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Panasonic HC-X900 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £898
inc VAT

Produces footage with fantastic colour reproduction, but it isn’t that different from last year’s model

Specifications

3x 1/4.1in CMOS sensor, PAL, 1920×1080, 12.0x zoom, 482g

http://www.amazon.co.uk

Like its predecessor, the Panasonic HDC-SD900, the Panasonic HC-X900 is a full HD camcorder has three separate sensors for red, green and blue light; these help it capture more accurate colours and more detail, while reducing noise, compared to single-chip camcorders. The camera supports 1080/50p video as well as 1080i and PAL. The new model adds updated image stabilisation and an auto-stereoscopic screen for glasses-free 3D viewing with the optional 3D adaptor.

Panasonic HC-X900

It’s a medium-sized camcorder which feels well-balanced in your hand, and all the major controls, such as zoom and record, are within easy reach of your fingers. You can either view the action using the flip-out resistive touchscreen or you can use the electronic viewfinder. Even though we’re now used to super-sensitive capacitive screens, the HC-X900’s resistive model is still responsive and it’s easy to select the function you need. The touchscreen makes it easy to preview your footage, as it’s uncluttered by too much information. There’s also an electronic viewfinder for if you have trouble using the screen in direct sunlight.

The HC-X900’s three 1/4.1in sensors deliver fantastic video in daylight, but footage does suffer from noticeable noise in darker environments, as was the case with the HDC-SD900. In good lighting, the three colour sensors capture scenes accurately, and even when surveying a panoramic scene, such as that from our rooftop, objects to the extreme left and right of the screen retain their colour and definition.

Panasonic HC-X900

The camcorder’s sensor specifications are identical to those of the previous-generation HDC-SD900, but the camera does add ‘pixel shift technology’, where the green sensor is slightly offset relative to the red and blue, which helps the sensor to capture four pixels instead of one each frame. This, Panasonic claims, means the camera captures four times the pixel count of Full HD so has more information to use when processing the final video image, leading to greater accuracy. Even so, it isn’t greatly different from that captured by the HDC-SD900. Brighter colours look slightly more natural, but when they’re compared to footage captured by the HDC-SD900 last year, the difference isn’t overwhelming.

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Basic Specifications

Rating *****

Recording

Optical zoom 12.0x
Digital zoom 700x
Sensor 3x 1/4.1in CMOS
Sensor pixels 3,050,000
Widescreen mode native
LCD screen size 3.5in
Viewfinder type colour
Video lamp No
Video recording format AVCHD 2.0
Video recording media SDXC
Sound Dolby Digital 5.1
Video resolutions PAL, 1920×1080
Maximum image resolution 3027×2270
Memory slot SDXC
Mermory supplied none
Flash yes

Physical

Digital inputs/outputs mini HDMI out, mini USB
Analogue inputs/outputs A/V out
Other connections charge jack, microphone, headphone, accessory shoe (cold)
Battery type Li-ion
Battery life 1h 22m
Battery charging position camcorder
Size 67x72x150mm
Weight 482g

Buying Information

Warranty one-year RTB
Price £898
Supplier http://www.amazon.co.uk
Details www.panasonic.co.uk

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