Panasonic HDC-TM900

Panasonic has a history of producing solid prosumer camcorders that deliver excellent video quality and performance, but have unexciting, functional designs. That tradition continues with the latest crop of models. Updates to last year's 700 series, Panasonic's 800/900 models--the HDC-HS900, TM900, and SD800--are fundamentally the same as their predecessors with some modest enhancements and slightly better video quality. They do, however, use the same trio of sensors and lens, as well as an essentially identical body design.

Series information: We performed a hands-on evaluation of the HDC-HS900, the hard-disk version of the camcorder, but aside from the few functional differences inherent in recording to the different media, the HS900 and TM900 should be identical. The HDC-SD800, on the other hand, is basically a stripped-down version of the TM900; it has the same sensor and lens as the others, so delivers the same video, but lacks an EVF, lens ring, and accessory shoe, provides only two-channel audio, and has a smaller LCD and no built-in memory.

When it's functioning correctly, the video quality looks very good. It's got a relatively broad tonal range, though bright highlights tend to clip and I couldn't recover them in software (probably because the camcorder has compressed out any recoverable data). The color and exposure rendered by the three-chip system are quite good, though the automatic white balance can get a bit wonky--usually switching to another setting and then back did the trick. Aside from the white-balance issue, all the automatic settings worked very well, including exposures with backlight. I didn't see any moiré. And while there was a little bit of cyan aberration on high-contrast edges, it exhibited minimal fringing.

In good light, the camcorder can produce nicely sharp video, although it has some auto white-balance problems. Changing the white-balance setting and then back to auto usually fixes them, though.

The low-light video quality is quite good, with relatively little noise (though some suppression artifacts) and decent color saturation.

Better bokeh is one of the main reasons you might want to opt for a dSLR or ILC over a pricey camcorder; even the more expensive consumer camcorders have unattractive polygonal apertures.

In low light there's practically no color noise, although you can see quite a bit of smearing from the noise reduction. Still, the video looks surprisingly good and remains naturally saturated.

The still photos are pretty mediocre viewed at full size, but might work as small reference images. You might be better off sticking to frame grabs at 1,920x1,080 pixels.

The HDC-HS900 performs well, too, with fast, accurate autofocus that's not easily confused, warm sound, and a decent wind filter. There's minimal lens distortion at its widest, but that's probably because the lens doesn't get very wide; Sony seems to be leading the pack with that, which is one of the significant ways this whole class of models could improve. That, as well as more attractive apertures. As far as I know, there's no technical reason a $1,000-plus camcorder can't incorporate a seven-bladed aperture.

As with most advanced AVCHD camcorders that shipped in early 2011, using the best-quality 1080/60p mode is a bit of a pain. Because the AVCHD spec wasn't updated until the summer to support 1080p (note that there is no 1080/30p), the camcorder makes you jump through some outdated hoops and throws up annoying warnings when you switch in and out of that mode. This is one of the few complaints I have about the series. But I'd just switch into it and stick there because you really do want to use the maximum bit rate and resolution.

The camcorder isn't terribly compact, but that's to accommodate the relatively large-barreled lens. With the exception of it having a small switch instead of a big dial for jumping between playback, still, and video modes, the design and layout are quite similar to preceding models. On the TM900, there's an accessory shoe on the right side beneath the grip; on the HS900, it's in the traditional spot between the photo shutter and zoom switch in the back and the 5.1-channel microphone near the lens.

Along with the power button and dedicated 1080/60p button, a full complement of ports and connectors live in the LCD recess: component/AV and Mini-HDMI out; USB; and an SDXC card slot. Panasonic still recommends a Class 4 card. As the design hasn't changed, I'll reiterate my old complaints, too: I dislike the placement of the connectors inside the LCD, since that means it's got to be open while it's attached to other devices, which is just kind of awkward. I also think the battery release, also in the LCD enclosure, is in a bad spot; opening the LCD usually turns the camcorder on, which means in order to remove the battery you end up turning on the camcorder.

You toggle between intelligent auto and manual, as well as trigger image stabilization, via buttons on top of the camcorder. The camera function button on the left side of the lens barrel lets you cycle among focus, white balance, shutter speed, and iris options; you can also pick them directly via the touch screen. You scroll through and select adjustment values via the ring on the lens barrel. It does have the nicest iris controls, such as switching the readout from f-stops to decibels when you cross the line where the optics are wide open, as well as providing an optional luminance-level readout in the center. When you're not in a selection mode, the ring zooms instead. The zoom switch has a nice feel, and it's pretty easy to maintain a steady rate with it. I don't like the lens ring much for zooming, though. It fees laggy and imprecise.

One of the more significant enhancements is the larger LCD; with the series update, the camera has jumped from one of the smallest LCDs in its class to one of the largest. That said, it's still relatively low-resolution. The peaking and luminance readouts still help for manual focusing. But it's comfortable for touch-screen operation and excellent for framing, and remains reasonably visible in direct sunlight. Panasonic retains the small zoom and record buttons on the bezel. They're a little difficult to feel, but sufficiently usable. The EVF is quite nice, though, relatively large and comfortable to use.

As for the interface, that hasn't changed much in several generations. It's generally well-designed: you can easily access most frequently needed settings, and the menu structure is pretty straightforward, although the clunky icons are simply unattractive.

The camcorder offers the robust set of manual controls that one expects in this class, with full shutter and iris, plus Panasonic provides a decent set of volume controls to support the mic, including the option to set levels with or without automatic gain control and a separate bass setting. It has face recognition (in addition to face detection) and will work with an add-on 3D lens. And it also has time-lapse capability, in 1-, 10-, 30-, 60-, or 120-second intervals for up to 12 hours. The only feature I really miss is a manual built-in neutral-density filter. It has one, but it's automatic. There's a specific 24p/25p mode called Digital Cinema, but you're limited to the 17Mbps maximum bit rate.

Conclusion
As usual, unless you have to record really long segments or a lot of video that won't fit on a decent-sized SD card, I recommend you opt for the flash-based model instead of the hard-disk-based version; not only is a hard disk more prone to failure, you shouldn't be leaving all your video on the camcorder, so the extra storage isn't necessary. Plus there's a significant price difference between the two models (unless you can find a really cheap version of the HS900). Finally, if you're willing to forego the lens ring and the EVF--the 5.1-channel audio really doesn't matter--the SD800 is a great option if you can find it for less than about $650.

See pricing