Panasonic HC-W580EB-K Full-HD Palm sized Camcorder with Twin Camera - Black

WOW, what a zoom. I've bought camcorders in the past that have cost as much as £1600 and when things go wrong with such a huge price tage, so do repair bills (it was cheaper to buy this Panasonic for half the price of repair than my old Canon XA10) I now accept that electronics has become a throwaway geneartion and decided to buy this Panasonic after seeing one or two videos and was very impressed by the zoom, which is why I bought it. First thing I did was look at the moon and just couldn't honestly believe how much detail it captued, in fact this camera captures things the human eye just can't visibly see until you zoom in on the subject matter. It also has macro and I filmed bees and butterlies on flowers with huge detail. It's amazing how it can capture miniscule detail then zoom in so far like that.There are some CONS. Sadly it has no ear phone socket. It has no MIC input (it would have been perfect if it had a MIC input and hot-shoe to hold an external MIC) There is no Infra-red night vision. It's 1080 and not 4K, but I'm not bothered about 4K at the momemnt as I make HD youtube clips and 4K is an over kill for that. No manual focus ring (forced focus is done on the touch screen) It can suffer wind noise, but I've seen some place sponge/foam over the MIC's. It has no remote control. It can suffer slightly in low light, dark conditions.There are some PROS. The zoom is incredible when set up right in the menu options. It's a tiny small cam that can fit in a pocket. It has a dual cam for selfies for those that need it. The biggest selling point is the zoom. If you're thinking about buying one then you're already interested and need that zoom, otherwise you wouldn't be here reading this. The zoom is so powerful you'll need a tripod/monopod as it needs to be absolutely rigid when zooming in on the horizon.So to sum up, it's all about that zoom and this is what I needed without buying anything too expensive or bulky or buying extra lenses, etc. This is an all in one tiny gadget that is just as good as some semi-pro camcorders and for the price, it's perfectly ideal for zoom enthusiasts who need it. I nearly bought an DSLR and glad I didn't and got this Panasonic instead.

I got the HC-W580 as an update on a an old Canon standard definition camcorder. I actually got it £20 cheaper than the HC-V380 model, that I originally was looking to buy! I already own a TZ70 and have the Panasonic image app loaded on my Samsung phone and tablet. This app works with the HC-W580, so you can remote control the camera. There are some is a remote pan and tilt accessory, but that may expensive. Will research that. The picture quality seems good. I am aware of the battery life, but already own power banks so can use them if the battery cannot last long. The power banks have the 2A output needed. The zoom range is quite big, 50x optical zoom from 28mm wide angle.The image stabilizer works well and there is a tilt warning.There are two downloads - HD Writer LE software and the full manual.With the multi camera function (which I need to learn how to use), the options of filming from different angles will be interesting.The only thing missing from the camera is being water resistant.

Small but perfectly formed, this handy sized camcorder will fit inside your average sized coat pocket. Looks good, feels good and films good too. Love it ❤️

ive had a number of these because 1 drop and thats it itll be broken so my advice get a good neck strap or never take your hands off it if on a tripod as 1 gust of wind blowing it over even onto soft sand can break it , other than that video quality is fine for this price its a very good camcorder

For those that want more than what a phone camera can give you - this is great (and replaces the one that some git found on the car park shuttle from Heathrow and decided to keep!!!)

great little vlogging camera great value for money

This is great value for money, packing was very good. It gives far away better video quality that regular phones

I've used this fairly heavily for all sorts of projects since buying it and I'm thoroughly delighted with it. It's very easy to use and the results are excellent. The image stabilisation means that hand-held footage is perfectly usable.It's small, weighs next to nothing, packs away neatly and the battery lasts for hours.I'd recommend it.