While it looks like Canon and Sony have bowed to market whims and pricing pressure, Panasonic has stood firm and year after year continues to release sub-$1,500 3-chip camcorders for enthusiast and budget-strapped indie videographers. Of course, you might argue that the continually improving CMOS chips used by competing Sony and Canon models obviate the need for 3-chip solutions to achieve extended tonal range. Or at least that the quality differences are so subtle that they're moot. Whatever the need or reason, though, Panasonic remains the last torchbearer for high-quality three-chip consumer camcorders. This year's offerings, the HDC-TM700 and HDC-HS700, don't deliver radical changes over last year's HDC-TM300, HDC-HS300, and HDC-HS150. But as long as the video quality and performance live up to their predecessors, you'll hear no complaints from me.
This year's models compared with last year's:
| HDC-HS700 | HDC-TM700 | ||||
| Sensors | 3 x 1/1.4-inch 3.05-megapixel MOS | 3 x 1/1.4-inch 3.05-megapixel MOS | 3 x 1/1.4-inch 3.05-megapixel MOS | 3 x 1/1.4-inch 3.05-megapixel MOS | 3 x 1/1.4-inch 3.05-megapixel MOS |
| Recording modes | AVC/H.264 MPEG-4: 1080p @ 60fps 28 Mbps AVCHD: 1080p @ 30fps 17, 13, 9, 5 Mbps |
AVC/H.264 MPEG-4: 1080p @ 60fps 28 Mbps AVCHD: 1080p @ 30fps 17, 13, 9, 5 Mbps |
AVCHD: 1080p @ 30fps 17, 13, 9 Mbps 1440x1080 @ 30fps 6Mbps |
AVCHD: 1080p @ 30fps 17, 13, 9 Mbps 1,440x1,080 @ 30fps 6Mbps |
AVCHD: 1080p @ 30fps 17, 13, 9 Mbps 1440x1080 @ 30fps 6Mbps |
| Min illumination (lux; recommended/ low light/ night mode) |
1400/1.6/1 | 1400/1.6/1 | 1400/1.6/1 | 1400/1.6/1 | 1400/1.6/1 |
| Lens (35mm-equivalent, video recording 16:9 aspect) |
12X f1.5-2.8 35.0-420mm |
12x f1.5-2.8 35.0-420mm |
12x f1.8-2.8 44.9-539mm |
12x f1.8-2.8 44.9-539mm |
12x f1.8-2.8 44.9-539mm |
| LCD | 3-inch 230,400 dot | 3-inch 230,400 dot | 2.7-inch 230,400 dot | 2.7-inch 230,400 dot | 2.7-inch 230,400 dot |
| EVF | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Built-in/removable storage | 240GB hard drive/SDXC | 32GB/SDXC | 32GB/SDHC | 120GB hard drive/SDHC | 120GB hard drive/SDHC |
| Audio | 5.1 channels mic and headphone jacks |
5.1 channels mic and headphone jacks |
5.1 channels mic and headphone jacks |
5.1 channels mic and headphone jacks |
5.1 channels |
| Availability | tbd (est. April 2010) | tbd (est April 2010) | April 2009 | April 2009 | April 2009 |
| Price | tbd (est. $1,399.95) | tbd (est. $1,299.95) | $1,299.95 | $1, 399.95 | $899.95 |
In summary, Panasonic has changed the lens--still a 12x zoom, but with increased wide-angle coverage. It also adds a new 60fps 1080p mode (that requires a different encoding, since AVCHD doesn't support 1080/60p). The 700 series also has slightly bigger LCD screens, though they're at the old resolution. And like most SD-supporting products this year, they'll support SDXC. The sensors look to be the same as their predecessors, and they keep the EVFs, mic and headphone jacks, as well as the unnecessary 5.1-channel audio. Unfortunately, the Panasonic is also hewing to its annoying new tradition of not announcing pricing and availability until 30 days before the mystery ship date, so I've put in my best guess.