 |
| Date Reviewed: 07/26/2005 |
|
Strengths: 3CCD, 2+ Megapixel Digital Camera, Zoom Mic, Joystick.
Weaknesses: Camcorder Manual
Summary: This is my first digital camcorder, so I can't compare to other DV's; I've had two Hi8's starting in 1990.
I am impressed by the small size of the camcorder, picture quality, the fact that you can transfer video to the computer without loss of quality. It can transfer video to a computer by a DV or USB connection in DVD resolution -720x480 pixels in NTSC format- ideal to edit and transfer to a DVD disc to be watched in any of the DVD players (USB requires driver installation, provided on CD). If you have not done it, remember to have mic zoom feature turned on in the menu. I love it that now both picture and sound can be focused on the person being recorded (this could be accomplished only by using remote mics before).
As a bonus you have a digital camera built in. It won't replace a true digital camera, quality is not there. But it is good enough for on-screen picture viewing, web publishing or emailing to friends and family. I found a 128MB SD card for $16 +S&H, it is good for 100 pictures at highest resolution and compression quality. You can send pictures directly to printer via USB, don't print anything bigger than 3x5 or you'll most likely be dissapointed. The camera has build-in flash, it is poorly positioned (to the side) so it gives a shadow to the side of an object, which farther lowers perception of the quality of the picture.
This camcorder has one odd accessory, a remote wired mike with camcorder controls. I was excited about it until I found out that it is wired, and the wire is quite short (less that 4ft!). I am not sure if I will find it usefull for any tasks with the camcorder.
The manual is one of the most poorly written one for an electronic device. Fortunately for me I have some experience in camcorder operation and video transfer, but fresh video enthusiast would have a hard time with this one.
All in all, considering the price, the camcorder is worth 5 stars in my book.
 94% of People (66/70) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
 There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 07/09/2005 |
|
Strengths: Video quality, Ease of use, Size and Price
Weaknesses: Manual could be better. Also zoom button a little out of place until you get used to it. This could just be because it is different from my previous camcorder.
Summary: This is the first digital camcorder I have purchased and I am very satisfied with it. The picture quality is excellent. The joystick control is also very handy. It actually has more features than I require or will probably ever use. I really like the size, not much bigger than my hand. I chose this model primarily because of all the positive rewiews I read and the price was within my range. It has exceeded my expectations. I was initially looking at the GS120 but with the $50 rebate, the price difference was not that much. The only problem I have had is the "remaining tape" indicator gave me a false reading once. I ejected the tape (to see if it was really at the end) and when I reloaded the same tape, the counter again appeared accurate. Not sure what happened, but it only happened that one time and I have recorded several hours over 4-5 tapes. Overall, if you are looking for a digital camcorder in the GS150's price range, you can't go wrong with this one!
92% of People (12/13) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are 1 comment for this review. Read all comments.
Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 05/22/2005 |
|
Strengths: compact, easy to use
Weaknesses: low light shooting
Summary: This is a great camera for the casual user. I bought it for typical family use, vacations, kids activities and am very pleased. The compact size makes it really easy to carry and use. One-handed operation with the image stabilization feature produces sharp, clear pictures. Auto-focus works great, as does auto-exposure in outdoor conditions. The built-in 3x zoom is acceptable, but one of the great features of this camera is that you can add filters and accessory lens. I tried a 2x zoom and well as a wide angle lens and the results were quite satisfying. Even the still photos were sharp and colorful and with the highest resolution you need only very inexpensive 64MB SD card to hold more than 60 snapshots. Low-light indoor shooting was not great, but I'm talking really low-light. Ordinary indoor shooting with house lights on should be fine. And you still have plenty of options if you want to experiment with some of the pre-set exposures. This is all-around a fantastic choice for family use. The only problem you're going to have is actually finding this camera at a good price. I called at least 10 different on-line merchants ( all cheaper but "backordered") before finally settling on newegg.com. Paid a little more, but worth it to avoid the hassle.
91% of People (60/66) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 08/12/2005 |
|
Strengths: very good value for money
Weaknesses: not an "infrared" camcorder
Summary: 2005-08-12 21:50:19 I am a novice point and shoot person and wanted a cam which worked simply and well and did not cost the moon. Did a lot of research on Camcorder info.com and other sites and finally settled for this one as the canons have zoom problems(zoom gets struck)(Canon Elura 90- if I would have bought it i.e) and some folks are planning to take JVC for a court case (DFOU550 US) and finally bought this coz it has everything. Read about RED LINES on some sites as a problem and sure enough tested it in dark and the red lines appeared on the LCD but hardly noticeable. Don't buy this if you want to take pics/ shoot in the dark all the time.But ifyou like outdoors and light this is a neat little thing and works wonders. the supplied software was so easy to use that I was instantly editing and made a VCD of 20 min length on the first day itself.Ordered from 6 Ave.com free shipping.Sent me a brand new box in 05 days. Overall am pleased with the purchase and don't read the RED line issue and not buy it. Its so stupid that it is ignorable(RED LINES)- the guy who wrote it on pana3CCD forum made a big hullabullo out of nothing. I love my cam and it takes great pics& movies.GO FOR IT. In case you want to buy a particular model(any cam) search it in yahoo or anywhere else like I did" Problems with Canon Camcorders".or "Problems with PAnasonic camcorders" or whatever. That way you will surely weed out the ones which may cause problems later on. I found that mostly Panasonic users were the most satisfied ones. Firewire is not needed at all and USB downloads the video to the PC very quickly & neatly.
Hope this review is of some help to you.
88% of People (38/43) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 04/30/2005 |
|
Strengths: 3CCD, 2+ Megapixel Digital camera, Zoom Mic & Price too!
Weaknesses: Camera has flash light but instead should have had a light that could be used in low-light/night. 10x zoom.
Summary: 2005-05-17 19:58:27 I fell for the 3 CCD sensor that this camcoder uses which usually is used in professional video cameras that are priced above $1000. There is a 2.3 megapixel digital camera in-built, that can be used to take snaps at the same time while video taping. Eventhough more megapixel cameras are available these days, 2+ can be used for 4x6 prints & file sharing and obviously handy.
" Panasonic has other models with more megapixel for more money :) "
There is a zoom mic, which can be turned on/off that will go along with the zoom to record distant voice.
It has flash light but instead should have had a light like most of the other camcoders in the market do, that could be used in low-light/night. (There's an option for external light but you should have alternative power for that). Also, it has only 10x zoom. I would have liked it more with ~20x zoom. (If you are interested on more zoom, you can use a 2x/3x telephoto lens which is optional)
82% of People (37/45) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 06/13/2005 |
|
Strengths: Video Image quality is excellent. Easy to use for a point-and-shoot camcorder. Top-loading tape mechanism.
Weaknesses: Low light performance is average. Manual controls are a little clumsy.
Summary: After doing quite a bit of research on the camcorders in the sub-$800 price range, this was the best out there in my opinion. It has received many good reviews regarding the video picture quality and the new joystick control. The manual control is somewhat clumsy, you use the left and right of the joystick to increase/decrease the setting. Overall, I have been extremely pleased with this camcorder and have not found any regrets.
79% of People (11/14) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are 1 comment for this review. Read all comments.
Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 06/03/2005 |
|
 I got my cam for a good price and was very happy u ... Strengths: Vivid outdoor colors. Nothing can't beat 3CCD! Compact size. Nice joystick menu navigation.
Weaknesses: A fatal flaw of low light performance. 3 faint red lines appear under low light when recording and paying back. It seems a GS150 design problem as most users report this issue.
Summary: 2005-06-06 21:15:13 I got my cam for a good price and was very happy until I found the report about 3 red lines problem in low-light recording at pana3ccduser dot com ("red alert" issue). I tested mine immediately and unfortunately noticed the red lines. It's less noticeable when playing back on TV though. Some people return theirs immediately but I'm still debating. I loved the great outdoor picture quality but the red lines in low light shooting really upset me. Hopefully Panasonic will come up a solution to the issue.
75% of People (12/16) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 07/09/2005 |
|
Strengths: Really, really good picture quality, quick focus, logical operation, quickly accessible menus
Weaknesses: low-light shooting, photoshooting decent but crap compared to the real digital cameras, instruction manual not written well.
Summary: In daylight, this camcorder owns all others. But in dark places, it's not good. There are 3 faint red lines too. I wonder why, oh well. I wouldn't even capture footage in the dark, since I'd just waste tape. But this camcorder focuses quick compared to others. Even though it's pretty stable, you'll notice shaking at high zooms. Last, the instruction manual is not written well. Directions are broad, but this camcorder should be pretty logical to use. I'd give it a 4.5 if I could, but I'll give it a 4 because it isn't 5 quality.
75% of People (6/8) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 04/28/2005 |
|
Strengths: Good image quality. Nice size. Comfortable grip.
Weaknesses: Joystick is great, but menu button is placed out reach of your thumb making accessing the menu options a 2-handed job.
Summary: My first DV camera, but so far very satisfied. I'm still working on getting a firewire port to use with the pc... the picture is good and the true widescreen is very nice. The menu button is just out of reach of your thumb, unfortunately, otherwise the controls are pretty good. A focus ring would be great, but for under $600 I've got no complaints.
67% of People (12/18) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 07/13/2005 |
|
Strengths: Picture quality in good lighting.
Size - perfect fit for the hand.
Decent battery
Weaknesses: Picture quality in low lighting
Summary: Like everyone says, the quality in low lighting isn't so great, but not much worse than others I've seen. You won't be making a Paris Hilton video with this one (does not have infrared). It does have something called magicpix for night shooting, but the picture gets sooooo blurry, you can only record objects that aren't moving. This camera can't be beat in the daylight or inside with good lighting (at least not in this price range). Just buy a light for it and it's perfect.
67% of People (6/9) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 08/20/2005 |
|
Strengths: color is fantastic, manual controls are readily accessible with the joystick, pictures are easy to snap and look fairly good
Weaknesses: zoom toggle is under the middle finger, zoom is difficult to maneuver slowly
Summary: This is my first camcorder and I don't think I could have done better. Camcorder is simple to use with the automatic mode. Manual controls such as white balance, gain etc are simple to learn and a definite bonus. White balance has options for indoor lighting and outdoor settings and I found these to be better options than the auto white balance. Although there is a manual focus option, it is not easy to use and not real practical when filming. The auto focus seems to do a good job anyway. The zoom toggle takes getting use to since it is under the middle finger while the pointer finger rests on the still photo button. Overall, I am quite pleased with this camcorder.
67% of People (4/6) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are 1 comment for this review. Read all comments.
Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 07/20/2005 |
|
Strengths: 3ccd, ease of use, value
Weaknesses: manual controls, no supplied SD card,
Summary: After much reasearch I chose the Panasonic PV-GS150 MiniDV. The 3ccd provides great video even in low level lighting. Was very easy to pick up and start using. With a retail price of $699 was able to find a seller using pricegrabber for $520 and receveid in 4 days. Still trying to play with the manual controls. I wish they would supply a small SD card for pictures as my other digital camera uses compact flash.
67% of People (2/3) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 06/16/2005 |
|
Strengths: 3 CCD and easy to handle
Weaknesses: The manual supplied, no SD card supplied
Summary: Great choice of camcoreder at the price I got it for. Sadly no SD card supplied with the camera but that definitely overshadows the quality and ease of use of the camcorder.
Very delighted with my purchase.
Order was received in less than a week from "Beach Camera"
57% of People (4/7) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 06/06/2005 |
|
Strengths: 3CCD, 2.3 Megapixel Digital camera, Easy to use
Weaknesses: The menu button is out of reach of the thumb
Summary: This is my first DV, I am very satisfied so far. But I have trouble getting how to transfer the video to PC at the beigin. The information given in the manual is not very clear. Anyway, for about $600 DV, it's a very good choice.
42% of People (5/12) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are 1 comment for this review. Read all comments.
Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 05/25/2005 |
|
Strengths: 3 CDD. Easy to use
Weaknesses: manual book
Summary: This is the first camcoder. I am very pleased to have it. The quality is real good compare to 1 CCD camcoder. The battery lasts for 2 hr. But I still did not get how to transfer the video to PC. The manual does not give good information about it.
40% of People (4/10) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
|
Report this as 
