Panasonic HC-VXF1

had expected a little more from the stabilization. Had a 13 year old panasonic NV-500 GS and that stabilization was just as good

Although beautiful 4K recordings can be made with my iPhone, I miss the optical zoom. In addition, consciously chose the version with the viewfinder; especially nicer when shooting in full sun. Picture and sound quality are superb.

Where the HD Video camera first became smaller and more manageable, this Camcorder, when it comes out of the packaging, is bigger again, but does not feel uncomfortable. Large lens and is robust. To quickly get started with the camcorder, a short, simple description is included in the box. The touchscreen menu and set-up work very intuitively. After an hour of playing with the possibilities of the camera, we took the camera to the zoo. Then the excellent recording quality becomes apparent. The fast auto-focus and stability. Being in the recording screen is reported if your camcorder is not handling horizontally. Even if you turn too fast, the recording screen will indicate that you are panning too quickly and the quality may not be optimal. In the dark Oceanium of Blijdorp, the performance in low light also becomes visible. Not directly in the recording screen, but if you later play the images on the computer. In a lot of light and dark outside, it is useful to look through the diopter and to close the recording LCD screen correctly. The LCD touchscreen does not work smoothly. The sensitivity is not optimal. You sometimes have to press several times to get the action. Multiple recording settings are possible in the menu. But with the Intelligent Auto Mode you can film everything. The Camcorder quickly adapts to light and dark and focuses easily between far and very close. Although the camcorder is not intended for that, it can also be used very well as a quality camera. In the far zoomed position, the camcorder takes excellent photos. However, editing the 4K images on the computer is a different story. For the huge files you will need a good support program to be able to edit the high resolution images smoothly. My old Magix version will have to be updated. Maybe even my old laptop to have enough computing capacity while rendering the large files The sound from the standard microphone is good. The WiFi connection between the camera and your smartphone is nice. After downloading the Panasonic Image App, you can view the images from camera images and control the camcorder from your smartphone. The 32GB memory card fills up quickly. The battery, probably because of this news, lasts a long time. There are many more functions and possibilities with this camcorder. I certainly haven't tested them all yet. But have downloaded the full manual on my tablet and will read through and try out features during the upcoming vacation. In addition to being a quality camcorder, it is also a very nice toy with all functions and possibilities.