Hey whaddaya want for $500?!?
Written: Aug 09 '01
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Pros: Great LCD, cheap, good battery life (with optional 5hr. battery)
Cons: Picture quality is so-so for DV
The Bottom Line: Not perfect, but if you were looking for perfect you'd have to drop way more than 500 or 600 bucks.
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| titaniumtommy's Full Review: Panasonic PV-DV400 Mini DV Camcorder |
I bought this camera based on a few factors, but the most important factor was price. You see I got this camera for a little over $500 and then I got a $100 rebate! What a deal! You can still find this camera for about $550 (mid-August 2001).
The camera does have a "chintzy" feel to it. I definitley feel like it won't last me 10 years, but then again, what piece of electronics does? It is pretty durable, but nothing like my dad's Sony.
The picture quality is not bad. It's about on par as a Hi-8, but not what I expected from a DV. My next camcorder will definitely have 3CCDs instead of the PV-DV400's one.
The built-in screen is great and swivels all around. The digital stills aren't bad, but I still have to carry around my Canon S10 digital camera (which is awesome btw).
I particularly like the zoom on the camera...18x is not bad. The analog controls are pretty easy to get used to. The digital zoom is not that great and luckily you can turn it off. The IR night shot is a pretty sweet feature too.
The one thing that does really irk me about the camera is the interface to TV. It's a custom cable that looks like a 1/4" stereo mini-jack (like on headphones), but it has 3 divisions instead of 2. One for video and the other two for sound. Maybe that's the problem with the playback quality...I have yet to try the IEEE-1394 link to my computer.
Other things to note: the remote is optional and is necessary for features like slow motion. The extra battery was quite pricey but worth every penny since I can carry both the included 2 hour and the 5 hours battery around and have an entire day to shoot without worrying about running out of juice.
All in all, I'd say this is a great product for a great price. You really can't beat the deal (when you shop notice the zoom and LCD size of the comparably priced cameras).
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 500
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Epinions.com ID:
titaniumtommy
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Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 1 member
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