With the D310 standard definition DVD camcorder, Panasonic keeps the three chip design, while Canon and Sony have opted to use single, much larger sensors. So while the D310 offers a great image in full daylight, with accurate colors and little noise, once things get dimmer this model is almost out of the race altogether. DVD camcorders (despite their short recording times and the interminable waiting times required for finalizing DVDs) are expected to provide ultimate ease of use to the prosumer, and while the D310 has a few kinks (no exposure adjustment setting), its automatic mode is fast and smooth – exactly what a point and shooter needs. The $700 price does nothing spectacular for the D310's cause, positive or negative, and ultimately the Canon DC50 and Sony DVD505, prove to be the DVD-churning machines with the most value.



Three 1/6-inch, 800,000 pixel, native 4:3 CCD sensors output standard definition interlaced video. Image quality under good light conditions is great, with beautiful colors and little noise. Resolution and low-light performance are a different matter, with the D310 delivering a below average performance on both counts.



MPEG 2 compression at 10Mbps causes some visible image artifacts. This is over twice the compression of standard MiniDv, and it shows. The supported 8 cm DVD formats (DVD-RAM, DVD-R and DVD-RW) will hold only 18 minutes of video at 10Mbps.



The wide-angle capabilities of the lenses that Panasonic chooses for its camcorders seem to be getting worse with every new generation. At a 35mm-equivalent field of view of 45.6-456 mm, this 10x zoom lens is nowhere near 'wide-angle' at the short end. Its maximum aperture range is f1.8 to f2.8. The D310 comes with a great optical image stabilizer that, combined with the non-exaggerated (43x zoom anyone?) magnification factor of the lens, provides very steady shots. The 2.7-inch widescreen LCD has a 123,000 pixel resolution, but in an odd move by Panasonic, has lost the “Power LCD” feature that boosts the screen's luminosity on most other of the manufacturer's models. On the other hand, the D310 has gained an extendable viewfinder, a veritable luxury for a modern consumer camcorder.



The FullAuto mode is quick and smooth, with immediate but delicate transitions in exposure and white balance. Panasonic is once again showing off with the manual controls, and what a great show it is. There are independent settings for shutter speed (1/60 to 1/8000), aperture (F1.8 to F16), white balance, gain and focus; but nowhere in sight is the very basic (and very popular with every other manufacturer) exposure shift setting that beginners will require.



Images can be recorded to an SD card in resolutions up to 2048 x 1512. There are no real exposure features, such as histogram, and it's a real disappointment for this price point.



The D310's zoom microphone records stereo audio, and focuses on sounds coming from the front of the camcorder, modifying the audio levels in accordance with the visual zoom. A cold accessory shoe and mic jack are available, but support for headphones is missing. A noise reduction function rounds out the audio features.



The ports provided on this camcorder are USB 2.0, Analog Out, and AV out.