Review on 📹 Panasonic HDC-HS700K Hi-Def Camcorder: Pro Control System & 240GB HDD (Black) - Unleash Your Filmmaking Potential by David Hill

I've had this camcorder (bought from Revain) for about a month and I'm really impressed. Panasonic has done a great job with this camcorder (and its twin HDC-TM700). Note: as of this writing (Spring 2011) this is a previous generation camcorder - the newer HDC-TM900/HS900K camcorders are said to be largely identical in terms of video quality, with mostly minor upgrades; extra large LCD display with higher resolution and 3D compatibility. In summary, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. Some notable advantages: - Video quality is amazing, especially at 60P - Fairly accurate and fast focusing - Good feature set; lots of useful options and manual controls - wide zoom range and focal length support - decent low-light performance - viewfinder included - built-in hard drive offers plenty of storage - good image stabilization Some cons: - unimpressive digital image quality (but I'm used to SLR cameras; probably normal quality for a camcorder) - HDMI cable not included (why do manufacturers do that?) - Files are large and complex for most computers and modern video editing software; Expect to spend a lot of money on computer hardware and software if you want serious video editing and don't have a powerful PC handy - slightly larger and heavier than some of the competing models, this can be an issue for people. with smaller hands/pockets - LCD size and resolution are very average compared to competing models - Sensor size limits minimum depth of field. Overall, what excites me the most is the video quality, and in that regard, this camcorder doesn't disappoint. . Please note that the shortcomings are mostly minor and we hope Panasonic will improve them in the future. Until then, this is probably the best camcorder for the money. Highly recommended!