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"Very solid performer, only minor downsides..." on by Hickeroar
Pros: Excellent build quality. Excellent video quality
Cons: No included software or cables
Summary: Cons First:
I had to use my own software in order to retrieve and edit the video from the device. The next model up (GS59) comes with the software but this one doesnt. That annoys me but isn't a huge deal. As far as I could tell, that's the only difference between the two models and the other one is 30 bucks more.
Also, it would have been really nice if they included a firewire cable in the package. I had a USB cable that was compaible but the quality using one is awful compared to firewire. I bought a firewire cable which worked fine. This is a grip of mine because firewire cables are ridiculously overpriced. I can't imagine them costing more then 50 cents or a buck to make and then they sell them for 25 bucks. It's awful.
Pros:
The quality of the camera is what you'd expect from panasonic. It's very solid and feels very good to hold. The physical design is what caught my eye at first. Panasonic is up there with sony when it comes to style. (of course this is all subject to a persons opinion. I just happen to like it a lot)
The ease of use is about what i'd expect from a camcorder. It's got a picture mode that works if you have an SD card installed, but if you don't it just won't work. I don't really have any desire to take 640x480 pictures (i have a 4mp digital camera) so i didn't try this out.
One of my favorite things about the camera is that it supports 16:9 aspect ratio video. I am a big fan of widescreen.
I used my firewire cable and pulled 15 minutes of video off of it on to my computer. I set the capture resolution to the full 720x480 widescreen. I then used Sonic DVDit to create a DVD from the footage. I used the actual created DVD for my video quality review because this could be considered the "final product." I was honestly very impressed by the quality of the video. My folks have a miniDV digital camcorder as well and I was expecting video quality similar to theirs. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this camera provided me with vibrant colors and a very sharp picture.
It may be worth noting to some that you can connect the camcorder to a PC and use it as a webcam. I'd imagine many digital camcorders have this feature, but i thought it was worth mentioning.
All in all, i'm very happy with my purchase. -
"LOVE This Camcorder" on by windsorco
Pros: Zoom, Ease of use, Cost, Quality
Cons: None that we've found yet
Summary: I bought this camcorder for a trip to S. Africa and it didn't let us down!! We bought it for the zoom and it was AMAZING how great the zoom was. We got better shots of the game with this than our camera. For a first time user it was very easy to use, lightweight and perfect size. For the money I don't think it can be beat. We love it!
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"Solid Camcorder For the Price" on by jtyates533
Pros: Small, good price, great features
Cons: no software to extract video
Summary: I have had this camcorder for about a month now. It takes great quality video and is a very well designed camcorder. Small and fits easily in your hands. The one problem is that the buttons on the back require you to use your other hand since they are located in such a way you can't use them with the hand holding the camcorder.
There was no software available to extract video from the camcorder. You had to either use Windows Movie maker or buy a third party software. The PV-GS59 has all of this with a firewire cable too for only a few bucks more. I also had ot install a firewire card for it since htere was no way to use the USB port to download video. The USB is only used if you take photos and have a SD card to extract from.
When using the built in light it is a bit strong if you are too close. It makes everything a little too bright.
In playback mode it is also hard to hear the audio unless you are on the side where hte speaker is. I have not had a chance to play with the options to see if you can turn it up or not.
Overall it is a good camcorder. Great price and delivers good quality images that I have burned to DVD and impressed friends with. -
"Works very well overall, but a few annoyances" on by Geek091
Pros: Excellent zoom, plenty of manual control options, quiet, very little zoom noise
Cons: No software support, unintuitive control icons
Summary: All of the features I've used on this camcorder worked well -- once I figured out how to use them. The manual offers fairly straightforward (if uninspired) explanations, but it was written for three different camcorder models, which makes it difficult to follow at times.
In addition, the camera's built-in icons are very small and are not intuitive at all. Even being a professional geek, I found many of the icon choices baffling and totally non-suggestive of the functions they represent.
That being said, the camera works very well. I especially like the manual overrides. Few camcorders (including this one) work properly in their automated modes in all possible situations. This camcorder offers fairly easy-to-use and very detailed manual overrides for focus, white-balance, gain, iris, shutter speed, and a few other advanced functions.
One annoyance, though, is that Panasonic doesn't include ANY software -- not even a basic control program to allow the user to transfer and encode the files from the tape to a computer. I don't think I've come across any other DV camcorder that doesn't include at least a stripped-down editing program with an upgrade offer in the box.
Another annoyance is that no full-featured USB driver is provided. XP detects the camera automatically when connected by USB, but only the webcam functions and the memory card are accessible. A tape control program that allows at least basic file transfer and encoding from the tape to the computer via USB would be a nice feature.
Adding a Firewire card is not always convenient (for example, Firewire cards for low-profile machines are usually special-order items). I wouldn't be surprised if some customers returned this otherwise fine camcorder simply because Panasonic does not provide a USB option, and installing a Firewire card on their particular computers would be a hassle. -
"Very good video . . . easy to use" on by EastOhioan
Pros: Fits easily in hand - Bright pictures - "Snapshot" capability
Cons: No Editing Software - Requires a firewire card - Short battery life.
Summary: I purchased this camera because of its price, and was amazed at the ease of use as well as the camera's capability to take still shots while filming. Another plus ( I think ) is the ability to take a still shot directly from a video. The stills tend to be a little grainy, but can be corrected using a photo editor program.
While I'm not really a "wide screen" fan, this cam does have that option, as well as standard size.
I'd have to say that this camera is well worth the money, but I wish it had a little longer battery life and / or ability to charge battery while using AC adapter.
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