Panasonic VDR-D310 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Jul 16, 2007 8:48 AM
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Ease of Use (6.0)
Sony has its Easy mode and touch screen panel and Canon has its user-friendly menu interface. Panasonic does not excel in ease of use – that was never their market strength. They make camcorders with excellent manual controls and features, and their three-chip models, like the VDR-D310 (Specs, $499), compete on video performance, as well. This was all fine and well for upper-end MiniDV camcorders, but the audience for DVD camcorders demands ease of use as a primary factor. Panasonic appears to have responded by simplifying the menu and adding instructions where they could.
The administrative menu is cleanly laid out and very brief. There are not many options located here. The manual control joystick menu, which has been in use for several years by Panasonic, received a major upgrade last year. In the past, the joystick menu was little more than a series of confusing icons. If you weren’t already familiar with Panasonic or with camcorders, the menu was completely opaque. Now the menus have some text thrown in under some icons. The menu also has an Info feature. When engaged, you can toggle around through the options and get an explanation as to what each control does.
As a strictly point-and-shoot camcorder, one that you never do anything but turn on and off, the VDR-D310 will do you just fine. The picture quality in bright light is excellent, and the automatic controls are very good. Just be careful in low light, as the picture will simply poop out.
Handling (0.0)
The VDR-D310 is similar to Panasonic’s high definition HDC-DX1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99) in shape, but its size is a bit more compact. When you slide your hand into the VDR-D310 you’ll notice that the top ridge of the DVD disc hatch doubles as a grip for your fingers. The hand strap is strung higher in the back, significantly reducing camcorder flop. All in all, the VDR-D310 feels solid and stable around the hand, better than their MiniDV camcorders. Since most of your camcorder operation is going to be executed with one hand, Panasonic has arranged most of the VDR-D310’s controls on the right side of the back and around the mode dial. There is no way to access the menu button with the right thumb unless you’re Gumby. You must use your left hand to slide the camcorder upward in order to bring the menu button beneath your thumb. The on/off switch is difficult to access with one hand as well, but how many times are you actually going to use it?
We applaud Panasonic for throwing an extendable viewfinder on the VDR-D310, but effort is worth far less than execution in the camcorder world. The viewfinder is not rubberized and does not pivot up toward the eye, forcing you to crane your neck while shooting with the viewfinder engaged. In addition, who likes hard plastic ridges lining their eye socket? Check out higher end Sonys for a glimpse of what a viewfinder should be.
The VDR-D310 escaped a particular flaw found on Panasonic’s unfortunate top end MiniDV model, the PV-GS320 (Specs, $0), but it still managed to catch a small dose of its stupidity. The PV-GS320 featured a battery chamber cluttered with essential ports such as FireWire, USB, and DC in. This prevented the camcorder from becoming a serious field work contender because you couldn’t capture footage using the battery. Luckily, the VDR-D310 uses DVD discs, eliminating the need to connect the camcorder to a computer for capture. The USB port is located on the left side, as well, supporting a battery-powered connection. However, that DC input remained in the battery chamber. This means you can’t charge the battery while the camcorder is connected to the external power source. You have to disconnect the DC cable from the AC adapter and charge the battery separately. What a pain! Also, if you’re in the middle of a long shoot, like a school play, and the battery starts running low, there’s no way to plug in the power without turning the camcorder off and removing the battery. JVC utilizes an all-in-one AC adapter that goes from wall to camcorder without any extra cables or having to remove the battery. Take notes, Panasonic.
Menu (6.5)
The VDR-D310 menu layout is straightforward and easy to navigate through, thanks to the rear-mounted joystick. Since the mode dial offers four different modes: video record, video playback, still image record, and still image playback, you don’t have to flounder in a sea of options.
In video record mode, pressing the center of the rear-mounted joystick cues a small, circular “joystick menu.” When the camcorder is set to manual mode, a series of three pages can be accessed including the following: fade control, backlight compensation, user guide, soft skin mode, MagicPix, tele macro, iris, white balance, and shutter speed. To access manual focus, hold the auto/manual switch down and a fourth page appears with a manual focus control.
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Manual Control Joystick Menu |
Basic Admin Menu |
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Advanced Admin Menu |
Setup Admin Menu |
Pressing the Menu button (also located on the rear of the camcorder) brings you to the administrative screen containing Basic, Advanced, Disc setup, Setup, and Language settings. In basic, you can access scene modes, guidelines, record mode settings, aspect ratio, and clock settings. Advanced is comprised of digital zoom, optical image stabilization, fade color, wind cut, and zoom mic settings. In Disc setup, you can format a disc and obtain disc information. Setup is home to display, date/time, date format, power save, AGS, beep sound, LCD set, EVF set, initial set, and demo mode settings. Language changes the language of the menu.
Portability (4.0)
Tipping the scale at 510g without battery, disc, and lens cap, the VDR-D310 is not a light eater. Its dimensions are 66.7mm x 91.1mm x 142.7mm (2.62” x 3.59” x 5.62”), so forget about pocketing the VDR-D310. You’ll need a medium-sized camcorder bag with plenty of spare DVD-R or DVD-RW discs. Also, a backup battery is a must if you qualify for Tourist of the Year. Remember to securely fasten the lens cap, port covers, disc hatch, and battery during transport. The VDR-D310 is built tough, but don’t take its size and bulk for granted.
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The 2.7" LCD |
The extendable viewfinder |
LCD and Viewfinder (5.5)
The VDR-D310 is furnished with a 2.7” wide LCD screen with a 123,000 pixel resolution. The screen flips open 90 degrees from the body and swivels vertically up to 270 degrees. The LCD’s picture quality is sharp and defined, however, the slightest viewing angle will display a great deal of solarization. There are no zoom, playback, or other controls embedded within the LCD panel. Most other manufacturers offer at least zoom and record start/stop buttons, but not Panasonic. Their top of the line MiniDV model, the PV-GS320, is subject to a deserted LCD panel as well.
The VDR-D310 features an extendable electronic viewfinder with a 113,000 pixel resolution. The viewfinder is not rubberized and does not pivot upward for a more ergonomic viewing experience. It does, however, extend outward a full inch, clearing the battery with ease. Like the LCD screen, the viewfinder displays a sharp image, but the screen is only displayed when the shaft is fully extended. The dioptric adjuster is located on the top of the viewfinder shaft.
Battery Life (11.2)
We tested the life of the VDR-D310’s CGA-DU12 rechargeable battery pack by setting the camcorder to manual mode, turning on OIS, and recording continuously with the LCD flipped open. When the testing disc reached maximum capacity, the external power supply was immediately plugged in and the disc was reformatted. The battery was then reinserted—this process was executed until the battery was sucked dry. The VDR-D310’s battery lasted 112 minutes and 20 seconds (1 hour 52 minutes and 20 seconds).
One thing to take into consideration regarding Panasonic’s battery configuration is that the DC terminal lies within the battery chamber. This means you can’t charge the battery while it is connected to the camcorder. You must remove the battery and place it in the supplied AC adapter, but make sure the DC cable is not connected because the battery will not charge. We wish Panasonic would take notes on JVC’s one-shot wall-to-camcorder external power adapter.