Panasonic Reveals Camcorder Pricing

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 2/9/2010

Secaucus, N.J. - Panasonic Tuesday released pricing on six digital camcorders that were unveiled at last month's International CES.

The new models include the high-definition HDC-TM55, HDC-HS60 and HDC-SD60 models and standard-definition models SDR-H85, SDR-T50 SDR-S50.

All six models will be available in mid-March 2010.

The HDC-SD60 ($499 suggested retail) and the HDC-HS60 ($699) differ primarily in storage capability. The SD60 uses SD/SDHC/SDHX memory cards, and the HS60 comes with an in-built 120GB hard drive and is expandable through the SD card slot.

The HDC-TM55 ($529) has an SD card slot and 8GB of internal memory.

Key features in both include 25x optical zoom lenses extending to 35x in Intelligent Zoom model. Intelligent Zoom, which is also offered in new Lumix cameras this year, retains focus while reducing digital distortion.

Other features include power optical image stabilization (OIS), wind noise canceling, touchscreen operation and an LCD screen with automatic brightness adjustment.

Panasonic's standard-definition camcorders include the SDR-H85 ($349), SDR-T50 ($269) and the SDR-S50 ($249).

All three models feature compact body styling, a 33mm wide-angle lens with 78x ultra-zoom extension, and Advanced OIS. Additionally, the SDR-H85 has an 80GB hard drive, and the SDR-T50 has