Camcorder Reviews

This is my first foray into mini-dv,and I picked a winner.I researched every minidv camcorder on the market,and settled on this one because most of the user reviews were positive,and because I have used Panasonic products in the past,with no problems.
The camcorder is very easy to use.The manual explains everything clearly.I shot some video of my puppies and had them going out to family and friends over the internet in a matter of minutes.
Another thing I liked...you can choose the color of the camcorder.Certainly not important technically,but asthetically,it's way cool!!
All in all..I am completely satisfied with this little camcorder and recommend it w/o reservation.
One more thing: This really isn't a still camera,so using it for that purpose won't be very satisfying..I think if it is used on the spur of the moment to capture an unforgettable image,then it works well enough.

PD-DV952 is a great camcorder. I tried it once, and the image quality was exellent. I suggest you buy this since it's really cheap considering the the fact that it's a 3CCD camcorder. Buy this and you won't regret it.

I recently did A LOT of research for a high-end camcorder.

This was the winner. After trying many 2 ccd products from Sony and Canon--both good, this camcorder just had more of the goods. Being a 3 ccd camcorder, the colors and sharpness are EXCEPTIONAL. You can film a professional documentary with this one.

The only problem with all the camcorders under $3k, you'll have problems filming in low light. The low-light features in the Panasonics, Sonys, and Canons is substandard, so don't believe the MARKETING that they can film at night in color--that war footage green low-light tints, etc aren't really pragmatic. Consider these cams for use only in good light conditions.

I took the Panasonic to Hawaii and worked flawlessly. Get the bigger Panasonic branded lithium-ion battery and you'll have more than enough juice for 3 days of regular filming thru the big lcd screen (which is better than competitors).

Controls are intuitive and easy to use as well. It may be a little bit more bulky than the 2 ccd Sony palmcorders (though of similar weight), but MARKEDLY smaller than the other 3 ccd competitors. If you're an enthusiast, then this cam offers the best in terms of price, features (3ccd!), and size.

Since all cams are not really pocketable (avoid the buggy Sony micro Dvs), don't only think in size.....you'll need a camera bag on vacations REGARDLESS of size (you'll need the spare battery, 2 filters, wide angle lens).....skimping on these goods will cut your filming experience when you get to your computer to edit--I learned this lesson the hard way--so don't skimp on these items........get a Lowe camera backpack which worked as a day pack and camera pack.

This is one exceptional camera that will give me many years of service!

I bought this camera after reading lot of reviews. This is the first video camera that I have bought. Few things which PV-DV910 lacks is that it does not come with any software so as to edit the Digital Video in the PC, no firewire cables - even though it has IEEE1394 port for transfer. Eventhough it says 300x digital zoom, the system does not go beyond 36x. The performance is very poor in low lighting. Out door in normal sunlight, it is great. Overall not too happy for the money that I paid for it.

I got this camera as a christmas gift and have been using it 1-2 hours per week since then with no problems. I also purchased a firewire editor (studio dv) and it works great with the PV 910 allowing titles, sound effects, non linear editing and much more. I love the light included with the camera and the size/weight. I highly recommend it.

The key features I liked - So small and light to carry around - The photos taken using the "photo shot" (transferred to PC using ATI pro TV card) are really so clear - excellent price (paid $750)

I recommend this camcorder for every one.

We bought this in a store where they had scores of camera plugged in and you could scan around with all of them. This one consistently had the most natural color and exposure... even better than some very expensive ones (of course you can't always say what adjustments have been goofed up on some of the display cameras) After using the camera for a week or so we find that that indoors the video is nearly on a par with broadcast quality. You would never suspect is was a home video. It's very clean and properly exposed. Low light performance is also very good if you employ the Magicpix digital effect.

Outdoors it is also quite good but, being a bit more challenging, you might be able to tell it's not the travel channel you're watching (but it's still very good)

Now here's the bad news.
The optical image stbilizer is OK but you do stil have to be very careful to get good video. It does not iron out the bigger shakes like the electronic ones do. So I am not so thrilled with the stabilizer.

Still pictures, if you care, are good 1M pics but nothing more. They are useful.

Surprise! The lens is mismarked and will not accept 43mm filters or auxiliary lenses. In fact it won't accept ANY filters because it is 50mm (not 49 and not 52) and therefore non-standard. So you can forget about getting a wide angle lens for it. This is a problem for us... No polarizer, no wide angle lense. So, at this point we are not sure we'll keep the camera.. even though we have been favorably impresed with the basic quality.

Just to correct previous reviewer: how to attach 43mm filter or add-on lens (from the manual):
"When you want to attach a Tele Conversion Lens (not supplied) or a Wide Conversion Lens (not supplied), be sure to first remove the lens Hood by turning it counterclockwise."
I removed lens Hoood, attached 43mm filter and putted Hood back.

Feature wise this model is OK, although it is missing two key features: color viewfinder(useful under bright light) and analog input(dubbing analog tapes). However my unit has been having mechanical problems right after the waranty expired. The camcorder would refuse to load any cassette, more often than not the tape will get jammed inside the camcorder. I had to cut off one recorded tape (thus losing my recordings) to get it out of the machine. Switching different brand of tapes did not help either. I do not recommend this unit at all.

The camcorder is pretty easy to handle, it's a standard horizontal layout but it's pretty small. You can also save 30 second MPEG-4 clips to the SD cards.The 1.3 Mega Pixel CCD is better than the 1 Mega Pixel on the Sony DCR-TRV25 and the 1 Mega Pixel on the JVC GL-DV820U.The camcorder has an IEEE 1394 Firewire in/out port to transfer your video from your camcorder to your computer digitally. The camcorder also has a composite in/out port and an S-Video out port. The PV-DV702 also has a headphone jack. The PV-DV702 also has a microphone jack. Another neat feature on the PV-DV702 is an audio dubbing mode (only with SP video) which allows you to re-record the audio over pre-recorded video. You can also use the PV-DV702 as webcam using the USB port. Working with Microsoft NetMeeting or similar web cam software, the PV-DV702 can be hooked up to a computer to use it as web cam or a videophone.

The best MiniDV camera, it has all you need!!!.

I purchased this unit because I liked the features and the price was reasonable. It comes with a light that fits in the hot shoe, and a remote control. It has both digital and analog inputs/outputs, and USB & firewire interfaces. However, my experience has not been good. Thirty days after my purchase, I used it for the second time. I noticed a dead spot in the video. I contacted Panasonic Customer Service and they instructed me to send it to the Service Center for repair. Well, as of 4/3/02 they have had it for three weeks and they are still waiting for a part. Worse yet, they said that they are consolidating the Factory Service Centers and it will be 7-10 weeks before a technician is assigned to repair the unit. In my view that is ridiculous. They will not replace the unit. Panasonic seems to be completely comfortable with this absurd repair time. I WOULD STAY AWAY FROM THIS UNIT, and any other Panasonic product unless you can get the retailer to extend their return policy to 60-90 days -in writing.

I bought this camera because it earned Editors' Awards from ... extremely reliable on their reviews. Considering that comparable models from other makers...were priced well above [$], the sub-[$]price was also a significant plus.
I've owned this since March and it has delivered fully in every aspect. Very small yet not too small, it is very light and portable. It shoots great pictures, and contrary to other reviewers here, I haven't had any trouble at all using it in conjunction with my Windows XP PC for editing using Pinnacle Studio 7. Not one problem. In fact, I did some really heavy duty stuff with the PC and the camera delivered with aplomb.
For anyone with average/moderate video needs, I think this camera would be perfect. Highly recommended.

I was going on vacation and decided to get a videocam/still camera to record the festivities. After reading reviews from many different sites (epinion, various computer and video mag sites) I decided on the PVDV701. I have used it numerous times for still shots and video without a single glitch. The monitor is bright, the menu system easy to use, and the video quality is great. I have read some complaints about drivers and repairs. Maybe I've been lucky, but I also did things to prevent myself from getting in the same situation. I bought a 3rd party extended warranty which covers everything, including replacement of the unit, which anyone should do anyway for a 800 dollar investment. Also, I have experienced the same problem with the Windows XP drivers, but in foresight, I bought the Pyro Digital Video 1394DV card/software package at the same time. It included a firewire care and software for 69 dollars which is more than worth the investment. I get my video via Firewire and still shots via SD card and USB. Using USB to pull down video cannot be fast or good quality (this is just my opinion, considering the slow rate of USB data transfer). My videos come down at full speed, no dropped frames and highest quality audio that the camera will allow.
I've been to the Panasonic site and the have updated all but one of the drivers to XP compatability, which I have updated and have had no problems with them.
For the price and the features I think I got the best value for the money.

There are a lot of pluses and a few minuses for the DV51. The biggest plus is you're getting all the video quality of a much more expensive camera like the DV601. The 680,000 pixel CCD is a big part of that. Most low-end digital cams (including those from Sony) don't have anywhere near this kind of resolution. If you currently have a VHS or 8mm camcorder, you're in for a big step up in image quality.

The DV51 is reasonably easy to record with. If you want to do much more than defeat the EIS, enable manual focus, or enable the backlight compensation however, you'll have to go into the menus. The "jog dial" makes menu selection reasonably easy but for some reason, you sometimes turn the dial to choose which selection you want and sometimes you're forced to press it multiple times depending on the menu. The same jog dial is also the manual focus adjustment and it's a bit awkward for that purpose.

The EIS works well. It takes it a second or so to kill any undesired camera shake after you stop panning or zooming but that's typical of most digital EIS systems. You can also use it after the fact on playback which is a bonus as EIS usually shortens battery life (and can cause side effects you might not want in your final video). If you want to export your videos via the digital 1394 link to your computer, however, you best use it when recording.

The battery life with the included battery is less than an hour with the LCD monitor in use and close to 1.5 hours if you use the viewfinder instead. Most will likely want to get a spare (and possibly larger) battery but this is typical of most camcorders.

The zoom is quiet (you can barely hear it on the recorded video) and has multiple speeds but it takes a light touch to keep it at the slow speed. The digital zoom works well up to about 30x or 40x but beyond that, you lose a lot of quality (just like with any other digital zoom).

There are "program" settings for sport, portrait, low light and bright (i.e. snow) scenes. There's also a "gain up" setting that, when used, allows the DV51 to shoot decent video in relatively low light. Like most camcorders, however, the video noise is much more noticable under such conditions.

My biggest complaint is this camera lacks a microphone input. If you've done much camcorder work, you probably know that capturing quality audio is often difficult. The lack of a microphone jack makes it impossible to use anything but the built in stereo microphone. While this isn't a big deal for taping your baby crawling around the house, it would be a big deal if you want to pull off a professional sounding interview or record your son's band performance.

The built in microphone of any camera can't help but pick up some camera noises, any noise made by whoever's doing the recording and the noise of the camera being handled. Plus, if your subject is more than 5 feet away, you'll get a lot of echo indoors. The microphone in the DV51 is decent as far as built-in mics go, but your videos will still scream "amateur" from the poor audio.

The camera is a little light on accessories as might be expected for this price. You don't get an 1394 digital cable. You also don't get a blank miniDV tape.

I didn't buy the DV51 to use as a digital still camera. It's not well suited to this as you have to record the images to tape and transfering them to your PC is an involved process. If you want this feature, spend a little more money and at least get the PV-DV101 which has a serial connection or the PV-DV201 which steps up to faster USB. That way you can directly download the images to your PC.

In summary, Panasonic chose to throw out features instead of video quality for their least expensive DV camera. For my needs, it's mostly a good compromise. I just wish they could have spent the extra dollar or so and included a microphone jack.

Relatively speaking, DV cameras are likely to continue to rapidly improve. I would expect that two years from now a $500 camera will have a megapixel rating, 32mb or more of still picture memory plus added bells and whistles. In the meantime, the DV51 is a good choice if you're on a tight budget or just want something to get you buy until DV cams are more mature.

If Celia reads this review, I would like to know what specific cable you bought from Pinnacle to use to transfer still pics to the computer. I can't seem to find any info on that. Amazon has cables but I don't know which one I need. It would be helpful if on the despcription of the product, there was a despcription of the accessories and what you need, not just a list.

the video is very good on this one and I find it very easy to handle. I'm just frustrated about not being able to get the still pics on the computer.

Another big note. We have had this less than 2 years now and we had the same case break by the handle that the guy had mentioned above. Not happy with this camera at this point. Going to move up to a DVD camcorder and not panasonic(if they even make them!)

This camera stands out because the video quality is great, while unneeded features are left off. I don't need a color viewfinder--or a color LCD for that matter, even though this camera comes with one. I want to be able to aim it, that's all. I have a nice Olympus digital camera I bought on Amazon last year that takes PERFECT pictures and I don't need an inferior "still mode" which is commonly included with lots of these digital VIDEO cameras. Mercifully, Panasonic made the effort to make a camera for the real, practical world which does not force me to pay for a high-end digital camera and media capability that I do not need at all. The 2.5 inch color LCD is even too much in my opinion! I LOVE that this camera takes such good video and has an excellent zoom capability the most. That's all I really need!

I was attracted to this camera when I was told I could insert titles with it. I was very disappointed to learn that it comes with a limited set of predefined titles (Birthday, Christmas, Graduation, etc.) and no way of creating my own as with my old S-VHS camera. I tried to contact customer service through their email address to ask about this and another problem - after a couple days I got an email back telling me to call during business hours. I find the thumb wheel that operates the menu driven options system ackward to use and frequently press the wrong button in the middle of trying to get to an option.
I am not happy with the method of putting date and time into the video - you have to use the menu system, so it is impossible to start a video with a time and date stamp imbedded, then turn the date stamp off after a few seconds of taping without stopping and running through the menus.
I understand that most digital cameras go into a mosaic mode when in fast-forward or reverse. The older analog cameras were better in this respect in that you can better see the images going by in fast-forward or rewind.
The picture quality is super; I like the color LCD screen and veiw finder. I'm happy that it has an external microphone input - that may well come in handy someday.

I am a first-time buyer with a new kid.

Pro:
-Can make decent stills from the tape. Easier than getting junior to keep the right facial expression at the moment I shoot.

Con:
-Have to remove battery to power camera from AC. The charger can't charge the battery and run the camera simultaneously.

-No frame-by-frame advance button. At least not that I could find.

-The USB plugin is inside the cavity where the LCD sits when closed. So you have to have the LCD open to use the USB out. It would be better placed with the rest of the jacks on front right....

The camera is great as far as looks go. Even the arrangement of buttons is perfect with the zoom, photoshot and menu buttons in easy reach. The 3.0 inch LCD display is a big advantage over the 2.5 inch display found in other comparable camcorder models. I would say the best part of this camera is its excellant video and infrared capabilities. Do not buy it as a still camera though, because even a base level digital camera can produce better still pictures. Overall a good product if all you want is excellant video.

The camera locks up when recording, and it's already fallen outside of it's 90 day parts warranty.

I can't find much out about what's wrong on the Internet, and of course, since most of these types of repairs can cost nearly as much as what the camera cost, it's turning into an expensive paperweight.

This camera has disappointed me because I couldn't take movies of my Kauai trip.

I purchased this camcorder about 2 months back. Thought I'd share my experience with all. Overall, I am satisfied with this purchase.

''''''''''''''''LIKES :)'''''''''''''''
1. 680,000 PIXEL CCD
Camcorders at this price range (atleast the better brands) typically have 390,000 or 460,000 pixels. In a MiniDV camcorder, the number of pixels on each CCD significantly affect the video quality. So this one with 680,000 pixels should give you noticeably better video quality than others

2. IMAGE STABILIZATION AND PICTURE EFFECTS
It is surprising how much shake comes into a video even with what I thought was a steady hand at 10x Zoom. Image stabilization can make that shot much more viewable. The nice thing is that you can apply stabilization either while recording or playing it back. The other effect I use a lot is the Fade effect, to seperate different sequences of video

3. AUDIO EFFECTS AND ZOOM MIC
I like to be able to cut out the background noise caused by the wind howling. Also, in relatively quiet conditions, the Zoom Mic can filter out the ambient noise and try to make the sound (from the area you are zooming into) more prominent. Cute!

4. POWERFUL LIGHT
I found this to be quite useful. Digital photography products generally struggle in low light conditions, so this was a must have feature for me. And while it would certainly take up more battery power, my batteries didnt seem to drain out very quickly either

5. WEB CAM MODE
You can also use this as a Web Cam. I've never used this mode but expect it will do as well as any dedicated Web cam in the market

6. DECENT LCD
Though not exactly great when in bright outdoor conditions, the LCD is about as good or better when compared to other camcorders in the market

7. REMOTE - EASE OF USE; and RELIABLE
I found this camcorder to be easy to use. The remote helps playback / operate from a distance. The Camcorder has good build quality and that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling

''''''''''''''''DISLIKES :(''''''''''''''''
1. OPTICAL ZOOM - 10x
I think Optical Zoom is one feature which you can never have enough of! 10x is decent and useful, but frankly, there are tons of models there that offer 20x+. Though I would certainly love more zoom, be warned that the more the zoom, the more the shake that gets into the video; and the lower the picture quality (because there is lesser light incident on the lens). I never use Digital Zoom so Optical Zoom is all the zoom I've got

2. USB CONNECTION AND STILL PHOTO MODE
This has its caveats. Yes, you can transfer videos using the USB 1 connection, but its just not practical. One second of video takes 40 seconds to get downloaded onto the computer (because USB 1 has a bandwidth of only 12 Mega bits per second). Also, you can download only 1 minute of video at a time (which will take you 40 minutes anyway). Just not practical!
I wonder if Panasonic will be upgrading these models with USB 2 support soon - that will be good - its 40 times faster!
Regarding the still photo mode, I was disappointed. I thought 1.3 Megapixels (albeit interpolated) would give me decent shots, but it doesnt. Take others advise and plan on using a [good] camera for stills, they'll leave this for dead. And dont get impressed by the Memory Card feature - its not very useful to have poor quality shots caught on the card.

3. FIREWIRE TRANSFER LIMITATION
Honestly, I don't know how many people would use this feature to store / process their digital recordings. In case you are like me and intend doing so once DVD Writers are cheaper (so that you can dump about 1 hour of video after doing the necessary modifications on 1 DVD), there's a caveat. The firewire transfer mode only does 3 minutes of video at a time. I don't know about other digital camcorders, but this sounds like a trivial irritation

''''''''''''''''MUST HAVE ADD-ONS :O''''''''''''''''
1. MORE BATTERY
The battery that comes with the camera is good for about 40 minutes of Video - with LCD usage and Zooming. I found this out the hard way - the very next day I bought this camcorder, I went out on a cruise by the San Francisco Bay to watch the 4th of July Celebrations. I had captured details of the Alcatraz; and after waiting out in the cold for 3 hours, the fireworks finally started. And as Murphy would have warned, the battery gave way immediately! :'(
You've been warned. There's a decent Panasonic battery that I purchased for [a moderate amount]- that gives me about 2 hours more. Must buy!

2. VIDEO CASSETTES
These days you can buy a 60 minute cassette for [a small price], you'll need them as long as you don't start burning your videos onto DVD

3. FIREWIRE CARD and DVD WRITER
To burn videos onto DVD. I'll probably wait for DVD technologies to stabilize and prices to drop - maybe a year or two before I buy these

4. CARRYING CASE

5. OPTICAL LENS
I haven't done this yet, but am planning on buying a 2x Telephoto Zoom lens and a Wide angle lens. This way, I get to overcome my main gripe with this camcorder - the 10x zoom

This is an excellent Digital Cam. It has great features that are easy to use. Also, the quality is very good. The only negative is the slow digital picture taking between clicking and being to take another picture. I have owned this camera since it came out. I use it alot and never had any problems with quality or functionality.

My title pretty much says it all. I was looking for an inexpensive DV solution ever since my son was born, and it took me a month to come up with this one.

While this camcorder is considered low end, I have to say it is definitely much better than low end. The resolution is fine for home movies (much better than VHS or 8mm, and much better than other DV camcorders in it's price range) and I like the fact I can edit and do whatever I need to do with the footage I shoot, with little to no generation loss.

Pros:
Good solid digital video recording and PC transfer. I'm using Windows XP, and while Adobe Premier will not transfer the video to the PC, I'm able to transfer from Windows Movie Maker....
2.5" Color LCD.
MultiMediaCard support for still images.
Hot Shoe for a lamp only.
VERY light!
FireWire!!!!
PCM Stereo....

Cons:
Software is not Windows 2000 or XP compatible (all video transfers are done through Microsoft's software, not Panasonic's).
Stills cannot be transferred at all through USB on Windows XP (ME and 98 work fine).
Still images are poor (no amount of Photoshop work will help...get a real camera).

Words of caution...more than likely you will need more Hard Drive space than you have. 18 minutes of higher resolution DV will take upwards to 9 GB of Hard Disk space. And while you're at it, you could probably use more memory as well.

The Good: We've had our 201 for two years now, and have been happy with the video performance and features. The still cam is weak, but with the specs on it, it's more of a convenience than something one would want to depend on. Perfectly appropriate for the price at the time we bought it. The bad: The hand strap attach point broke off, and the GE extended warranty won't cover what they consider a non-functional part. There are 4 strap attach points, 3 metal, one plastic, and that's the one that let go. Without the hand strap, you'd have to hold the camera with both hands to use it. The case is very thin, and no other physical attachment exists internally. I also found a report of someone buying 8 PV51 cameras (similar to this one), and three of them broke in the exact same place as mine. Still waiting to hear from Panasonic, but I'm betting since it's out of warranty I'm out of luck. And I'm going to cancel my worthless GE warranty policy as well.

Update to previous reviews. The driver for win2000 or winXP is available NOW on panasonic website. With Firewire, WinXP actually detected it and it's plug and play.

I have used this camera for more than 2 years. I LOVE it.

1. There's no gap between clips. Canon ZR shows blue screen on playback every time you hit the pause button when recording - REALLY annoying. This one just stitch the clips together nicely.
2. Transfer to computer with firewire or USB really simple, easy to use. TIPS: you can get firewire card with cable for less than $20 now.
3. Handling is excellent - nice grip, light weight.
4. Long battery life. I was planning to buy a spare and found out no need for it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.