A Ticket to the Digital Revolution
Written: Jun 28 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: picture, sound, image stabilizer, included special effects
Cons: Poor low-light vision, even with the light
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| woodfactory's Full Review: Panasonic PV-DV910 Mini DV Camcorder |
While it's not advertised as the leader in digital technology, the PanasonicPV-DV910 can lead anyone into the forefront of digital filmmaking or simply be used to produce high quality home videos. I recently used the Firewire port to connect the camcorder to my iMac, and after several hours of editing, I transported the edited footage back into my camera. The result was an hour long movie that could easily be viewed on the television and/or copied.
One of the central criticisms of this model happens to be the menu. Uninformed consumers may warn you of the "daunting" menu, but this seemingly dangerous "flaw" is no flaw whatsoever, but instead a feature that should be embraced. The PV-DV910's menu can be pulled down at any time. The menu, while long, is quite simple to master. Everything from white balance control to shutter speed to use of special effects can all me altered with this pull down menu, in seconds I might add.
The included special effects can either add some spice to one's home videos or assist in storytelling if a movie is being made. The picture can be recorded in normal color, in black and white, in sepia, in negative, or in pastel, which makes the images look as if they were painted by a novice artist. Other effects can record the image in a lesser amount of frames per second, causing the video to look like a series of pictures strung together, or cause the images to trail each other, producing the effect often seen in dream sequences. Video scenes can temporarily be placed over each other, so two images can be seen overlapped until one fades away. Of course, fades can be utilized, but with the PV-DV910 you are in control of how fast the fade takes place.
White balance can be automatic or self-controlled. If you are using all natural light or all artificial light, it is better to self control the white balance, while if there is a mix of the two, automatic is superior. A remote control is included that can be used to turn the camera on from a distance away, to record the video onto a VHS tape, or to play back the video in slow motion. The remote, while often helpful, suffers from inconsistency in how far away and from which position to the camera it can be used to start the camera.
This Panasonic model suffers from strong sensitivity(a bit of an oxymoron) to low light conditions and even if the attachable light is used, this is not the camcorder to use at dusk or dawn. One effective way to combat the lack of light is to use the back-light option, found near the fade button. To playback video on a television, you must connect several cords and, while it isn't much of a challenge, the process lacks the simplicity of models I've previously used. There is an option to stabilize your recorded image, a feature that is highly useful is a tripod is not being used. However, a tripod still produces a better finished product.
On the whole, the Panasonic PV-DV910 is a fantastic model, ideal for home video and movie production, that suffers from very little other than low-light sensitivity.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
woodfactory
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Member: Patrick Wood
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 2 members
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