Labs

At £281, this model isn't much more expensive than the budget MiniDV models. Its grey plastic finish certainly looks more workmanlike than the stylish Canon and Sony models, though, and it has a fiddly manual lens cap.

On top of the camcorder is an accessory shoe for mounting extras such as microphones and lights. This doesn't provide power, so accessories will need batteries. A microphone input is also provided. The FireWire port doesn't support DV input, so you won't be able to copy edited movies back to tape for storage.

The NV-GS180 can shoot anamorphic widescreen video, but

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its LCD has a 4:3 ratio so it uses letterboxing to display the footage correctly. The usual Panasonic menu system is controlled by a joystick under your thumb.

PERFORMANCE

The NV-GS180 uses three 1/6in CCDs for greater colour accuracy than cameras with just one. There was little appreciable noise in our well-lit indoor tests. In low light it performed far better than the budget models, with only light noise visible. Colours were acceptable, but the scene was a little dark and detail was lost.

Shooting outdoors showed the camcorder's capabilities. In natural light it produced very realistic results with sharp detail. Widescreen mode helps to create a truly cinematic feel.

The camcorder takes stills with resolutions of up to 1,760x1,320 by interpolating images from its three CCDs. The results look noisy, though, and there's no flash. The battery lasted an acceptable one hour and 22 minutes.

VERDICT

The NV-GS180's three CCDs re-create colours excellently, and its microphone and accessory shoe will appeal to some. With no widescreen LCD and poor still images, though, it's not quite as appealing as Sony's DCR-HC96E.