Panasonic VDR-D200 Camcorder Review

The Front (5.0)
The front of the Panasonic VDR-D200 (Review, Specs, $324.99) is very similar to the VDR-D100 (Review, Specs, $299.95). It has a 30x zoom, F1.8 – F3.9 lens, with a focal range of 1.9mm to 57mm (35mm equivalent: 35.7mm to 1072mm). The filter diameter measures 30.5mm. Beneath the lens is the built-in mic. Below that is the LED video light, one feature that the VDR-D100 does not have. Panasonic also tucked away a couple ports here – the composite AV / S-Video out and the mini USB 2.0 – which are well-concealed under a hard plastic cover down towards the bottom of the body. It’s a slim, efficient design.

The Right Side (7.5)
The right side of the VDR-D200 is nice and tall, making for an excellent grip. While Panasonic chose to flatten and widen their MiniDV line, DVD camcorders need to be taller to accommodate the DVD discs. This is, of course, the side where the media loads. The Disc Eject switch is located in the upper right rear corner. You may have to hold it down for several seconds to get a response.

The Back (5.5)

The back of the VDR-D200 is where most of the interaction with the camcorder takes place. First, there is the on/off switch, and directly underneath that, the delete button (represented by the trashcan icon). To the right is the mode dial, which juts out on the right side. The mode dial is used to switch between video, video playback, camera and camera playback. In the center of the mode dial is the king of all controls, the joystick, for maneuvering through the menus and playback.

To the lower left of the mode dial is the record on/off button, and beneath that, the Menu button. This is the only button in the bunch that, I think, is poorly placed. You’ll probably want to access it a lot, so why hide it under the record on/off button?

The whole lower half of the back is taken up by the battery. Above the battery is the Light button, which controls the LED light. Above that is the viewfinder. This can extend about 1-1/2” out from the body. Finally, in a small alcove between the viewfinder and the battery is the LCD-release button. You don’t have to use it to open the LCD panel, but it helps.

The Left Side (7.25)
The major feature of the left side of the VDR-D200 is the 2.5” LCD screen, with a resolution of approximately 105,000 pixels. The LCD can be pried open by a small divot between the screen and the back edge of the cavity, something users with large hands and short fingernails may find challenging. The only major control inside the LCD cavity is an auto/manual toggle, which is also used to turn manual focus on and off. A tiny camcorder reset button is slightly in front of the auto/manual switch, and returns the VDR-D200 to its factory settings. Behind the auto/manual switch is an onboard playback speaker, which can be used to monitor audio during video playback.

We like the fact that Panasonic has moved manual controls out of the LCD cavity and into the back of the camcorder where it's easier to access. However, we do think the acres of real estate could have been put to better use. Sony positions the memory card slots in the LCD cavities on some of its camcorders, and Panasonic has been known to locate ports there. We would have liked to see these features in the LCD cavity rather than on the camcorder’s underside where they can’t be accessed when the camcorder is affixed to a tripod.

The Top (6.0)

The top of the Panasonic VDR-D200 is very clean, and has only two controls. The Zoom Toggle is located near the rear end of the camcorder, and has a sliding lever design which we find to be inferior in terms of sensitivity to the pivoting lever on Panasonic’s one-chip MiniDV line and Canon’s camcorders. The zoom toggle’s placement also required slight strain when we hand-held this camcorder – while it’s impossible to truly create a one-size-fits-all camcorder − we found this zoom toggle a little disappointing.  The zoom toggle also serves as a volume control in playback mode.  The other control on the top of the VDR-D200 is the Photo button, located just behind the zoom toggle, near the camcorder’s back edge.  It’s a small but functional button, and is easily reached with the right index finger.