Ever wondered what the letters and numbers in the model numbers for Panasonic’s HD camcorder range actually mean?
The models numbers are usually in the form HDC-XXYYY where XX is two letters and YYY is a number, e.g. HDC-SD10, HDC-TM700, HDC-HS300, etc. All of Panasonic’s high definition models start with the prefix HDC, we imagine this stands for “High Definition Camcorder” or something similar.
The next part of the model number refers to the recording format the camcorders has. Currently there are three variations, ‘SD’, ‘TM’ and ‘HS’. ‘SD’ means a memory card only camcorder, there will be a SD memory card slot accepting SD, SDHC or SDXC memory card media. There models are often the cheapest in the range as you have to supply your own memory card media to record. ‘TM’ stands for twin memory, twin memory models feature internal solid state memory and an SD card slot like the ‘SD’ models. The ‘HS’ models are hard disk models and feature an internal hard disk (and often a SD card slot like the other two types).
The number in the model number refers to the series of range of camcorder. E.g. HDC-TM700, HDC-SD700 and HDC-HS700 all refer to the new 700 series of high definition camcorder.
Any suffix you see after the number will usually be a reference to colour or any country specific differences the colour of the model. E.g. HDC-SD10EBK would be the UK model in black.
Something to bear in mind when shopping for a SD or TM model is the price difference. The only difference between a SD and TM model is the addition of internal memory. Often the price difference between the two models will be minimal and the TM can be a better deal. You need to be mindful of when the price between the two models is greater than the cost of an additional SD card the same size as the TM’s internal memory. In these cases it’s often better to purchase the SD model and use the spare cash on memory cards, unless there is a reason you really need the internal memory. This becomes more common as the models age and SDHC cards increase in size and decrease in prices faster than retailers reduce the price of the TM models.
