There are two features on the Panasonic VDR-D210 that make this budget priced DV camcorder worth considering: The unit offers a 32x optical zoom and an optical image stabilization system to keep your pictures steady. But aside from these, the VDR-D210 offers only basic features and average performance.

As the entry level unit in Panasonic's DVD camcorder range, the VDR-D210 is aimed at budget consumers looking for an easy-to-use camcorder for occasional recording duties. The unit incorporates a 1/6-inch CCD imager with 680K effective pixels for video, along with the same one touch navigation system employed by the other Panasonic DVD camcorders. The menu is accessed via a joystick control and while there are even simpler camcorders to use, even novice users will master the controls of the VDR-D210 very quickly.

The 32x optical zoom is certainly impressive, outdoing the 10x zoom on the top of the line VDR-D310, although the lens on the VDR-D210 is not as fast as the Leica Dicomar lens on that model. As with the other units in the range, Panasonic has chosen to include an optical image stabilization system rather than a digital system found on most budget models. The OIS does a great job at keeping the picture steady during handheld shooting, even at the outer limits of the optical zoom.

The VDR-D210 is compatible with several DVD formats, write once DVD-R discs, rewriteable DVD-RW or rewriteable DVD-RAM discs. It is also compatible with 3-inch Dual Layer DVD-R discs. The camcorder will automatically find a blank space on a disc when recording and, once finalized, you can play a compatible disc directly back in your home DVD player. The overall video performance on this DV camcorder is acceptable for most home video needs. In normal to good lighting conditions, the VDR-D210 will deliver usable video images with accurate colors, albeit with some noise visible. In lower light, the quality deteriorates. The low light mode helps boost shadow detail, but without a video light, the video can become choppy. The VDR-D210 does offer a bright 2.7 inch widescreen LCD monitor and features Panasonic's handy Soft-Skin mode. When this detects skin tones in frame, it automatically softens the focus to make your subjects' skin look more appealing.

If you're looking for a DV camcorder that doubles as a digital stills camera, the VDR-D210 is definitely not for you. The unit does not offer the SD memory card slot present in the next unit up, the VDR-D230. Subsequently, the VDR-D210 can only record stills to disc as seven second still images. However, since the VDR-D230 can only capture stills to a maximum resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, you'll need to make the jump to the substantially more expensive VDR-D310 for a Panasonic DVD camcorder with a worthwhile stills function.

For a budget priced DVD camcorder, the Panasonic VDR-D210 delivers acceptable performance for point and shoot enthusiasts looking for ease of use.

Pros: 32x optical zoom,optical image stabilization system
Cons: No JPEG stills function, average performance in good lighting, poor performance in low light

Warranty
1 year parts, 90 days labor