Panasonic VDR-D300 First Impressions Camcorder Review

by Nick Hyacinthe
Published on Jan 6, 2006 7:00 PM

Intro Performance
Format
 Tour
Auto / Manual Controls Still Features
Handling and Use Audio / Playback / Connectivity
Other Features Comparisons / Conclusion


Compression
The Panasonic VDR-D300 records standard MPEG-2 video and JPEG stills. The camcorder captures video at a rate of 8.5 Mbps at its highest quality and 6.5 Mbps in standard mode. In comparison, a MiniDV camcorders offer capture at 25 Mbps, providing better quality video. It comes at the cost, however, of convenience, and this simple trade off is spelling the end of MiniDV as a video medium.

Media
This year, all of the Panasonic DVD camcorders can record on DVD-R and DVD-RW, in addition to DVD-RAM. By allowing the use of multiple formats, the camcorder makes recording and viewing even more convenient to the user. Panasonic camcorders have caught up to the leading competitors in the market by providing media that is universally compatible.

Editing
The VDR-D300 offers very little on-camcorder editing options, which is common to the DVD medium. Only Fade In transitions are offered in the menu systems. Users wishing to be remotely creative in postproduction will have to do so with the supplied DVD Album software.





<< Performance | Tour >>