Panasonic V900K Full HD Camcorder

Surprisingly good for a consumer camera. The 24x optical zoom is superb. Going beyond that, into digital enhancement territory, noise increasingly appears. But how much more than 24x do you really need? I asked myself that same question then tried an old Olympus Camedia TCON-14B (not hard to find) on the front. It only worked without vignetting in the high zoom end but, hey, it gave me a very clear, bright 25-33x optical zoom! Converter aside, this thing rocks for home movies, travel video, and anything you want to put up on your online channel. The built in microphone is pretty good, enough to put onboard DSLR and MTF mics to shame. But if you want to you can mount a separate mic on top or plug in the receiver for your wireless lavalier mic. One big plus is that this camcorder handles video stabilization in ways that digital cameras cannot keep up with. After all, that's what it's made for. And when I put this on a tripod - OMG. The reason I gave this four stars instead of five is because it has no viewfinder, only the fold out screen. Come on Panasonic. What were you guys thinking (or drinking)? Bring back a version with a viewfinder and I'll give it SIX stars.

Recently bought and very happy, excellent service and quality