$699.99 at  
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Panasonic HDC-HS250K Camcorder - 1080p - 3.05 MP - 12 x

$1,050.00 at  
Amazon.com  
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Panasonic HDC-HS250-K Hard Drive High Definition Camcorder (Black)

In one short sentence, this quality of this camcorder's video is the best I have ever seen at this price point. The Leica zoom lens is very clear and sharp. I prefer hard drive-based camcorder because of its high capacity and speed. These days, many digital cameras can also shoot video, but there are some limitations. First, you may need to buy memory cards that are rated Class 6 or better, which are pretty expensive. Second, there is a limit on the length of each video segment, perhaps just 15 minutes. Third, to get 120 Gb of capacity of this camcorder, you would need to buy four cards of 32 Gb each, which cost $200-$400 in total. The battery does not last more than 90 minutes, so you should have at least one spare ready. You can save money by buying brand new compatible ones on Ebay. Just type in battery model code shown on the battery itself and you will see lots of prices and choices. Remember you can only charge a compatible battery in its own charger, and not in Panasonic's charger. The original Panasonic battery has a computer chip built-in and can indicate amount of battery power remaining, whereas compatible batteries do not.

It`s a good cam, it`s perfect to rec your personal things and it`s very easy to use.

We tested this camera against an XDCAM EX3. Shot in daylight, same picture, I stood next to the other camera. We compared the pictures and came to the conclusion that there is no or almost no difference between the two. Looking on a 32" LCD full HD screen. We pulled the video in on an Apple Mac with Final Cut Pro then did a spiltscreen on the timeline so in the viewer you had the two pictures side by side. NO difference that you can see with the eye. Interior well if you light it properly it should be fine. But for the price ($499 at B&H) I think this is a winner. One should know the limitations of the camera and work around them.

Overall its a good product, easy to use and has all the features needed. Only drawback is that the picture quality is not good in low light. Outside in bright light its good.

If you like green skies and green water, you will like this camera. But if you are buying this thinking that it will give decent colours, think again. I sent it back to the factory, saying that it had white balance problems and received a curt note back saying that the white balance would fail on occasion, so in such situations, manual white balance was required. I have found that the white balance goes out any time there is any sky visible. Since sky is visible in most outdoor shots this means that my white balance is going to be off for almost all outdoor shots. If you are looking for a good consumer or prosumer camcorder. Do not get a Panasonic. I have put up test footage to show this problem at: [...]

I love it, There are so many features that I like about this camera. the pictures are crystal clear, the choice between saving to the hard drive or to the chip, the 3mos operating system. I could go on and on. I only gave it 4 stars because of the zoom capability. It only has 16x zoom and with all the improvements in electronics today, I would think they could improve that, but I still believe it is the best buy for the money on the market today