Panasonic DVD e.cam VDR-D300

First of all, I want to tell you about my history with camcorder. I had a JVC mini-dv camcorder for 5 years. It broke and I decided to upgrade to DVD format. I bought Sony DVD 403 Named "Best DVD camcorder of year 2005 ", I used it for a week and returned. The colors of the Sony were a little too much red for my taste and the picture quality in all kind of setting was fussy and noisy. I tested other sony dvd such as the DVD 105 and DVD 92 and both were noisy as well and had horrible low light quality.

Therefore I decided to go for a camcorder with sharper images and more accurate colors. I also decided to pick the Panasonic vdr-d300 because it's array of manual control. When the noise level is not working for me I can adjust the white balance, shutter and iris. I can even adjust the focus. At low light the camera picture is good. I bought a 10watts to 30 watts light to help it make it almost excellent. Don't buy a 3 watt it does not make a difference in video quality.

If you are going to edit-don't use the software it brings. Its a headache. You have to connect the camera to the AC- not with battery -then plug to computer- and the list goes on and on.
I edid my DVD in the computer by just popping the dvd in the computer, I use inter-video winDVD creator 3 to edit and it's way much faster and easier.
It uses a SD-card to take digital picture-does not come with it. The picture quality is very good as well once you manually adjust flash, and White balance.

Dislike- the fact that I had to format my DVD using the AC charger instead of the battery. Also Battery has to be taken out of the camcorder and inserted to the AC charger to charge. Because of this I give the camcorder a Good score

3CCD! This is on par with professional cameras but in a consumer package. Smaller than its direct competitor (Sony DCR DVD505). Camcorderreview.com gives it a real good rating and is one of the top 2 (two) camcorders of the year (2006). Good color, crisp images, and not too shabby 3.5 mp still images straight to SD Card.

Tip to those migrating from MiniDV, DVD Camcorders are for those who like having an immediate "Hard Copy" of their film recordings. You can view your recording in any late model DVD player, or connect the old fashined way with AV cables (supplied).
Editing isnt done from the disk but simply from your DVD drive in your computer. This way you can use your favorite editing software and burn your final cut to a full size DVD disk.

This product is an adequate bridge between old camcorders and the new HD camcorders. It is fairly priced, easy to use and good for family outings and sporting events.