Panasonic Palmcorder PV-D209 VHS-C Analog Camcorder
Out of stock |
Similar in Camcorders
- Camcorder Type: Analog
- Recording Media: VHS-C
- Optical Zoom: 26x
- Weight: 2.3 lb.
- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Panasonic PV-D209 VHS-C Camcorder
Pros
Good picture quality and reliability, nice price, VHS-C tapes play in your VCR
Cons
Quality a bit worse than in digital models, gets worse at slower speeds
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
But if you don't want to spend a fortune, Panasonic PV-D209 will be a good choice.
Panasonic PV-D209 is one of the best analog camcorders. It is relatively old model and cannot compete with digital models in image quality, portability or features. But the low price makes it a great value.
Consumer Reports Magazine rated it the best among "budget" camcorders. The picture quality was the best among "low band" analog camcorders (VHS and 8 mm).
According to the same magazine, Panasonic camcorders are one of the most reliable ones. Reliability wise they hold third position among other brands in ?Consumer Reports? Magazine reliability survey (Consumer Reports Buying Guide 2000, page 29), very close to two leaders.
Picture quality is very good is SP (standard play) mode, however it gets a little bit worse if you switch to the "slow" (LP - Long Play) speed. The internal light source is very useful in dark conditions, but it drains battery quickly.
The camcorder is very easy to use (partly because it does not have a lot of features), and convenient to hold and operate. It has color viewfinder (standard feature in this price range). There are digital fades and auto titler.
The 26x optical and 150x digital zoom are adequate. 150x is more than enough for regular shooting. The camcorder has digital image stabilization to remove unwanted camera movements (shaking, etc.) when shooting while walking or from the moving vehicle.
The digital zoom may also be helpful. VHS-C tapes it uses, may be played back in your standard VHS VCR using the included adapter. The drawback of this feature - the tapes are bigger and hold less than Sony's 8mm or Hi8.
The digital MiniDV tapes are even smaller than 8mm. And MiniDV tapes hold digital video and sound versus analog ones in VHS-C (but cost much more).
Also the sound on VHS is analog versus digital sound on 8mm and Hi8 (but you will not notice the difference since internal microphones cannot provide good sound).
Currently, it is a good idea to consider digital camcorder. With 500 lines of horizontal resolution and compact design they provide many features at a reasonable ($700 and up) price. The picture quality of digital camcorders is far superior to analog models.
Check out my reviews of Sharp VL-SD20U ($699) and JVC GR-DVM50U (about $1100).
But if you don't want to spend a fortune, Panasonic PV-D209 will be a good choice.
Consumer Reports Magazine rated it the best among "budget" camcorders. The picture quality was the best among "low band" analog camcorders (VHS and 8 mm).
According to the same magazine, Panasonic camcorders are one of the most reliable ones. Reliability wise they hold third position among other brands in ?Consumer Reports? Magazine reliability survey (Consumer Reports Buying Guide 2000, page 29), very close to two leaders.
Picture quality is very good is SP (standard play) mode, however it gets a little bit worse if you switch to the "slow" (LP - Long Play) speed. The internal light source is very useful in dark conditions, but it drains battery quickly.
The camcorder is very easy to use (partly because it does not have a lot of features), and convenient to hold and operate. It has color viewfinder (standard feature in this price range). There are digital fades and auto titler.
The 26x optical and 150x digital zoom are adequate. 150x is more than enough for regular shooting. The camcorder has digital image stabilization to remove unwanted camera movements (shaking, etc.) when shooting while walking or from the moving vehicle.
The digital zoom may also be helpful. VHS-C tapes it uses, may be played back in your standard VHS VCR using the included adapter. The drawback of this feature - the tapes are bigger and hold less than Sony's 8mm or Hi8.
The digital MiniDV tapes are even smaller than 8mm. And MiniDV tapes hold digital video and sound versus analog ones in VHS-C (but cost much more).
Also the sound on VHS is analog versus digital sound on 8mm and Hi8 (but you will not notice the difference since internal microphones cannot provide good sound).
Currently, it is a good idea to consider digital camcorder. With 500 lines of horizontal resolution and compact design they provide many features at a reasonable ($700 and up) price. The picture quality of digital camcorders is far superior to analog models.
Check out my reviews of Sharp VL-SD20U ($699) and JVC GR-DVM50U (about $1100).
But if you don't want to spend a fortune, Panasonic PV-D209 will be a good choice.
