2 comments about Panasonic CGR-D16A/1B 3-Hour Lithium Ion Battery for PV-DV53 & DV73 Camcorders.

1. This is a battery for Panasonic digital camcorders. The battery is also a Panasonic brand. This battery charges quickly, and holds a charge well.

   Like most batteries, you will notice the battery dies quite quickly if you use the LCD screen. This is kind of a vicious circle: You bought the camcorder because of the nice LCD screen, but you are hesitant to use it because the battery dies so quickly. A happy medium may be to buy a camcorder with a color viewfinder.

   All in all, a good battery, and a good value.




2. This is a battery for Panasonic digital camcorders. The battery is also a Panasonic brand. This battery charges quickly, and holds a charge well.

   Like most batteries, you will notice the battery dies quite quickly if you use the LCD screen. This is kind of a vicious circle: You bought the camcorder because of the nice LCD screen, but you are hesitant to use it because the battery dies so quickly. A happy medium may be to buy a camcorder with a color viewfinder.

   All in all, a good battery, and a good value.

5 comments about Panasonic VDR-D310 3.1MP 3CCD DVD Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

1. What I liked:
   
   Using the "Joystick" to access the menus was easy and intuitive.
   No noise from the CD mechanism on your finished video.
   Plug-in for an external microphone.
   Worked well under low light conditions.
   Overall easy to use and operate.
   DVD format is easy to play on your home entertainment system.
   
   What I didn't like:
   You must use the charger/adapter to finalize a disk. The battery pack must be removed to access the camera plug-in for the charger.
   The built-in still camera is a joke, my old 2.1 MP camera is much better.
   If you intend to use your video for any other purpose, you video files must be converted to another format - this can be difficult and time consuming for the casual user.
   
   Overall impression:
   If you just want a solid, easy to use video camcorder, this will fit the bill.



2. This camera could not have been more disappointing! Although it is easy to use, the quality is dismal. Picture quality, especially of faces, are aweful. Forget getting any footage in low light, everyone looks like ghosts.
   Take your money and buy a Sony, you'll be happy you didn't end up with this product!



3. I've purchased this camcorder to improve my vedio recording from the miniDV camcorder (Panasonic 3CCD)but unfortunatily I got a very bad pics and vedio.
   I strongly recommend the miniDV Panasonic 3ccd and forget the DVD camcorders, the miniDV has a great vedio recording twith amazing colors and clarity. dont swich to DVD camcorders please !



4. Received this camcorder very quickly and as advertised. Had a special occasion for which I wanted to use the camcorder and was able to do so without reading any of the instructions including taping and playback - the operation and controls were pretty intuitive. Haven't even played the DVD back yet on a TV but on the camcorder's LCD screen the images looked like they had a lot of contrast which may have been due to the relatively low light. Good sound and easy review of the recorded videos so that I was able to play the movies back to my wife to show her everything she had missed. Looking forward to using it more and exploring the camcorder's capabilities.



5. This is a wonderful product. It is very easy to use and takes wonderful video.

5 comments about Panasonic PV-GS150 2.3 MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom.

1. I have own this 3CCD one for 1 year. I had another 2, 1 from JVC and 1 from Panasonic. They are not working indoor most of time because of the dark and bad light. However, this 3ccd one makes a real difference. I am more than happy to have it.
   
   The only problem is the poor still image quality although it says 2Mb resolution. But I always use dedicated digial camera, so not a big deal for me.



2. I have owned this item for 1 year. The camcorder has a serious focusing problem. While filming in any light condition, the image goes out of focus. The problem is widespread on ALL of the GS-150 and GS-250 units. Panasonic refuses to replace the unit, refuses to fix the item without charging 261.50 and refuses to answer phone calls to their repair center (all you get is a voicemail and they never return your call). Steer clear of PANASONIC. I will never purchase from them again. If their products were worth even a nickel then they would offer more than a 90 day warranty on a $650 camcorder. Ridiculous.



3. I have had this camera for a little over 2 years, and it has served me very well on numerous occasions. The quality of the picture was really impressive when I paid $600, and these cameras are going for half that now. The image quality is boosted by the fact that this camera uses a 3 CCD imaging sensor, which is the professional standard. The camera is very easy to use, and has a sensible button layout. The size of the camera is very convenient, as it can be stored in small areas. The camera came standard with many accessories. The camera has been problem free and I feel that this is a quality product from Panasonic.
   
   You can see many videos made with this camera on "youtube" under the "greenredfield" channel.



4. I really enjoy my Panasonic power tools. They are (surprisingly) the best. I can't say as much for the camcorders. ...
   
   First, this "3CCD" thing is a joke! Panasonic puts the tiniest CCD chips - which feel like grains of sand when you actually view the footage - into their camcorders and hype it as something better. I've seen Panasonic camcorders with a SINGLE CCD chip provide much better color-rendering and contrast than the (so-called) "3CCD" models. That's a side-by-side comparison of camcorders from the same company!
   
   Second, I had my PV-GS150 for about a year, and it took passable footage (in spite of the poor color rendering and contrast). Then, suddenly, the focus went haywire. Both the "auto-focus" and the manual focus no longer hold. The image blurs in and out of focus. This is not an isolated experience, either. Check the online experiences of others and you will find this issue mentioned. The camcorder becomes useless and the "support" charges $261 (flat rate) to fix any hardware issue that is more than a year old!
   So, now I have a camcorder that is barely 15 months old and can't be used because the focus won't hold in either mode. ... anyone interested in buying lenses and filters, camera bag, and accessories?!? ... because at least $300 of my investment just became junk!!



5. The camera is very good for a year after that it just stops working showing "Push the Reset Switch" error message. If you google that message you will find out that almost all the results are for this kind of camera. My advice as an owner, DO NOT buy this camera.

5 comments about Panasonic PV-GS14 MiniDV Camcorder w/22x Optical Zoom.

1. I bought this only a few weeks ago & it's been a wonderful camera. I've used it to capture all sorts of life's moments, mainly our cats being crazy. I've also used it to capture digital images. I've not spent a whole lot of time using the camera, but enough to know how to use it fairly well. I'll start with the digital images 1st, and then move onto video.
   
   The Digital Pictures:
   The camera does not include a SD card so I had to purchase one separately, which is definitely a bummer. Luckily I was able to get a small 16mb Panasonic SD card off an auction site for $8 after shipping. I have no plans to capture a ton of pictures so 16mb was fine. I took about 18 pictures after I finally got the SD card in the mail & the pictures looked fantastic... At least on the camera they looked good. I never messed with changing the quality around so the settings were default on the camcorder.
   
   When I finally got the free USB cable in the mail & hooked my camera up to my pc I was pleased with how easy it was for Windows (2000 Pro. in my case) to recognize the camera. Immediately it installed without me having to do anything extra & it added a new drive letter in my computer where I was easily able to copy the images or move them to my pc. When I started opening the images with ACDSee & Adobe Photoshop I was not please at the quality of the images. Not only were they fuzzy & dull looking, they were only 640 x 480 in size. This may be adjustable by changing settings on the camera itself, but I have not had time to do so.
   
   The Video:
   This is overall the best thing about this camera. I've recorded a lot of nothing as stated above, but the camera does a terrific job of capturing it all & keeping the image clean & colorful. I've hooked the camera to my TV & it all looks great. The camera has to be pretty still if you zoom into things or else the video becomes slightly blurred while trying to stabilize itself.
   
   There are a lot of different functions to the video recording as well, it has many more options and special effects then I thought possible for a camera of its price range. The footage I recorded at night looked great with the backlight on. I was however unable to tell any difference with the soft skin effect. Unfortunately the battery is easily drained & a second battery is recommended.
   
   The Pros:
   Great Video, Light Weight, Easy To Hook Up, Lots of Extra Features, Zoom 22x, Firewire, Fun, Comes With Power Cord So Camera Can Be Used Without the Battery
   
   The Cons:
   The Cover for the ports is flimsy, Digital Pictures Fuzzy, Not Much in the Box, No Included Software or PC Cables, Short Battery Life, No included SD Card, No Included DV Tapes
   
   I've not had time to test this out or not, but for other noobs to the DV Camera world might be interested in knowing that with a firewire cable capturing video from the camera is possible. Firewire is the only way to do this as USB & USB 2.0 cannot keep up with the frame rate & chop up picture quality. So if you want to use your video & make a home dvd you can do so with this camera as well as other DV cameras that have a Firewire port.
   
   One last feature that's available that I never had time to mess with & do not care to, is the ability to use the camera as a webcam.
   
   Overall the camera is terrific & worth checking out, if you really want it to take fantastic pictures I'd probably save $100 & pickup the pv-gs12 & use the $100 to get a digital camera or look at the latest model.
   
   ::UPDATE::
   Someone asked how do you get the free usb cable? The answer is simple fill out the card that says you get a free usb cable when you return it. I believe it was much like a warranty card, or was the warranty card... mine was with all the other paperwork.



2. I purchased this a month ago. ITs awesome.
   I spent 17$ to get the cd today. But now I do not have the usb cable. I noticed in the previous post that the reviewer mentioned that reviewer got the free usb in the mail.
   Can you please share the info on how to get it so that others can benefit as well.



3. I purchased this camcorder about 2 months ago and everything about it is great. I took it on vacation with me, the sound and picture quiality is flawless. The camcorder is so light you can take it with you anywhere. The battery on my camera lasts longer than the advertised amount. Mine lasts about 2-3 hours ddepending on how much I turn the camera on and off between filming. This camcorder is great for someone who wants good quality without spending an insane amount of money.



4. I bought this camera at BestBuy and after using it for one week returned it for a Sony DCR HC20 and ate the $60 restocking fee.
   What I liked about the Panasonic was the seperate charger, and the fact that the battery lasted pretty long.
   What I did not like was the following:
   1.EIS -electronic image stabilization- which was in my instance not usable. I recorded in a low lit family room with the EIS and the image quality was not acceptable. Well looking in the manual, it does mention that you have to deselect it in low light situations
   2. Magic pix - well I guess if you want to have fun with making odd pictures then this function is for you, but I just want to film my family + pet like they are then it is not.
   The picture comes out lit totally goofy, I filmed my wife and she was all bluish, greenish.
   3. External light
   Well this is why I got upset. Once you turn the light on the image was so grainy that I had to just laugh.
   
   So after turning those features off it was ok, but I paid for them. So after much thinking I swallowed my pride and paid $60 restocking fee and got the Sony.
   Well the low light feature in my family room works great and the picture is great.



5. I had 2 big vacations planned for 2004 and was looking for an affordable entry in the digital camcorder market that would produce decent results. This Panasonic more than filled the bill. Video quality was outstanding and using Pinnacle Studio I was able to easily edit raw material in to some entertaining footage backed by music and other effects. The output really exceeded my expectactions as a relative newcomer to the "movie world".
   
   Pros: Great price, excellent video and sound quality, easy to transfer movies to PC, very compact size, plenty of features, battery life actually slightly better than advertised.
   
   Cons: Video seems to be "jumpy" when using the light (this may be user error as I have not researched), no cables or useful editing software included with camera.

3 comments about Panasonic PV-L454 VHS-C Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom.

1. The PV-L424 is a pretty cool piece of gear. (With virtually no reviews)

   We just got it yesterday for $419. It can be found a little cheaper, but check store reviews...

   We almost bought the PCV-L552 for its big view finder and 27x optical zoom, but after a lot of digging on obscure web sites, we found that older camera suffers from a dew detector light that goes off too easily, shutting down the camera for hours. The PV-L424 just came out in 2004.

   The 20x PV-L424 optical zoom is amazing. Things still look good at 40x digital, can read a UPC bar code from across the room. Things look tolerable at 120x, but ridiculous at 750k. There a single digit from the bar code fills the screen and is almost unreadable due to pixilation.

   It's kind of slim, better looking than the photo.

   Menus and controls seem intelligently laid out. What's used most seems to have a single button for it.

   I like the way the LCD screen swivels around so that you could actually dictate into it and see yourself. It's smart enough to know to flip the image right side up when I do that.

   I can't say anything yet for the durability.

   We chose this VHS-C thing because I think all playback equipment for formats other than this and DVD will be difficult to find in 50 years. And the DVDs suffer from $10 disk costs (for 30 minutes) and the resolution won't match the MiniDVs until they change the image format to MPEG2. The PV-L424 seems like a great inexpensive holdover until the DVDs mature.




2. I like the size and weight, but it is taking forever to get the right tapes.



3. This camcorder was purchased as a gift for my daughter and used about 12 times over a 6 month period before experiencing intermittent failures. The labor warranty on this unit is only 90 days and labor costs for repair approach the original cost. It is unconscionable for Panasonic to market a defective product like this. This reflects poorly on their other products and unless they address this issue with me, I will avoid their products and advise others to avoid their products as well. I might chalk this up to one defective unit if I hadn't read other accounts of the same issue. This is a manufacturing or design defect that has not been addressed by Panasonic.

2 comments about Panasonic PVDLT9 Digital Camcorder Color Enhancement Light.

1. Great light for the money. Doesn't blind you when you look at the camera. A must have for the panasonic digital camcorders. Makes darker pictures crisp. The only downside is that I should have bought it two years ago.



2. I Purchased this item due to its low cost compared to other fill lights for camcorders. I have a Panasonic SDR-H18 camcorder with which I am very happy, but wanted a fill light for very low light conditions. I assumed this unit (Panasonic) would be compatible with my camcorder. Wrong. It is camera specific, designed to work only with the Panasonic PV-DV900 Mini-DV Palmcorder.
   
   This light mates with the DV900 camcorder via a "hot shoe" type connection that physically attaches the light to the camcorder and taps into power (6 VDC) from the camcorder. There is no separate power cord alternative to provide power to the light. Instead, there are small built-in copper terminals that mate with terminals on the DV900. My camcorder has no such connection.
   
   I am trying to figure a way to physically hold the PV-DLT9 light. A standard hand-held "hot shoe" mount will do the job. But, powering the unit will be much trickier and may involve some really fine soldering work.
   
   The light can probably do a good job of providing auxilliary fill light for very low light circumstances. But, the descriptive information needs to include the camera model specific nature of the device.
   
   Good luck.
   
   Therck

5 comments about Panasonic VDR-D300 3.1MP 3CCD DVD Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

1. When it works, it's great. However each time I go on a research trip to Europe or N America (ie. costing me a lot of cash) an intermittent fault occurs where the image (in still mode or video)drops out the red range, so the recorded image has a blue cast. I am an art historian, so bringing back faulty data is not good for my research. And dealing with Panasonic Australia is a nightmare. Neither the shop, or the repairer, or the company will take final responsibility. I have sent it away twice, and today send it back for another test. Even when you provide them with the hard evidence of the fault, the camera comes back just as it was. Next stop the small claims tribunal...



2. purchase this for christmas gift 12/6/06. not used unitl 12/26/06. camcorder eject door stopped working 04/06/07. emailed Panasonic for warranty repair- no reponse 3 wks-called 800# in manual and was told to ship to Bigston Corp for repairs-BIG MISTAKE-DO NOT SHIP ANYTHING TO THEM-
   Bigston rec'd camera 5/10/07. 5/14/07 Bigston called and said repair not under warranty- would cost 207.50 to repair expect repair 2 wks., i okd that and they charged my cc 5/16., 6/4 called Bigston, no idea regarding repair, now they say add'l 85.00 for rear assby, i okd-then they charged my card 119.23, said 3-4 days for repair. June 18 i call Bigston no idea why my camera still is not repaired, could not get manager to call me back
   6/19 they called said they had to order part!!!then they shipped camera back with an invoice that says i am due refund of $12.50. when i called them they said the invoice was wrong/mgr changed it after shipment!!!!!
   i paid $ 326.73 for repairs on a camcorder that cost 500.00 4 months ago!



3. If one takes a fairly good video that needs no editing, a TV presentation is very simple but limited to about 18 minutes, which is the capacity of one side of the mini DVD-RAM disc (which I prefer to use!).
   
   Computer download, editing and ultimate burning to a normal-sized DVD is done with the bundled, two-part Pacman-style software whose manual is large but not very explicit or user friendly.
   
   I recommend that one use only re-writable DVDs for the in-camera media as for burning presentation discs unless one is in need of shiny coasters...
   
   I teamed up with another user and we help each other with computer-related problems. The quality of the camcorder's video output itself is excellent.
   
   This is a five-star device with three-star software.



4. The camcorder came from the manufacturer, broken....and the company I purchased it from, was not customer friendly....as of today, I am still waiting for it to be fixed.



5. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RH769ADHN9DGW Here's a sample of what this little camera can do. Believe or not, I shot my daughter's recital from about 30 yards (using the zoom feature, of course) and in a dark auditorium. Notice how the lens picks up all available light and the sound is clear. I had the camera sitting on my knee and the video (even with the zoom maxed out) is very smooth. I LOVE this camera...imagine how bright and clear the picture is in the broad daylight! It really is a clear picture.
   I like the option of burning immediately to a DVD. Sometimes if I'm at my family's house I will shoot some footage and now I'm able to burn it and leave it with them.
   I've had no trouble getting the video files from the camera to my computer...because I'm using the USB cord that came with it. I'd rather use my own video editing software, as I didn't like what came with the camera. I use AVS Video Editor, which does a superb job. I can create videos in just about any format. As with any new piece of technology, it takes some getting used to. I've used the camera with both Windows XP and Vista and I've had no compatibility issues. Enjoy!

No comments about Panasonic PV-BP88 Equivalent Replacement Camcorder Battery.

5 comments about Panasonic PV-GS300 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

1. Bought this camcorder for christmas to film my little baby boy. I send dvds to my relatives who live far away and they love the picture quality. All of my friends who own camcorders agree the picure is very sharp. The camcorder is easy to use and comes with everything you need to get going except minidv tapes. Buy these with your online purchase because they are too expensive in stores. The only complaint I have would be the low light recording quality. It is only average(all camcorders are bad in low light). The camera does have a low light feature, but it produces tracers and ghosting with fast moving objects. The camera does have full manual control that will help with the image, but you need to learn camera jargon and take time to adjust before the shot. You can buy a mountable light to put on the camera, but they are not cheap. If you want a camera with good low light features, buy a sony. I'm am very pleased with this camera and would recomend it to a friend who does not shoot at night.



2. I bought this for my trip to India. It i so simple to use and the joystick feature for the umns is a breeze to get a hang of. I did not like the idea of having to touch the screen to do everything with the Sony's. I wanted the Canon Elura 100 but the idea of a noisy camera turned me off.
   
   Like the other guy said, buy the tapes online because they are pricey in the store.



3. Just the camera is 3.1 Mpixel and I have a Nokia N70 mobilephone with the same quality picture, but the 1Mpixel camecorder are very nice. Dont buy these camecorder for the camera, and the battery durantion are very good.



4. Paid well under $600 after shipping and haven't discovered all of its features but it is a lot of camera for the money. Some of the controls are typically Japanese - meaning they are sometimes obscure and the controls themselves are made for rather small fingers/hands. Overall, the camera is light, takes marvelous video (given adequate light). Most 3CCD cameras seem to require a bit more light to look good than the std. single CCD cameras. Wish it could shoot video in 1080i but oh well...



5. Contrast is great, saturation, color accuracy, due to the 3 CCD's.
   
   Now what I don't like: resolution spec for stills is misleading. It's not true pixel resolution, as the pixels are interpolated across the 2.3 megapixel spec.
   
   Still, this is the only camcorder in the miniDV family I've seen that offered the ability to shoot virtually uncompressed via Firewire connected to a computer.
   
   The low light is not very good, though. Very small CCD's =GRAIN. The size of each of the three CCD sensors is only 1/6". But at least there are three of them. One of the most popular camcorders in the PV-GS series for Panasonic in 2006. This is the camera that put me on the map.

5 comments about Panasonic PV-GS85 MiniDV Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

1. I ordered and returned this item. Although the image quality wasn't as bad as the Canon ZR830 (which I also ordered and returned), the Panasonic was clunky to hold and had some odd limitations - which you learn all about if you read the reviews. The second I ordered it I wished I could spend $300 more for something HD...and that's what I ended up doing. If you're going back and forth trying to decide what's the best of the worst - this is it. But if you're going back and forth between SD and HD, stop wasting time and tell the old lady you're going to have to spend a little more for the quality of HD. Seriously.



2. I am very happy with the Panasonic PV-GS85 MiniDV Camcorder,considering the price is around $250.00. I used it on vacation and was happy to have a digital tape for archive (as opposed to a compressed video to be transfered to the computer). Editing quality should be better. It is too bad MiniDV tapes only hold one hour of quality content. It would have been better if the camera came with a higher capacity battery and a firewire cable.



3. My five year old Sony CCDTRV87 8mm camcorder quit working so it was time for a new video camera since I have small children. Did a lot of research and although most people are pointing to Sony for the product they like, I just couldn't buy another $600 camcorder from Sony and have to replace it in five years. This was the second camcorder from that brand that I had owned and quit after 5 years and I take very good care of them.
   
   I have owned other Panasonic equipment and am very satisfied with their products so after reading great reviews on the PV-GS85, I ordered one. Very fast delivery from Amazon, only four days and it was here.
   
   The Good: Light weight, great picture for sub $300 camcorder. Not as good in low light as the old 8mm. Battery life is 30 minutes with standard supplied battery. After playing with menus for a few days, it was easy to navigate to any functions needed for record or playback. Built in light is a big plus although only good for short range.
   
   The Bad (atleast for me): During playback there is no date/time stamp on the video. I am used to seeing the date superimposed on the video at the beginning of each new recording session on a new day. The date would flash on for a few seconds so that you would know when the shot was taken. This camera has no such function and I assumed that it did since I have owned other brand camcorders (all the way back to 1986 VHS-C) and they all had that date/time function. I found that the date is available if you use the analog output (not in any part of the owners manual) but it is on all the time and is annoying to see all through the video. So if you edit the tapes and transfer to DVD as I do, you have to find video editing software to manually insert an overlay to display the date. And if the tape was shot over a long period of time, you will have to take notes to remember the dates the events took place. Very disappointing for me.



4. 
   After searching for a while for a ~300 dollars mini-dv camera, i decided for this one and i dont regret it.
   
   Has a very good video quality and a steady shot for photos, took pictures from moving cars or on the move and the optical stabilizers are quite good.
   On top of that has a 32x optical zoom to match, those two allows you to take great pictures or film from very far.
   Has decent low light capabilities.
   That turn on/off function when closing the LCD is quite good.
   
   Cons:
   The light is not very useful.
   Comes with a 45~60 minutes battery, larger ones makes imposible to use the viewfinder.
   You have to remove the battery to access AC power, USB and firewire.
   Cannot charge the battery while you have the camera connected to AC
   
   Resuming, is a very good camera in the fundamentals and im happy with it.



5. The PV-GS85 is one of many Digital camcorders I've tried in the last two years, and so far the one that has come closest to filling my need for a versatile consumer grade camcorder to replace my old Analog VHS PV-43 which broke after 13 years and 40+ hours of flawless service. Without going into boring detail, the PV-GS85 offers comprehensive manual controls accessible ( with some dexterity ) using one hand, and can even record stills to the SD card "while" shooting video. Low light performance comes close to matching my PV-43 something that was the norm on old Analog camcorders, but very rare on the new Digital models. It also uses MiniDV which uses a tape like the old Analog camcorders which to some may seem a disadvantage, however it provides the least compression artifacts in a lossless form that you can archive and label with a pen just like the old Analog tapes unlike DVDs where the ink migrates into the media. It also has Optical image stabilization, a very large field of view, a battery which will last as long a tape, as well as an external battery charger which is included. All in all a nice well executed camcorder. Panasonic even offers an optional 10 watt video light ( at extra cost ) that mounts on the cameras cold shoe.
   This cameras not perfect, it doesn't have a microphone jack or manual focus ring like my old PV-43, nor are the stills of great quality ( only one of the camcorders I tested took decent, not great stills and had a flash - it's best to stick with a dedicated camera for stills )but it does provide possibly the best compromise available today. As always, do some research an try out different camcorders and have a clear idea of your expectations before deciding to buy and you'll be happier.