Expensive Little Blue Toy (Part3)!
Written: Sep 28 '04 (Updated Oct 01 '04)
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Pros: Small, stylish, 2.0 megapixel camera, plays MP3s, records video, can record audio/video through A/V
Cons: The price bracket puts it among spectacular digital cameras and good entry-level digital camcorders
The Bottom Line: Great for a gift, though I'd recommend buying online for a better price than retail. People looking for stronger hardware should check the digital cameras and camcorders.
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| wsmunch's Full Review: Panasonic SV-AV50 Flash Memory Digital Camcorder |
I reviewed the Panasonic D-Snap SV-AS10D and Panasonic D-Snap SV-AV25 and since Panasonic offers a few different D-Snap models I feel I should cover them all, in complete fashion.
Layout & Handling
It's about the size of a small cellphone. The 2" LCD screen folds out perpendicular to the rest of the unit and has 270 degrees of rotation. The back of the unit has the menu button, navigation ball, zoom/volume switch, and record button toward the top with the record/play selector, mode button, and power button toward the bottom. The speaker is on top of the lens and the nightmode button is on the back of the lens. The front of the unit has the mic, the flash, and the remote control socket. The bottom of the unit has the USB connection and houses the battery and memory card, similar to the AS10.
The unit is comfortable to use, small, but has a nice, light heft to it. The index finger tends to block part of the lens' view if left where it feels most natural (right-handed use) while recording. The index finger can rest on top of the lens piece which works pretty well for comfort and shooting. The thumb sits in the general area of the selector ball, which is, unfortunately, not quite as responsive as the one on the SV-AS10. The volume/zoom switch works well, but considering how well the ball worked for selection, zoom, and volume on the AS10 I wonder why they didn't keep the same, functional effectiveness for the AV50. I was a bit disappointed (I really dig the responsiveness and quality of the selector ball on the AS10) but this is something that can be overlooked so it's not a complete issue. Using the camcorder with the LCD screen out is a blast since Panasonic does great for unique designs that get attention. When watching videos or reviewing pictures, you can swivel the LCD screen around and close the unit up and hold the AV50 like a little TV to watch. The unit is sleek with smooth corners, so manipulation and handling feel pretty seamless. The SV-AV50 comes in silver and a nice blue.
Controls & Quality
Just like the AV25 doesn't offer that much for manual controls, only allowing automatic and set white-balance adjustments. To set the white balance, press and hold the selector ball for a couple of seconds to bring up the editing menu. Select the manual icon, then aim the camcorder at something white that you want the picture to adjust to and press the ball one more time. This menu has the backlight compensation option, which will bring the shadows out of the background for pictures and video. This seems to work okay (no better or worse than the AV25 since the power of the hardware is the same). The nightmode is much more effective for illuminating video recording, though if there isn't enough light available it will tend to add more grain and create trails or drop frames. Turning both the nightmode and backlight comp on doesn't seem to create a better picture either by stacking on top of each other. Using the modes will drain the battery faster too. Pressing the menu button in each of the different modes will bring up the limited, available options to change for that particular mode, which makes the navigation and selection easy. Record mode brings up recording options for each media format, and the playback mode has it's own playback options for each media format. The stills can be set to different sizes (620, 1280, 1600 for normal and fine quality). For the video, the web site says is can be set to different resolutions (320x240 or 176x144) but the camcorder (and the manual) lists the options: economy, fine, super fine, and extra fine instead. For a small unit like this, I'd stick with the extra fine for the best quality and get a larger memory card. The setup menu allows for clock adjustment, LCD brightness, LCD color, and sound on/off. The mode button toggles through the different record/play options: Picture, MPEG4, Voice, and audio (playback only). There are controls for formatting the card, locking pictures, adding audio to picture files, and most of the basic, common functions that you would expect for a digital camera/camcorder.
The still image quality is 2.0 megapixel (exact to the SV-AV25), the video quality is 320x240 MPEG4 video at 30fps (which seems about the quality of the 8mm camcorders we have on display) and the audio playback quality is the same as the SV-AV25. The external speaker is good at playing back sound; not so much for music but maybe listening to a voice recording. The mic picks up sound better than the speaker plays the audio back, so playing the audio back through headphones or on a tv/computer will give better results. I tried the video and pictures under different brightness conditions and found that the more light available made for better quality video and still images. The stills are sharp for 2 megapixels and the video looks good on the camcorder, but better on a computer. Results improve as the gap between the camcorder and subject(s) being captured decreases. The 2.5x digital zoom (only) isn't much, but it will definitely affect the quality if you're zooming in all the way. For the most part, the AV50 is identical hardware-wise to the AV25 and the performance will be very similar (if not exactly the same). The design is pretty solid and feels well-built. The issue of the flimsy battery/memory-card lid that afflicts the AS10 has been addressed with the AV50 and doesn't feel like it's ready to break off at any moment.
What's the Difference & Big Deal (compared to the SV-AV25)?
The major feature that the AV50 sports over the AV25 is the ability to record audio and/or video from an external device through an RCA connection. This is pretty damn cool, though it has a few limitations. The limitations would be the mandatory need for the supplied cradle and A/V cable (and the AC adapter is highly recommended too). So it's not like you can just whip out the SV-AV50, hook it up to a TV and then start recording. You gotta have the cradle and cable and the AC is needed if you're recording for a decent amount of time since the battery won't be able to do it all. But aside from that, it's pretty neat! Hook everything up, set the camcorder to "record", go into the menu and select "line-input" and press record whenever you're ready. You can set the recording to auto where it will automatically record when it detects a signal and continue recording for a specified (through menu options) period of time. People intending to use this function will want to make sure they have a large enough memory card to record the desired amount of video. Granted that all 8mm, Mini DV, and Mini DVD camcorders can record through RCA cables, it's fun when an electronic the size of a small cellphone can do the same. Other than that and the physical aspect, there's not much difference between the AV25 and AV50. My gripes with the SV-AV50 are the same as the Panasonic SV-AS10 in regards to the proprietary software needed for music playback (has been and still is a hassle) and the mandatory need for the remote to be able to listen to music. My gripes with the AV50 are the same with the Panasonic SV-AV25 in regards to the proprietary codecs needed for the video playback (for those who don't own the product since they don't have the codecs). Though friends and family can acquire them through the internet to view the video, it just adds another step that could have been avoided. My gripe with the AV50 itself is that the selector ball doesn't work as well as the one on the AS10.
The SV-AV50 comes with the software, USB cable, AC adapter, manual, battery, 8mb memory card, lanyard strap, headphones, remote, A/V cable, cradle, cleaning cloth, and a pouch. The pouch is cheap, but will save it from some scratches. I'd rather stick the other accessories in the pouch instead to carry around in a backpack or something. The headphones are good, but not great (though I've never really tested the quality of earphone buds between brands).
Bottom Line
Is it worth the $100 to upgrade from the AV25? That's tough to tell. I like the size, shape, and handling of the AV50 much better than the AV25 (but it's all personal preference). I like the feature of being able to record audio/video through an A/V cable. But $399.99 for a combination MP3 player, 2.0 megapixel digital camera, and a digital camcorder which can also record through an A/V connection seems it might be a little pricey. $399.99 can buy a very good quality digital camera with twice the megapixel power, four times the amount of manual controls, video recording quality to rival the AV50, and only for a small sacrifice in size. The only things that the digital cameras can't do, that the Panasonic D-Snap can, is play MP3s and record audio/video through an A/V cable. $399.99 can buy a good quality, Mini DV format, digital camcorder (JVC and Canon would be good picks, maybe even Panasonic) with twice the video-recording power (for zoom and optics, and about $150 away from resolution and pixels too), four times the amount of manual controls and video-recording flexibility, but at the cost of size. The things that the digital camcorders can't do, that the Panasonic D-Snap SV-AV50 can, is play MP3s, record audio files (only), and take 2.0 megapixel still pictures.
The SV-AV50 is small, good at a bit of everything, but ultimately great at nothing (except for being small and good at everything). I guess it comes down to what you would really want. Those looking for something with a more professional feel should look at the options in digital cameras and camcorders. There are some portable media players which are excellent at both audio and (now) video playback, which will soon enough come close to the $399.99 price range. By far, these media players offer much more for entertainment, but the digital cameras/camcorders come closer to the main functions of the D-Snap. If the AV50 can be acquired for a price less than standard retail (some online sites offer for $299.99) it suddenly turns into an awesome buy for the features and the size. It's small, it's fun, and it's definitely an eye-catcher. Some products you can pay regular retail and be satisfied with the purchase. The Panasonic SV-AV50 needs a little sharp-shopping to get that same feeling. I don't think that I would buy one for myself, but if I could get lower price I would buy one for someone else as a gift. If you want a device that is fun, does a little of everything, and looks cool, this would be a great product to own (for a good price, of course =).
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 399.99
Recommended for: Trendsetters - Hip and Stylish Gadgets
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