Panasonic HDC-HS100

It’s that time once again — you know, that time, when you want to go outdoors and take gorgeous pictures of nature and people. Don’t worry — one of the best video cameras, the Panasonic HDC-HS100 will make sure that this job is well-taken care of. 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 For more discounts and information on some of the best video cameras, check out this site.

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.

Thanks to the wider body, the Panasonic has become one of the best video cameras today. The Panasonic HDC-HS100  shifts its camera/VCR mode dial back to the rear, with the record button in the middle – a more familiar location for Panasonic camcorders. The joystick remains in its new position on the side, underneath the LCD, which is nowhere near as convenient as with earlier designs. But, as with the SD100, you don’t actually need to use it for the main manual functions. Thanks to the lens ring, these are actually easier to access and use than ever before.

Panasonic HDC-HS100

Because of the hard drive, it is bigger and heavier: slightly more than a pound with dimensions of 2.9 inches wide by 2.9 inches tall by 5.4 inches long. It’s comfortable to hold, especially with the extra ridge provided by the drive. One of the nicest aspects of the camcorder is that it retains an EVF, a feature that many manufacturers are dropping. I also like that there’s a toggle switch next to it for jumping between it and the LCD; normally, camcorders automatically turn on the LCD when you open it.

For the price, the Panasonic HDC-HS100, which is really one of the best video cameras around, and offers a relatively high-end feature set, and it’s one of the few models in this price class to offer an EVF. If you want to read more reviews and discounts on one of the best video cameras in the market today, go to this site.