Panasonic HDC-HS300 is a hybrid camcorder that records Full HD images either on an SD (or SDHC) Memory Card or the built-in 120GB hard disk drive. The HDC-HS300 features the Full HD 3MOS sensor, Advanced O.I.S, Face Detection, Intelligent Contrast Control, the Intelligent Scene Selector and so on which helps you capture and record perfectly.

Features

Designed with the aspiring film maker in mind, the Panasonic HDC-HS300 HD PAL Camcorder (Silver) 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

Optics

Sensor 9.15Mp 3 x 1/4.1" CMOS (3.05Mp x 3)

Lens Leica Dicomar

Focal length=4-48mm

F/Stop=1.8-2.8

Zoom 12x Optical

30-700x Digital

Filter Size 43mm

Recording

System PAL

Format MPEG4-AVC/H.264 (AVCHD compliant standard)

Audio

Dolby Digital (5.1 channel)

Image Stabilization Advanced Optical Image Stabilization

Lux Minimum Illumination:

1.6 lux (1/30 Low Light mode)

1 lux (Magic Pix)

Standard Illumination:

1400 lux Recording Media 120GB Hard disk drive

SD/SDHC memory card (not included) Recording Time 120GB HDD

HA: 15 hours 50 minutes HE: 50 hours

SD/SDHC memory card

1GB: HA: 7 minutes HE: 21 minutes

32GB: HA: 4 hours HE: 12 hours

Display

Display Type Wide LCD (230,400 pixels)

Display Size 2.7"

Viewfinder Yes

Camera Features

Manual Controls Focus, White Balance, Shutter Speed, Iris

Built-in Speaker Yes

Built-in Mic Yes

Accessory Shoe Yes (cold)

Built-in Light/Flash Flash - Yes

Light - No

Digital Still Mode

Still Recording Media SD/SDHC Memory Cards

Resolution 10.6Mp (3984 x 2656)

Input/Output Connectors

Inputs

3.5mm stereo mini

Output

AV out

HDMI mini

USB 2.0

Component

3.5mm stereo mini

Microphone Input Yes

Headphone Jack Yes

General

Languages English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Netherlandic, Turkish, Swedish Compatible

Operating Systems Windows XP, 2000, Vista

Mac OS X 10.4 or higher for iMovie'08 7.1.2 or later (HD writer AE 1.0 is not available for Mac)

Power Requirements 110-240VAC, 50/60Hz

Dimensions (WxHxD) 2.75 x 2.88 x 5.54" (70 x 73 x 141mm)

Weight 1.01 lb (460g)

This is a "PAL" product and CANNOT be used in the USA. It is designed for use with video products built to PAL TV standards.