Panasonic HDC HS9 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: panasonic hdc-hs9 review: This year's high-def hybrid camcorder from Panasonic is of the much more useful SD card/hard-disk variety. There's 60GB of on-board storage and 1080p recording at 25fps.

Pros: Ample hard-disk room for high-def footage, Records video to SD/SDHC cards, Smallish size

Cons: Colours oversaturated, Feature poor, Inconvenient joystick location

Verdict: Unless you can find a killer deal, the HS9 comes up short both in features and image quality zing.

Review summary: Hi-def camcorders are shrinking so rapidly, they make singer Amy Winehouse seem positively plump. A great example is the new Panasonic HDC-HS9, a combination 60GB hard disk drive, SDHC...

Pros: Ample HD storage; compact and lightweight

Cons: Poor video and still quality; menu and icons need updating; poorly placed joystick

Review summary: Panasonic's camcorder is a strong and solid performer, especially with HD material

Pros: Great pictures; Compact yet robust build; Plenty of features

Cons: A bit heavy; Awkward positioning of joystick; Mini HDMI not included

Verdict: If you can get around the challenging location of the joystick on the Panasonic HDC-HS9, you'll be delighted by what this solid performer is capable of

Review summary: It's the SD9's chunkier sibling, but does that make it better?

Verdict: We forgave the HDC-SD9's lack of hobbyist features, because its tiny size and reasonable price will make you much more likely to keep it with you at all times. Although the HDC-HS9 has almost the same features, plus a 60GB hard disk, it's more normally pr