5 comments about Panasonic PVGS200 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom.

1. First off......why are all concerned about low light capabilities....most cameras are lowsy without some sort of external bulb. I had a GL2 which i recently sold because i no longer need to documentaries, and that camera needed an external light. Also the image stabilization is a joke. Like recent reviews. If you want perfection on screen then use a tripod and remote. Usually using the zoom won't keep you steady anyway. The GL2 had a powerful zoom but was shaky when held by hand. Gl2 is an awesome Prosumer camera. But thats what its for, a semi professional who is using it for non home use. The Panasonic GS200 is a superb below 1000 bucks small compact camera that is comparable in 3CCD video clarity as the GL2. I give the GS200 3 thumbs up. Those extra little features are for movie makers people, not Joe Schmo who is videoing his daughters sweet 16 and making a momento for future reference.



2. The Panasonic PV-GS200 is a great camera as all the other reviewers have mentioned. Don't buy this camera for the computer program, DV Studio3. I have Win XP Home and installed the software that was included with the camera. I have yet to find out how it works as the program freezes as soon as you start it. I get the splash screen and that's it. I usually have to use the task manager to shut down the program. I contacted Panasonic via their website and after two weeks, have not received a response (not even an acknowledgement that they received my question). Camera is great but the program is the pits. -- Update: Finally got a response from Panasonic (three weeks). They recommended I use Windows Movie Maker to download the video. That worked. -- Update (again): The one thing that is not mentioned by anyone, including Panasonic tech support is the firewire cable. This is essential and is not included with the PV-GS200. Since this is a neccessary accessory, you'd think Panasonic would have mentioned this somewhere in their manual (and included one with the camera). Make sure you have one if you're using this camera.



3. The Digital Zoom is just useless for most camera! It is just a marketing sick joke. Turn off that stupid Digital Zoomm then your EIS will work a lot better ( try not to zoom all the way to 10X). If you need to get closer to the object then try to use a telephoto lense converter ( may be around $99 for a decent one). Over all I think this camera is doing very well! I would definately recommend it! Video quality is superb! Still camera is not bad if you need a quick shot at something. The user manual is a real joke though but the menu is very easy to use. Thing you may need beside the camcorder:
   - IEEE cable
   - Adobe Premier
   You will not be disappointed! At lest i didn't.
   The new PV-GS250 has the Optical I.S. so you may want to look at it as well. But to me, the PV-GS200 is very good you just have to get use to it.



4. I won't go into all the technical specs of this camera because the other reviewers have already done an excellent job of doing that. I bought my pv-gs200 2 years ago and it's really an amazing and value packed product. They're a little tough to find new now but I would imagine a refurb would be of equal quality. The #1 reason why I purchased the gs200 is because it has a manual focus ring. I can use it for stills and full motion video. This is a huge benefit, especially in low light shots. The color reproduction on the GS200 is spot on. I recently shot a family reunion at a beach in Long Island NY and discovered that if you capture the video in an uncompressed format using an app like Sony Vegas, you get results comparable to that of a higher end broadcast quality camera. For me, figuring this out was like unlocking the cameras true potential. I highly recommend this camera for the steady handed. It's ideal for tripod use too! Check out a video of my nephew picking his nose with both fingers, filmed with the GS200 and rendered as a an mpeg layer 2 file. http://www.robdrew.us/thepick.mpg Here's a link to a still I took with the GS200. It's a pic of the sun using no filters. http://www.robdrew.com/gallery/IMGA0502.JPG



5. This is a tourist-camera body with a professional output! I use this camera for commercial video and public access cable TV. I've taken this camera on vacation all over the world. On a flat panel TV, people always remark how incredibly good the resolution is on this camera, in all sorts of lighting environs. One of the standouts is the excellent lens and the sharp autofocus. It also rocks with a steadicam. My next camera is going to be a lot less fun because it is more bulky.

5 comments about Canon ZR20 Digital Camcorder.

1. Since I've only had the camera for less than one week, this is just my first impression:

   I researched around and finally went with the ZR20 for the following reasons: Price, Compactness, and base features. The ZR20 has a great price after rebate if you shop around. It is very small (palm size for my hand), although it's not as small as the Elura. The size is very important to me up to a point. It has to be small enough so that I will end up using it instead of debating if it's too big to lug along because I wanted a camera for everyday videos-around the house and on trips. Between the ZR and other cameras in this base range, the ZR definitely wins. Other important features I wanted were analog video IN and hot shoe. The ZR has S-Video as well as composite video IN which means I can easily transfer my video from my 8mm and VHS tapes. It also has a hot shoe (which the smaller camera seems to lack) for a video light if needed. The closest competitor for me on the ZR decision was the Panasonic PV51, but it was just too big and did not have the analog video IN like the ZR.

   After I received the camera, I started to tape within 5 minutes. It was very easy to use and the firewire connection worked right off the bat. I was able to capture the videos to Premiere quite easily. Premiere even had the ZR10 controls build in-the ZR20 and ZR10 is virtually identical for this purpose. So far the camera is exactly what I had expected. There are a few issues that are worth mentioning. The tape transport mechanism (loading and removing tapes) seems to be very fragile. Loading an older DV tape that I had required a slight nudge to get the transport to load. This has happened twice in the beginning, but has not happened again. Canon specifically says in the manual to remove the tape when you are not using the camera. I am not sure if this is true for all DVs, but seems cumbersome. I left the tape in the camera for a couple of days and the next time I turned it on to shoot again, it gave me a HEAD CLEANING warning. I took the tape out and turn the camera off and back on, put the tape back in and started to shoot. The message did not appear again. I shot quite a bit of indoor footage in dim and average light. It was OK for what I expected-note, I shot in the automatic mode, not the programmed indoor mode. I don't really have any thing to compare with either. Assuming the tape transport is not going to be a continuous issue, I am very happy with the camera at this time. As for recommendations, I would recommend if you are looking for a base DV to play with. Look over the features and go to the local store to "handle" the models you are interested in. No matter what "great" features any camera has, if it's not comfortable to use, you will end up not using it. Since I have not had the camera long enough, I have no idea of it's quality, so can not recommend based on that.




2. The Canon ZR20 is a Digital MiniDV camcorder with a 2.5" LCD and a color viewfinder.

   Zoom And Image Stabilizer

   The camcorder has 10x optical zoom and 200x digital zoom. The image is not shaky at high magnification levels, since the camera is equipped with a digital stabilizer.

   Picture

   The camcorder records video and still pictures. The still pictures can be recorded on a MiniDV tape and one tape can hold around 700 still pictures. The picture quality (the CCD has 460,000 pixels) in the video mode is very good with low noise level.

   Sound

   The camcorder has a stereo microphone and a built-in speaker. The microphone input allows you connect an external microphone. You can select between 12- and 16-bit recording.

   Features

   The camcorder comes with a Li-Ion battery, A/V cable, S-Video cable, power adapter, battery, remote and a shoulder strap. There are several AE modes, including fully automatic "Easy Recording".

   But in addition to automatic settings (focus, white balance, etc.), you can manually adjust focus, white balance, shutter speed, exposure (AE Shift). The camcorder allows you apply faders and digital effects and has widescreen mode.

   It also features FireWire (i.Link, IEEE1394) jack, so you can connect it to another digital camcorder, MiniDV VCR or a computer for editing or making a copy. The remote control allows you search for still pictures on the tape using Data Code recorded during the shooting.

   The camcorder features both composite and an S-Video inputs/outs and LANC editing terminal. The timer allows to perform recordings at predefined time. There is a Low Light recording capability (low shutter speed and high exposure time).

   Remote

   Unlike entry-level digital camcorders from Panasonic, the wireless remote control is included here.

   Bottom Line

   The ZR20 is a nice camcorder with good feature set. But the menu system is unnecessary complicated and the Canon camcorders are not among the most reliable (unlike Panasonic ones).




3. Very small and compact, but well laid out so for as the user is concerned. Has both a color viewfinder and a 2.5" LED that extends out from the left side. To save battery power, you can only use one at a time however. Some of the settings are a bit confusing, but going through the manual (well written by the way) will quickly supply answers to any questions you may have.

   Low light capability is not as good as some others, but the camcorder works well in light ample to read by. By comparison with my Nikon FM (50mm F1.8), the Canon ZR-20 will do a good job
   down to what would be about 1/60 of a second on ISO 100. It will do a fairly decent job a couple of stops lower, but gets "grainy" at low light levels. Daylight however is excellent. I also found the still feature works well in daylight, but gets rather "grainy" in low light (like an old "GIF" at about 320x240). I'd guess in good light that stills work out to be about VGA level (640x480), which serves.

   This is not a digital camera, and if your major interest is in that direction, you'd be better off buying a regular digital camera. On the other hand the stills I've taken in daylight looked pretty good on a TV, and the recordings create images that are the equal of anything you can get off the air or from your local cable provider. This is using the video in and audio in jacks on a regular TV, as none of mine have the S-video feature. Which no doubt would be even better yet.

   Tape loading seems a bit slow, but I guess this is the way it is. Works OK, but my old VHS camcorder is a lot easier to load.

   Digital is definitely the way to go, and Canon optics seem to be
   pretty good. Lens is a F1.8-2.9 zoom with a range of 4mm to 40mm. I'd guess this works out to about 40mm to 400mm on a 35. The digital zoom can be set at two settings, one giving 40x and the other 200x. The 40x setting is very marginal, and the 200x is nothing but a waste of time. On the other hand the optical zoom is good, and you can shut off the digital zoom if you wish.

   If you're looking for a good small camcorder, this might be the one for you. It is small, but seems to be fairly well thought out except that the mike probably should have been mounted somewhere further away from the tape transport area...




4. I bought this camcorder to use for family and work purposes. It is very easy to use, and the picture quality is good. It was simple to connect to my tv for viewing. I haven't tried to connect it to my computer yet, but I will have to get a firewire adapter for my desktop first. No video editing program was included, so I will have to get one of those, too. Although basic, the ease of use and small size make this an ideal camcorder for my needs.



5. I would like to take this time and give my input about the Canon ZR 20 MiniDV. First off let me say that the size of this thing amazes me enabling me to fit it in my pants pocket (compared to my old vhs). There aren't that many high end features on this but for the basic everyday recording this is an excellent camera. Be aware that this DOES NOT have NIGHT VISION if you want it purchase the ZR-40 series. I purchased this at the [store] that sells mac computers. It cost me [money] and for [the same amount] at [a different store] i could have got the ZR-40 but they were out :(. Overall i really do like this camera not overpowered with features but does the job well (my first canon camera). From now on i'll stick with them in the future (Much better than JVC and SONY). Down the road I'll upgrade my pc to firewire for video editing, that looks pretty fun. But if yourlooking for a good quality camera with a GLASS lens not plastic like the others and something stylish and small than go with any of the Canon ZR Series (10,20,25mc,30mc,40,45mc,50,50mc)

   Hope this Helped in your camera buying experience!

No comments about Toshiba IK-65WDA Wide Dynamic Color Camera.

No comments about Sony Spk-pc Underwater Camcorder Housing.

No comments about Toshiba IK-6200A Digital Day/Night Color Camera.

5 comments about Panasonic PV-L354 VHS-C Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom.

1. We bought this camcorder because we were going on Vacation to Disneyland and our other camcorder would not work. This camcorder is so much better than our other one was. When ever you moved the old camcorder to get various shots, it had to refocus, which took a few minutes. This one does not need to refocus. This camcorder is a little bit heavier than our old one, but it is easier to use. And the better quality makes up for the weight difference. This is a very good product and I will recomend it to a lot of people.



2. I, too, thought this was an excellent camcorder for several months until I did a playback of one of those events that can't be repeated and....NO SOUND!! The video looks great, but...NO SOUND!! It had worked fine on several occasions and even now, I can shoot a quick video and check to make sure there is sound on the playback before I shoot the important moment I want to capture. Then I shoot the main event and, again, NO SOUND!! Sometimes it works fine, sometimes it doesn't...very unpredictable. I thought it was operator error on my part until I saw Mark Noll's review.
   Panasonic's customer service was no help at all. It's time for a new (non-Panasonic) camera.
   So...you might get one that works fine, but with this camcorder, you are taking a chance that, at some point, you will miss something great.



3. This camcorder has ruined everything!!!!! The sound had worked on and off for a while- very unpredictable. We taped my son's birthday party in January and it taped the sound. We used it the next month to tape my newborn twins in the hospital and there was NO SOUND!!!! I was crushed. I tried another tape and magically the sound worked when I was just fooling around and not taping anything important, so I used it to tape their first tub baths- NO SOUND!!! It has missed them laughing, babbling, etc. We have no money to buy another camera. We paid $25 to get it looked at and the idiot man thought we'd pay in excess of $175 plus parts to get it ("possibly") fixed. Are you kidding me??? We can never get those "firsts" back and I am soooo very upset. Customer Service was no help (besides the fact I could never understand the representatives) and I will not buy another Panasonic product. They couldn't even give me an approved Panasonic dealer anywhere close to where we live. We traveled 45 minutes to get it looked at. DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA!!!! There are several of us that bought these and have had the same problems. We've all bought them at different times too showing that Panasonic has some repeating problem!!!



4. What a mess!! Last summer, I tried to tape some very special events and there was no sound. The very frustrating part was that it was a spuratic problem. One day it would work and the next day I got no sound. YOu never had any idea if it would work, which meant that some super special moments were lost forever. There was always a picture, but half the time there was no sound. I finally got so frustrated that I quit taping anything. Repair would be $175, so it is not worth fixing. I was glad to see that other people were having the exact problem, so I know it is not just me. My camera is going in the trash can. Don't buy this camera. YOu can't recapture those lost treasures.



5. I bought a Panasonic Camcorder a few years back. I continually got a Dew Detected message. Got that fixed and shortly there after the sound was intermitant as noted in so many other reviews here and elsewhere - though I did not know it at the time. So I gave Panasonic another chance. I bought this model and it worked fine again for about a year or so...Then, Halloween comes around and the sound is not there, then there, then so low you can barely hear it then static then back. Needless to say as with others the moment was lost, FOREVER!

No comments about SONY Handycam PAL High Definition Camcorder HDRFX1E - NOT FOR USA USE.

2 comments about Panasonic PV-DV901 Digital Palmcorder.

1. This has to be the greatest item I have ever laid my hands on and thats saying alot since I'm a multimillionaire with everything that I want. There is not a better camera available in the world.



2. This camcorder has many good control designs and it is excellent in recording DV footage. However the digital still photos onto SD cards function lacks any High-Res performance. Photos will seem spotty. If you want great digital pictures better buy a 3 mega pixel digital camera instead. The Cam's VCR play back directional pad, the zoom slider, record button, menu button & its switch ...all contribute to the cam's easy functionality. The cam I bought came right out of the box with 5 bad dead red/green pixels on its side LCD panel. I had to sent it to repairs within the week. Panasonic service at Elgin, IL took over a little over 3 months to get it repaired. Some what irratating...and poor service. The unit is repaired now and works properly. I highly recommed to get a service plan on it. Make sure it works right with in 90 days. Its a cool cam but sure wish it had a image motion stablizer.

1 comments about Panasonic Palmcorder Multicam PV-GS2 - Camcorder - 680 Kpix - optical zoom: 22 x - Mini DV.

1. My son is in soccer and my daughter enjoys taking pictures of him while he plays. This camera is a great camera for action shots, but the delay is kind of slow (says my daughter). My daughter takes great action shots of her 2 little brothers, dog, and 2 little cousins. I don't know why it takes better pictures of my son playing soccer than it does of my nephew spinning around in circles. Overall, this is a great camera, but it doesn't have a flash. That is not to terrible!!

No comments about Sony Handycam HDR-UX1E - Camcorder - widescreen - 2.0 Mpix - optical zoom: 10 x - DVD-R (8cm), DVD-RW (8 cm), DVD+RW (8cm), DVD+R DL (8cm).