Full high definition video, long telephoto 38x zoom range, and four special effects modes make this your go-to camcorder. The HC-V500 High Definition Camcorder (Black) from Panasonic gets you out and recording HD video right now: just charge the battery and pop in an SD, SDHC or SDXC memory card and you're ready to start shooting.

Hybrid O.I.S. + is a high-quality optical hand-shake compensation function that thoroughly suppresses blurring across the entire zoom range, so every scene is captured in crisp, beautiful images even when the user shoots while walking or takes handheld zoom shots with high magnification. Because it's an optical system, there's no image degradation--original image quality captured by the lens remains intact, all the way from wide-angle to the longest telephoto zoom.

The 32.4mm (equivalent in 35mm format) wide-angle lens is ideal for recording indoors or in tight spaces, especially when fitting both the subject and surrounding area into the frame. The wide-angle also produces beautiful images of wide landscapes and allows you to fit large groups of people into the frame.

The HC-V500 can convert 2D images recorded by the user into 3D images. It also has four special effects modes: Natural, Pop, Dynamic & Classical--each adding a special effect suitable for the mood of recorded footage, to create expressive images that create a mood allowing viewers to imagine the occasion and the location.

The HC-V500 also features the Advanced Highlight Playback function, which allows you to view recorded images as quickly as possible. This feature uses the I.I.S. (Intelligent Index System) to detect zooming, panning, scene changes, and faces in recorded images as "highlights." It then automatically plays back the detected highlight scenes, or ones that the user has personally selected. It also offers playback effects such as Slow, Fading Still Image, and Flash Playback.

Also included is iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode with Face Recognition, which selects the most suitable shooting mode with the press of a button. Face Recognition finds the faces of registered people (up to six faces) and optimizes the focus and exposure for them. The camcorder continues to track this subject as the person moves anywhere within the frame.

High definition video gives you vivid, life-like, detailed images. It's also a format that will be compatible with computer systems for years to come. And, the high definition video recorded with the HC-V500 will look great on your HDTV, where every minute detail shows.