Great camcorder, but still room for improvement
Written: May 10 '01
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Pros: Good price for the quality
Cons: A lot of useful accessaries not included
The Bottom Line: A good buy for low-budget people who also want better quality.
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| doorkeeper's Full Review: Panasonic PV-DV800 Mini DV Camcorder |
I bought this camcorder mainly because of the price. I got it for $692 and there is a $100 mail-in rebate to be redeemed.
So far I am quite satisfied with the quality of this product. First of all, it is very easy to use. Although I have never used a camcorder before, it didn't take me long to figure out how it works. Record/Pause is done with a single button located conveniently near the handstrap. Although there have been a lot of complaints about the other buttons(Stop/Player/FF. etc.) being hard to operate on, I don't find it too inconvenient. A little attention solves the problem.
I am also satisfied with the video quality. OK it is not really "crystal clarity" but better than most camcorders. You can use the light to enhance picture quality in the dark. Also there is an IR filter that allows you to shoot in complete darkness.
A built-in digital camera and the included 8MB multimedia card make it easy to capture still pictures with the camcorder. But the best resolution is only 640X480. If I really want to take some good pictures, I'll use my Nikon camera.
As to the color viewfinder, some say that a black & white viewfinder is better for focus, I think it depends on your own preference. For me a color view finder is better.
The 3.5 inch LCD can be rotated 90 and 180 degrees. This makes self-rec quite convenient-You can watch yourself on the LCD while recording. However, you better look at the lens instead of the LCD, otherwise your eyes will look funny on the video.
The best feature of this camcorder may be the analog input. With this feature you can easily record your favorite show on your camcorder. Then make it into other video formats to be played on your PC.
The biggest disappointment is the accessaries. I had hoped to be able to edit digital videos on my PC and upload it to the Internet. However, although three softwares are included in the kit, they are only for still picture editing. If you want to edit the VIDEO, first you will have to buy an IEEE 1394 6-to4 pin cable, which is not in the kit and can cost up to $40, second you will have to buy a digital video editing software, not cheap either. And, if you want to take advantage of the remote control feature, well be prepared to pay another $30 to buy the remote.
Another inconvenience about this camcorder is the power supply. In the package you will find an AC adaptor and a rechargable battery that can last up to 2 hr 50 minutes. However, the AC adaptor is not capable of multi-tasking. Although you can use the AC adaptor as a direct power source for your camcorder and you can use it as a recharger for your battery. The problem is, you can't do these two things at the same time. I found this quite frustrating. My advice for this is: Go get another backup battery.
In the end, if you are a Mac user, then this camcorder is not for you. It only supports Windows System.
All the drawbacks are insignificant for this camcorder. It is unbeatable in terms of price and overall quality.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 692
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Epinions.com ID:
doorkeeper
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Location: Richardson, TX
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 1 member
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