The sixth of five Panasonic HDC-HS models, the Panasonic HDC-HS300 is a direct upgrade from the HDC-TM300 in that it offers a 120GB HDD versus just flash memory. In all other ways, however, the HDC-HS300 is practically a duplicate of its peer. For instance, the HDC-HS300 also features Optical Image Stabilization and an Intelligent Auto (iA) mode that allows shooters to either select a specific Scene mode or allow the camcorder to automatically choose one. The HDC-HS300 retails for a slightly more expensive $1399.95 (versus $1299.95 for the HDC-TM300) and comes with a 1 year limited warranty.
In addition to these of features, the HDC-HS300 sports a 43mm Leica Dicomar lens with a 12X optical zoom, 30X digital zoom, and a 5.1 channel surround sound system with a 5 microphones and a zoom microphone feature, and an SDHC/SD memory card so that users can record and store 1920 x 1080 HD video content on either the HDD or an SD card. The HDC-HS300 also offers full support for Apple Macintosh computers, and in fact allows easy file transferring so that files may be edited in iMovie. Furthermore, the HDC-TM300 features touch-screen controls with icon-based menus, an auto power LCD, and a quick 1.9 second power-up so that users can more easily catch spontaneous moments on video. The HDC-TM300 has a 2.7” wide LCD, auto focus tracking, and a manual ring that can control zoom, focus, aperture, shutter speed and white balance.
