Comments on: Get a DVD camcorder for $170 shipped

If you want the convenience of set-top video viewing and don't plan to edit your home movies, this dirt-cheap Panasonic model could be just the ticket.

[MakaiOokami]

Welll... That's all fine and good.... but what are some of the technical specs. What was the price before this deal? Camcorders and things aren't like Xbox 360 versus a PS3 or 30GB Zune versus a 30GB Ipod. There are a few technical specifications that are the most important to look at. Example how many Megapixels does it take pictures and what is the resolution it records video at?

Also what is the file type that it's saved onto in the DVD and are there options? You also didn't talk about the diameter of the lens. The bigger the lense the better the quality essentially. A friend has a 2Megapixel camera on his phone, and my phone has a 2 megapixel camera. Which one comes in clearer? Mine. Why? The lens.

Megapixels only account for how big the picutre will be. You actually accounted for very little fo the information. Could you please either produce more information or perhaps a review on it? Somewhere?

Some of your articles are well written but some of them are rather poor like this one. I only ask that you not cut corners on deals like this and give us the confidence in the product or tell us that it's likely somewhat risky. Sorry if this is a little bit critical on your deal. Just wanted to provide some feedback.

Honestly the specs on the page you DID link us too did not talk about lens diameter and the resolution size isn't even 1megapixel. It's only VGA.

I've never owned a camcorder so I don't know how that size is going to look on a mini disc played in a DVD player. This article has not given me a comparison in any way, or any sort of confidence in this product. If I was in the market to buy a Camera I would probably end up doing hours of research to compare and try to get good information so that if I did buy it I wouldn't have to upgrade to something better 3 months from now because of a poorly made article.

Thanks for the tip but please try to market the item better so that consumers are better informed and have more confidence. Remember the Xbox 360 thing? We questioned it as being a good Media Extender becaues it has roughly 20-30 percent fail rates which means that it's likely they willl have to replace it. it's the same sort of concept here. Better to buy a product that will cost you more short term but last you longer than to save some money now only to have to pay for it or replace it with the same option at a later date.

Sorry for making this so long. Just disapointed with some of the articles of late. I usually love the articles here.

[Baron von Milton]

A quick google on Panasonic VDR-D210 returns an abundance of tech specs, etc. Maybe you should whine less and google more?

[Paul Criger]

If you clicked on the CNET review link in the article, then the SPECS link in the review you would have found:
Lens System

Type
Zoom lens - 2.3 mm - 73.6 mm - F/1.8-3.7
Focal Length
2.3 mm - 73.6 mm
Lens Aperture
F/1.8-3.7
Optical Zoom
32 x
Lens system type
Zoom lens
Min focal length
2.3 mm
Max focal length
73.6 mm
Auto Focus
TTL contrast detection
Filter Size
37 mm
Focus Adjustment
Manual, Automatic
Zoom Adjustment
Motorized drive

[spykotic00]

Had you read the article carefully, you would have clicked on the link provided for the review.