A relic from the 1970s? Far from it – this is a brand new camcorder from Panasonic – the SDR-SW20.
It’s built to last and to go where your average camcorder fears to tread – offering waterproof protection up to 1.5m underwater, shockproofing that protects from falls of up to 1.2m and general dustproofing if you’re out in the wilds. And just to add to stability, everything is recorded to SD or SDHC cards – up to 13 hours in long play to a 16GB card.
Other features include 10x optical zoom, Image Stabiliser, a 2.7-inch LCD screen, a quick start of just 0.6 seconds and the ability to create a DVD of your recordings with just a touch of a button. Shop around for a best price, but we’ve seen them as cheap as £238 online.