Panasonic VDR-M53 Camcorder Review

Audio (6.0)
The VDR-M53 does feature a microphone input, so decent audio can be captured if desired. Unfortunately, there is no intelligent accessory shoe so the mic will need to supply its own power. Audio playback format is MPEG audio layer 2.

VCR Mode (6.5)
The VCR Mode on the VDR-M53 is particular. This model lacks a USB port, making footage captured on the DVD-RAM disc unavailable for direct computer editing manipulation. To get this footage onto the computer you must go through a DVD Video Recorder with a hard disk (Panasonic makes these). Also with these DVD Video Recorders you can make full size DVD-Rs with DVD-RAM footage.

DVD-R footage captured on the VDR-M53 can be reviewed on a conventional DVD player, but you’ll need a compatible DVD player to view DVD-RAM discs (Panasonic makes such players).

Using the composite jack, you can view footage on your TV using its A/V ports or S-Video port. Dubbing images from another device is also available using this cord.

Ports(6.0)
The VDR-M53 only has two ports: an A/V input/output port and a microphone input. It is one of the only DVD camcorders this year to lack a USB port. All DVD camcorders lack FireWire ports. There is also a cold accessory shoe and a SD/MM card slot on the camcorder.