Panasonic PV-GS150 Mini DV Camcorder
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- Recording System: NTSC
- Camcorder Type: Digital
- Recording Media: Mini DV
- Optical Zoom: 10x
- Weight: 0.93 lb.
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Excellent digital quality at a friendly price!
Pros
near-broadcast quality, digital format, firewire
Cons
lightweight - can be difficult to eliminate shakes.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Excellent near-broadcast quality performance at a friendly price-point!
I was really intrigued when these 3CCD camcorders hit the market in 2004. I waited a while to get one until there was somewhat of a track record.
I wanted to get a good model for the price that would easily allow me to do non-linear editing in iMovie HD on my iMac G5.
This fit the bill with it's FireWire ieee1394 port giving me high speed communication with the Mac.
Picture quality is excellent (especially with outdoor footage). I'll leave the high-tech 3CCD explanations for this to other posters on epinions. But suffice it to say, this will get you very, very close to broadcast quality in a easily portable camcorder.
Nice feature is that tapes load from top. Many consumer models load from the bottom. Why this is key is if you use a tripod - you have to dismount, reload and remount on the tripod - can be deadly if taping a live event!
One negative: because the GS150 is so light, it can be difficult to maintain a steady hand and eliminate all shaking. If you are used to a weightier unit, this will require some adjustment. In general, keep to the wider angle shots - telephoto shots could see some shake if held in your hand. The EIS feature will help but not eliminate this issue somewhat!
One piece of advice on tapes: There are companies, including the manufacturer of this camcorder, who are marketing tapes "made for the 3CCD". Don't fall for it - marketing fluff. A good mid-range tape will do just fine. I use the Panasonic Professional Quality 63 min. tapes and find them regularly on-line for around $3.25 each (even less than consumer grade found at Wal-Mart, Target, etc).
I wanted to get a good model for the price that would easily allow me to do non-linear editing in iMovie HD on my iMac G5.
This fit the bill with it's FireWire ieee1394 port giving me high speed communication with the Mac.
Picture quality is excellent (especially with outdoor footage). I'll leave the high-tech 3CCD explanations for this to other posters on epinions. But suffice it to say, this will get you very, very close to broadcast quality in a easily portable camcorder.
Nice feature is that tapes load from top. Many consumer models load from the bottom. Why this is key is if you use a tripod - you have to dismount, reload and remount on the tripod - can be deadly if taping a live event!
One negative: because the GS150 is so light, it can be difficult to maintain a steady hand and eliminate all shaking. If you are used to a weightier unit, this will require some adjustment. In general, keep to the wider angle shots - telephoto shots could see some shake if held in your hand. The EIS feature will help but not eliminate this issue somewhat!
One piece of advice on tapes: There are companies, including the manufacturer of this camcorder, who are marketing tapes "made for the 3CCD". Don't fall for it - marketing fluff. A good mid-range tape will do just fine. I use the Panasonic Professional Quality 63 min. tapes and find them regularly on-line for around $3.25 each (even less than consumer grade found at Wal-Mart, Target, etc).
