Panasonic HDC-TM900 review

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.

	HDC-TM80/SD80	HDC-HS80	HDC-TM90/SD90	Panasonic HDC-SD800	HDC-TM900/ HS900
Sensor (effective resolution)	1.3-megapixel CMOS	1.3-megapixel CMOS	2.6-megapixel CMOS	3 x 3-megapixel CMOS	3 x 3.05-megapixel CMOS
	1/5.8 inch	1/4.1 inch	1/4.1 inch	1/4.1 inch	1/4.1 inch
Lens	34x f1.8-4 33.7 - 1,240mm	12x f1.5-2.8 35 - 420mm	21x f1.8-3.5 28 - 729mm	12x f1.5-2.8 35 - 420mm (16:9)	12x f1.5-2.8 35-420mm
Min illumination (lux)	standard: 1,400 low light: 7 Color Night View: 1	standard: 1,400 low light: 7 Color Night View: 1	standard: 1,400 low light: 4 Color Night View: 1	standard: 1,400 low light: 1.6 Color Night View: 1	standard: 1,400 low light: 1.6 Color Night View: 1
EVF	No	No	No	No	Yes
LCD	2.7-inch 230,400-dot	2.7-inch 230,400-dot	3-inch 230,400-dot	3-inch 230,400-dot	3.5-inch 460,000 dot
Primary media	16GB/0GB flash; SDXC	120GB hard disk; SDXC	16GB/0GB flash; SDXC	1 x SDXC	32GB flash/220GB hard disk; SDXC
HD recording	AVCHD: 1080/60i @ 17, 13, 9, 5Mbps	AVCHD: 1080/60i @ 17, 13, 9, 5Mbps	AVCHD: 1080/60p 28Mbps; 1080/60i @ 17, 13, 9, 5Mbps	AVCHD: 1080/60p @ 28Mbps; 1080/60i/24p/25p @ 17, 13, 9, 5Mbps	AVCHD: 1080/60p 28Mbps; 1080/60i/24p/25p @ 17, 13, 9, 5Mbps
Manual shutter speed	Yes	Yes	Yes	1/30 - 1/8,000	Yes
Manual iris	Yes	Yes	Yes	f1.7-f16	Yes
Accessory shoe	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Audio	2 channels	2 channels	2 channels	2 channels; mic, headphone jacks	5.1 channels; mic, headphone jacks
Body dimensions (WHD, inches)	2x2.3x4.3	2.6x2.8x5.8	2x2.5x4.7	2.5x2.6x5.2	2.6x2.8x5.8
Operating weight (pounds)	8.3	10.8 (est)	10.1 (est)	13.2 (est)	17.1 (est)/17.9
Mfr. price	$349.99/$379.99	$549.99	$479.99/$499.99	$764.99	$989.99/$1,259.99
Ship date	March 2011	March 2011	March 2011	March 2011	April 2011

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.

	Canon Vixia HF S30	Panasonic HDC-SD800	Panasonic HDC-TM900/ HS900	Sony Handycam HDR-CX560V	Sony Handycam HDR-CX700V
Sensor (effective resolution)	6-megapixel CMOS	3 x 3-megapixel CMOS	3 x 3-megapixel CMOS	6-megapixel Exmor R CMOS	6-megapixel Exmor R CMOS
	1/2.6 inch	1/4.1 inch	1/4.1 inch	1/2.88 inch	1/2.88 inch
Lens	10x f1.8-3 43.5-435mm (4:3)	12x f1.5-2.8 35 - 420mm (16:9)	12x f1.5-2.8 35 - 420mm (16:9)	10x f1.8-3.4 26.3-263mm (16:9)	10x f1.8-3.4 26.3-263mm (16:9)
Closest focus	0.4 inch	0.4 inch	0.4 inch	0.4 inch	0.4 inch
Min illumination (lux)	recommended: 100 standard: 4 low light: 0.3	standard: 1,400 low light: 1.6 Color Night View: 1	standard: 1,400 low light: 1.6 Color Night View: 1	standard: 11 low light: 3 Night Shot (IR): 0	standard: 11 low light: 3 Night Shot (IR): 0
EVF	0.27-inch 123,000 dots	None	0.24-inch 263,000 dots	None	0.2-inch 201,600 dots
LCD	3.5-inch 922,000 dots	3-inch 230,400 dots	3.5-inch 460,800 dots	3-inch 921,000 dots	3-inch 921,000 dots
Primary media	32GB internal; 2 x SDXC	1 x SDXC	32GB flash/ 220GB hard disk; 1 x SDXC	64GB flash; 1 x SDXC	96GB flash; 1 x SDXC
HD recording	AVCHD: 1080/60i/24p @ 24, 17Mbps; 1,440x1,080/60i/ 24p 12, 7, 5Mbps (also encodes 30p and 24p as 60i)	AVCHD: 1080/60p @ 28Mbps; 1080/60i @ 17, 13, 9, 5Mbps	AVCHD: 1080/60p @ 28Mbps; 1080/60i/24p/25p @ 17, 13, 9, 5Mbps	AVCHD: 1080/60p @ 28Mbps; 1080/60i/24p @ 24Mbps; 1440x1080/ 60i @17, 13, 9, 5Mbps	AVCHD: 1080/60p @ 28Mbps; 1080/60i/24p @ 24Mbps; 1440x1080/60i @17, 13, 9, 5Mbps
Manual shutter speed (video)	1/6 - 1/2,000 sec	1/30 - 1/8,000	1/30 - 1/8,000	1/8 - 1/10,000 sec	1/8 - 1/10,000 sec
Manual iris	f1.8-f8	f1.7-f16	f1.7-f16	f1.8-f9.6	f1.8-f9.6
Built-in ND filter	No	No	No	No	No
Accessory shoe	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Audio	2 channels (5.1 via optional mic); mic, headphone jacks	2 channels; mic, headphone jacks	5.1 channels; mic, headphone jacks	5.1 channels; mic, headphone jacks	5.1 channels; mic, headphone jacks
Body dimensions (WHD, inches)	3x2.9x5.8	2.5x2.6x5.2	2.6x2.8x5.8	1.5x2.8x5.4	3.6x3.1x6.9
Operating weight (pounds)	17.6 (est)	13.2 (est)	15.4 (est)/17.9	15 (est)	17.6 (est)
Mfr. price	$1,099.99	$764.99	$989.99/$1,259.99	$1,099.99	$1,299.99
Ship date	March 2011	March 2011	April 2011/May 2011	March 2011	March 2011

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.