Panasonic Palmcorder PV-D209 VHS-C Analog Camcorder
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- Camcorder Type: Analog
- Recording Media: VHS-C
- Optical Zoom: 26x
- Weight: 2.3 lb.
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Great picture, low price
Pros
Video Quality,Price,Usability, Weight
Cons
Battery Life (small battery has 2 hours or so.)
Recommended it?
Yes
My wife and I bought this camcorder for Christmas 1999, because we got tired of missing all of our two year old son's "greatest moments", and because it was on sale at the local Best Buy. It seemed to be better than the lower priced models on sale, so we bought it, and we also bought the accessories we thought we would need, like a charger and an extra large battery.
As it turns out, there was a charger included in the box, but the extra charger means we can charge both batteries at once.
The video quality is excellent, and I love the 26x/150x "Digital" zoom feature. It can really pick up far details, as long as the "EIS" (Enhanced Image Stabilization") is turned on for high zooms. Or use a tripod! If you don't anything over 25x will be too shaky to see very well.
It is extremely light, it doesn't tire your hand...but the case with all the accessories can feel heavy on the shoulders!
There is a feature I haven't tried yet, and that is Extended Long Play mode, which is supposed to extend VHS-C's limit from 30 minutes to 6 hours. The manual says not to play these in VCR's, and a tape is cheap enough to not need this YET.
Play-back is easy, just drop the VHS-C tape into the PlayPak included.
SLP mode gives a lot of play-time, around 1 1/2 hours, and quality still is very high. The only drawback I can see is if you want a LCD viewfinder, but I did not want one anyway, because, to me, they look too easy to break.
The auto-focus works well except when I was filming our Christmas tree with all the lights off. I guess the multiple light-sources "confused" the range-finder. The manual focus took care of this. Turning on the light also fixed it without having to focus manually, and it was faster than finding and dialing the knob in the dark! Later I found the "back light" button also fixed this.
The built-in light does not look bright until you turn it on in a dark room, then it creates a "Blair Witch" effect if the subject (my two year old!) is too close while playing peek-a-boo...
It can show various greetings such as Happy Birthday, Merry X-Mas, etc. It can also display date and time on the recording. When I first turn it on, I leave the date/time on-screen for 5 seconds then turn it off. This way I have a reference date.
I very highly recommend this camera, especially since we bought it $100 less than MSRP. As our first videocam, we would like our next camera to be at LEAST this good!
As it turns out, there was a charger included in the box, but the extra charger means we can charge both batteries at once.
The video quality is excellent, and I love the 26x/150x "Digital" zoom feature. It can really pick up far details, as long as the "EIS" (Enhanced Image Stabilization") is turned on for high zooms. Or use a tripod! If you don't anything over 25x will be too shaky to see very well.
It is extremely light, it doesn't tire your hand...but the case with all the accessories can feel heavy on the shoulders!
There is a feature I haven't tried yet, and that is Extended Long Play mode, which is supposed to extend VHS-C's limit from 30 minutes to 6 hours. The manual says not to play these in VCR's, and a tape is cheap enough to not need this YET.
Play-back is easy, just drop the VHS-C tape into the PlayPak included.
SLP mode gives a lot of play-time, around 1 1/2 hours, and quality still is very high. The only drawback I can see is if you want a LCD viewfinder, but I did not want one anyway, because, to me, they look too easy to break.
The auto-focus works well except when I was filming our Christmas tree with all the lights off. I guess the multiple light-sources "confused" the range-finder. The manual focus took care of this. Turning on the light also fixed it without having to focus manually, and it was faster than finding and dialing the knob in the dark! Later I found the "back light" button also fixed this.
The built-in light does not look bright until you turn it on in a dark room, then it creates a "Blair Witch" effect if the subject (my two year old!) is too close while playing peek-a-boo...
It can show various greetings such as Happy Birthday, Merry X-Mas, etc. It can also display date and time on the recording. When I first turn it on, I leave the date/time on-screen for 5 seconds then turn it off. This way I have a reference date.
I very highly recommend this camera, especially since we bought it $100 less than MSRP. As our first videocam, we would like our next camera to be at LEAST this good!
