Panasonic HDC-HS100

Panasonic for the Ages Get in line: It has finally arrived. Panasonic's new HDC-HS100 is an SD/HDD hybrid camcorder that is sure to shake things up. It's

The Panasonic HDC-HS100 is a compact high-definition camcorder with a 60GB hard drive.

Panasonic HDC-HS100

The Panasonic HDC-HS100, though it was announced only a few weeks ago, is an anticipated camcorder. Many years ago, Panasonic ruled the roost for power users and budget videographers. The Panasonic PV-GS400 was the king of them all, so loaded with features that it stayed at the top of our ratings list until we had to recreate our rubric. Then, of course, the medium of tape began to die off. Camcorder bodies shrank, and with it, room for the features we loved like viewfinders, rings, and certain ports. Panasonic, in fact, became the de facto leader of that movement towards shrinkage. While it maintained a high degree of manual control, the interface began to suffer, particularly when the joystick was moved from the back to the LCD cavity on the last generation HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9.

The Panasonic HDC-HS100 is a compact high-definition camcorder with a 60GB hard drive.