Panasonic VDR-D300 Camcorder Reviewby James MurrayPublished on Feb 2, 2006 5:00 PM 
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Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (5.0)
Auto mode works just like it sounds. The camcorder does all the work, except turning it on and off and zooming. You don’t have to worry about exposure, gain, shutter speed, iris, or any of the other options that are available in manual mode. On the VDR-D300 (Review, Specs, $534.89), auto mode functioned with a fair level of success, providing a smooth although somewhat slow zoom and a crisp snapping auto focus which displayed images with good clarity. When shooting interiors, the Panasonic VDR-D300 tended to produce images with a distinctly yellow tint, indicating a lackluster auto white balance. A better auto white balance would be able to accommodate varying light temperatures. Using the preset white balance setting of Interior helped, but manual white balance produced the most successful results. When shooting outdoor scenes, the VDR-D300’s auto white balance succeeded with ease. The auto exposure controls appear to adjust very quickly, an area in which its distant cousin model, the PV-GS39 (Review, Specs, $212.8), fell apart. Unlike that low-end MiniDV camcorder, the D300 was better equipped to make rapid adjustments to even subtle changes in light.
In addition to a full auto mode, users will find that the VDR-D300 also has a handful of scene modes which cover basic shooting situations. They include Sports, Portrait, Low Light, Spotlight, and Surf & Snow.
Overall Manual Control (7.0)
The Panasonic VDR-D300 offers an extensive number of manual control features that can be engaged in manual mode. Users have control over zoom, focus, white balance, aperture, gain, and shutter speed, some of which provide extensive setting options to allow for finer tuning of these settings. For example, the shutter speed range on the VDR-D300 offers a spacious scale from between 1/60 to 1/8000 of a second, while the gain menu options allow for a scale ranging from 0dB to 18dB. Users should find this camcorder satisfying most of their manual control urges, although the lack of an external focal ring may be disheartening for the true manual control junkie.
The Auto / Manual / Focus switch inside the LCD cavity (left) and navigation control (right).
Most manual controls are engaged by pushing in on the joystick. A multi-page menu appears in the lower left corner. The first submenu offers fade on/off and information, a nifty feature which describes all the other icons in the menu. Pushing down on the joystick advances to the next menu, which has Soft Skin detail and telemacro. The third menu has MagicPix, and the fourth has iris, white balance, and shutter speed.
Thankfully, this level of manual control can be found on every Panasonic camcorder, from the low-end DVD to the high-end MiniDV, making them the delight of manual control freaks everywhere. It is Panasonic’s shining attribute, and one that we try to applaud frequently. Manual controls are the heart of a good camcorder, because they allow for more interaction. Of course, not everyone wants interaction. Those who leave their camcorders in auto mode each and every time might do better with a Sony. But a Sony will not grow with you as you learn more about image quality and control. Our advice, which you can take or leave, is to shop smart and think long-term. Read on for a more detailed look at the controls.
Zoom (7.0)
The zoom toggle on the Panasonic VDR-D300 functions smoothly and provides a steady, though not particularly speedy, zoom feature. It is pressure-responsive, meaning that the zoom speed is dependent on how hard you push. All the Panasonic DVD camcorders this year have adopted the sliding switch design rather than raised toggle for their zoom controls. Some people on our staff loved the smooth action, but others preferred the latter type, which curtails the potential to rock the camcorder’s body and upset the frame, which the sliding switch can do. The 10x optical zoom performed with accuracy and remained in focus when shifting zoom levels, due largely to the responsiveness of the zoom toggle; it allows a slower zoom rate and almost never overshoots the proper subject depth. The zoom toggle is easily accessed by the right hand and was placed accurately for fast activation.
Zoom Power/Ratio (10.0)
This camcorder has a 10x optical zoom lens which should satisfy most users. Though we are seeing camcorders on the market which are pushing the 20x and 30x limit, optical technology limits mega-zooms to camcorders with smaller CCDs. It is also possible to engage this camcorder in up to 700x digital zoom or cut it off at 25x. Just remember that there’s an inverse relationship between digital zoom power and image quality. Digital zooming is an digital effect that blows up the pixels rather than moving the lenses. The farther you push it, the worse you image will become.
Focus (5.0)
The manual focus is, unfortunately, one of the weakest controls on the VDR-D300. Technically, it does allow users to manipulate focal levels via the joystick located at the center of the mode dial. The manual settings are accessed when the user switches the Auto/Manual switch into manual mode. Push down again on the same switch to engage manual focus. An “MF” appears on screen. Toggle back and forth with the joystick to obtain the desired focus.
The problem is two-fold with this system. One, there is no indication as to where in the focal range you are, neither by numeral or a scale. Secondly, the top-end MiniDV camcorder, the GS500 (Review, Specs, $1040), has a focus ring. Why shouldn’t the top-end DVD camcorder? Let’s see some follow-through if the industry is going to through its weight into the DVD realm. These problems are not found on the D300 alone, but they are worth mentioning.
Exposure (Aperture) (6.0)
The aperture can be manually controlled on the Panasonic VDR-D300, a great advantage for those manual control enthusiasts seeking tighter control in varied lighting conditions. The aperture settings on the VDR-D300 allow the user to select OPEN (f/1.8), f/2.0, f/2.4, f/2.8, f/3.4, f/4.0, f/4.8, f/5.6, f/6.8, f/8.0, f/9.6, f/11, f/14, and f/16, with smaller steps between each full stop. The odd thing is that the steps vary. For example, users will find the F16 option has 8 steps before the camcorder selects CLOSED, whereas all other settings have two stops before the next numerical step is initiated. There seems to be no discernible pattern to this control, but there is no denying that it gives you an incredible amount of control on the iris.
There is also a gain control, accessed once the camcorder user moves to the OPEN setting. The gain control allows for gain settings from 0dB to 18dB. While making these setting options available is a great decision by Panasonic, the activation and use of these controls is compromised greatly by a single design flaw. These two scales require the user to press the joystick each time a new setting is selected, meaning that if the user wishes to switch between a nearly closed to fully opened iris, they will find it necessary to press the joystick to the right nearly, if not over, thirty times. This is irritating and time-consuming, and impatient users may not use these scales much because of it.
Shutter Speed (7.0)
The Panasonic VDR-D300 allows users to set manual shutter speed to the following settings when the camera has been switched into manual mode: 1/60, 1/100, 1/120, 1/160, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, and 1/8000 of a second. These setting options are engaged by pressing the joystick in and selecting the shutter setting from the fourth diagram menu. This control, like exposure and gain, will require the user to press the joystick each time to reach a new speed, meaning that to switch from 1/750th to 1/160th will necessitate pressing the joystick to the left four times.
White Balance (7.0)
The white balance settings provide a fully automatic mode, a handful of preset options, and a fully manual mode. The manual and preset white balance settings are accessed by switching the camera into Manual mode via the switch in the LCD cavity. Once the camcorder is set in manual mode, the user will be able to set the white balance to preset mode options of Indoor or Outdoor. To manually adjust the white balance, the user selects the manual white balance option and calibrates the sensor by pressing the joystick control upwards until the symbol on the LCD stops flashing. This is relatively limited selection of auto white balance settings compared to other manufacturers, but is standard on most Panasonics.
Gain (7.0)
Gain control can be adjusted when the Panasonic VDR-D300 is set into manual mode. Once the iris is opened as far as possible (indicated as OPEN on the LCD), the gain can be employed, ranging from 0dB to 18dB. The gain settings are numerically displayed on the LCD with settings of 0dB, 3dB, 6dB, 9dB, 12dB, 15dB, and 18dB with one step between each numerical change. As the gain value is increased, the noise levels displayed on the LCD screen will increase as well, something to note if one is very concerned with video quality. The setting point between each of the numerical listings allows for even greater control over this manual feature, which will allow more nuanced lighting options to be engaged.
While this expansive range of control is a desirable feature, actually navigating all of the settings is time-consuming and inefficient. This is because of a design problem discussed within the Exposure section (see above). When navigating the gain and aperture settings, users will find that each step in these lengthy scales demands that the user press the joystick to initiate the movement between settings. That means that moving from one end of the gain scale to the other will necessitate the pressing of the joystick at least 30 times, if not more; repeatedly shifting from one end of the gain spectrum to the polar end of the exposure scale could result in a case of tendinitis. If Panasonic had merely allowed the user to press the joystick once to initiate a steady scrolling action through the options, it would have made things far simpler. This process ought to be as smooth as a zoom or focus feature.
Other Manual Control (0.0)
There are no other manual control features of note on the Panasonic VDR-D300 camcorder.