Panasonic VDR-D310

All up, the Panasonic VDR-D310 certainly has number of limitations. But, provided you can accept these, its excellent video quality and the convenience of instant DVD burning make it a very notable DVD camcorder.

The Panasonic VDR-D310 ($699 MSRP) is their top-tier DVD camcorder, replacing last year’s VDR-D300. We loved that camcorder for its brilliant performance in bright light and compelling manual control set – once rare assets in a DVD camcorder. However, Sony’s DCR-DVD505 edged it out with an even better looking picture. This year both companies lowered the price of their replacement models considerably. But both also created a much sweeter high-end model – AVCHD high definition DVD camcorders. There was once a large, price gap between the VDR-D310 and the HDC-DX1, but the price of the DX1 keeps falling (currently $899 MSRP), making it a compelling draw.

All up, the Panasonic VDR-D310 certainly has number of limitations. But, provided you can accept these, its excellent video quality and the convenience of instant DVD burning make it a very notable DVD camcorder.