Panasonic HDCTM20K8 HDC-TM20 SD and 16GB HDDHD Flash Camcorder with 16x Optical Zoom, 2.7" LCD (with Included 8GB Card) - FotoConnection.com

Advanced O.I.S.
Panasonic's Advanced O.I.S. helps suppress the effects of hand-shake as you shoot, for both motion and still images. This system uses gyrosensors to detect even tiny amounts of hand-shake, then shifts a lens and adjusts the optical axis to compensate - all at an astounding 4,000 times per second. It also covers approximately 3 times the stabilization area of our previous SD9 model. Because the system is optical, there's minimal loss of image quality even when viewed on a large-screen TV.

HD Crystal Engine
We took the advanced imaging circuitry used in Panasonic professional equipment and adapted it for home use. The result is the HD Crystal Engine, a high-speed processing unit that handles huge volumes of data and virtually doubles the dynamic range. This advanced imaging engine helps prevent blown highlights and blocked shadows, so the images you capture on video look just the way they do in real life.

Digital Cinema Color with VIERA
This mode automatically switches the camcorder to the optimum setting for the Digital Cinema Color of the VIERA plasma TV series. Colors recorded in this mode look richer than those recorded using the conventional Panasonic standard. For example, the subtle shades of red and gold in flowers, and the greens of leafy trees are remarkably true to life.

5.1-channel Surround Sound System and Zoom Mic
The TM20 is equipped with three electret condenser microphones. The center mic helps capture the sound source and distance accurately, so you get a more 3-dimensional effect than you get with conventional systems, which capture all sounds from the front. You get a realistic sound space that's a perfect match with the true-to-life HD images.

Soft Skin Mode
When this function detects skin tones, it softens the focus in that area. This has a skin beautifying effect, which makes wrinkles and lines appear less noticeable. When turned on, this function makes blemishes and moles look less conspicuous, while preserving resolution in areas of the picture outside of the skin.

Tele Macro
Using the zoom at full magnification, you can shoot macro close-ups while maintaining a distance of 50 cm from your subject. This makes it much easier to capture extreme close-ups without your body or camera casting a shadow on the subject and while keeping the background in soft focus.

Shooting Functions

Touch Screen Operation
Control settings are made by simply touching the LCD screen. Operation is intuitive and easy, and the large letters are easy to read. Shooting and viewing are simple and stress-free - even for beginners.

iA (Intelligent Auto)
Sometimes a scene is backlit or too dark, or it's difficult to get a good focus on the subject. Adjusting the settings every time is not only a hassle, it can be very tricky. That's where iA comes in. This powerful function senses the shooting conditions and automatically makes the settings and activates functions that will deliver optimal results. With both motion and still images, iA lets you forget about bothersome settings and makes it easy to capture beautiful, well-focused images.

Subject Detection: AF/AE Tracking
Touch the LCD screen to indicate the subject, such as a person or an animal, that you want to focus on, and let AF/ AE Tracking do the rest. The camera locks on the subject and follows it around, keeping it in sharp focus and properly exposed. It keeps tracking even if the subject turns to the side. This advanced function makes it easy to get a continually clear, beautiful shot of the subject in the scene you care most about.

Face Detection AE/AF
This mode captures faces beautifully. Face Detection automatically senses the ambient lighting and adjusts the exposure accordingly, so faces are bright and easy to see. The focus also prioritizes the faces, and skin tones are smoothed. Faces in the center of the frame serve as the reference for adjustments, but the function can detect up to 15 faces in all.

Shake Detection: Advanced O.I.S.
When hand-shake is detected while shooting, the Advanced O.I.S. system is automatically activated to compensate for blurring and produce beautiful recorded images. Because the system is optical, there's only minimal loss of image quality even when viewed on a large-screen TV.

Light Detection: Intelligent Contrast Control
By detecting the intensity of the ambient light and adjusting the exposure accordingly, Intelligent Contrast Control prevents blown highlights and blocked shadows. This helps render natural-looking, highly nuanced images with proper contrast.

Scene Detection: Intelligent Scene Selector
The shooting conditions are detected, and the optimal Scene mode is automatically selected. Even if the subject should change, there's no need to manually redo the settings, so you can concentrate entirely on your shot.

1.9-second Quick Power-on
Switch the power on and the camcorder is in standby mode in just 1.9 seconds, ready to shoot when you are. This fast startup also helps reduce battery consumption.

0.6-Sec Quick Start
Use Quick Start mode. You simply flip open the LCD and you're ready to shoot in just 0.6 second. When Eco mode is also used, the power turns off whenever the camcorder has not been operated for 5 minutes. This reduces wasted power consumption, and enables a longer battery life.

Pre-rec Function
This clever function records three seconds of images even before you actually begin shooting. The images are held temporarily in the camcorder's internal memory, before recording onto the SDHC/SD Memory Card begins. This helps ensure that you won't miss the start of a moment you want to record, such as when an event begins all of a sudden. For example, if you're waiting to snap a shot of a jumping dolphin, you can press the REC button after you've made sure that the dolphin has cleared the surface of the water. The camcorder will record the entire scene, from the instant of the dolphin's jump until it disappears again into the sea.

Anti-ground Shooting
The O.I.S. linear motor system can detect when the camera is in an unusual shooting position - such as when you've inadvertently left it on in recording mode. In these cases, the camera automatically stops recording, saving both battery power and media storage space.

50fps High Speed Burst Shooting
This function lets the camcorder snap up to 50 consecutive still images in a second, or up to 180 consecutive shots in 3.6 seconds. You can use it to analyze a golf swing, tennis stroke or other motion. You also can use it to get good shots of subjects in fast motion. Just fire off a number of shots without stopping, then keep the best ones and delete the rest.

Auto Power LCD
The LCD brightness can be adjusted manually to suit the surroundings. In Auto mode, the LCD brightness is adjusted automatically in 16 smooth steps depending on the surroundings. In darker rooms it adjusts to a lower brightness, making it easier to frame the shot. Outside, it adjusts to almost twice the brightness for easy viewing even on sunny days.

Focus Assist
This function enlarges the center of the image, making it easier for you to get a clear, sharp shot when focusing manually.

Composition Guide Lines
With wide LCD monitors, it's hard to keep images perfectly level. The TM20 solves this by displaying horizontal and vertical Composition Guide Lines that make it easy to keep the subject straight and level.

Highlight and Time Frame Index
The index function has been enhanced with the addition of a new feature that divides each recorded scene into a number of smaller scenes, and displays thumbnails for each. This makes it much easier to find a particular part of a scene without having to fast-forward.

• Highlight Index The camera automatically selects and displays the most exciting scenes. It determines the level of importance of each scene based on zooming and panning, and whether there are faces and cheers. This gives you an easy, convenient way to view all the highlights together.
• Time Frame Index This mode divides each recorded clip into 3-second, 6-second, 12-second, 1-minute and 5-minute intervals, and displays them. This is convenient when you want to find a specific scene within a long clip.

Wide Viewing Angle
The LCD has a highly detailed, 230,400-pixel display and a viewing angle of 170°, both vertically and horizontally. Images are clear and bright even when viewed from an angle, so everyone can gather around the LCD to enjoy on-the-spot recordings. The wide viewing angle is also great for taking high- or low-angle shots.

Auto Light
When the camera determines that the ambient lighting is insufficient, it automatically switches the light on. This illuminates your subject for shooting. The LED (light emitting diode) has low power consumption, a long service life, and the safety of a low operating temperature.

Color Night View
Leave the light off. Color Night View gives you images with color even in dim lighting (1x). Light from the LCD is gentle and easy on the eyes, so you can snap shots of sleeping children without waking them up.

World Time
Handy for travellers, this function makes it easy to set the camcorder time when you cross time zones and again when you return home. Simply select your destination from the displayed map, and the camcorder is automatically set for that time zone. The time for two different places can be set--such as home and destination--and you can switch between the times by simply pressing a button.

Auto Lens Cover
When the power is turned on, the lens cover automatically opens. When the power goes off, the lens cover closes. You don't have to keep removing and replacing a lens cap - or worry about losing it.

Playback & Networking

Highlight Playback
Select the days of the recordings you want to see, and this innovative function automatically selects the most exciting scenes, arranges them, and plays them, backed by music. It decides how exciting a scene is based on zooming, panning, and scene changes, and whether there are faces and cheers. This gives you a quick, easy way to view the most exciting scenes all together. It's a great way to look back over exciting memories that you have recorded.

Intelligent Selection Playback
This playback function makes recordings more enjoyable to view. It automatically skips over any shots that have serious errors, such as hand swing, fast panning, out-of-focus images or shots of the ground taken when the user forgot to turn the camcorder off. You see only the good, error-free shots.

Easy Connecting, Easy Viewing

• VIERA Link Just connect your camcorder to an HDTV and you're ready for high-definition viewing. If your TV is HDMI compatible, a single HDMI mini cable (optional) is all you need. When using a VIERA TV, you can also operate the camcorder with the VIERA remote control for even easier viewing.
• SD Networking Simply take the SDHC/SD Memory Card from your camcorder and slip it into the card slot on your Panasonic VIERA or Blu-ray Disc Player, and you're ready to view full-HD images recorded in the AVCHD format.

Using a DVD Burner to Create and Play Back a DVD
The TM20's USB Host function lets you connect directly to a DVD burner via a USB cable. You can then copy recordings from the SDHC/SD Memory Card to a DVD disc by simply pressing a button.The camcorder lets you select either the AVCHD or the DVD-Video (MPEG-2) format according to the playback environment. Select the AVCHD format for HD playback on a large-screen TV using a Blu-ray Disc player or DVD burner. Or choose the DVD-Video (MPEG-2) for easy playback using a DVD player.

Included Software
The HD Writer AE 1.0 software makes it easy to play or edit your recordings using a PC, and also to upload them to YouTube by following simple steps. After editing, you can copy the videos to a DVD disc in either the AVCHD or the DVD-Video (MPEG-2) format. Choose the one that best suits your playback equipment or how you intend to use your recordings. This easy-to-use software gives you more creative ways to enjoy the recordings you make.

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