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- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 5 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Excellent for the money, spectacular performance!"
Pros: 32X optical zoom, takes photos, cold-shoe mount for external light, built-in light, user friendly.
Cons: No Firewire cable, flimsy door covering for SD memory card, no aux input for external mic, sockets for USB, Firewire and AC placed in battery socket requires battery removal, no remote control.
Summary: My first camcorder was an analog 8mm Sony that I had for nine years. I had a hard time deciding between buying a new Sony and a Panasonic with a limited budget of around the $300.00 range. Despite the Cons about the PV-GS85, this camcorder delivers great video coverage as long as there is available light, (artificial or natural) indoors or outdoors. As for the Pros, what made me decide to buy this camcorder was the optical zoom. I can zoom in easily from a distance if I am sitting twenty rows back from the front of a school auditorium stage taping my son's school play. Or when I am at my son's baseball game, I can zoom in when he's in the outfield or when he's running to the bases in the infield. I can even take a photo if I anticipate my son to slide into 2nd base! (Reminder: If you want still photos, it is better to use a still camera.) I can't do that with other camcorders that only have a 10X optical zoom! If you are on a limited budget but want a camcorder that is solid and delivers what you expect it to do, look no more, this is the one! If your budget allows, get a UV filter to protect the lens and an extra battery.
