Panasonic PV-L559 VHS-C Analog Camcorder

Get a Panasonic Palmcorder and start recording all the "so-soon-gone" memories of your life! :o)

I have always loved taking pictures, using a SLR 35mm camera and a digital camera for the majority of of my photographic endeavors. Two years ago I bought a Panasonic Palmcorder, model PV-L559. At the time I was able to shoot, record and view with minimal trial and error. Today, it's use seems like second nature.

I had those initial fears of not being able to work it properly since it was a pretty foreign piece of equipment to me. If you want to buy a camcorder, but have those fears too, just erase them from your mind. The sales people will give you assist in learning, the instruction booklet that comes with the Palmcorder gives you step-by-step instructions, with pictures and diagrams, for the use of each feature, and you can also call a toll-free number for any assistance you may need.

Need more reassurance? Well, I was able to show my 7-year old how to use it (under direct supervision of course!!), and even more significantly, my 77-year old mother, who can barely get her TV remote to work! Now that should tell you something!!!!

The specifications for the Panasonic Palmcorder include:
* 26:1 zoom lens
* F1:1.6 with auto iris control
* Focal length of 3.8mm - 98mm
* 4 speed power zoom function
* 2 rotary heads and helical scanning system for the video recording system
* 1 track audio
* LCD monitor is a 3" with liquid crystal display
* Weight of 2.3 pounds
* Size (rounded numbers for you) of only 4" x 5" x 7"
* AC adaptor
* Nickel-Cadmium 6V battery
* 8-Function Remote Control

If all that sounds like greek to you, then I will let you know just what the camcorder's features do and what I like about it.

You have the option of recording while looking through the eye-piece or by opening the LCD monitor door and viewing the scene you are recording in color. After you have made a recording you can immediately play it back right there on the LCD screen. You no longer have to wait and see if you got the shot you wanted until you get home! Like what you shot? Then just continue with your recording. Do not like how it came out? Then just rewind and reshoot. There is an Easy Edit and a Manual Edit feature to avoid gawky breaks and starts in the filming. (Note: The eye-piece is automatically turned off when the LCD monitor door is open)

The LCD screen has good color resolution in a variety of lighting situations. Another great feature if that the screen can be at a 90 degree angle or rotated back to 180 degrees. This is a nice feature that allows you to change the angle you view the screen - this comes in handy when backlighting puts a glare on the screen, or you need to position yourself or the camera differently for the best shot.

The battery gives you about 2 hours of continuous use with the eye-piece, or about 1.5 hours with the LCD screen open. These times have always been adequate for me for any event I wanted to record. I did however buy an additional battery pack - It is well worth it to buy another battery and keep it charged. There will be times when you shoot here and there and the time adds up on the one battery - then you go to shoot a school event say, and there is only 15 minutes left on one battery. If you are spending the money to buy a camcorder, spend a bit more for some security and peace of mind! This camcorder does come with one rechargeable battery pack and charger ~ having a 2nd one is worth the small extra expense.

The camcorder tracks the battery and film use. You get a small visual cue of how much tape is left, and how much charge is left in your battery. Having that information tracked for you keeps you from getting an unpleasant surprise in the middle of taping.

This Palmcorder has a built in Auto Light for filming in low light situations. The camcorder adjusts automatically to the light so that you are not getting washed out color or high contrast shadows. The lighting does appear natural and does not put a yellow or blue cast on your subjects.

You have an 8-Function Remote Control that securely slides into it's holder right there on the camcorder shoulder strap. With the remote you get Power Zoom, Rewind/Search, Play, Stop, Record/Pause, Fast Forward/Search and Still. The remote works up to 16 feet away. Use this for pictures where you would like to be in the picture too!~!! Also, you can set up your camcorder to record the wildlife in your yard without chasing the animals away ~ I have not tried this one as we have bears wandering through and I worry a bear might harm it if it caught it's eye.

You can connect your camcorder directly to the TV and view what you have recorded right there on your TV. You can also of course take your recorded tape out of the camcorder and play it in normal fashion in your VCR. If you want to copy tapes direct from your camcorder you can do that too! Let's say you recorded a family event and want to send each family a copy of the tape - just connect the camcorder directly to your VCR, put a blank tape in the VCR and record right out of your camcorder! Cool, huh!

There is a 4-speed Power Zoom that you control with the easy touch of a button right there next to where you would normally hold the camera. There are no jerky motions as the zoom glides up-close or backs out to a wide angle. You can change the speed of the zoom effect by how hard you push on the button - light touch is slow zoom, and a heavy push will get you there lickity split!~

Another nice feature is the Backlight. Have you ever taken a picture of someone who is in a shadowed area, or who might be standing in front of a bright light? Well this feature will make automatic compensations for the lighting so you see your subject, not darkness or glaring bright spots.

There are just so many more features with this Panasonic Palmcorder! You really do get a lot for your money with this model. The other features include auto focus, manual focus and macro focus (for close-ups), a fade in and fade out option (where your scenes fade in or out to blackness, or with the color digital fade, fade in/out to a color. There is a Digital Electronic Image Stabilization feature ~ Hit the E.I.S. button to help keep your pictures from shuddering or shaking when you are moving the camera during say, live action game play, or following an ice-skater around the rink. If you like to have titles, dates, times on your recordings you will find a wide list of choices ~ you can choose between automatic titles or manual insertions.

I have used this camcorder indoors, outdoors, in ice-rinks, filming out the car window while being driven around, in a room lit only by Christmas tree lights; I have also taken shots "into the sun," when there was no other angle to get the shot from. This camera has made it to school events lots of times as well. We have memories upon memories that we can look back on whenever we want.

When both of our children were born we did not have a camcorder and relied on family to get those special shots of our kids as they started walking, took their first bath, caught their first fish, went off to school. Now we have our own camcorder to capture forever our kids sledding down the hill the dog bounding after thinking their screams meant they were in danger, dragging them off the sleds to save them~! lol We have our Christmas mornings on tape, our little boys growing up, our family get-to-gethers, our Halloween party, anything, anything at all.

Tapes, unlike photos, give you so much more. I still take my photo's, but with a tape I can capture the whole essence of an event, I can capture my boys singing and dancing to songs as they learned them, or singing Christmas carols through the years.

Oh what treasure boxes we already have right there on those little film cassettes. Get a camcorder. Get a Panasonic Palmcorder and start recording all the "so-soon-gone" memories of your life! :o)