Panasonic HC-X920 prosumer camcorder mini review and sample footage

The new prosumer camcorder from Panasonic the HC-X920 features 3 1-2/3 inch BSI cmos sensors which are claimed reduce low light noise levels by 50% over previous versions. This video shows a comparison with the SD700 and the Sony HX20v camera in extreme low light. This camera also feature wi-fi options for remote control and video streaming

[@ChrTz]

This is my sixth camera, since 1991! EPIC camera!!!

[@GrahamHoughton12]

The audio isn't something I've really explored yet with the onboard camera mics. I need to do a shoot with it in a couple of days so I will use the internal mics as a test and post up the video. Thanks for your comment.

[@CubifyFan]

I can't begin to tell you how useful your review was to me. The choices of comparison shots and having the length to really be able to drink in the subtleties of each, was extremely helpful. I have been looking for an HD camera that comes close to matching the low level capabilities of my VCX2100 without breaking the bank and your review and comparison covered exactly to kinds of things I need to know. Thanks!

[@GreenMorningDragonProductions]

0:01 I took MY Panasonic camcorder to the Museum of Science and Industry/Air & Space Museum too. In my case it was a HC-V360, which I bought at Yodobashi camera, Yokohama, for less than ま200. I wanted to film the Kamikaze plane in the air and space museum, cos I was doing a documentary project about the original Kamikaze (a typhoon which whipped across Japan and wiped out the invading Mongols). My HC-V360 is a BRILL entry-level camcorder, but, after three years of use, I noticed dust somehow gets behind the lens. But if I have to replace it, it'll be with another Panasonic. Always nice to see images of my home town. Cheers!

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Hi thank you. I haven't used any of the Legria range of cameras so I really can't make any useful comments about them. The X920 is good, I need to do more filming with it in various lighting levels to get a better feel for its performance before I post a complete review of it.

[@col4mqk]

Excellent video Graham. Viewing at 1080 the x920 produces noticeably cleaner and more detailed video, quite impressive for small sensor. Freeze frame stills look quite good too. Look forward to your further tests. Thank you.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Yes it has interval shooting like the 700/900 series and it does have a small lens hood similar to the 900 one.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Thank you, a great confidence boost. I will be doing a video documentary next week using this camera as I think its quality is now at that point where you can gather very good material for high definition material in a variety of lighting situations.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

yes the manual focus assist works by highlighting the in focus areas in blue, in addition you can also put on zebra stripes for clipped highlights which is useful as well. I had hoped to get a full review out for this camera by now but it looks like it will be a few more days before I can put it together.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

I think youtube masks a lot of detail, the original files are markedly in favour of the x920, the image noise is a lot less than in the SD700.. The wide angle convertor is an old one from Konica Minolta its a 0.8x and gives great results without any compromise.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Glad I could help, thanks for your comment.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Thank you, I see you are very pleased with this camcorder.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

I've uploaded a short video on facebook but its a private video at the moment until the people concerned have viewed it. The LX7 doesn't have audio input which makes it a little more limited compared to prosumer models which all have audio input and monitoring

[@GrahamHoughton12]

hi yes unfortunately they have not uncoupled gain from iris control. you can only use gain after the max iris has been attained so you can't use set apertures and adjust exposure by gain which is a real shame. The 25p mode is wrapped up in what they called digital cinema mode which is engaged through the 1080i set up modes to give 25p

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Its a 12x optical zoom starting at 35mm equivalent. Perhaps a little wide for a starting focal length but easily converted with conversion lenses. Zoom is steady.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

The external HDMI data overlay can be turned off in the menu, you just get 2 seconds of overlay as you start up after that it is clean.

[@CornelisvanWier]

Nice Images, the x920 is my favourite, at this moment i use the Hc -720 and i am verry satisfied with it. Greetings from Holland.

[@MrVitalino123]

GREAT Video made with Very Good Camcorder. I have the same for a few years. Works very well!

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Hi no all the footage is direct from the camera to the edit timeline as its the only way to show the comparative results. The x920 has a much cleaner output over the SD700 but further use/testing before i do a full review.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

A polarising filter gives some contrast boost between sky and land but its better to use post edit to alter overal contrast or gamma

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Hello Thomas, yes it it the same price here about £900. I'm not sure yet wheteh it is that much of an improvement over the 900 it replaces yet. I have been using it a lot and will post up further thiughts on it shortly.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

The zoom can be controlled by touch screen, control ring or the zoom lever, speed can be controlled by the amount of movement made with the lever. There are no programmable steps or ramping adjustments though

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Thanks for your comments, there are very marginal improvements with this upgrade in terms of image quality and the loss of extra wide shots is a bit of a blow, I think they (Panasonic) are getting carried away with extra long zooms like 60x in their bridge cameras. I'll try the manual white/indoors/manual trick next time it use it

[@ryanspianoaccount]

Probably your best uploads Graham so far, well for me anyway. This is exactly what I was looking for. I am buying the hx20v again this week purely to use for video and keeping on tz25 for stills.I sold my panasonic sd90 1080/60p which cost £449 18 months ago and when I compared with hx20v it blew the panasonic away. I take it you still rate the hx20v for video? X920 great colours but 700 looks a little washed out in some areas from what I see. Thanks Graham for this great upload

[@GrahamHoughton12]

The original files show a noticeable difference in noise reduction in the shadows which don't come across on YT. The wide angle lens is picking up a bit of CA on highlights which is a bit of a disappointing result. The HX20v has made surprising video in low light pity it doesn't have more features. Apart from convenience of the x12 zoom lens of the x920 my preferred option is leaning towards using the GH3 as the low light results at 3200 iso look remarkably well controlled in both stills and vid

[@kape06111]

Thank you for your time. One last question, between the 920 and fz200, talking only about video, which do you prefer? which give you a better video quality? Thank you again.

[@videocreation5206]

Lovely camcorder,still have one and the older model sd900,both great cams and still use them in 2022,do have the vx990 4k but like the look of the old models with the 3mos sensors,if shooting in 1080p always go back to the old models.Only negative issues with panasonic camcorders is the panning can be a bit jerky ,sometimes use resolve studio 17 to convert 50fps to 60fps with optical flow enabled that does an excellent job for silky smooth playback

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Yes it is a cleaner output, more results shortly.

[@Santosphotography1]

Your image looks very clean, and aliasing and moire free. I was testing this little camcorder today and i notice a big issue with the aliasing and moire pattern. Have you experience anything like that with your camcorder? What were you sattings? Mine was Manually 1/60 on the shutter, open/0db on the iris, and thats about it.

[@ChrTz]

Panasonic hc-x920!!! Best camcorder EVER! Perfect colours, white balance, sharpness, stabilization!!! (not the hc-x900)

[@rymdskrotet]

Hello. Does this, older camcorder (but better?) give better video quality thanks to its 3MOS BSI sensor compared with a newer camcorder from Panasonic, let's say the HC-VXF990 which should be "top of the line" right now. From what I have seen, footage from this newer camera shows blurry quality, and smearing effects when if camera is moved - it looks quite horrible, especially if there is lower light, such as in dusk or down, or if its a cloudy day. The camera goes from giving really nice 4K footage to give something less then mediocre. It also looses sharpness very quickly when you zoom in. I wonder if you can help me to understand if 4K is the way to go on a small 1/2.3" BSO MOS sensor, which is what this newer camcorder use. Best regards.

[@iowapatriot1]

Mr. Houghton, Thanks for the video. I have been debating which camcorder to get, of course wanting the biggest bang for the buck. I think I've found it in the X920. The price will allow me to get two for weddings and other event videos without having to color correct one of them in post production. The video looks crisp and clear. How is the audio zoom? Does it focus decently on the subject as you zoom in? Thank you once again for a great comparison, and I look forward to further posts.

[@idic5]

fine review. I noticed distinct wind noise in the outside shots. some questions: 1) what audio settings were used , stereo or 5.1? what is the default? 2) I believe the 920 has a wind reduction setting (on-off). Was this turned on for the outdoor shots? what is the default here ? 3) is there anything , any other kind of accessory that could help with wind intrusion for the 920?

[@GrahamHoughton12]

The difference is of course in the ability to use external microphone and audio monitor and you have a wide angle F1.7 lens which does help in the low light situations. It's a pity that ND filters are built into the camera as that would help in getting the shutter speed down in bright lighting but using wider apertures.

[@madpicken]

wow im interested in the performance of the 3 cmos sensors in low light concert conditions. particularly reds purples and blues, they tend to just blend in to each other with past camcorders.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

It does have a very small lens hood but nothing like the size or shape of the larger cameras

[@RobertMeeArtist]

Hi. Great video, I know it's a while ago. Could you tell me if the MP4 file format video shooting on this camera is of good quality, say equivalent to 1080P HD 13mp smart phone video recording?

[@GrahamHoughton12]

yes, they ened up on the decking and most of the container plants were strewn about the garden also

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Yes the HX20 still packs in remarkable video for such a small package. The X920 looks better than the SD700 but comes with a heavy price tag and still has a few issues which I will reveal in a later review

[@GrahamHoughton12]

it was left at the default 5.1 mode but the wind noise reduction was not turned on. There is no in camera noise attenuation I would normally be using an extenal mic with the camera but as this was just a test of teh camera I dis not use it

[@clowham5307]

Thanks. Yes you are quite right, the manual controls much more extensive, brighter lens for low light work, and mic jack. The Hx20v has no adjustments (apart from EV) but seems to do a reliable job in most situations. Interested in the LX7 as at around £300 offers excellent manual controls and f1.4, so might match the prosumer camcorders for significantly less cost. Is your LX& video test up soon? Thanks again.

[@AlainHubert]

Thanks you for a great review. I especially like the fact that you are comparing it to my TM700, which is exactly what I was looking for.

[@njicws]

Great video Graham - I too have a SD700. I don't really see a huge leap (if any) in quality from the HC-X920. What is the make and model no. of the wide angle converter.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

The opening sequence is filmed with the Lumix GH3 camera

[@SomeLittleShoe]

Thank you for the reply. Clean HDMI means I can use it for live streaming. Thank you for this review. The picture of this cam is beautiful. I wouldn't have known without this comparison. Thank you.

[@SomeLittleShoe]

Certainly is a beauty! . Did you say the HDMI output is clean?

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Although there is the option to display time date info on screen I haven't found a way of watermarking this to the video file, nor can I find anyway in editing to recover the time code thinking you could do it in post production, sorry.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

With some camcorders you can program the in and out zoom points and the speed at which the zoom starts and stops. This is normally done with assign buttons, the X920 does not feature these options. The photo quality in stills only mode is just average, it does not stand up to many compact cameras with 12-14 megapixels. The stills which can be takenduring video are equal quality to the video footage but are much lower resolution and can only be used as cut aways in final production

[@Brookside975]

Thank you for the review. I enjoyed your sample video very much. My question is, were you using a monpod or tripod, or shooting handheld? Thanks again. Steve/OHIO/USA

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Hi I have a few lenses of Panasonic and olympus with M4/3 mounts plus some canon/nikon with adaptors. The X920 behaves very well in the full auto mode and quite a few users have bought it for this reason. On facebook there is a 920 users group which publish tips and techniques for the 920 if you want a look there

[@barbershop22]

Trying to decide between the 770 and the x920, I have both from Amazon and am trying to make a choice. They are 29.5 and 29.8 mm wide, however the x920 is noticeably wider, so I don't believe their marketing specs. Currently have the TM90 which has been a great camcorder with a 1/4" sensor. Comments appreciated.

[@video-tourist]

Great review! What mode (manual, iA or "low light - candle") did you use for night scenes?

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Hi Melvyn, you are probably looking at shoulder mount cameras like the Sony HXR-MC2000E or Panasonic AG-AC8 which retail around £1100, bothe are high grade avchd cameras but look over the specs to see if they do what you need

[@kape06111]

Oh what ashamed, thank you for your answer. Really useful to count with people like you before taking a decision of a gear. It is possible for you to make such a review like you did for the pana FZ200. I would like to see the menus an how the help for manual focus woks in this camera, it is like the focus peaking or it is something else?

[@GrahamHoughton12]

In theory the colour reproduction from 3 sensors can be finely tuned by the dichroic filters over each of the primary imaging sensors so as you say the reds/purples should be more accurately resolved.

[@KutWrite]

Well done, Graham. Nice comparo... So far the Panny is #1 on my list of possible purchases. The Canon G30 is #2. I'll have to look for some samples of that. Loved the subject matter of your tests, too.

[@AlainHubert]

From 9:51 to 10:16 I can see that Panasonic haven't fixed the color balance "hunting" of the auto white balance... I never use auto white balance on my TM700 precisely because of that problem. The low light performance increase, compared to the TM700, seems minimal to me, despite having BSI MOS sensors. Their bigger size does show up as slightly increased resolution in low light though.

[@BB..........]

Looks like I'm going to have to upgrade my 10 month old HC-X900M now.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

The opening sequence is filmed with the Lumix GH3 camera with the 12-35mm f2.8 lens

[@universe4839]

Hey, nice review. Is this camera NTSC/PAL switchable? I ask this because on previous panasonic (and other brands) models you were stuck at 50p if you bought the PAL version. 50P/25P is in many cases a VERY unfortunate thing in this digital day and age where so much of the footage is to be uploaded on the web etc. Pretty much all pc screens run at around 60 Hz refreshrate which makes pal footage look jittery - not smooth like with 60p/30P footage. I am aware that you may still need to use pal when shooting under certain artificial light sources, because of the the 50 Hz mains frequency and all that. However, I do most of my filming outdoors and prefer 60p over 50p in all situations. Thanks.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Thank you. Still with this camera it is region specific 50P PAL and 60P NTSC recording modes. This mismatch really needs addressing and a firm standard agreed.

[@mrrandom177]

As ever... great review Graham. obviously youtube is not an ideal place to show a cameras capabilities as even watching at 1080 the footage is heavily compressed. In this footage the X920 appears to display quite a bit of chromatic aberration, the GH3 appears to have it more controlled. the Sony fairs suprsingly well among the bigger cameras! based on what i see here im not sure the X920 is a huge leap forward TBH. Look forward to further test footage.

[@neihuslim]

Many thanks for the excellent review. I think I'll go for the HC-920.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

I can understand some of the difficulties trying to find the ideal camcorder. Quite a few camcorders are now utilising single chip cmos sensors, even some of canon's prosumer models like the XA25 and the Sony NEX FS100. I think their is still room for single chip technology to deliver pro quality results - just look at cameras like black magic pocket cinema camera and red epic for example

[@srobart]

The x920 produces some superb images, but it appears to like to blow-out the highlights, especially when compared to the GH3 and the HX20v. The DR on the GH3 appears to be superior to the X920, but the X920 has sharper, clearer images overall. This just makes my decision that much more difficult. ;) I think the stabilization and the autofocus of the X920 may be worth having slightly less DR though. Right tool for the job and all. I'm currently shooting most of my video on the Nikon D7100 and Nikon 1 J1 with occasional usage of the ultra-low-budget Canon Vixia HF-R400, which produces video that's BARELY adequate, so I am in the market for a new camcorder. Great review, as always. Thank you.

[@slendersausage]

Hi. Please explain programmable steps and ramping? What do you think regards the photo quality on this camcorder. Thanks

[@Not00]

Hi Graham - got the x920 after finally being convinced by your footage with it. Can you tell me which video editor you use and what are the best settings to save for top quality viewing on KZbin. Thanks.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Hi Nick, I use Sony Vegas home studio v11 and edius 6 and always render at 1080p mp4 format a 8Mbps bit rate in both editors which is the key.

[@Not00]

Graham Houghton - Hi again Graham. Can you just go through why you use two video editors and what the process is. Also what are your views on the editor I have which is PowerDirector 12 - and, finally, what are your views on Handbrake as a compressor? Thanks.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Indeed it has full auto mode if you prefer to shoot that way.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

That test will be on my list of things to do. The sensor size is the same I just think the image processing will be superior on the X920 ( should be for the cost)

[@lukewestwood]

Hi Graham, great video. I was wondering what camera this was shot with. The quality is amazing. Would really appreciate your input. Thanks :)

[@Fundaciong]

Thanks for you answer. I have one more importan question. for these kind of video which camera is beter: Lumix DMC GH3, HC x920, Nikon D5200, or Sony A77???

[@JohnRossiAQP]

I have a video camera Pannasonic X900, what type of wide angle is the video samples in the envelope on the table.

[@PaulStam]

A lot of prosumer cameras has a lens hood. Why not these kind of cameras?

[@robertmahoney5857]

Hi Graham, very interesting video as usual thank you.how do these HD video cameras do against panasonic fz200 in hd video mode, .i have seen your videos and the fz200 can get some fantastic results, i would like to see some side by side tests. regards, bob mahoney.

[@KutWrite]

Thanks for posting! What did you shoot the intro segment with? That seems very high quality.

[@kape06111]

Hey thank you for this nice video. I see more detail and sharpness in the 920. Nice camera. Im doubting into get one of this or the Canon Legria G25, any advice.

[@kape06111]

Hello, may you help with some questions. I was reading at the user manual and it seems to be that you cannot change the iris and gain independent to each other. What i understood from the manual is that once you get the max aperture and you still need more light the gain start to increase. is that correct? or you can set your gain whenever you want? The next question is about the frame rates, i can only see 1080 50p, but not 1080 25 p. Is that right? Thank you in advance.

[@displayfireworks1]

I think I may have found my next KZbin camcorder. It is priced at $800 USD it looks like the original price was $1000. Thank for the video

[@clowham5307]

As you mentioned, youtube compression is an obstacle to appreciate the quality. I assume you didn't use an ND filter on the Panasonic. I felt the X920 struggled at times with very high contrast scenes, with a tendency to blow out the sky or reduce resolution so clouds became blobby. To be fair those scenes always a challenge for a camera. The HX20v was remarkable. I wonder whether the quality difference between the Sony and two Panasonic cameras is enough to justify the huge price differential!

[@harcex]

thanks for the review....did you edit the video samples? or you uploaded it as it is?

[@GrahamHoughton12]

just assembled/edited and uploaded no grading etc.

[@harcex]

thanks, I just ordered the X920. I hope I have no trouble editing the avchd 1080p/60 file on Final cut, cause I heard is a pain in the ass.

[@JacanaProductions]

alexander pineda ramal SSD and lots of memory are your friend. I can edit 60p on my Mini but have maxed out ram 16G and and internal SSD although I edit off a USB3 drive. Heck I can even edit 4k with this little machine without transcoding! Any newish 1 - 2 year old mini or iMac should work.

[@UberDurable]

Odd Panasonic did not include a remote control on such an expensive model, it's easier than an app.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Yes that was my big let down as I don't always want the inconvenience of waiting for the app and camera to pair up and then lose the connection!

[@Fundaciong]

Hello i will like to know waht camcorder are you using for ricording This video!!! I loved de cuality!!!! Sorry my english i from Venezuela!!! Thanks a lot!!

[@TheOwl6]

Is the footage taken in Manchester ? Nice video

[@ChrTz]

Which filter can i use to increase the contrast?

[@RockThinking]

Nice and Easy review

[@MikesMovies]

Looks very good, be a big step up up from my TZ35

[@slendersausage]

Do you have a lot of control on the zoom with the 920

[@AlainHubert]

From 12:48 to 12:53, there's that pesky turquoise sky again. There's a trick to avoid that on my TM700: balance colors manually, then switch from manual to indoors, and back to manual again. You'll have a flashing manual white balance, but the actual correct color balance will be remembered without the green offset. Also, throughout the outside shots, you could have used the "intelligent contrast" feature, A.K.A. Dynamic Range Stretch on Pro models, to avoid overexposed parts of the picture.

[@GrahamHoughton12]

There is very marginal gains in video quality over your 900, same lens etc. The loss of the remote control (IR) and need for wireless iphone/smart phone are not the best options I've had the wireless cut out a few times and stuck in record mode.

[@zaharosu]

Locking forward for hcx920

[@DynamicUnreal]

What camera are you using to film yourself in this video?

[@MadelnJapan]

I like Panasonic HC-X920

[@RobYoungberg]

It's been almost a year since you posted this video, what do you think of the camera now? What are some of your complaints/pet peeves about it? What are some of the things you really like? Thanks!

[@GrahamHoughton12]

Its a great camera in many respects, once you set up for manual control you can get some pretty good video quality from it. I would have liked it to have inbuilt ND filter as it is necessary to install supplementary ND in bright conditions. Wi-fi control is a big plus only peeve is the fact the viewfinder only extends and doesn't angle upwards for low level shots

[@RobYoungberg]

Thanks for your response! Yes, that's a shame about the lack of built-in ND. I'm still looking at the Sony lineup but I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy this camera. It's hard to beat it being half the price of the Canon G30. Thanks, cheers.

[@Gulliveck]

Graham Houghton Most if not all Panasonic consumer cameras starting from around 2006 have built-in ND filter. You cannot directly control it but it is there. It is engaged automatically when you close the iris past F4 or somewhere around it. Look into the lens when you are closing the iris and watch the thin film of graduated ND being moved in front of the light path.

[@tablet9876]

Cant find a review of this without the dreadful music so I can hear the camcorder sound when zooming in and out etc

[@nkroy1]

videos on tripod ? or steadycam ?

[@showreel2]

what cam did you film the review with

[@Rumboldkid99]

How good is the HCX920 zoom

[@GrahamHoughton12]

no this is set by region, so only NTSC users will get 60p

[@lemonbade]

Does this camcorder have auto settings, focus etc?

[@bfg2600]

gh3 wins, it's the best video camera you can buy for under 10,000 , what lens were you using you can get better lens for the gh3 and use less iso, anyways I have the gh3 but am looking for something to pick up and be quick without having to screw around with settings, how are the auto functions on the 920

[@thomasw4451]

I will once I buy a cheaper camcorder, not so good, but the main thing you can shoot something and relatively good quality. The camera is Canon LEGRIA HF M56, maybe you know this model? Greetings Thomas