an excellent choice for the money
Written: May 31 '05
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Pros: 24X Optical zoom, small(fits right into the palm, included LED light, Very low price
Cons: Slighly noisey video in low light.
The Bottom Line: Excellent. I don't think the price can be beat by any competitor with similar features. Panasonic is listed as one of the most durable brands by the major consumer organization
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| pleasespamme's Full Review: Panasonic Palmcorder® PV-GS15 Mini DV Camcord... |
I lucked out with the PVGS-15 about a year ago when I got a really good deal on it to replace my other MiniDV handy cam that broke after about 12 times for no known reason.
Let me be very clear, the very low light performance of this camera is no where near to the dark time performance of the Sony that had night shot which is an infrared system that can see close up in total darkness.
All though a neat feature to show your friends, the pea green apearance isn't very useful for any kind of quality recording, or even spy recording for that matter.
Low Light Performance:
The night time performance of this camcorder really wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be. I took it to the Renfair and recorded some musicians after dark and it did a really nice job with the few available lights on the buildings. All though the video is a little noisey in low light, It wasn't a major agrevation of mine. This camcorder also has a built in light which the Sony didn,t, and comes in handy for closeups of people (say 8 feet away or closer)
The Micro phone:
Works well. It also has a zoom feature that turns up the gain of the mic when the user is zoomed out in the higher optical range. Again, I didn't find the audio too noisey!
Ergonomics/Buttons:
I find the buttons on this unit to be fairly straight forward and easy to understand. The record and zoom button are right there at your finger where they belong. I find this unit fairly ergonomic. I did like the touch screen of my old Sony though,,way cool!
Recording: couldn't be easier, even has Image Stabalization. I find the recording more than adequite.
Optical Zoom:
This is where this camcorder is way above the competition! Again at the ren fair, I was able to stand outside of the stadium and zoom right up onto the stage and close up to the people in the Show. You really would have to try a camcorder with 24X optical zoom to really appreciate it.
Summary: Overall, I would recomend this camcorder to any casual user. It is easy to use, and produces good recordings. The optical zoom would be well suited to those who would like to film wild life, family sports events, shows, or really any kind of event where one might be far away from the action. I would recommend to friends to save some of thier money that they would spend on the more popular camcorders that are more expensive, yet have less features, and or not anymore durable than the panasonics.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 350
Recommended for: Budget Buyers - Best Values to Fit the Budget
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Epinions.com ID:
pleasespamme
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Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Crazy about gadgets. Photography is my true passion!
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