I was blown away by the zoom on the Panasonic HC-X1200 – it almost makes the case for a full camcorder comeback

Panasonic HC-X1200: two-minute review

I’ve been testing camcorders for over five years, to which you might respond, "Aren’t camcorders a relic from a former era?" And in some ways you'd be right. But there's still plenty of life in the product category, and filmmakers who like the traditional handling and built-in zoom of a camcorder will find much to enjoy in Panasonic's HC-X1200.

Even for a seasoned reviewer like myself, though, the HC-X1200's appeal isn't immediately clear. This relatively new and lightweight Panasonic model targets the serious creator or event videographer who needs rock-solid reliability and modern specs without jumping into the $2,000 / £1,500 price bracket.

There are few real video 'features', apart from basic face tracking. And without mod cons like Wi-Fi, this isn't the tool for fast-paced content creators. I like a simple workflow, and the HC-X1200 is certainly easy to pick up and use in full auto mode, with the option to work in manual for more advanced users.

A core strength here is, thankfully, image quality. I was fairly impressed that the camcorder offers 4K recording at 60 frames per second (4K/60p) with 10-bit internal recording, especially since similarly-priced models max out at 4K 30p.

This combination smooths out action footage with enough color latitude for grading later on, although it's nothing like as fast as you'll get from a top-tier action camera.

The main draw of camcorders, as I say, is their built-in zoom range. Sure enough, the HC-X1200’s built-in 24x optical zoom is something you won't get from a mirrorless camera without spending a fortune on lenses that are likely very heavy, too.

It's also worth noting that the HC-X1200's rivals max out at 20x zoom. If you’re an event or documentary shooter, or a wildlife enthusiast as I am, this is the best video camera for zooming in exceedingly far with clarity, stability, and speed. In 35mm terms, it's the equivalent of having lenses ranging from a 25mm wide-angle all the way to a 600mm telephoto in your bag.

The HC-X1200's design also incorporates three steps of built-in ND filter, and the excellent 5-axis Hybrid OIS. is impressive for static handheld shots and walking scenes.

I didn't get the chance to shoot a wedding during my review loan period with the camcorder. Still, I think I’d be happy to use it for long events like weddings or conferences without worrying about the battery dying or the unit overheating, not least since the heat-dissipating design kept it totally cool while shooting long testing clips.

The HC-X1200 is a relatively affordable camcorder, and that’s because it makes some obvious compromises. Without a proper electronic viewfinder (EVF), it’s not always easy to see settings and frame up scenes in bright sunlight, especially since a lot of data on the screen is printed in tiny writing.

Good video requires good audio, but there are no professional XLR audio inputs. Instead, there’s one 3.5mm mic jack, which means relying on external recorders or less high-end microphones if you’re working on projects where audio is critical. If you're shooting primarily for home or family videos, though, the audio is just fine.

The HC-X1200 is a good-value portable camcorder. Whether you’re new to filmmaking and want something with a long zoom, or you like the traditional handling, the HC-X1200 is a reliable option for long-form capture. Just be prepared to manage audio externally, and work primarily in well-lit conditions.

Panasonic HC-X1200: price and availability

• Priced at $1,299.99 / £1,099 / AU$2,399
• Lens hood included
• Announced in January 2025

The Panasonic HC-X1200 was announced in January 2025 alongside two new 4K camcorders, the HC-X1600 and HC-X2100. It costs around $1,299.99 / £1,099 / AU$2,399.

The HC-X1200 is the entry-level model among these three Panasonic camcorders, without a viewfinder, handle unit, or XLR mic ports. It also lacks Wi-Fi, which feels like a misstep given that this comes as standard on cheaper rival camcorders and creator video cameras.

By my maths, the HC-X1200 is one of the most affordable camcorders for shooting 4K at 60 frames per second. The built-in ND filters also add a lot of flexibility for controlling exposure in bright light. Competing models priced near or below it (the Canon HF G70 or Sony AX43) are typically limited to 4K/30p, and both of those max out at 20x optical zoom power.

Panasonic HC-X1200 specs

Panasonic HC-X1200: Design

• Light at just 800g, but not ultra-compact
• Heat-dispersing design for continual recording
• Two manual control rings

The Panasonic HC-X1200’s form resembles a classic camcorder. Made from matte black plastic, the body is long and barrel-shaped, and there’s an adjustable padded strap to aid stable handheld use (right-handed functionality only, though), with a pull-out, articulating LCD screen on the left of the body.

The HC-X1200 looks and feels similar to the Panasonic HC-X1500, which I’ve also tested, but comes in at a lighter weight of 1.76lbs / 800g. Some of the HC-X1500’s added weight comes from the viewfinder and eyecup, and the HC-X1200 is designed as a compact, body-only model, doing without the XLR-equipped handle unit found on its siblings (the HC-X1600 and X2100).

Panasonic calls it a “lightweight 4K 60p palm-style" camcorder, and while isn’t heavy, it might feel cumbersome to use at first if you’ve come from a vlogging-style camera. You’ll need a long padded bag to carry it, too. But the benefit of a camcorder like this is that everything is in the one unit, so you can forget carrying (and swapping out) extra lenses.

On the top is a chunky raised zoom rocker, which I found responsive, but not as naturally placed as on some camcorders. My index and middle fingers had to curve around slightly to reach it, but your mileage may vary.

The HC-X1200 is aimed at prosumers rather than total beginners, so there’s a good array of physical buttons on the camcorder body. There are no fewer than five customizable user buttons on the top, too, which can be set via the menu for controlling functions like face detection and enabling image stabilization.

Several of these are already preset, making them optional, but it’s a good thing to be able to customize the handling for your own preferences, especially since it’s harder to find these buttons in low light.

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Before you even pull out the LCD screen, there are more buttons underneath on the left-hand side, including for the menu, iris, gain, shutter, and a toggle to switch between auto and manual exposure mode. The Menu button is the one you’ll likely use the most, and I would have liked to have felt it raised more than the others to make it easier to find without looking. Small things, though.

Fold out the LCD and there’s the on/off button (presumably positioned as such to stop you pressing it accidentally when the LCD is stowed away), a playback button, a toggle for displaying more or less info on the screen, and, as with most camcorders around this price point, dual memory card slots covered by a slide across a plastic window. A light illuminates to indicate which of the two SD cards is actively recording, which is a nice touch.

The 3.5-inch touch-sensitive LCD monitor is bright, detailed, and fully articulated, which means you can shoot pieces to camera or at low angles easily. As a more compact model, the Panasonic HC-X1200 notably skips an electronic viewfinder, but for this class of camera the generous touchscreen compensates.

My main complaint is the responsiveness of said screen and the layout of the menus, which at times felt slow, confusing, and outdated to a modern user. It’s a shame Panasonic couldn't spend time coming up with a more user-friendly experience, but it’s not a dealbreaker.

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At the rear of the camcorder is the raised recording button (easy to find without looking), plus a full HDMI port, USB-C power port, and single 3.5mm stereo mini jack for external audio input. In some ways, it’s a shame that professional XLR inputs are reserved for the X1600/X2100 handle. However, for a camcorder of this size, it keeps the profile sleek. Underneath, there’s also a standard tripod thread, and it’s a great bonus to be able to check the battery’s capacity with a quick press of the “check button”.

The highlight for me when using the HC-X1200 were the dual manual rings on the lens barrel, which are both smooth and very tactile to use, thanks to the notched markings all the way around them. The ring closest to the lens controls focus, and the other zooms, meaning you can precisely pull focus through a shot, or just get up-close subjects really sharp.

I found it easy to make smooth and on-the-fly adjustments without taking my eye off the action, and the manual rings are also in a more natural place for your hands than the zoom rocker. Just behind the closest ring is a dedicated three-stage ND filter switch (Clear, 1/4, 1/16, 1/64) placed right where my fingers expected it, and I found this essential for managing exposure in bright outdoor settings, even though I’ve not really used this function on other camcorders.

A big lens hood is supplied with the camcorder, both to protect the lens and shelter it from bright, direct sunlight. There’s a physical toggle to open and close the lens hood, which mirrorless users might take a while to get used to. I do wonder if modern mirrorless users will, like I did a few times, even with years of testing, forget to close the opening once you’ve finished shooting.

The HC-X1200’s design doesn’t try anything new, but that’s okay. It took me a few days to really get to grips with everything – both metaphorically and literally, since the strap needs tightening often – but it balances portability with some core manual controls. It’s an effective, comfortable choice for filmmakers who don’t want to carry around a colossal camcorder.

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Panasonic HC-X1200: Performance

• Mediocre low-light performance from the small sensor
• Impressively shake-free footage even at the full 24x zoom
• Versatile f/1.8-f/4 iris opening allows some bokeh

The XC-H1200 is a good video all-rounder, without any of the fancy AI features or autofocus options often marketed at content creators to make filming 'easy'. If you’re looking for a fully automatic workflow, though, the XC-H1200 delivers generally well-exposed and balanced 4K footage.

The 24x zoom range is quite incredible, and you can see in the sample clips how close I was able to get to a grey heron from the other side of a large pond. The zoom action is very smooth, and I like that it can be fine-tuned using the lens rings – great for up-close scenes, or if you want some creative pull-focus shots.

There aren’t any metering modes to choose from, though, and I often found that the exposure, while good overall, would overexpose very bright areas, such as the white feathers of a bird, at the mid-to-far end of the zoom. However, the camcorder’s built-in ND filters became exceptionally helpful on sunny days, as well as a creative tool if I wanted a darker look.

I found white balance to be very accurate on frosty mornings and sunny days, but in artificial light I ended up setting the tone manually. This is Panasonic's prosumer camcorder, so the fact that it lacks color grading isn’t a surprise, and there aren’t options to match colors with other cameras – a feature I’ve previously used with the Canon lineup.

Colors are well rendered, if a little on the dull side, but I found some leeway to boost the vibrancy in post-production without scenes looking artificial or losing detail. With 10-bit color depth set I didn’t notice any banding in bright skies either, as I have with cheaper camcorders and action cameras.

There are several video options to choose from, but only once you’ve stumbled upon the right place in the confusing, unintuitive menu. You can shoot in either UHD 4K or 1080p resolution, and two frequency modes (59.94 Hz for NTSC regions and 50.00 Hz for PAL regions) dictate the available frame rates, all at a maximum bitrate of 200Mbps.

Various encoding options will help those with more experience balance file size and quality, but if you’re new to moviemaking Panasonic doesn’t helpfully explain any of the options, so a bit of research might be needed in order to get the most from them.

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Although it isn’t obvious, the HC-X1200 has the option for smooth slow-motion capture at up to 120fps, but only in HD (1920 x 1080). The idea is to help keep fast-moving subjects in focus, but while the results are definitely usable, the autofocus is the more limiting factor for ultra-fast and erratic subjects. In short, don’t buy this camera expecting to shoot a lot of crisp action.

The HC-X1200’s autofocus isn’t mind-blowing, and Panasonic doesn’t give a lot of detail regarding the mechanics of how it works. There’s nothing like the eye-detection precision of my Canon EOS R6 Mark II, but that’s to be expected at this price point.

Face tracking is easily turned on or off with a button on the body. It’s great for keeping you sharp during vlogging pieces to camera or documentary work, since the camcorder also adjusts the exposure automatically to keep the main face balanced in changing light. If you’re in shifting lighting conditions, this process takes a few seconds to recalibrate, but for interviews in a continuous or evenly lit room, it will cope well.

I was worried about low-light performance, due to the size of the camcorder’s sensor (1/2.5-inch) – usually a recipe for grainy, muddy footage. Out of the camera, the footage I shot at night was a little noisy, but far more usable than other camcorders I’ve tested with the same sensor size. The best results come from shooting at the camcorder’s highest bit rate, and then eking out the mileage with some creative grading.

If you work with dark footage rather than trying to brighten the shadows, the low-light footage is surprisingly usable. Setting the f/1.8 maximum aperture manually also helps. The HC-X1200 is also capable of capturing the invisible infrared spectrum for nighttime footage, but you need to buy an external infrared light source for this, so I didn’t test it.

With the dual SD card slots, you can set up two cards for relay recording (using one as an overflow when the first fills up), or simultaneous recording, so you have a backup. I only used one fast SD card when testing, but I often found the camera would be writing and processing footage for a long time after hitting the button to end recording. On a few random occasions, the camcorder froze, and I had to leave it alone for five minutes or so before, which isn’t ideal if you’ve got limited time with a subject or need to capture a particular moment.

On the plus side, it’s fully possible to record footage for as long as either your memory card(s) or the battery allows, since the heat-dissipating design genuinely delivers unlimited recording times, as Panasonic promises. I accidentally left the camcorder recording in my bag one day, and found I had several hours before the battery had run out.

Panasonic says you’ll get five hours of battery when recording 4K at 30p, and I got at least four and a half hours from one full charge, making this an excellent all-day companion if you have a few spare batteries in your arsenal.

Obviously, image quality is only half of the equation with video, and the HC-X1200’s audio quality falls somewhat short. If you’re a few steps from the camcorder, and ideally facing towards it in a wind or traffic-free zone, your voice is picked up clearly. Outside this ideal scenario – for example, if you’re walking and talking, or near a road – the built-in mic is less capable at picking out individual audio sources.

There are no clever AI algorithms working in the background to help suppress wind noise, as found on action cameras like the DJI Osmo Nano. So the onus is on you as the user to carefully choose the shooting location – in a sheltered spot away from the wind – or add an external mic with a furry wind shield using the 3.5mm jack input.

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Should you buy the Panasonic HC-X1200?

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How I tested the Panasonic HC-X1200

• I tested it for two weeks
• I shot in full Manual and Auto mode
• I used it for video, day and night

Panasonic loaned me the HC-X1200 for two weeks, and although it was raining almost the whole time (welcome to winter in the UK), I did take it with me on a few outdoor adventures, dog walks, and day trips, and I used it as an everyday companion for mainly handheld shooting.

I made direct comparisons with many other camcorders I've tested, as well as video on my now similarly-priced Canon EOS R6 DSLR and iPhone 15 Pro.

I shot videos using different iris settings and zoom lengths, in both fully automatic and manual modes, to compare the ease of use and quality of results from both.

• First reviewed November 2025