Panasonic HDC-TM40

Panasonic HDC-TM40

Like their cheap competitors from Sony and Canon, Panasonic's budget-priced HDR-SD40, TM40 and TM41 are only nominally high-definition; where HD requires a minimum of 2.07-megapixel resolution, these and their ilk use lower-resolution sensors and algorithmically bulk up the video so the output has the requisite number of pixels. The result is generally poor video quality, though how bad it looks depends upon how you view it. And the trade-off is that you can get a zoom lens, and in this case, manual exposure controls for less than $250. The SD40 version differs from the TM models only by built-in memory--it has none, while the other two have 16GB built in. The TM40 and TM41 are, essentially, identical; the TM41 is Sam's Club-specific model, which seems to have the option of increased digital zoom. But you shouldn't use digital zoom to start with, and in conjunction with such a low-resolution sensor, it becomes even more of a no-no-NO. There are some circumstances under which the video looks OK. When it's shot in good light and displayed on a midsize screen (say, under 40 inches), or scaled down to half size, it's perfectly acceptable. Low-light video may also be acceptable when viewed like that.