Product Description

• Records direct to 60GB Hard Drive or SD Card
• 1920x1080p (25P)
• New 3MOS Sensor System
• Advanced OIS to correct 95% Handshake
• 2 Lux Low Light Performance

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61374 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Panasonic
• Model: HDC-HS100EBK
• Released on: 2008-08-16

Manufacturer's Description
Panasonics new HDHS100, Full High Defintion Camcorder (1920x1080p with 25 frames per second recording)records direct to SD Card or to the built in 60 GB HDD. Its uses a new 3MOS Sensor System and advanced OIS to correct 95% of user handshake. It will operate in low light levels down to 2 Lux and its new iA System includes face detection for up to 15 Faces in any one scene. It has a Full Manual option using the Manual ring which gives control over zoom, iris white balance and shutter speed making this a truly versatile camcorder for the enthusiast.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Great camera..buy it..but problems with the editing software
Having read the reviews of this camera,I decided to buy it.I have been using mini dv tapes for years,and hard disc cameras are now all the rage.
The build quality of this camera is pretty impressive, it is light and easy to use and the picture and sound are superb.
There are plenty of features which make the camera excellent value for money.
Panasonic have made a good camera here, and it stands up well against the competition from Canon and Sony.
There are some problems though. If you want to edit your footage on Pinnacle 12 or Sony Vegas the AVCHD format is not going to be much good to you, unless you have a computer with a very powerful dual core processor and at least 400 gigabyte hard drive.Editing is slow and sluggish with Pinnacle 12 and it takes about 45 minutes to render 5 minutes of AVCHD footage.
If you want to edit an hour of AVCHD, and burn it to disc you will be there forever.
If you look on YouTube, there are plenty of examples of the problems AVCHD is creating for home editors. Some reviewers have demonstrated the editing process, and expressed doubts about the ability of the software used..Sony Vegas and Pinnacle to handle AVCHD ,and the sheer length of time needed to process itto disc.
Panasonic and Sony have jointly developed the AVCHD format, but the computer editing software is far too slow and cumbersome, and it probably will need a new version to address the problems
If you are happy to press a button on the camcorder to copy your pictures to disc,and just delete shots that you dont want..then this camera was made for you,Panasonic have made it childs play to disc copy.
Personally,Mini DV tape is a much more efficient and trouble free medium, and I will carry on with my trusty Panasonic 3CCD MX500,which is less complicated,and probably one of the best 3CCD cameras in the prosumer range. Unfortunately,mini dv will probably be obsolete soon.
Think carefully abou buying HDD, sure,it takes beautiful pictures,but it is at the expense of editing creativity,which some people still want.

Both Panasonic and Sony need to address these issues with the leading video eding companies in order that the HDD camera, doesnt just become a camera incapable of producing excellent dvds,and pandering to the point and shoot market.
I am hoping at some point to try to find some reliable editing software to use with my new camera..which is still a pretty nifty camera,excellent in all respects,and good value for money.

Excellent camcorder - does everything that I need
Brilliant pictures. Camera easy to hold and operate. I found I had no problem with the cursor button (with my average size fingers).

I have since purchased 2 16GB Class 6 SDHC cards as backup for the 60GB HD and these formatted in the camera and worked fine.

The HD Writer software is a bit disappointing in that it does not include full video editing features. However it does what it says on the box OK, I could still use the s/w to convert from AVCHD TO MPEG2 and then use my old editing software.

I think I need to upgrade my CPU to Quad core and upgrade my graphics card before I can do Full HD video editing

Worth treating yourself!
This is the first time I have had or used a camcorder and I was totally amazed by the quality of the resulting videos. It is a joy and easy to use and supported by some great functionality. Like all relatively new technology (viz High Definition), you come to realise that to get the best out of it you need additional equipment (e.g. an HD AVCHD burner and, of course, an HD dvd player). Although the 60gb HDD gives more than enough immediate storage, it is also worth buying a couple of high capacity SD cards as further removalable storage (make sure you the right speed of SD card). An extra battery is also always worth having although they are expensive (depends whether you trust non-Panasonic compatible batteries). I haven't had the camcorder long enough to note any specific shortcomings but I suspect a fair amount of practice is required on my part on how to use the camcorder smoothly before being too critical of perceived weaknesses. I don't think I made the wrong choice in the long term.