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"Know what your buying" on
Pros: great size, multi functional, lots of fun smaller then me digitial camera
Cons: Know what your buying this will not replace your camcorder however it is a lot of fun for a quick video
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"love my video camera" on by buffandsweet33
Pros: sd video camera. cool pics. voice recoreder. very stylish. very fun
Cons: none whatsoever
Summary: i have had this camera for 5 years and i love my camcorder. still works great!
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"Novelty Camera" on by rankthetank19
Pros: MP3s, Voice Recorder, Camera, Video Camera, Flash, relatively loud speaker, easy to use menus
Cons: low picture/movie camera
Summary: I bought this camera based on its vast amount of uses. The mp3 player is great. The only negative thing about the whole package is the video and picture quality. At 2mp the camera just isnt up to par. It produces grainy/dark images unless you are in bright sunlight. The video also is blurry and very pixelated. It looks fine on the lcd screen but when imported onto a computer, the quality is definitely lacking. This camera however is great for its portability and small size. I used it when hanging out with my friends, biking, skiing, or whenever we would need to capture somebody doing something stupid. It is ideal for these situations but it is definitely not the camera for someone looking to make high quality recordings or home-movies.
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"Fun and easy to use once you crack the software issues" on by kguernsey
Pros: Small, lightweight, & great to have on hand for when you don't want to lug your camcorder around
Cons: Not the greatest image quality, poor software design
Summary: I've had this camera for several months now, and have greatly enjoyed using it. It's perfect for slipping in your pocket and capturing video when you wouldn't typically want to haul a camcorder with you. The still picture image quality is pretty poor (think lower-end cell phone camera), and the MPEG-4 video at highest quality is comparable to the WAV files created when I dump my camcorder MPEG-2 video into my computer and save it at lower resolution. So I'd not recommend it for capturing the most important moments in your life, but for capturing video on a whim it's perfect, and an unobtrusive alternative to a bulkier camcorder.
My biggest complaint relates to the software. The editing software bundled with the product is not user-friendly, and its conversion of the ASF format to WAV files results in a high loss of image quality. Worse still, the ASF format in which video is recorded cannot be played on computers lacking the necessary Panasonic codec. That codec is provided in the software that comes with the camera, but cannot be downloaded for free from the Panasonic website. Result: you can email those fun little videos to your friends, but unless they also own a DSnap camera and have installed the necessary software, they won't be able to watch the files! In addition, even if you have the codec, you'll not be able to view or edit your video in third party software (including Windows Moviemaker) unless you can convert the file to something other than the native ASF.
The only solution I have found to this codec problem is to download (for free) the "Windows Media Encoder" software from Microsoft's website. You can then convert your ASF files into WAV files that any Windows user can view using Windows Media Player, and that you can edit in movie-editing software. (This process also typically reduces the video file size, which helps when emailing.) Unlike the Panasonic software, Windows Media Encoder also converts the file without any appreciable loss of image quality.
I haven't yet tried the feature allowing you to record TV onto the device for viewing later, but that's next on my list!
So, all in all I'm a big fan of the DSnap, and would happily recommend it to anyone for whom the highest image quality is not an essential requirement. Just don't forget to download Windows Media Encoder! -
"Great deal if you paid less then $130.00" on by Philipk
Pros: It looks cool and it's small
Cons: Poor picture and video quality
Summary: I got mine for $129.00 ($229.00 with $100 rebate). Bottom line is, you get what you pay for. It looks great, it's small, and it's fun. Picture and video are okay. I give it a 8 because for the price, it's great! If you are looking for professional 10 mega pixel or HDTV quality video, $129 bucks is not going to do it for you.
Panasonic D-snap SV-AV50 user reviews (silver)
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