Panasonic HM-TA20

Panasonic HM-TA20 review

Despite the fact that Cisco recently killed off its Flip line of camcorders, other manufacturers are keeping the point-and-shoot video camera legacy alive.Panasonic is doing its part with the Panasonic HM-TA20.It's a waterproof and shockproof video camera capable of recording Full HD footage, as well as eight-megapixel still images.With its bright, chunky design, it's intended as a kind of holiday camera you use anywhere and chuck in a bag with a wet towel and sandy shoes, without having to worry about it.It can record footage in 1080p, 720p and 480p, all at 30fps. It records in H.264 MP4 files to an SD/SDHC/SDXC card, with audio in two-channel AAC, except for the lone audio recording function, which uses LPCM for maximum quality.The waterproofing is rated for down to three metres, while you should also be able to drop it from 1.5 metres without incident.There's an LED flash, which can also be used as a video light, but it's notable only really for being weak. It won't make much of a dent on a dim room, let along a black cave.You start recording using the big red and silver button on the back, but almost all other functions are performed using the three-inch touchscreen.