Panasonic PV-GS85 user reviews

Pros Vivid color, optical image stabilizer, joystick, sound quality

Cons access to DV port

Summary This is my third camcorder. I had two Sony before. The first was an 8 mm camcorder, and it recorded nice footage and had a clear stereo sound. The second one, Digital 8 format, was very noisy and the footage was rather grainy. I was disapointed with this model that broke after just over 3 years. I decided to put Sony aside and give a chance to another maker. After looking at reviews on budget camcorder, I decided to go for the Panasonic PV-GS85. I have had it for more that a month now and I am very satisfied with it. I shot under different conditions, both inside and outside. Now that I am more familiar with the model and its different menu options, I really appreciate its video qualities and ease of use. What I like most are the vivid colors it provides, that are fine in automatic mode, but can be significantly improved by simply using the manual white balance option and a small piece of paper as reference. The camcorder is very silent, which is nice for recording music concerts and plays at school. The optical image stabilization system works nicely, even at high zoom (impressive!), whereas the micophone zoom is OK to cut unwanted low noise, but it transforms a nearby conversation into some out of space voices. Still photos are of low quality, but you have them, Overall, I would recommand this camcorder to a friend as it provides very decent footage and clear sound at an affordable price. Great for family home movies

Pros OIS, Simple Userface, DVI.

Cons EVF doesn't have angular adjustment, Most interfaces require battery removal, not the best "hand feel".

Summary Overall. a GREAT value for your dollar. The Optical Image Stabilization actually works! The image quality played back on a 16/9 50" was acceptable, in fact surprisingly good. Wish the EVF was angularly adjustable, and the hand strap was a bit more stout. The still image capability is nice, but at less than a megapixel, somewhat useless. But you can't go wrong in this price range.

I would highly recommend this camera for the "Home Video", "Traveler" crowd. The OIS alone beats most rivals,

Pros OIS, the Bright Video light is VERY usefull for darker locations. The positioning of all of the buttons all fall into your comfort range, as they are all right at your thumb and fore fingers.

Cons One- When you zoom, the OIS decreases, but that can be fixed with a Tri-pod, or a mono-pod EASILY. Two- The battery must come out so you can used the Fire-Wire...not bad, just strange.

Summary If you are either a person who makes Family movies for get-togethers, or are a ameture movie maker, this is a good start. I am not saying that this is a professinal camera of the masters of film, I am saying that this is where you should start. All-in-all, a Great camera.

Pros Outrageously great audio quality. Very low wind interference. Voices come out crystal clear.

Cons Colors are slightly less vibrant than real life. Built-in playback speaker sounds very bad....the actual recorded audio is much better.

Summary Overall great camera for its low price range. I would advise paying the few extra dollars to get the PV-GS85, and not the PV-GS80. The built-in light and SD card compatibility is worth it.