Designed with the aspiring film maker in mind, the Panasonic HDC-HS300 120GB Full HD Camcorder is the company's top of the line consumer offering for 2009. First off, you can record up to 50 hours of full 1920 x 1080 high definition video to the HDD with the option to store overflow footage to SD/SDHC memory cards. Capturing all that beautiful video would be the three 1/4.1" CMOS sensors which add up to total 9.15MP, named "3MOS", by Panasonic. The sensors also record 10.6MP stills and 8.3MP when recording both video and still images simultaneously.

Other features attractive to those looking to hone their video skills include microphone and headphone terminals, which are a must for getting high quality audio. In addition, an electronic viewfinder and manual control ring give you even more flexibility. Another plus would be compatibility with Mac for editing in iMovie. The HDC-HS300 rounds out its features with solid optics, including a Leica Dicomar lens, 12x optical zoom, and Advanced O.I.S.


• Full 1920 x 1080 HD Recording
The HDC-HS300 records in true 1920 x 1080 high definition, resulting in fine detail and high resolution - a must for viewing on any HDTV.

• Record to HDD and Flash Memory
Forget about bulky media - record to the camera's 120GB hard disk drive for up to 50 hours of video storage, or to removable SD/SDHC memory cards.

• 1/4.1" 3MOS System
This three CMOS sensor system, called "3MOS" by Panasonic, consists of three 1/4.1 inch CMOS sensors that provide a total of 9.15MP (3 x 3.05MP) for HD video and 10.6MP for stills (8.3MP simultaneous record with video).

• Leica Dicomar Lens with 12x Optical Zoom
The Leica Dicomar lens boasts multi-coatings and 7 elements for clean images with natural color. The 12x optical zoom brings far off subjects up close with little to no loss in image quality.

• 2.7" Wide LCD Display
The 2.7" wide LCD gives you a generous viewing surface on which to compose and playback video and stills.

• Digital Still Capture
The HDC-HS300 doubles as a digital still camera. Still images in the JPEG format easily upload to the Internet for sharing.

• Advanced Optical Image Stabilization
Advanced O.I.S. uses a corrective lens that shifts to compensate for blur from hand shake or a moving subject at 4,000 times per second.

• Creative Control and Workflow Features
Electronic viewfinder
Manual control ring
Mic and headphone inputs
5.1 channel surround sound system
Compatibility with Mac for editing in iMovie
Networking with Panasonic VIERA TV or Blu-ray players
Auto Focus (AF) Tracking: automatic focusing on subject picked via touch screen
Intelligent Auto mode automatically adjusts for the scene, includes Face Detection & Scene Detection