Quick Review Camcorders : Panasonic VDR-M75

The VDR-M75 is Panasonic’s high-end DVD camcorder in their 2005 line. The camcorder is outfitted with 1/4.5” CCD with 690K effective pixels situated behind a 10x optical zoom lens. Stills and video can be recorded on Panasonics Naked Disc DVD RAM. Naked Disc allows the user to play back the disc without the special cartridge previously required, and in this way, the VDR-M75 attempts to provide convenience and accessibility to its users.

The VDR-M75 had a great video performance. When tested in bright light conditions, equivalent to a sunny day, the camcorder produced crisp images and vibrant colors. This model’s images were admirable results for a DVD camcorder, which are typically lackluster compared to MiniDV cams. The low light performance, however, was lacking. The Sony DCR-DVD403, the top contender in the DVD category this year, exhibited much better images.

Unfortunately, the VDR-M75's greatness did not trickle down to its performance in low light settings. Its 1/4.5“ CCD with 690K effective pixels did not aid in boosting low light results. This model produced a dark image plagued by dulled colors and a significant amount of noise. In conditions comparable to a fairly lit bedroom the camcorder fared poorly with inferior color representation, while the images were unusable in dimmer settings. It is important to note that most camcorders, especially DVD camcorders, fare poorly in low light conditions; however, that is still no excuse for the VDR-M75.

This DVD camcorder can capture stills on an SD card at 1280 x 960 and 640 x 480 still resolutions. The camcorder can also record an astronomical number of stills to its DVD-RAM disc. This model produced sharp stills with relatively vibrant colors. The stills are even more crisp and potent than the stills captured by the lower-end Panasonic DVD camcorder, the VDR-M53, which had fairly strong still images in its own right. The photographs taken by the Panasonic DVD camcorders are nearly comparable to that of their 3 CCD MiniDV sister camcorders, most notably the PV-GS65 and PV-GS150.

Performance aside, the goal of most DVD camcorders is to cater to the consumer’s need for convenience and ease. The allure of the DVD format itself is that it provides easy access to the captured image. Panasonic has made bold attempts at making their DVD camcorders more convenient. The VDR-M75’s Naked Disc compatibility has certainly made it easier for Panasonic users to access their images. With Naked Disc the user no longer needs a special cartridge or casing to view images. While this does make things convenient, users still need a special DVD player to view the images. In contrast, Sony DVD+RW, which has been the format of Sony’s 2005 DVD line, can be played on most conventional DVD players. The VDR-M75 offers a Disc Navigation Feature which allows the user to access any point on the DVD-RAM disc for viewing or making rudimentary edits, such as splicing, fading, or trimming.

While accessing the camcorder’s images may be more convenient, handling the camcorder itself can be a cumbersome process. The manual control options, which are fine in of themselves, are hidden underneath the LCD, making it difficult for the user to access and initiate those features. To be fair, camcorders such as these are often sought only for convenience and quality control options are often an afterthought for such users. To compensate, this camcorder provides swift and adequate automatic controls.

The VDR-M75 can’t truly be recommended because its strengths do not overcome its weaknesses. The camcorder produces commendable video in bright light conditions, while having poor and nearly unusable images in low light settings. The camcorder's Naked Disc feature makes the captured data more accessible, but the image still can’t be viewed on a conventional DVD player. The point of DVD camcorders is to have footage at your immediate disposal. For a comparable price, the Sony DCR-DVD403 produces better still and video that is more accessible to the user. DVD+RW can be played on almost any DVD player. The Sony DCR-DVD403 is a better buy.

Panasonic VDR-M75: THE BOTTOM LINE.... Rating: 164.37

Likes

-Naked Disc Compatibility -Video Performance

Dislikes

-Low Light Performance -Button Placement

Panasonic     VDR-M70 Rating: 90.05	Panasonic VDR-M53 Rating: 174.93	Panasonic VDR-M95 Rating:	Sony DCR-DVD403 Rating: 210.65	Hitachi DZ-MV780 Rating:176.45
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
-Automatic Control -Ease of use -Affordability	-Optical Zoom Specs -Affordability	-Imager Specs -Digital Still capability -Built-in Flash	-Video Performance -Automatic Control -Ease of use -Digital Still Capability -Low light Performance -LCD -Widescreen Mode -Wide Angle -VCR Mode	-Ease of use -Wide Angle -Widescreen -VCR mode
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
-Video Performance -Still Capability -Audio -LCD -Optical Zoom Specs	-Video performance -Automatic Control -Manual Control -Ease of use -Digital Still Capability -Low Light Performance -LCD -Portability	-Optical Zoom Specs -Audio -LCD -Ports	-Manual Control -Optical Zoom Specs -Portability -Ports	-Video Performance -Low Light Performance -Manual Control -Still Capability -Optical Zoom Specs -LCD -Audio -Portability -Ports
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
-Manual Control -VCR mode -Low Light	-Widescreen Mode -VCR Mode -Audio -Ports	-No Audio Dubbing -Portability	-Audio -Navigation System	-Automatic Control