Name: Panasonic HC-X920 Ultrafine Full HD Camcorder, 20.4MP, 1/2" 3MOS Sensors with BSI, 12x Optical Zoom, 2.82-59.2 mm Focal Length, Wi-Fi, Black
Brand: Panasonic
SKU: PCHCX920K
Price: 848.00 USD
Availability: Discontinued
Rating: 4 (3 reviews)

Panasonic HC-X920 Ultrafine Full HD Camcorder, 20.4MP, 1/2" 3MOS Sensors with BSI, 12x Optical Zoom, 2.82-59.2 mm Focal Length, Wi-Fi, Black

Panasonic HC-X920

Panasonic

Panasonic HC-X920 Ultrafine Full HD Camcorder, Black

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Panasonic HC-X920 

Buy: Panasonic HC-X920 Ultrafine Full HD Camcorder, 20.4MP, 1/2" 3MOS Sensors with BSI, 12x Optical Zoom, 2.82-59.2 mm Focal Length, Wi-Fi, Black Configuration: Camcorder Bundle, Ergonomics: Palmheld, Kit Style: Premium Bundle, LCD Size: 3.5"

The quality of video results compared with much more expensive equipment so is quite good. I compared it to a Sony AX100 in HD mode and it stands up well. The 5 channnel surround sound is a little thin and subject to wind so I added a Rode Video Mike Pro to be able to pick out voices in noisy surroundings. The stubby VMP was really the only choice given the strange mount at the very front of the camera that puts boom microphones right in the line of view of the lens!  

One other point is the manual controls. Unlike the Sony, the white balance cannot be dialed through the range of "white" by the control ring, you just get the same choices of auto, indoor, outdoor etc. that you do on the screen so variable white balance really doesn't happen on this camcorder. 

Low light operation with this sensor and a f1.5 lens is very good especially if you take care to get the white balance correct.

Overall however, the picture is stellar, the OIS extremely effective, and the camera is heavy enough to be stable but doesn't handle like a brick.  It is the best prosumer camcorder I have owned.

Excellent results, some limitations

I use this for general shooting. It has enough manual control to make your videos creative. It is very good in low light and has a very fine grain which is pleasing to the eye. The gain can only be adjusted when the iris is wide open. By default if you go out of the iris setting then return your gain setting will be 18db which is the brightest setting. So basically I try to adjust the iris last. White balance in auto is accurate but when changing light sources it does take a few second to adjust.The focus ring can be changed to control  focus,wb,shutter or iris. The ring is perfectly dampened and very smooth. Focus peaking and zebra are a huge help for manual control. Ai+ mode is good if you need a quick shot but staying in manual gives much nicer results.The LCD screen is very accurate and smooth. No double pressing or pressing
the wrong setting. The viewfinder is very usable and has a diopter.The zoom lever is smooth and easy to control. The hybrid OIS is amazing.. at 12X  zoom it looks like it was shot with a steadicam.The Leica lens is super sharp.The only disappointment is the wifi simply does not work for Ustream or Home Cam.The smartphone remote does work fine. Overall this camcorder plus Sony Vegas pro 12 is a hard deal to beat.

Top of the line camcorder

Using this camera as a camcorder...great! But the WIFI features are lacking and unnecessarily burdened by requiring third party services like UStream and Panasonic's Lumix account. Why can't I just stream the video over the internet by port forward on my router? Nope...not allowed, have to use Ustream service. Other than that...it is a nice camera.