TOP 5 Panasonic FULL HD Pocket Camcorder Reviews 2011

Panasonic are one of the leading brands of camcorders, from Professional camcorders, Consumer camcorders including 3D and now after testing the waters of the pocket camcorder market last year with the HM-TA1 pocket camcorder they have introduced no less than 5 pocket camcorders at low cost, but loaded with top features which I know will be very popular.

Two pocket camcorders in the new range are waterproof, those are the HX-WA10 and the HM-TA20, with the latter HM-TA20 pocket camcorder being dustproof, shockproof to 1.5 metres and waterproof to 3 metres.

The other 3 pocket camcorders in the new range are the new model of the HM-TA1 pocket camcorder named the HM-TA2, the HX-DC1 and HX-DC10. So, let me try and sort them all out to make some sense to you:

Panasonic HM-TA2 Review

The new Panasonic HM-TA2 pocket camcorder records Full HD 1920x1080 30p video and 8MP stills, and is equipped with Night View mode which lets you shoot with twice the brightness of the previous model HM-TA1. Night View mode automatically detects dark scenes and the mode selector button lights up on the large 3 inch LCD screen which has touch operation.

An electronic image stabilizer is included, a linear PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) system records sounds that are faithful to the original, and a tripod stand is included. The new Panasonic HM-TA2 pocket camcorder is the cheapest in the new range of Panasonic camcorders and sells for under £150.

Panasonic HM-TA20 Review

The new Panasonic HM-TA20 waterproof HD pocket camcorder is dustproof, shockproof to 1.5 metres and waterproof to 3 metres with a tough design for active outdoor shooting.

Panasonic fortified the outer body casing, making it thicker to improve rigidity and strength. This solid construction makes the HM-TA20 a tough pocket camcorder.

Waterproofing also means you can shoot Full HD video in the rain or snow with no worries. The Panasonic TA20 pocket camcorder is designed to resist damage even if dropped from a height of up to 1.5 metres, and because it’s waterproof, if the body gets dirty you can simply wash it off with water. The Panasonic HM-TA20 pocket camcorder also includes the features of the Panasonic HM-TA2 pocket camcorder. A Rechargeable Battery Pack is included in the body.

The Panasonic HX-DC1 HX-DC10 and HX-WA10 pocket camcorders listed below are all stylish easy-to-hold, vertical design pocket camcorders with a flip-out LCD screen.

Panasonic HX-DC1 Review

The Panasonic HX-DC1 pocket camcorder records video in Full HD 1920 x 1080 MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format and 14MP stills. A 3 inch LCD screen shows you more of the action.

MPEG4 files are widely used because they combine video and sound in the same file. As a result, the files can be quickly and easily saved onto a PC and then uploaded onto blogs or social networking sites to share with friends and family.

The HX-DC1 pocket camcorder features a 12x Double Range Zoom. You can easily switch between the maximum zooming areas of 6x/12x with the press of the Zoom Range button to enable truly dynamic zooming without image quality degradation.

Panasonic HX-DC10 Review

The HX-DC10 and the HX-DC1 pocket camcorders are very similar to the WA10 mini camcorder with the stylish easy-to-hold vertical design pocket camcorders with flip-out LCD screen. The HX-DC10 pocket camcorder features Full HD video with a BSI Sensor, up to 16 MP stills which is the highest class resolution among compact digital cameras.

iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode optimal settings for face detection/intelligent scene selector/intelligent contrast control/AF and AE tracking and a manual iris control.

Panasonic HX-WA10 Review

The WA10 pocket camcorder is optimized for shooting outdoors and in rainy weather, records Full HD 1920 x 1080 video and top class stills digital camera quality of 16 MP and has backside illumination (BSI) technology for shooting in dimly lit conditions.

Video is recorded to a SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card, with 5x Optical Zoom and 12x Advanced Zoom with a 2.7 inch LCD screen.

Intelligent Auto Mode, intelligent scene selector, Face detection and Digital Image are included on the list of features of the Panasonic HX-WA10 pocket camcorder.

The PC friendly MPEG4 AVC file format (MP4) makes it super easy to load and edit data with a PC. It's also hassle-free to directly upload video clips to YouTube or Facebook with the included application after editing.

True to the saying “you get what you pay for” the Panasonic WA10 waterproof pocket camcorder sells for about £300, whereas the first 3 are under £200 with the HX-DC10 pocket camcorder selling for under £250.

Read FULL REVIEWS of each of these pocket camcorders here.