Panasonic Palmcorder® PV-DV851 Mini DV Camcorder

Pros: Picture, features, resolution, USB reader/writer, looks
Cons: Price

For the price of the Panasonic PV-DV851 digital camcorder, you can buy two cheap digital camcorders. So, you would not buy this model if you wanted the cheapest digital camcorder.

You would want to buy the DV851 based on its features...

Pros: I like it's everything.
Cons: I don't like it to be broken so quickly.

Yes. Everything was working very well, but suddenly it stopped working. And I've sent it to the repair shop and they told me that the processor was gone. And it needed $275 to fix it. I did nothing. I didn't drop it. It just stopped working and gave F02 error on the LCD. As I've bought it 1.5 years ago I don't have insurance. So in such a little time it can be broken.

This camera is amazing! It can do just about everything! The only thing that it lacks in though is probably the battery life. I totally recommend this camera to anyone.

I looked all over the internet for the perfect camcoder and got pretty close. Still pics are nice except for any picture bigger than 4*6. easy to learn how to use after reading instruction at least once. note nighttime video is black when played back. Would recommend to a friend.

This was not the camera I originally set out to get, however, I am not the least bit dissapointed. I had a wedding comming up and I couldn't wait for the one I wanted. I was going to use the camera primarily indoors and in the evenings. I was concerned about the 15 lux rating. To my surprise, the nite shots came out great. The wedding was at night and outdoors, and without any camera lights, it turned out amazingly well. I am in the process of editing it on my computer now. I also tape softball games played under the lights for later review. What I was really surprised with was the quality of the still pictures. Evening shots done at high res turned out a little grainy, however, the daytime shots at places like Disneyland are definatly keepers. Its great to carry around only one compact camera and be able to do so much.