Low-light performance isn't great, either, but that also is expected from standard-definition models. Video is soft with readily visible noise and digital artifacting, a lot of purple and green fringing around high-contrast subjects, and merely OK color reproduction with highlight clipping. The bundled software has 'one-click' uploading to YouTube as well.įor all its features and ease-of-use, the H80 produces video typical of standard-definition consumer camcorders.

Pressing it starts a 10-minute countdown keeping your recordings within the site's upload parameters. If you're considering the H80 for recording clips for video-sharing sites, YouTube in particular, you'll probably be happy finding the camcorder's Web mode button. We can only imagine what it would be like with an extended-life battery on back. Not so much that it's manual, but the location at the top right of the lens is just peculiar if you already have your hand in the grip belt. Another gripe is with the manual lens cover. If you won't have access to powering the H80 and will need to move a recording from it, save to an SD card instead. The fact is, you don't want the battery dying in the middle of a transfer, but it's a little irritating to have to remove the battery every time. This forces you to plug in the camcorder in to transfer files off the unit. The USB port and power input are located behind the battery.

The H80 does have a few design shortcomings worth mentioning, though. Inside the LCD cavity is where you'll find the SD/SDHC card slot for additional video or photo storage and an AV out. The last one is particularly handy because you'll want to shut OIS off when the H80's on a tripod. This includes buttons for accessing manual controls, turning on Panasonic's Intelligent Auto (iA) mode, and enabling the optical image stabilization (OIS). If you dread going into menus to make adjustments, Panasonic dots the H80 with several buttons for quickly changing between shooting options. Flipping out the LCD exposes a five-way joystick and Menu button on the left side of the screen. There's a Power/Mode dial at the top back for selecting whether you want to record movies or still photos or play them back. Controls are pretty typical for this type of camcorder and nothing is so horribly positioned to make using the H80 uncomfortable (though the Record button is a touch too close to the battery).

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