No comments about Panasonic(vz-ll10) Spare Bulb for VW-LDC10, 10W Lights.

5 comments about Panasonic SDR-S150 3.1MP 3CCD MPEG2 Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom (2GB Card Included).

1. I enjoy this camera alot.
   Friendly and photo video even in very low light conditions.
   High quality video is eventually going on the tv or computer.
   I have some problems with taking out the movies using the program but it's simple to copy the movies through the micromate reader.
   I think it's the best product I have ever bought.
   
   Meiri



2. This really is a first class camera for its size... easy to use, good quality output.
   Only one thing to bear in mind... the microphone is at the rear of the device... perfect for picking up "heavy breathing" - or side comments on the action.... can be a bit of an embarrassment....



3. I needed a camera that fits in my handbag to carry around everywhere I go. This was my primary priority, second was image quality and the third was to be able to record on a memory based media. And this camera is the best you can get considering all these factors. It is not the smallest camcorder in the world but small enough to fit your coats pocket, very easy to use, just pop the lcd screen and lens cover slide open and you are ready to shoot. There is an auto everything and manual switch where you can override all or some auto functions. I rarely use manual overrides, because not only auto shooting does a decent job but also manual functions are very deep in the menu system that makes it hard to control, and this is one of my few complaints about SDR-150. I wish there was a few quick access manual adjustment buttons.
   Image quality is surprisingly good, 3CCDs are really make a huge difference, accurate vivid color rendition, no visible compression artifacts etc. very very good. Another cool function is the Image stabilization system "OIS" works really good. It is hard not to shake this camera in your hand, it is not shoulder mounted, and your grip is even weaker then the old big DV camcorders. There is a finger grip that comes with the package that you can screw on the tripod mount, this way you can also use your ring finger instead of only index and middle finger for additional grip.
   For the recording and editing SD cards, or any memory based recording system is the future of camcorders, long gone the days of magnetic media tapes, dv, dvd, hard drive all kind of rotating mechanisms, motors, gears, pulleys, belts etc. which makes the camcorder heavy, big, unreliable, vulnerable to dust, water, shake, vibration, heat and cold. These systems also need bigger batteries because they need lots of energy to drive the mechanisms. Another drawback of some older systems that you have to transfer your files to your editing application in real time. 1 hour video will transfer exactly in 1 hour. With this camcorder you can transfer hours of video in minutes. Editing software is altough not very advanced pretty decent, simple and easy to use. It can also output to DVD.
   
   After I bought this camcorder, we have been using it almost everyday, every other camcorder we had owned before was stored in a bag somewhere at home occasionally used. With this camcorder, we have recorded more than our entire collection in just a few months. Yes there are certainly better camcorders out in the market, but you just can't carry them with you all the time.
   
   Highly recommended !



4. I've owned this camcorder for a couple of months now. I really like it. I paid just under $400 for it. For the price, I can't imagine a better standard definition flash camcorder.
   
   Pro's
   -Tons of manual controls. They're fun to play with. I'm just learning videography, and this was exactly what I wanted.
   -The "easy" mode works well. So if you don't want to fuss with the controls, you'll still like this camera. I find most of the menus easy to navigate.
   -Really nice image quality when viewed on my 22-inch monitor. I was surprised when I viewed my first footage -- the color was pretty much perfect (vivid but natural, not hypersaturated), no noise under decent lighting, auto focus worked perfectly. The motion was very natural looking.
   -Works with my 16gb SDHC card. So I can store about 15 hours worth of video at one time.
   -The still-photo mode is also fun and includes tons of manual controls. You shouldn't buy this just for the still camera, but it's a nice extra.
   
   Con's
   -Some of the controls are less intuitive. In particular, the four-way macro/ backlighting control is sort of confusing (to me, not necessarily to you).
   -Neither photos nor videos look all that great in low light. Even the special low-light video capture is not terribly effective (though still fun to play with). But I did not deduct any points here because I believe that you don't get good low-light images at this price point -- no exceptions. If you want really good low-light images from a flash-based camcorder, then you have to move up to a higher price range.
   -The design is slightly awkward. There's really no way to maintain a comfortable, relaxed grip on the body. (Contrast w/ the body of the Samsung SC-MX10 and HMX-10, which allows the camcorder to rest more naturally in your grip). But I'm really nitpicking here because the grip's really not a problem in real-world use (just not ideal).
   -Neither the camcorder nor the editing software are Vista-compatible out of the box. You can get them to work with Vista, but it is a bit of a pain. It involves separately downloading a series of drivers and firmware upgrades. The whole process took about 2 hours.
   -Panasonic's US website is 99% worthless if you're looking for support for the s150. I had to Google around until I found the upgrades on the Panasonic global website.
   -The editing software is of marginal quality.
   
   Conclusion
   -I'm very happy with the camcorder itself. All the problems I mentioned are really minor and don't even come close to outweighing the camcorder's many virtues. The biggest problem I had was getting it to work with Vista. But I think it was worth the minor hassle.



5. I don't like to take video for many reasons. You end up with a lot of bad scenes in the middle of the tape, if you review the tape you have to forward to the point where you can begin taping again and it takes far to long to transfer the video to the PC if you want to burn it to DVD. This camcorder solves all those problems. Because of random access of the SD flash media, scenes where you accidently filmed your leg for 10 minutes and didn't notice it till later can be deleted on the fly. It automatically begins to record at the end of the series of scenes so there's no fast-forwarding to find the spot where you can record again. And copying the video to your PC is as easy as pulling out the SD card and plugging it into your computer. You can begin burning a DVD immediately. Now I don't hesitate to video. With 3 CCDs, quality is much better than the previous few single-CCD miniDV camcorders I've owned from JVC, Sony, and Samsung, particularily the white balance and color correctness. On a big screen TV the difference is very noticable. It is dead silent when you video something. With a 4 GB card (which only cost me $29) I get about an hour of video at the highest quality setting. This means an hour worth of high-quality taping will copy to a single current generation DVD. The video camera is very small but feels very high quality and substantial. I ordered this from J & R and they did a great job getting it to me as promised and I paid a very reasonable price.

5 comments about Panasonic VDR-M53 DVD Camcorder w/24x Optical Zoom.

1. I bought this camera because of consumer reports great reviews. But I'm bound and determined to get my images onto my PC. I purchased a DVD-RAM compatible drive for my PC and still can't get it to recongnize either DVD-RAM or DVD-R disks. Do I need special software? And if so what? Roxio DVD builder is not doing the trick.
   
   Other than that, the camera works great, images and sound are clear, and camera is easy to opperate. If you figure out a new cell phone, you can figure out this.



2. If you buy this camera, remember to buy also additional DVD copy software (IntelVideo Copy - around $70), plus only Panasonic DVD-Ram mini DVD disks (also expensive). Also, after my experience, if you erase one DVD-ram disc at least twice, on the third use the movie will have many video or audio problems. Not knowing this problem, I ruined my friend's baby shower video. Panasonic customer service is not helpful at all. A representative was even surprised that my camera does not have USB cable!!! Other then that - let's say, once you cannot return this camera to the store, because I opened it and used it, you can still enjoy lightness of the camera. One more thing: you need to purchase the light also; this camera does not have built-in light - you will need it. ... So, how much does the camera cost after all???



3. I've bought this camera about a year ago and I am very happy with it. The batery charges fast and lasts long, the movies are good in quality (clear, not blured, the colors come out exactly the same) and the camera is light enough. The only problem I've had so far is that you cannot record in the dark - the movie comes out darker than it seemed and you can hardly see anything. Otherwise I am more than happy with the camera.



4. If I could, I would give this camcorder a 0 of 5. Since I now have to search for a new camcorder, from reading other Panasonic model reviews, I am convinced I did not just get a lemon, but the Panasonic brand is bad.
   
   We bought this camcorder 18 months ago at the birth of our son. It has had problems from the beginning. First, I could not finalize the disk. I called Panasonic support, who basically told me the problems we were having were because the camera was not being held still while recording. This is ridiculous since I often set the camera down on a countertop so I can be in the video. Then I finally got someone to tell me that I needed to be recording on Panasonic mini-DVDs. The best it has worked have been on the Panasonic DVDs which are some of the most expensive, and even that is no guarantee that you will be able to watch the DVD after finalization. I still have freezing of the picture and sparatic playback when trying to watch. It has skipped over whole sections. I have 3 DVD players in my home (all different brands) and the disk works on none of them.
   
   I finally got an address to send it in for repairs. I was not happy to be without my camcorder for an extended period of time. I was told they would look at the camcorder, see if there was a problem and call me. I waited a week after I knew it was in the shop to check the status. Panasonic FAILED TO MENTION that I would need to pay $207.50 UP FRONT for them to look at it, then if any repairs were needed, this cost would cover them as well. SO, I have been without a camcorder for 3 weeks while waiting to see if it needed fixing, and the company I sent it to has not even looked at it because I have not paid them! This is crazy since I can get a brand new miniDV camcorder for $225.
   
   The only reason it has taken me so long to take drastic action is because we are military living overseas and bought it at Best Buy. So you see why I couldn't just take it back to the store (or I would have a long time ago)! Also after spending over $500 on this piece of junk, I could not afford to just replace it. Sending it in was not an option when my son was a newborn, because I didn't want to miss any precious memories (which I ened up missing anyway!). So now the holidays are upon us, and I will be forced to purchase another camcorder, since I don't know if they will send it back to me in time for Christmas. I will not pay the $207.50 for a camera that hasn't worked well out of the box. I also had to pay shipping both ways for nothing!
   
   Plus another thing, the still picture is bad quality. Very grainy and you can actually see pixels when you print it. We only used that function once.
   
   I have lost so many disks, and have so many others that only play part of the DVD that when I think of it I cry. I have also wasted so much time trying to figure out how to fix the problem with a customer support that is useless. I wish I would have never bought this camcorder! IF YOU ARE BUYING THIS CAMCORDER TO CAPTURE MEMORIES, BUY ANOTHER! I will not buy Panasonic products again!



5. I've owned a VDR-m53 for 20 months. I have lost at least 4 event DVDs (birthdays, holiday pageant, vacation) to disk errors even when using the correct media, being incredibly careful with this camera, and following all relevant instructions. According to panasonic my camcorder is in good working condition, and the problems I'm having are due to "bad media". I've purchased the appropriate type of mini-DVDs from various major brands at several chain stores, and I've had these problems (corrupted disks/disk erros/disks in need of repair/camera unable to read portions or all of disks/video freezing) on every major brand, even on brand new disks used the day of purchase.
   
   I'm not a clueless, reckless consumer. I was duped into buying a product that is utterly unreliable. I'm sending it back to Panasonic. Not because I want a new one (or a credit toward a Panasonic product, as they have been horrendously unhelpful with customer service and tech support), but so they understand I'd rather never see this terrible piece of equipment again.
   
   If, in fact, they are correct and my camcorder works fine, then the DVD media is so horribly unreliable that I can assure you I will NOT buy another DVD-recording camera. So much for the convenience of recording right onto a DVD. I'd rather pay a professional to transfer my precious videos, because at least I'd HAVE them.

5 comments about Panasonic PV-GS19 MiniDV Camcorder w/24x Optical Zoom.

1. If you are looking for a camera that has everything you need to transfer movies to your computer this is NOT it. It WILL work if you get the cable and you use a software suite such as Nero (that often comes w/ DVD burners)- but these things don't come with the camera. The size of the camera is great as well as the battery life. The biggest problem, and an important one at that, is that we found this camera to have a dark picture- picture was a bit grainy and pixely and especially poor performance in low lighting. Battery life & size were not good enough to sacrifice sharp picture quality and bright picture & colors.



2. I was taking good video 20 minutes after opening the box.The camera is easy to use and you can compensate for dark scenes quickly by changing a video setting with the cameras joystick.I had no trouble copying video from the camera to my computer ( XP ) via the USB connection. The windows movie maker program worked fine.Be aware that Panasonic does not supply a USB cable with its camera.



3. My son bought this camera on his own this past summer to take videos of his friends skateboarding, etc. His desire was to get video editing software to add sound effects, music, titles, etc. The camera works great and does what is advertised. Always keep in perspective that a $300 something camera will not match up with the features and extras that a $1000 something camera offers.
   
   The real reason for my posting this message relates to how to connect this camera to your PC to download videos. This is how it will work.
   
   1. Ignore the USB connection stuff in the manual. Good for still picture transfer and webcam stuff only. Look at page 43 in the manual: "PC Connection With DV Interfac Cable". You must use this method to transfer video.
   
   2. You need a "firewire" IEEE 1394 OHCI compliant card in your computer. I purchased and added a PCI Trendnet TFU-H33PI to my 5 year old HP XL773 computer that I also recently loaded Windows XP.
   
   3. Here is the KEY. I bought a cheap SanMAX 4pin to 6pin 1394 cable. Could not get the camera to be recognized by the computer OS. With XP it should recognize the camera as soon as you connect it and turn it on with the camera set to playback mode. XP will treat it like new hardware the first time. I tried everything to reload the card software and search online for drivers and through forums for answers. Then I remembered that my neighbor does video editing. I took my sons camera over to his house and his computer recognized the PV-GS19 Panasonic camera right away. I then plugged my SanMAX cheap cable into his computer... NOTHING. IT WAS THE CABLE. I borrowed his Belkin shielded $25+ cable and plugged it into my computer and it WORKED.
   
   Moral of the story. Don't skimp on the firewire cable. They are not all created equal.



4. I really wanted a 3CCD model, but since I'm just starting out and need to buy other stuff, like a tripod, monopod, media, firewire adapter card, camera bag, etc. This fits the budget nicely and it is compact enough to carry it anywhere. Yes the USB connection does work, yes FireWire does work, although it took me a minute to figure out that a connection problem was the fault of the video software version I was using, not the fault of the camera.



5. Great product! Great image and zoom. Captures color very well. Sound is good. Very compact. Good battery life. Still picture quality is ok. Definately recommend this product.

5 comments about Panasonic PV-GS39 MiniDV Camcorder with 30x Optical Zoom.

1. You won't go wrong with a Panasonic DV. I've had a few models. I have several of this model for my business. They're rock solid reliable, nice and small for portability, and the quality of the recording is very good



2. I need an extra battery for my PV-GS39. I can't seem to find it anywhere. Can anybody give some info on where to find one.



3. I bought this camcorder back in August last year right after my vacation, not so smart but I needed a new one just didn't act fast enough. That's the lesson I learned here. Although you have a 1 year Parts warranty you only have 90 day for labor. You wouldn't think that would be bad but guess what, it will cost $200 for labor no matter how large or small the job. I unfortunately didn't test the video output through the television until recently when I discovered it wasn't working. I had never used so I'm guessing that it never worked. I tried to explain this to Panasonic service center but they weren't having it. I paid $299 and I cannot see paying $200 to fix something that didn't work in the first place. The moral of the story is, it's a pretty good little camcorder for the money. Just make sure you test every little feature within the ninety days because you'd be better off buying a new one if it goes wrong after that.



4. I bought this last Christmas for my husband. Here it is, November of the next year, and we still have trouble using it. It is NOT user-friendly! The connections to PC or TV are not easy, and forget that, just shooting movies are a challenge, especially if inside. There's a lighting feature we still haven't figured out, and apparently we have a lemon, as there are 5 blue bands that span across our movies in playback. Sounds like we're not alone...
   Also, I can't find any info on the Panasonic website about this model, or it's problems.
   
   Buyer beware!



5. So, I bought this camera, and truthfully I really wish I hadn't. I guess the only thing I don't like is even with the light that you can turn on, nighttime shots are really, really poor quality. I don't know what it is about this camera, or many camera's panasonic has put out, but the minute it gets a little dark - FORGET ABOUT IT!
   
   Other than that, the battery is long lasting and it truly is really simple to use - I mean no brainer, really!
   
   It's small, so I can take it anywhere with me and not think I am carrying something bulky- love to put it in my purse, other than the night thingy, its a fine camera.

5 comments about Panasonic PV-GS180 2.3MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom.

1. When I was looking for a camcorder, this seemed like the best bet: it had almost all the features I wanted, although I was concerned about how it would deal with low-light situations. Still, I was discouraged to read all the descriptions of how the camera worked with Windows; would it work with my Mac? I emailed Panasonic to find out, and Panasonic told me I'd need to hook the camera up via firewire.
   So my parents got me the camera for Christmas, and they let me open it early so I'd be familiar with it when Christmas arrived. As I glanced through the manual, I noticed with trepidation that there were more references to Windows.
   My husband gave me iLife '06 for Christmas and set it up before I tried out the camera. I relaxed a bit as I used the camera; it was easy to figure out how to do stills (even while shooting video), switch between widescreen and fullscreen, record, play back, etc. The sound seemed to be doing well, too. So I had my sample video and still shots--would I be able to retrieve them easily in OS 10.4.8?
   Importing the video was a piece of cake, I found. I plugged the camera in with the firewire we bought (it's not included, since Windows users only have to use USB), and iMovie offered to import the video as soon as I launched it. As I played the movies, iMovie even interpreted where breaks were to make separate clips. I exported the first three segments as a QuickTime file with medium sound quality, and my husband and his friends were still raving about how fantastic the quality was. I was pleased with how the camera dealt with light in an indoor situation--it produced significantly better video quality than my mom's digital camera (which, admittedly, is primarily intended for stills).
   The USB cable is still necessary to transfer still photos to the computer. My first impression is that stills shot during video recording are not as high-quality as stills shot separately. A flash might help, too; the still shots give the impression of less light than the movies do. The images aren't shockingly better than the ones produced by our hand-me-down ~2.1 MP still camera, but I'm sure they are a bit better.
   Figuring out the menus can be a bit confusing if you don't initially realize that the different settings on the camera (like motion vs. still) have different menu options. We had to look in the manual to figure out how to set the time. The most basic camera functions, though, are very intuitive.
   With a bigger battery than the included battery (maybe twice the capacity?), I probably got at least an hour of total operating time; I used the LCD screen for most of that time. The viewfinder is electronic, so I can't think that it really sucks up a lot less energy than the flip-out screen, but I haven't experimented with their comparitive energy suckage.
   Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the camera; it's just what I was looking for. Now I just need the disk space to support it!



2. I haven't decided if I want to return this camcorder yet. I got sucked into the 3CCD thing after reading a lot of great reviews. But honestly, I'm not seeing a huge difference in quality compared to the older technology. Also, i'm struggling with lighting. Indoors, the picture appears too dark. I'm considering purchasing a light, but I'm not happy about it, but it tends to distract the people you're shooting. I'm going to play around with it for a little while longer and see if i can find a different setting that works, but I doubt it because I've already read the manual.



3. The camera is a great camera.it is one of the best kind of camera in its level.Everything is great in that(perfect picture and easy to work) but in that package as I saw in amazon add, the remote suppose to be in the package and comes with it but it won't and there is not remute in that package and it is kind of cheating...be careful about this product if you think whatever has written comes with package but not.



4. The main reasons I bought this (now discontinued) model are: it has 3 ccd chips (great for color and detail, especially outdoors), it's size and feel, and the fact that it has an accessory shoe and mic input.
   
   I use it for family videos, and for short videos for our church's youth group. The clarity is great, and the sound is good for such a small camcorder. The backlight compensation feature works great! Battery life is about average for the industry, I recommend buying a bigger Energizer brand battery.
   
   The only gripes I have are: it doesn't have a true night-vision like Sony's Handycam, and you can't shoot in true widescreen (though there is a "widescreen mode", but it loses resolution.
   
   Bottom line: the best features for the lowest price I could find on the market. Too bad Panasonic has discontinued this model, and replaced it with a 1 ccd model without a mic input!



5. I have used this on interviews for my class projects, carried it around and took video of birds at a wildlife refuge and this camera has really performed.
   The microphone picks up sounds really well. On interviews I didn't need an external mic, though there is a plug in for one. I even used it to record a particular bird at dawn one morning. The sound came through very well.
   I like the fact I can record in wide screen or regular. The battery lasts for several hours of recording and recharges quickly.
   The picture quality is excellent with the 3 chips. I'm not used to using a screen for photography of any kind, and with this one I can use the view finder. It's very light and easily carried on the strap around your neck.
   Great camera, great price.

3 comments about Panasonic CE Carrying Case ( PV-H150 ).

1. It is hardly one month old and the pockets on the sides have already started coming off. It is not the stuff that I expected froma brand name like Panasonic.



2. I bought this case for my Panasonic DMC-FZ30 digital camera. While I have only had this case for a week now, I am still confident this case is going to meet my needs well. It reminds me of a women's purse in the sense that there seem to be an endless amount of pockets to put stuff in. There's even a net on the side to hold a water bottle. I should have no trouble fitting the camer in, plus the lens hood and other small accessories. The main compartment has a movable divider, so I can keep the camera easily separated from the charger and lens hood. Another review on Amazon questioned the quality. I have not used it long enough to know for sure, but it looks like it will hold up well.



3. We bought this bag for our Panasonic PV-GS400 video camera, this bag is just the perfect size, we can fit our PV-GS400, tapes, extra batteries, recharger, video cables, remote control, and even a small tripod. Has different comparments. On top of functionality is done with a very high quality. I highly recommend it, just check your camera dimensions and compare with the bag before you buy.

5 comments about Panasonic PV-GS250 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom.

1. This is a great camcorder. The picture is excellent. It has well thought out features. I like the fact that you can also take high resolution still pictures. It is very small and compact. The only thing that could be better is the flash for the still pictures. I often get the glare from the flash in the picture.



2. I love my new camera!!! This is my first video camera and there is definitely no buyers remorse here. It is soooo user friendly!I researched many cameras and found this one to be most suitable for my needs. My company was subcontracted to work with another production company and my camera (PV-GS250) was used as a secondary camera for b-roll and it was fabulous. The footage was almost seamless between the two cameras when it was being edited. I'm very happy with my purchase and look forward to using it more and more.



3. I did a lot of research before buying the PV-GS250. Now that I have the camera in my hands I know I made a great choice. Great image quality. Great build quality. The low light problems you read about are not really a big deal. In a noramlly lit room everything is fine.



4. I was looking forward to using this highly rated camera for taking video of our new son. Unfortunately, the camera tape mechanism went out after the first 4 months and I had to send the camera to Illinois to be repaired, and also to get the tape out of the camera. The camera was out for 6 weeks. The refurbished camera lasted approx. 6 more months, sent it back again and this time it cost me $168 to have it refurbished. Now after a couple of months the camera is showing a white LCD screen and will not function at all.
   Time to give up on Panasonic. Their customer service is non-existant and getting the camera repaired again seems like a waste of time.



5. This camcorder has many features to desire and can be used for everyday use in many conditions. This is the second camcorder I've had in this range and am really pleased with it. The only negative thing about it is the low resolution still camera functionality it has at 3.1 MP. Otherwise a great buy with good clarity, saturation, optical zoom and features.

3 comments about Panasonic MiniDV Tapes (AY-DVM60EJ3) (AYDVM60EJ3).

1. Just like any other MiniDV tape. Good price



2. The tapes were received before the recorder. They were here in plenty of time for gift giving.



3. purchase this along with camcorder for my son for christmas. he love it with his new camcorder!!

5 comments about Panasonic PV-GS65 3-CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom.

1. I have purchased the pv-gs65 and everytime I use the camera with autofocus it makes everything blurry and only stays in focus for about 3 seconds. I returned my camcorder and got another one (pvgs65) and I am still having this problem. everytime i have used the camera i have to use manual focus.
   
   If anyone else has had this problem or knows how i could get this fixed please email me or post another review.
   
   brandonwg8677@comcast.net
   
   Thank You.



2. I bought this camorder around 3 months ago and so far I am very happy with it. First off let me say that I am a complete amateur when it comes to camcorders. I did a lot of research online though before buying this particular camcorder and saw nothing but positive reviews and for a 3 CCD camcorder I only paid $400 for it, which is the same as a good 1 CCD camcorder. I have a 20 month old baby and I use it primarily for home video footage. I was able to take it out of the box and use it very quickly. I keep the setting on 'auto' most of the time and that works just fine for me. The picture quality is excellent, the colors and vibrant and the camcorder is easy to use. I read a lot about camcorders not performing well in 'low light situations' and this camera does pretty well, even though I do notice that when I shoot video in my basement (which is not very bright) the picture is slightly grainy. However when the room is bright or when I am outside the picture is incredible. The zoom is not great but I am not shooting more than 10 feet away anyway, so that doesnt bother me. I am going to buy a video light and see how that improves my indoor video. Overall, I am extremely happy with this camcorder and highly recommend it.



3. Having just finished a half-hour video documentary using the Panasonic GS65 means I've seen the good and not-so-good. First, let me say that viewed via LCD projector on a giant screen, the color and image quality were satisfyingly rich. And I found the joystick controller terrifically easy.
   
   Along the way I racked up hours of interviews. The principal problem I found was a basic one rather than a Panasonic one: shooting with a bright background surrounding the face of the interviewee - backlighted - rendered uncomfortably dark faces. Still, I think better cameras (I had a top-of-the-line Sony for 6 years) are less severely affected by this common lighting situation.
   
   The good news for amateurs who need to rescue unintentionally-silhouetted footage is that today's software will allow you to boost the brightness in a scene as you edit. I use iMovie HD on my eMac and it proved an effective tool for tweaking both audio and video.
   
   I found the GS65's mic input and hotshoe to be essential for my interviews. I used an Azden clip-on mic with 9v-powered transmitter and receiving units and was very happy with my audio. And, by the way, I hope you realize that audio is one of the most difficult factors in bringing home a watchable video.
   
   One last bit: I noticed a bit of extra headroom on every shot despite composing tightly. I suspect that allowance needs to be made for a discrepancy between the view provided by the viewing screen and the camera's actual capture.
   
   I'm afraid the lure of Better Video via the 3-chip technology was only partially realized. Thank goodness the GS65 cost less than $400.
   
   Serious amateurs (skateboarders, teachers, etc) probably ought to save their money for a higher quality unit.



4. I bought this camera in January and have been very happy with the performance. Bang for buck, you really can't go wrong.
   
   HOWEVER, please look at the warranty on this camera before you buy. Panasonic has 12 months warranty - but the FINE PRINT says that after 3 months you, the consumer have to pay any service charges. Now we are into May, the camera mangles my tapes continually, and I have to pay for labour charges to get this fixed on a camera I have barely used and is still under warranty.....
   
   Panasonic does pay for parts - which are of course virtually free to Panasonic.... You will then need to send the camera away to a random 3rd party that may or may not fix the camera, and may or may not charge you a fortune for labour.
   
   Seriously sucks.....



5. I just bought this for about $190 at the local PX. I am impressed so far. I was going to buy the GS180, but for the sale price I would be crazy to pass this up.
   SO far the low light is much better than a single CCD. The video playback is quiet compared to a few other camcorders that record the motor noise onto the tape.
   I plan on buying an extended battery and a tripod today at the same sale.
   I will use this camcorder mostly for home videos of my son and vacations we take around Europe. I look froward to using this camcorder a lot!