The upper crust of consumer camcorders
Written: Jul 25 '03
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Battery Life: |
 |
|
| Movie Quality: |
 |
|
|
Pros: excellent video quality, optical image stabilization, tons of features
Cons: expensive, bottom-loading tape, poor documentation, too many features
The Bottom Line: I never give anything 5 stars, but this one came close--four plus plus plus. You get what you pay for.
|
|
|
| jookyg's Full Review: Panasonic PV-DV852 Mini DV Camcorder |
If you're not quite ready to jump into the very expensive world of professional-grade digital video, the DV852 is a good compromise. It stands at the top of the consumer-level units in terms of quality, features and optics, for under $1000. I could even go so far as to say it has too many features, since all I really needed was a high-quality DV cam to suck images into my computer for editing.
This is a really great camcorder, and well worth the price. The optics are excellent (Leica lens), the optical image stabilizer rocks the house, and all the automatic features can be manually controlled (focus, exposure, white balance, etc.) However, this is definitely not an entry-level unit. The array of features, switches and menus can be daunting, and the manual is no help. It took me a few hours to learn, but my 15-year-old cousin had it figured out in about 15 minutes. Basic features, like recording, zoom, playback, are a snap.
As with all camcorders, the built-in microphone sucks. I'm sure it's better than most, but it still picks up the motor noise. Fortunately, the DV852 includes a microphone jack (one of my required features). You won't find that on many consumer camcorders. If you want to film anything other than home movies, a good microphone is essential.
I can't speak much for the included software, since I capture video using 3rd party apps. The drivers seem to work flawlessly under Windows XP. The manual, on the other hand, is confusing and dense. If you're intimidated by complex technological gadgets, make sure you've got a teenager around to help.
I haven't used the still camera much yet, although I know it won't compare to dedicated still cams. The USB interface is easy to use. The MPEG-4 video appears to be pretty bad, but I've got a web cam for that--not what I bought this camcorder for.
Of course battery life is short with the included battery. Duh. Have you ever bought a product that included good batteries? Bite the bullet and buy a better one. If you're already spending $1000 for this camcorder, what's another $100?
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 999
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
jookyg
|
|
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.