is a big difference.
One more thing, the red finish is really a nice deep dark metallic wine red... very attractive.
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