This is a great product for what it is designed to do and it seems that many of the negative reviews are by people that didn’t research their purchase properly. I understand that frustration, but if you know what it can and can’t do before purchasing then you will not be disappointed! Let me give some of the pros and cons to explain what I mean. At the end I have a small explanation of what you can expect for picture quality.
Pros
- Zoom: The zoom is amazing! I shoot most of my videos on a 1.6x crop frame Canon DSLR and there is no lens in the world that will get you 59x optical zoom. That is something like 1650mm equivalent which gives you a tight headshot at 200ft. There are several “Intelligent” or digital zoom options, just disable that from the first day and forget about it.
- Battery/Charging: The battery lasts forever. I’ve done long recordings and I really haven’t hit 50% battery. It is also easy to power off USB (in two different ways: the included barrel plug or micro USB) which means that a cheap battery bank will keep it at 100% power for days.
- Price: At just under $200 this is $50 cheaper that most of the competition (for example the Vixia HF R800). Even for the same price I prefer the Panasonic to the Canon, and I’m an avid Canon DSLR fan!
- Microphone: No, this doesn’t have a broadcast quality microphone. However, it is noticeably better than the mic on my Canon DSLR, especially in the wind. I do wish that it accepted an external mic input, and I’ve listed that as a con. So the quality isn’t great, but since it’s better than a DSLR I have to put it as a pro.
Cons
- Microphone Input: I really wish this accepted an external mic input as most of it’s competitors do. I get that most people buying a cheap camcorder aren’t going to use an external mic, but I would!
- No Carrying Case: Even a simple cloth bag would have been better than nothing, I bought a $10 case that’s a bit too big for it. I wish I had something better.
- Menu Interface: This isn’t a strong point for most camcorders, but this one is particularly finicky with the menus. The low quality touch screen and small icons mean it often takes two tries to hit the right button and the menus are designed someone who has never actually used a camera.
- Live-Video Output: I haven’t even tried this, it uses a mini-HDMI, which is a stupid standard, but at least they include a mini-HDMI to HDMI cord with the camera. There are a lot of other reviews that talk about this… I haven’t tried and I don’t care, but others have issues, so consider that if you care.
A note about video quality:
I’ll start by saying that this is about on par with a good smartphone for video quality and maybe underperforms a flagship phone in low light. In a daylight scene it can be hard to tell the difference between this camcorder footage and a $1,000 DSLR with a good lens! However, as soon as you go indoors the quality of the camcorder footage deteriorates to a barely usable level. It says it is F2.08 @ 108mm and while I don’t think they are lying, the quality of the footage would not lead a person to believe that number…
So why would you buy this!? Why have I given it 5 stars!?
Because a good new DSLR+lens cost 3 or 5 times as much, and this camcorder keeps pace with good lighting conditions.
Because a smartphone is lucky if it can get to 2x zoom without the quality collapsing and this camcorder does 59x and looks great.
Because it is $200 and can get great footage that would be hard to get other ways!
If you want to record indoors/low-light, or need the absolute best in video quality then spend the extra money to get something with a much larger sensor (not really available on any "camcorder"). Otherwise, you’ll love this!
Panasonic Full HD Video Camera Camcorder HC-V180K, 50X Optical Zoom, 1/5.8-Inch BSI Sensor, Touch Enabled 2.7-Inch LCD Displa
4.4 | 1,141 ratings
Price: 247.99
Last update: 05-10-2024
About this item
50X and 90X Optical Zoom: Long 50X zoom and 90X intelligent zoom draws in the scene from far away. The focal length is 2.06 - 103 millimeter
Wide-angle Lens: A 28mm wide-angle lens is convenient for capturing group images in small spaces, such as weddings, reunions and vacations
1/5.8-Inch BSI Sensor: The Back Side Illumination Sensor has a large effective area with 2.20M effective pixels, suppressing noise even when shooting in dimly lit conditions
Creative Controls: Creative filter effects like 8mm Movie, Silent Movie, Miniature Effect and Time Lapse Recording add more personality to your high-definition recordings
Crisp, Clear Audio: A 2-channel zoom microphone automatically adjusts recording volume higher or lower synced to the camcorder's active zooming capability for crisp, clear audio
Wide-angle Lens: A 28mm wide-angle lens is convenient for capturing group images in small spaces, such as weddings, reunions and vacations
1/5.8-Inch BSI Sensor: The Back Side Illumination Sensor has a large effective area with 2.20M effective pixels, suppressing noise even when shooting in dimly lit conditions
Creative Controls: Creative filter effects like 8mm Movie, Silent Movie, Miniature Effect and Time Lapse Recording add more personality to your high-definition recordings
Crisp, Clear Audio: A 2-channel zoom microphone automatically adjusts recording volume higher or lower synced to the camcorder's active zooming capability for crisp, clear audio
Product information
| Product Dimensions | 4.6 x 2.1 x 2.3 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 7.5 ounces |
| ASIN | B01A60SXSO |
| Item model number | HC-V180K |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. (included) |
| Customer Reviews |
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars
1,138 ratings
4.4 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #26,144 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics) #52 in Camcorders |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | January 5, 2016 |
| Manufacturer | Panasonic |
Top reviews from the United States
Charles Carmichael
Spectacular! (just not in low-light)
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2017Kristen Rosamilia
16 yr old picky approved
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2024
Keko
Panasonic camera v-series
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2024ramon l quinones
Perfect
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2024Linda
Great little camcorder
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2024juan
tedious warranty channel
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024Derek
Great for price
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2024charlie chadwick
Great camera for the money
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2023