Panasonic VDR-M50 Camcorder Review

Video Performance (6.5)
The VDR-M50 has a 1/6 inch CCD with 340K effective pixels (for video and stills) situated behind a 38.7mm lens with 18x optical zoom and 500x digital. Panasonic has subsequently increased the CCD size of their DVD camcorders with the VDR-M70’s ¼ inch imager. The VDR-M50 performs well under 3000 lux and other daylight-equivalent light settings, and in low-light environments contends very well in the face of competitors. The camcorder has problems with automatic adjustments of exposure and focus at 0x.

The Front (5.0)
The front of the Panasonic VDR-M50 is almost identical to the front of its younger sibling, the Panasonic VDR-M70. The end of the lens barrel juts out substantially from the front; below this is the horizontally stretched stereo microphone, followed further down by a removable panel concealing an external microphone jack and an jack. Along the left side of the front, just to the left of the end of the humongous lens barrel, runs a strip of hard, gray plastic (the rest of the front is silver) upon which the infrared receiver and the recording indicator are set. Below these features is the front end of the strap mechanism, which juts out from front of the camcorder about ¾ of a centimeter. Immediately below the strap mechanism is a small lens cap string attachment hole. Like its younger sibling the VDR-M70, the VDR-M50 is a very austere sleek camcorder. It’s simple, gray-silver, color scheme makes for a very pleasing balanced design. The front is ominous, displaying mostly silver, without much text, and dominated by the gaping lens cylinder, imbibing the viewer with a sense of power and control, transformed from voyeur to puppet-master. The protruding strap mechanism on the front side’s lower left, while not necessarily adding to the camcorder’s streamlined image, does offer some wiggle room for a large hand, which isn’t guaranteed with machines of comparable size.

The Right Side (6.5)
The right side of the Panasonic VDR-M50 contains the DVD mechanism, which sits squarely in the middle of the side, and is accentuated with silver plastic (the rest of the side is gray). The mechanism opens automatically with a slider, located on the back of the camcorder, and is closed manually. Convenient for fingers the DVD mechanism also protrudes conveniently above the height of the camcorder. On the right side of the mechanism is the memory card port, under a hinged panel. To the left of the DVD mechanism is the mode dial, which offers choices of SD card mode, power-off mode, movie mode, and still-picture mode. Immediately to the right of the dial is a locking switch to prevent accidental switching of modes. The strap is thin, but accommodating, and runs along the bottom of the right side.

The Back (5.5)
The battery slot occupies the back of the VDR-M50. Immediately to the right of the top right corner of the battery slot, within convenient reach of the thumb, is the record button. Above the battery, to the left and center, is the viewfinder. To the left of the viewfinder is the disc-eject slider, as well as the PC Access indicator light. Large and almost square, the battery protrudes from the back of the camcorder when attached. Additionally, the viewfinder cannot be angled upwards, only drawn directly backward, and even when fully extended the viewfinder is only flush with the battery’s end. The battery charges in an external charger. The battery problem is further accentuated by the fact that, on the VDR-M50, there is no DC in port, which means that the camcorder cannot be used without the battery in place.

The Left Side (9.0)
A superimposed, metallic, gray-colored, circular ring, mirroring the DVD mechanism on the right side, takes up the left side of the camcorder. The 2.5-inch, 120K-pixel LCD screen is set within this ring, with command buttons running along the right edge of the left side. These buttons include the disc navigation button, a select button, the menu button, a stop button (used in playback and within the menus), and a four-way directional pad that also functions as a playback controller. From the widest point at its end, the enormous lens barrel of this camcorder tapers inward, following the curve of the superimposed circular ring, terminating in the viewfinder. When opened the LCD reveals buttons for full auto mode, manual focus and exposure adjustment, backlight, volume control (which also handles focal and exposure adjustments), and change of display. The USB port is also located beneath the LCD meaning that the screen must be open for the camcorder to communicate with a computer. Unfortunately, the gray-colored ring on the VDR-M50 is changed to silver on the VDR-M70; on the M50 the grays adds a nice mirroring effect which gives the side great unity, aesthetically anyway.

The Top(7.0) The top of the VDR-M50 contains the upper panels of the lens and viewfinder and the upper edge of the DVD mechanism. A cold accessory shoe is located towards the middle of the lens barrel, directly in front of the viewfinder. This is improved upon with the VDR-M70, which includes an intelligent, ‘hot’ shoe. The zoom toggle is located directly to the right of the viewfinder for index finger access.

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (6.0)
Like most Panasonics, the VDR-M50 offers many automatic features and a ‘full auto’ mode. Automatic settings for exposure, focus, white balance, and shutter speed are present. The camcorder’s full-auto mode can be selected by pressing the “auto” button beneath the LCD. As on the VDR-M70, Automatic adjustments to focus are relatively slow and, as expected, perform worse as zoom is increased, while automatic exposure adjustments are quick but significantly delayed. It is a shame that Panasonic hasn’t improved upon these factors, yet. The automatic white balance of the M50 is relatively quick, taking approximately fifteen seconds to make adjustments in color temperature. AE settings of Spotlight, Portrait, Sports, Surf & Snow, and Low Light are presets to help with quick adjustment to specific environments. These settings are fairly accurate for exposure settings in extremely varying conditions, and while there are no true manual shutter speed (or AE) controls, these presets provide some control for the never-generic convenience-hunting consumer.

Overall Manual Control (4.5)
The many control options on many consumer Panasonic camcorders, including the M50 avoid traditional alphanumeric descriptors of exposure, shutter speed, and focal length settings in favor of horizontal +/- meters, and semi-manual options like “Surf & Snow” or “Sports.” Shutter speed, white balance, digital zoom, wind cut (to reduce audio noise), EIS (electronic image stabilization, to reduce fuzziness when zooming) and other options can be found by pressing the menu button to the right of the LCD, and navigating the menu using the directional pad. The manual focus and exposure buttons and the full auto mode button on the VDR-M50 are located beneath the LCD, which spells cumbersome adjustment. They are adjusted by the volume buttons, which are inactive in movie mode. On the bright side, the options menu button is located outside the LCD, which is certainly a plus. As a side note, the usually hailed wealth and quality of manual control of most Panasonics isn’t present on the M50 or the M70 which is a shame.

Zoom (8.0)
At 18x optical zoom, and digital zoom options at both 40x and 500x, the amount of optical and digital zoom on the M50 is higher than on the higher priced model, the M70, which has 10x optical and up to 240x, is probably due to an increase in lens quality with price. The zoom toggle is very small, but protrudes enough to provide easy control over fast, slow, and variant speed zooms, especially for a camcorder of this size. The optical zoom is decent, but consistent with earlier Panasonic models and other camcorders in general, the digital zoom is of poor quality when compared with the response and image quality of the optical zoom.

Focus (4.5)
If one presses the focus button, “MF” appears on the LCD to indicate that the camcorder is now in manual-focus mode. Focus can then be adjusted manually with the volume buttons. Unfortunately the M50 doesn’t offer a gauge of where the focus currently is in the spectrum. This isn’t a problem, for, assuming the buyer knows this camcorder doesn’t have a focus ring, he/she shouldn’t be too disappointed with a small lack of convenience. Again, the M50 (and M70) does not have a focus ring. The addition of the ring doesn’t seem out of the question, but reality stands.

Exposure (Aperture) (4.5)
By pressing the exposure button, the VDR-M50’s exposure can be adjusted manually. This takes the camcorder out of automatic mode and displays on the LCD a +/- meter that can be adjusted through the volume buttons. Manual exposure works pretty seamlessly, and may be a better option than ‘auto’ exposure for this camcorder, considering the adjustment lag. The exposure button is also, unfortunately, below the LCD.

Shutter Speed (2.0)
Preset AE settings are available on the VDR-M50 to compensate for the camcorder’s lack of available actual numerical rate adjustments, although it is hard to say whether they fulfill this purpose. These settings can be found in the Program AE section, accessible by pressing the menu button to the right of the LCD. They include: Spotlight, Portrait, Sports, Surf & Snow, and Low Light. Each preset contains predetermined levels for exposure, white balance, shutter speed, etc.

White Balance (6.5)
The VDR-M50 can calculate white balance manually. This balance can be set manually so users might more accurately define what in the scene is truly white. Here’s how: Accessed by pressing the menu button to the right of the LCD, the white balance menu can be navigated using the directional pad. This menu offers automatic settings for outdoor and indoor lighting, in which the camcorder assumes dominant color temperatures of average outdoor and indoor lighting respectively, and options for Auto (the default automatic setting) and Set (manual set). For full manual control press select “set” and follow simple instructions. If the white balance is set manually, it will remain adjusted to a particular environment, even when moved to another.

Gain (0.0)
The Panasonic VDR-M50 has no manual Gain controls.

Still Performance(5.0)
The Panasonic VDR-M50 captures JPEG stills at 640x480 on DVD-RAM disc or SD card. With the VDR-M70, Panasonic increases still resolution on the card to 1280x960. To record stills to the DVD-RAM disc, the mode dial must be set to the camera icon. Quality settings of Fine, Normal, and Economy are available on the VDR-M50 only when recording to the SD card; when recording to disc, stills are taken at the Fine setting. These options can be accessed by pressing the menu button while in SD card mode. Manual adjustments for white Balance, exposure, focus, and all shutter speed (AE) presets are available when recording stills to card or disc. The M50 can record from 220 FINE quality stills to a 32 MB SD card, as opposed to the M70 which can only record 50, because it records a bigger file size. Using the DVD-RAM disc, the M50 and M70 record 999 stills per side. Stills are recorded by pressing the record button in either the card or camera modes.

VCR Mode (9.0)
Previews of all digital photo stills and playback of video are available on the VDR-M50. Playback is accessible while in SD card mode, movie mode, or camera mode by pressing in on the directional pad. This presents a playback screen featuring what is being viewed, whether it is a movie or photo, whether it is on disc or card, running time, number of disc, etc. Pressing the menu button here displays a menu of options to go either to the end, beginning (top), or a specific point (specify) in the list of media.

There is also a disc navigation option, available to playback as well as edit movie and still media. Disc navigation mode shows a thumbnail menu version of either the disc or card, depending on the mode selected by the mode dial. The disc navigation menu (accessed by pressing ‘menu’) displays further playback options for scenes and stills, options to delete, edit (combine, divide, fade, skip) movies or groups of movies, change the thumbnail image of media, organize media by date, time, etc., choose images for printing, etc. Many of these features do not apply to recording onto the DVD-R disc, but do apply to the DVD-RAM disc (both of which are compatible with the M50).

Connected to a computer through its USB port (located inconveniently beneath the LCD), the VDR-M50 allows playback of footage and stills with the included MovieAlbum software. MovieAlbum is pretty basic software, and one gets the feeling that Panasonic, like its DVD camcorder competitor Sony, cut a few corners on the software to allow for an auspicious release date. Comparable Hitachi DVD camcorders also use MovieAlbum software. Stills video can be exported from the DVD-RAM disc to the computer. Then, using the included MyDVD software, the user can create DVD-Rs that will play on conventional DVD players containing videos and stills that can be edited and tweaked prior to recording from the DVD-RAM. Also, without a computer, Panasonics, and other DVD-RAM compatible machines, offer a convenient way to transfer footage from mini DVD-RAM0s to full side DVD-Rs. Using a Panasonic DVD recorder, the user can copy on-camcorder-edited footage on DVD-RAM mini discs to the built-in hard drive of the DVD recorder, and then burn full size DVD-Rs. Because most DVD camcorder’s lack firewire outputs, this seems the most convenient method to get full size DVD-Rs. On camcorders incompatible with DVD-RAM technology, this isn’t possible. DVD-RAM discs usually cannot be played on conventional players, unless the player has DVD-RAM technology, in which case it can be popped out of its plastic casing the directly inserted (the player should have a little sticker letting you know this). This is why Panasonic requires the transfer from DVD-RAM to DVD-R on the computer.

The M50 can also record directly to DVD-R, but DVD-Rs can only be recorded once, cannot record stills, and cannot be edited like the DVD-RAM can. (In order to play a DVD-R by itself in a conventional DVD player, it must be finalized on the camcorder.) The M50 does not offer recording on the DVD-RW format, presumably because the user can rewrite on a DVD-RAM instead. The downside of not offering the DVD-RW format is that DVD-RW are playable in most conventional DVD players, while DVD-RAMs aren’t. The positive aspect of using a DVD-RAM instead of a DVD-RW, is that the DVD-RAM works just like a hard disc; the user is able to reorganize, delete, and edit video and stills easily and quickly. With a DVD-RW, it is a question of rewriting specific sections of the disc, and reorganization is less seamless; however, DVD-RWs are cheaper.

Low-Light Performance(4.9)
Usually always a problem for one-chip camcorders, low-light performance makes no exception for the VDR-M50. However, the VDR-M50 performed admirably for a DVD camcorder, which oftentimes cut corners on video performance in favor of convenience. Particularly at 3000 lux, the VDR-M50 shows well balanced, nicely saturated colors with no grain. At 60 lux, colors are still very crisp, saturated, and balanced although, obviously much darker. Following suit with other consumer camcorders, the M50 displays is a slight increase in grain at 60 lux, but overall, the image is good.

At 15 lux, the VDR-M50 shows substantially dulled colors with even more grain. Particularly dull areas occur between the greens and blues and yellows and reds. The grain at 15 lux pretty much guarantees a bad image. There is a general wash of brownish-gray tones that appears like a veil put over the lens. When compared to other DVD camcorders, however, the VDR-M50 performs great. The image quality is only slightly better on the VDR-M70, and when compared to Sony’s DVD101 at 60 lux, the M50 appears substantially less washed out and grainy. When compared with the DVD101 at 15lux, the M50 has more grain than the Sony, but has more saturated colors. At 15 lux, the DVD101’s colors do not hold up; they are very washed.

LCD/ Viewfinder(6.5)
The VDR-M50 has a 2.5 in. color LCD screen (≈120K pixels). The screen rotates 270 degrees, but solarizes the image when viewed from an angle. The display can be a bit crowded; however, this is adjustable. If you’d like a better LCD, buy a Sony. The M50 is equipped with a 1/3-inch viewfinder (≈110K pixels). The viewfinder cannot be angled at all; it can only be pulled straight back, and even at full extension is merely flush with the battery.

Audio (6.0)
The VDR-M50 supports 12-bit and 16-bit audio recording. Its stereo microphone can be found beneath the lens, which clears up room on the bottom of the front for gripping. Below the stereo microphone are a mic-in jack and an audio input/output jack. While there is no headphone jack, there is a cold accessory shoe atop the lens barrel for accessories.

Handling (5.5)
The VDR-M50 handles pretty well. The strap is convenient for big hands, and can be adjusted. The microphone placement allows for two handed use without encumbering the sound. The top of the DVD mechanism can be used as a finger rest for the ring and middle fingers, with a well-placed zoom toggle for the index. High-use features like the record button and the mode dial are easily within reach. Minus the battery, the camcorder is very handsome. With important high-use buttons like exposure and focus located beneath the LCD screen, the setup could be better. However, having the menu button outside the LCD is nice. The zoom toggle is small, but performs well for its size.

Ports(5.5)
Since there is no DC in port for this camcorder, the battery must recharge using an external cradle. On the positive, the actual camcorder doesn’t have to be plugged in to charge. On the negative, one cannot record while the battery’s charging. A mic input jack and an audio/video input/output can be found on the front of the camcorder under a protective panel. The USB port is located beneath the LCD. An intelligent accessory shoe is located on top of the machine. The SD card is inserted in a slot under a hinged panel located on the DVD mechanism.

Other Features
(6.0)
Electronic Image Stabilizer (EIS), accessed by pressing the menu button, helps to reduce fuzziness when the camcorder has zoomed in on something. WindCut, also accessed through the menu, reduces unwanted audio noise in windy environments. The Disc Navigation feature on the M50 provides options to edit, splice and divide, and fade video footage directly on the camera. (If this were a DVD-R, editing on the computer would be necessary).

16:9 widescreen mode
The VDR-M50 supports a digitally manipulated 16:9 “cinema” mode.

Analog-to-Digital Pass Through
The Panasonic VDR-M50 is equipped for analog-to-digital pass through. A proprietary AV cable is supplied for S-Video and AV output.

Comparisons

There are several camcorders in a price range comparable to the Panasonic VDR-M50: the Panasonic PV-GS120, the Hitachi DZ-MV380, the Panasonic VDR-M70PP, and the Sony DCR-DVD101 (Review, Specs, $469).

For $100 more, Panasonic’s entry level DVD camcorder, the VDR-M70, houses a 1/4-inch CCD with 400K effective pixels for video and 960K for stills. The M70 includes an 10x optical zoom and 240x digital zoom, less that the M50. Resolution increases from the M50 to the M70, from 640x480 to 1290x960 for stills on the M70 (video on the M70 records at 640x480).

For $100 more the buyer gets a bigger CCD on the M70, which offers greater still resolutions and improves performance, to the loss of some zoom power due to a higher-quality lens. All in all, for a hundred bucks more, the M70 exhibits a better (bigger) CCD with more effective pixels (400K to 340K), meaning better video performance, as well as some other improvements on various options, pretty much in proportion to the price.

For $100 less, Panasonic’s PV-GS120, a cheaper, stripped down version of the PV-Gs200, is available, with 3 CCDs at 1/6 inch with 290K pixels each, 10x optical zoom (700x digital zoom), still resolution of 1280x960, and lots of manual control, including gain. The GS120 records to Mini DV tape, which is harder to transfer to DVD, and cannot hold as many stills as the M70. (Then again, what Mini DV camcorder can?). Video performance of the GS120, however, is far superior to the VDR-M50, apparent especially in the color quality. For the money, the GS120 is a great camcorder, factoring in the amount of manual control offered and its three CCDs. If gadgetry and convenience are big factors and price and video performance are not, the VDR-M50 might be a better choice.

One of Hitachi’s latest DVD camcorders, the DZ-MV550, lists at $800 and is almost identical to the VDR-M50. (The list price on the M50 is $799.99, but is probably available for $699.99). The MV550 contains a similar 1/6-inch CCD, 18x optical zoom, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, and card compatibility, and comparable on-camcorder editing options. The included software with the MV550 is the same as the M50, as is the effective pixel count and the still and video resolutions. These camcorders seem virtually identical. To make a decision looks like it would come down to personal preference based on ease of use or manual control options, etc.

When compared with Sony’s DVD camcorder, the DCR-DVD101, the VDR-M50 offers an equal sized CCD (1/6), better digital zoom (DVD101 only has 120x) and similar resolution. The DVD101 does lack an SD card which is a shame, although the DVD101 still offers a tremendous amount of still storage space. Also, the VDR-M50 does perform better under low light conditions than the DVD101. As far as recordability goes, the DVD101 records to DVD-R and DVD-RW discs, while the M50 records to DVD-R and DVD-RAM discs. It can be argued either way which one of these formats is better; although the DVD-RAM format is generally faster and easier to access and manipulate. The DVD101 lists at $895, a hundred more than the M50.

Who it’s For
Point-and-Shooters (6.0)
A decent camcorder for the point-and-shoot crowd, the M50 offers a full auto mode for convenience. It can also appeal to those gimmick hunters who seek a more practical, point-and-shoot, DVD camcorder (i.e. one that includes a SD card).

Budget Consumers(3.0)
Paying a list price of $799.99 (but available online for $699.99), the budget consumer could deal with a VDR-M50. For a higher price, many comparable DVD camcorders are available. However, for a lower price, a 3 CCD camera is a available for those who don’t mind recording on Mini DV tape. For the DVD camcorder buyer, however, the M50 is definitely a practical purchase for the strapped-for-cash.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid(5.5)
The VDR-M50 is a decent hybrid primarily because of the amount of still photos available. Stills can be recorded to DVD-RAM and SD card (a huge combined storage space is available). The ability to initialize DVD-RAM and card gives the M50 great practicality. However, it would be nice to see the M50 offer as much resolution for still as the M70 does, but, I suppose, this is why it is less expensive.

Gadget Freaks(7.0)
If you like to twist little knobs and creep through byzantine menu screens to the light of blinking diodes, this is for you. Without a doubt a gadget freak machine, the VDR-M50 offers the option to record to DVD-R, which is playable on conventional players after finalization on the camcorder, DVD-RAM recording capabilities, and a memory card feature. It would be nice to see DVD-RW capability on the M50, or the M70 for that matter.

Manual Control Freaks(3.0)
Manual control freaks don’t have much to uncontrollably giggle about as they frantically claw at their basement doors for sunlight on this one. Like many consumer camcorders, the manual controls of theVDR-M50 exist in a state altered for convenience. The most of the important manual controls (exposure, focus) are hidden under the LCD, while manual shutter speed is unavailable. Needless to say, the typical M50 user is meant to take full advantage of the full auto mode.

Pros/ Serious Hobbyists(2.5)
A good camcorder for the serious hobbyist who isn’t obsessed with the best quality of video money can buy, the VDR-M50 is designed for people who dig the convenience of the DVD camcorder, don’t want to waste the money they were saving for a nice pro camcorder, and enjoy the SD card option, and other factors that make this a decent hybrid camera. The DVD-RAM compatibility, available on theM50, is arguably better than DVD-RW for disc rerecording. However, pros shouldn’t plan on using their high-end software for editing, as the format is not supported.

Conclusion
Existing in a lower price range than its younger sibling, the VDR-M70, the VDR-M50 offers video performance and still resolution only a slight bit worse. While it is a tough call to make a decision between the two, the fact that the M70 has a ‘hot’ shoe, among other small differences may help the decision-making process. The VDR-M50 is small and handles well. The buttons could be more convenient. A movable viewfinder would be better, but these are minor worries. The M50 could, in the face of other Panasonics, offer more manual control options, as well as fix the problems with the automatic options (these are fixed on the M70).

It is a tough argument as to whether DVD-RAM compatility or DVD-RW compatability is better. It really depends on what kind of user you are. A user who highly desires the direct play on conventional DVD players feature, would probably enjoy a Sony, for their DVD-RW option. However, a user wanting faster, easier to access footage, with an option to transfer to full-size DVD-Rs without a computer, might prefer a Panasonic. VDR-M50 offers itself as a relatively inexpensive DVD camcorder. With all DVD camcorders, there are probably 3 CCD mini DV machines available for a cheaper price; however, when you buy DVD, you’re primarily interested in, I’ll assume, convenience, and/or the gadget. For the money, if you must have a DVD camcorder Hitachi offers a remarkably similar machine for the same price. So look at both, etc.