We had earlier reviewed the mini-telescope like Panasonic camcorders – the SDR-S50 (without internal memory) and the SDR-T50 (with 4GB inbuilt flash memory). Now, it is the turn of Panasonic SDR-H85. It costs $349.95 and offers 70x mega-zoom, 80GB hard drive and memory card slot that accepts SDXC/SDHC/SD cards for external storage. These three models will be the best fit for long distant recording, but their standard-def video quality is average. The low-light video quality is poor with image noise. If you need the same features and quality in low price with some internal memory, then go for $269.95 priced Panasonic SDR-T50. Like the SDR-S50 and the SDR-T50, the Panasonic SDR-H85 has well positioned controls. Shutter release button, iAuto/Manual switch, OIS shortcut, and zoom rocker are located on the top. Movie record button sits on the right of battery pack at the back. If you want to capture still picture then directly press shutter release button.  [...]

If you are dreaming for getting a mini-telescope with video recording to capture long distant videos then wake up as Panasonic SDR-S50 has been launched. It is like a mini-telescope to record standard definition videos of distant objects due to its 70x mega-zoom lens. You need a tripod mount for the support, which is not a big problem. However, the camcorder does not have internal memory and slot for external mic/headphone. For compensation, you can use SDXC/SDHC/SD cards for storage. The SDR-S50 costs $249.95 and offers complete set of manual controls and good video quality. Noteworthy that low light videos are poor with a lot of noise. If you are looking for internal memory, then you can check similarly featured Panasonic SDR-H85 (80GB hard drive) or the SDR-T50 (4GB flash memory). On the top, you will find zoom rocker, optical image stabilization shortcut, switch for toggling Manual/Intelligent Auto, and shutter release button. Video record button  [...]

Panasonic SDR-T50 looks like a mini-telescope that can record standard-def video. It has 70x mega-zoom lens that focus very closer to the object without any problem. The SDR-T50 costs $269.95 and features Optical Image Stabilization, 4GB internal flash memory, various manual controls and memory expansion slot that accepts SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. The overall video quality is good for a standard-def camcorder, but the low-light videos look poor. The T50 camcorder is inexpensive, but missing slots for external headphones and microphone. It does not provide the perfect standard-def video quality. If you are buying the SDR-T50, then you are paying for mega-zoom lens and storage but not for excellent video quality. Moreover, you can check for Panasonic SDR-H85 that has 80GB drive and the SDR-S50 that costs less as well as records to SDXC/SDHC/SD cards. The controls of Panasonic SDR-T50 are well placed, but the display is not a touch screen.  The hand-strap  [...]

We don’t know if you would still buy a hard disk based camcorder when there are flash based models around. Flash models are a bit costly however they provide larger battery life and also weigh less because of the absence of moving parts. Hard disks on the other end consume more power and are quite heavy. The exterior of the device is quite similar to Panasonics flash based TM 300 but we found there were some changes done to the model like a zoom switch which is quite small and hence difficult to use. We loved the zoom button on the TM 300 but this switch disappointed us. The accessory shoe is located at the top instead of putting it on the sides. We think the video quality of this camcorder is the best that Panasonic has ever made and this model brings the quality on par with camcorder giants like Sony and Canon. The improved video and image quality is due to the presence of 3 CMOS chips which have high resolution capabilities and hence deliver  [...]