Review on Panasonic Camcorder HC V180K 5 8 Inch 2 7 Inch by Brian Sitton

This is a great product for the purpose it is intended for and it seems like a lot of the negative reviews are written by people who didn't research their purchase properly. I understand the frustration, but if you know what it can and can't do before you buy it, you won't be disappointed! Let me give you some pros and cons to explain what I mean. At the end I have a little explanation of what you can expect from the image quality. Pros - Zoom: Zoom is awesome! I shoot most of my videos with a Canon DSLR 1.6x crop frame and there isn't a lens in the world that gives you a 59x optical zoom. It's something like the equivalent of 1650mm, giving you a good headshot at 200ft. There are several options for "smart" or digital zoom, just turn it off from day one and forget about it. - Battery/charging: The battery lasts forever. I was doing long recordings and really didn't have 50% battery. It's also easy to disable the USB (two different ways: with the included power plug or micro-USB), meaning a cheap battery pack will keep it running 100% for days. - Price: Just under $200, which is $50 less than most competitors (like the Vixia HF R800). Even at the same price, I prefer the Panasonic Canon, and I'm an avid Canon DSLR fan! - Microphone: No, it does not have a broadcast quality microphone. However, it is noticeably better than my Canon DSLR mic, especially in windy conditions. I would like it to accept an external mic input and I've listed this as a disadvantage. So the quality isn't great, but since it's better than the DSLR I have to put it on the plus side. Cons - Mic input: I really wish it had an external mic input like most of its competitors. I understand that most people who buy a cheap camcorder won't use an external microphone, but I would! - No tote bag: Even a simple cloth bag would be better than nothing, I bought a $10 bag that's too big for it. I wish I had something better. - Menu interface: This isn't the strong point of most camcorders, but this one is particularly finicky with menus. The poor-quality touchscreen and small icons mean it often takes two tries to press the right button, and the menus are designed for those who have never used the camera. - Live video output: I haven't even tried it yet, it uses mini HDMI which is a stupid standard but at least they include a mini HDMI to HDMI cable with the camera. There are many other reviews talking about this... I haven't tried it and don't care, but others are having issues so take that into account if you're interested. A note on video quality: I'll start by saying that this is roughly on par with a good smartphone in terms of video quality and arguably falls short of a flagship in low light. In daylight, it can be difficult to distinguish footage from this camcorder from a $1,000 DSLR with a good lens! However, as soon as you enter the premises, the video quality drops to a barely usable level. It says it's F2.08 @ 108mm and while I don't think they're lying, the quality of the footage won't make anyone believe that number... So why would you buy this!? Why did I give 5 stars!?Because a good new DSLR+ lens costs 3-5 times more and this camcorder keeps up with good lighting conditions.Because a smartphone is lucky if it can zoom 2x without losing quality. and this camcorder does 59x and looks great. Because it costs $200 and can take great shots that would otherwise be hard to come by! Money to get something with a much larger sensor (actually not available on every "camcorder"). Otherwise you will love it!