Panasonic HDC-HS250-K HHD HD Camcorder

The Panasonic HDCHS250 features a 3MOS System for beautiful images. For videos of important moments you want to preserve, you want high image quality. That’s what Panasonic’s 3MOS System delivers, with a combination of optical technologies that further enhance the quality of full-HD images. The 3MOS System produces extremely accurate images with superb rendition of differences in darkness and light, rich color expression, and full 1,080 lines of horizontal resolution. There’s nothing more disappointing than shooting a once-in-a-lifetime event on video, only to discover that the images are blurry or poorly exposed because of backlighting. Also, Panasonic’s iA helps avoid problems in difficult shooting situations by automatically making the optimal camera settings and activating certain functions. For example, iA now includes AF Tracking, a new function that "locks" on and follows a subject as it moves, so images are sharply focused and properly exposed. This technology is a huge help for everyone. Panasonic’s advanced O.I.S. helps suppress the effects of hand-shake as you shoot, for both motion and still images. This system uses gyrosensors to detect even tiny amounts of hand-shake, then shifts a lens and adjusts the optical axis to compensate - all at an astounding 4,000 times per second. It also covers approximately 3 times the stabilization area of our previous SD9 model. Because the system is optical, there’s only minimal loss of image quality even when viewed on a large-screen TV.

 

Product Features

• Included - AC adaptor, rechargeable battery, video component cable, AV cable, IR remote, software, AC/DC cables
• Records Onto HDD (120 GB) and SD/SDHC Memory Card
• 1000-Line Motion/11MP Still Picture Quality - 1080p HD video & 11MP still photos
• 3MOS System - Expressive performance with detailed images and life-like coloring
• iA Mode AF Tracking & Touch Screen - Auto adjusts optimal settings

Product Features

Storage Media	Flash memory
Image Sensor	Three 1/4.1” CMOS image sensors, 9.15 total megapixels, 8.3 effective megapixels
Image Stabilizer	Optical
Lens	Leica Dicomar Lens
Still Picture Recording	Up to 8.3-megapixel effective; 10.6-megapixel total
Optical Zoom	12X
Dimensions	2.7” (W) x 2.9” (H) x 5” (D)
Weight	14.9 oz.
Warranty Terms - Parts	1 year
Warranty Terms - Labor	90 days
LCD Screen Size	2.7”
Digital Zoom	700X
Night Recording	Yes
Special Effects	Fade and prerecord
Editing Features	Yes

While most of the camcorders in the sub-$1000 category tend to be single-chip, the Panasonic HDC-HS250K sports a triple-MOS sensor-design, instantly giving it an edge in overall image quality, detail and color fidelity, and with it’s built-in 120 gigabyte drive, it can handle up to 50 hours of HE video (6Mbps), and offers an additional SD/SDHC slot for recording up to 4 hours in HA mode (17 Mbps) on a 32 gig card.

The 12X optical-zoom Leica optics are extremely high quality, and really help achieve excellent low light performance – and, combined with the quality sensor, help deliver excellent 10.6 megapixel stills, not bad for a camera this price. The 2.7 inch LCD monitor doubles as a touchscreen interface, and even gives you some advanced features such as intelligent AF and Auto Exposure tracking – tap a desired object of interest on the touchscreen, and the camera will automatically lock on and track focusing and exposure tp the selected object. Thanks to the sensors and quality optics, low-light performance is excellent for a camera in this price range – 1.6 lux, and assisted with some truly capable optical motion stabilization.

The 5.1 surround sound is assisted by five – count ‘em – integrated electret microphones, resulting in a real sense of aural immersion, and there’s even a bass control for adjusting low-frequency response in recorded audio, which is quite handy for getting wind and other rumble noise under control.

The HS250K is a decent value, and one of the only 3 sensor cameras available in this price range.

Quick Take -- Suitable for neophyte to advanced shooters -- 3 sensors deliver superior image quality – 5 channel surround sound with 5 integrated microphones.