Camcorder Reviews

We just purchased this unit for our new baby girls. We wanted a simple camcorder that was relatively inexpensive that would shoot a good picture. We have been pleasantly suprised on how well the picture quality is. The battery life is pretty good too. So far there is nothing really to say bad about the unit, other than how much the extra battery pack costs. We looked at another unit that you could take digital still pictures with a regular VHS-C camcorder. But after thinking about having to carry it around to just take still pictures, we decided against that. We also considered a digital camcorder. Aside from the higher (and sometimes much higher) price, I wanted to be able to view the output easily and also be able to send it to family and friends. All in all, this is a good basic camcorder at a good price.

The panasonic PV-L550 was our second foray into camcorders - our 1st JVC lasted about 5 years and this one barely two- it is not durable at all ; our JVC suffered through numerous impacts without incident but the slighest bump of the Panasonic sent it to be repaired twice. Also the EIS is a joke and never functioned correctly. Wouldn't recommend this one.

I just received mine today. Everything looks very good, BUT : 1. The image stabilization does not do anything. I went to Wallmart and tried all camcorders that had Digital Image stabilization - the Sony and RCA there was noticeble difference with it on and off. I tried another Panasonic there - there is almost no difference. If you could, play little exra money (like 100.00) and get the SOny one with SteadyShot and NightVision.

Yes this is my first camara. I love it though. I like having the little screen so I can watch the action live and on the screen to be sure I have the shot I want. I also like the small cassettes. They make it easy to carry around extra. There are many features on this thing that are nice to have for such a low price. The only thing it doesn't have is a remote, but you really don't need that either with the motion sensor on it. I chose panasonic because I have a boom box that they made and it is now 15 years old. I expect it to last even longer. Because of that I expect this camera to last longer then average with out any problems.

After carefully analyzing the two prior reviews, it appears there is conflicting history. My previous experience with Panasonic products is most positive. We have a decided problem with sounds in that I am deafened by damage to the acoustic nerve. This would be a factor since there is little or no sound discrmination. Do believe we will purchase one of these units for home and business (Insurance Claims) use. bk

I have owned this palmcorder for over a year and have never had any problems of ANY sort! I have used it to film 4th of July celebrations (excellent sound by the way....you could still hear and understand people talking even with the fireworks we were lighting!)....Christmas parties...Honeymoon in Hawaii on a catamaran (you could actually see the dolphins under the water with this camera!).
The only drawback is that it does NOT have a light. However, as long as there is light on in the room it works great! The only time I had a problem with lighting was trying to use it at midnight in a minivan w/o turning on any interior lights (well-DUH!). However, even in the van you could still clearly understand what people were saying...EVEN above the engine noise! I have also used it to film a stage play and again...I had none of the problems other people have mentioned with the light glarring and blurring.
Overall I must give this camera an A+++!! I've never gotten tired holding it while I filmed...the adapter has been a life-saver so we can watch the party immediately on the VCR...plus I love the option of A/C or D/C power!
I love this camera and think it's a SUPER deal for the price! Unbeatable!!!

hey i like it i like the tv thing im able to keep track of any thing in motion like a fressbee or my friend thrwing a stick in the trees and and if its too bright and sunny out side i found out by emermenting with the palmcoder to close the tv thing and look thru the black and white eye scop thing :) it does not have a buil in light so when i recorded our churches christmas cantanda when the churches lights are on no problem :) but when the very brigh stage spot lights we our curch borrwed and the main lights our out or dimmmed the people in the bright spot lights look like glowing light bulbs but as the spot lights go dimm you are able to see the people faces the back light i cant see how it works hardley but hey as long as it records perfect and good quilety sound that's fine :) (...) i do not see any thing wrong wih the sound it sound clear to me (...)

I purchased this model in March 2002 and in May 2003 - it just quit working! I thought the battery had run out - recharged it -nothing! Bought a new battery - still nothing. All it'll do now is make a click noise when you switch to camera or vcr. Cant even get my tape out of the damn thing now! Call Panasonic - what a joke! They wanted $149.00 for a diagnostic test and $102.00 service charge - I only paid about $300 for it new. I'll never buy another panasonic again - the service was terrible and they are not helpful AT ALL! Good luck if you buy one - get the extended warranty! They should sell them for $50.00 and just make them disposable!

I purchased one of these last year and although I can't complain about the quality of the picture, the service from Panasonic leaves a whole lot to be desired.

My camcorder was accidently bumped about 8 months after I purchased it which caused the deck assembly and loading assembly to become unworkable. Even though the fault was mine, Panasonic doesn't seem to want you to have their products repaired, they would rather you buy another one, as the repair technician stated to me. The parts cost more than the camcorder did new.

Needless to say I will never buy another Panasonic product again and neither will my friends and family.

I baught this camera around october and it is now august, and for some odd reason a couple weeks ago, it broke. i have no idea why, i wasn't being rough with it or anything, i'm sure i didn't bang it.

for one, the loading part would'nt work but my dad somehow managed to shove the tape in (i have no clue how because he can't do it anymore) and when he did it wouldn't record, play, or anything else!

other than the fact that, its a nice camera.

I purchased the Panasonic PV-DV950 Digital PalmCorder for my husband just 3 years ago for $2500.00. After only 2 years of minimal use the unit started digitizing the picture image. We contacted Panasonic to see where the closest repair center was located. They have only one location in Illinois. They required a $295 fee just to look at the unit and clean it. Then they charged $373 for the repair (total repair bill=$668). When we finally got the camera back it was worse than it was before. Not sure what they did, but it appears they did nothing at all.
This camera has very poor reliability for the price you pay, and in addition the support/customer service by Panasonic has got the be the worse we have ever dealt with. We wouldn't buy another panasonic brand product if our life depended on it, and you should seriously consider the same.

As you can expected from Panasonic's 3ccd camcorder the video has a very good color quality (as the 3ccd promised), although the resolution of 320000 pixels is not very high compared to the regular (not 3ccd) 1000$-1800$ digital camcorders the video sharpens is quiet good. To get the best quality Indoor you need strong lights around the objects. The optical picture stabilizer that you can expect from camcorder in this price is missing and instead you get a digital stabilizer that I prefer to don't use. For a long time recording (more than 1 hour) you need more or high capacity batteries or at least use the viewfinder instead of the lcd display. The disappointment is from the stills quality. The pictures are blurred; maybe captures the stiles with a firewire will give a better results. To my opinion if you are looking for a high quality video this is the best you can buy in these price levels. If you want high quality stiles from your camcorder you have to make a compromise, leave this camera and try the other regular (not 3ccd) camcorders, or make a little more effort and buy the Sony trv900

Bought this last year for a Christmas gift for myself. Best Gift I got!! This camera is awesome. Small, compact, light weight, and easy to travel with. User friendly, and produces top quality photos (up to a 1000 still photos!).

Good cheap cam with nice features...

Has firewire IEEE1934 interface to interact with the PC. Still shot capability holds up to 700 mid-quality images.

The problem is that the product is not even listed in the Panasonics site oficially, it's been missing between DV800 and DV950 models ( and 910 misses too ). But actually the info exists in the site when you edit the http address and replace the "950" with the "900". I couldn't confirm any problem with the 900 & 910 series but some dealers stopped to sells these models too.

So, go for the 950 which is lot more expensive but a real professional model or stick with the 800 one...

I bought this camcorder in 2000. The price was great at $500. It was a sale to get rid of the 900s before the newer series came out. The camera is basic. The eyepiece doesn't swivel. Which doesn't matter. I usually use the lcd, which drains the battery faster. The screen is 2.5" small but in color. All in all it is a good camcorder. Like the other reviewer, be careful. This camcorder is discontinued so the price has been jacked up.

There are many different dv camcorders out there for all kinds of budgets. My budget was no too large for my dv purchase, so I shopped around and found the panasonic. I had read both positive and some luke warm reviews of the pv-dv900, but decided to go for it. I am so glad that i did.

I am not a videophile, but the picture and sound i get out of this camera are amazing. It is still better than my old vhs-c camcorder after I dub onto VHS. It is awesome. Haven't installed my IEEE 1394 card yet, so I am not sure about vid capture.

The other reviewer is right about the few differences between the 900 and the 910. The 900 doe not come with the $40 light or the $30 remote control nor does it come with a blank video tape (that seemed kinda cheap to me). The 910 has a color viewfinder and a 3" LCD versus the 900's b/w viewfinder and 2.5" LCD.

I reccomend this camera very highly.

I love every feature of this camcorder with the exception of the fact I have Windows XP as my operating system and can't find drivers for it. Does anyone know of any driver updates from Panasonic?

Great product must buy, I have a query does any one know which external flash should i use.

I love this camcorder. The 20x zoom is unheard of. I got it for Christmas and I absolutely love it. For the money it is hard to beat. Although it is not perfect, it is close. THIS IS THE SAME CAMCORDER AS THE SONY DCR-TRV17. Only it is... cheaper. You will not be disappointed. The picture quality is great. It only weighs 1.5 pounds and with the 3" LCD that is a must for me. Enjoy