Panasonic VDR-D310

The more sophisticated sibling of Panasonic's VDR-D210, the VDR-D310 produces better-quality video and still images. This is partly down to its use of three CCDs to record colour, rather than the single CCD of the D210. It's perhaps unsurprising that the VDR-D310 scores very highly for colour accuracy on still images.

The Panasonic comes with a microphone jack, although its built-in mic isn't bad. Playback on the built-in monitor is easy to control and the joystick on the back falls under your right thumb. Use it to select a video and the controls appear onscreen. It's a shame there's no headphone jack, but there are USB and AV-out connectors.

The delete button is convenient for disposing of unwanted scenes and stills, and the remote control permits access to all basic functions, including still photos, zooming and file management. The battery charge procedure could have been improved however; you must remove the battery first.

The VDR-D310 lacks full manual control, and there's no built-in assist light. Also conspicuously absent are any wide-angle or telephoto adaptors. But there is a shoe for attaching the optional VW-DC10 video light.

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.