Packed with a 120GB internal hard drive, HD video capability, and a host of controls and features, the HDC-HS300 (MSRP $1399) represents Panasonic's top-of-the-line camcorder for 2009. The most surprising facet of the camcorder was its test results, which revealed an excellent overall video quality, including some of the best low light capabilities we've seen this year. The camcorder also impressed with its array of manual control options and easy-to-use Intelligent Auto features, which have become a staple of the Panasonic line.

Panasonic implemented a new touchscreen LCD system on a number of camcorders this year, including the HDC-HS300. While touchscreens are often shunned by pro and advanced users, they are generally liked by amateurs. The touchscreen on the HDC-HS300 is rather well designed and Panasonic has implemented a few "one-touch" features that work seamlessly with the system. The AF/AE tracking allows the user to touch a subject on the screen, with the camcorder then keeping that subject focused and exposed correctly as as he/she moves about the frame. This is just one of Panasonics Intelligent Auto (iA) features that is easy to use and should pique the interest of novice videographers.

The touchscreen system also makes menus on the HS300 easy to navigate, albeit going through all the options can be a bit time consuming. Panasonic includes a helpful "Info" feature at the bottom of each menu, which allows the user to find out more about each setting available on the device. It's some of these little things that make the HDC-HS300 an excellent camcorder for beginners. We must say, however, that while the touchscreen system works well overall, the external buttons on the HS300 aren't designed very well. Some buttons are difficult to reach and others are very hard to press, due to their poor construction.

As well as being an excellent choice for beginners, the HDC-HS300 is also a top-notch camcorder when it comes to manual controls. Direct adjustments to aperture, shutter speed, exposure, and white balance can all be manipulated on the camcorder. There's also gain control and a few picture adjustment settings that allow you to adjust the sharpness and color saturation of the image. Most of these settings, as well as focus and zoom, can be adjusted using lens ring on the front of the camcorder. The lens ring is smooth, comfortable to use, and should appeal to old-school camcorder users. One problem with the ring, however, is that it can only control focus and zoom when the LCD is open. You have to close the LCD and use the electronic viewfinder if you want to use the ring to control aperture, shutter speed, etc.

The HDC-HS300 can record HD video to either its internal 120GB hard drive, or to removable SD/SDHC memory cards. The big hard drive does give the right side of the camcorder a bit of bulk and weight, but it also makes the camcorder more portable overall. With 120GB of storage space, you don't have to worry about buying memory cards, tapes, or DVDs for a long time. Panasonic does make the HDC-TM300, which is identical to the HS300, except it contains 32GB of internal flash memory instead of a hard drive.

Performance (read in-depth lab performance at CamcorderInfo.com)
The Panasonic HDC-HS300 impressed us with good video quality all around. The camcorder didn't have a glaring weakness in any category—its colors were accurate, noise levels were low, motion and sharpness were good, and its low light sensitivity was top-notch. The camcorder's optical image stabilization system also showed very good results in our tests. The HDC-HS300 can also take decent still photos, although its still image results were about average for a consumer camcorder of its class.

The HS300 does offer a 24p recording mode, which Panasonic calls Digital Cinema. While the mode does offer a slow, film-like aesthetic, we were surprised to see that it didn't improve the camcorder's low light capability. In fact, the 24p mode barely changed the HS300's performance results at all. This is in direct contrast to Canon's HD camcorders, all of which show strong low light improvements with the 24p mode engaged.

Comparisons (read in-depth comparisons at CamcorderInfo.com)
The Panasonic HDC-HS300 is a solid camcorder all around, but there is quite a bit of competition at the top this year. The Sony HDR-XR520V offers double the storage capacity (240GB) for only $100 more than the HS300. It also has a relatively easy interface and a similar LCD touchscreen system to the Panasonic. The two camcorders performed very similarly in our testing, but the Panasonic HDC-HS300 had the clear edge in low light sensitivity.

There's also the Canon HF S100 and HF S10, both of which are flash memory camcorders. The Canon camcorders offer a sharper image in bright light, but their low light performance was not as good as the Panasonic HDC-HS300. The Canon HF S100 does have numerous manual controls, but the options are nowhere near as extensive as on the HDC-HS300. Canon also doesn't include an electronic viewfinder on these camcorders, which may be a deal-breaker for some users.

Finally, there's the Sanyo VPC-HD2000, which came out of left field to become one of the best video performers we've seen so far this year. The HD2000 has a native 60p HD recording option—something that no other consumer camcorder has offered. The camcorder also put up very strong numbers in all of our low light tests. As far as direct performance is concerned, the Sanyo may have a slight edge over the Panasonic HDC-HS300. The thing is, the VPC-HD2000 has some terrible design flaws. Its handling is poor, buttons are poorly implemented, and the interface can be very difficult to use. It also has an upright, pistol-grip design that may scare away traditional camcorder users. The Panasonic HDC-HS300 is the better camcorder overall, but the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 is a compelling choice—especially when you consider its price tag is roughly half that of the HS300.