Panasonic PV-L759 VHS-C Analog Camcorder
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- Camcorder Type: Analog
- Recording Media: VHS-C
- Optical Zoom: 26x
- Weight: 2.4 lb.
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Two Birds With One Stone
Pros
Great technology, very user friendly and tons of great features
Cons
Location of the zoom control
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Bought separately, a camcorder and digital camera could easily top a grand. Get both for a little more than half.
I often wondered why I had to buy a camcorder AND a digital camera to get the job done. Well, I don?t have to wonder anymore, because this camcorder is both. Yes, I know that this combination has been available for awhile now. However, I make impetuous purchases much to the chagrin of my checkbook.
I work in the leading edge of the high tech industry, but I don?t stay current on the consumer stuff. If I did, I would be putting all of my disposable income into updating my gadgets. So, when I finally decided to put the old, full size, Panasonic in the museum and shop around, I was in for some pleasant surprises.
First was price. I paid $599 1985 dollars for my first camcorder. I got this one on sale for $599 2001 dollars. What a difference. This thing records in conditions that would have required a night scope not long ago. The optical zoom is great, and then you go all the way up to 300X with the digital enhancement. The image suffers fairly heavy pixelization at that magnification, and even with the electronic stabilization you need a tripod to get a steady picture. None the less, it is just this side of amazing what you get for your money with this model.
The special effects are great. There is a ton of features on this camera that make it a virtual editing studio. I wish I could elaborate for you, but I haven?t had time to really explore all of the capability. I?m making a video training guide with this thing over the next couple of months, I?ll update this opinion to reflect my findings.
The battery really does last a full two hours. If you use the view finder instead of the 4? screen you?ll squeeze out a little more. The power pack recharges quickly and I like the ?refresh? setting on the charger that extends the life of the battery.
This camera has many really nice touches. The remote control is great. It isn?t just a simple pause/record/stop version either. You can control the zoom, play back, fast forward and rewind as well. I haven?t tried the remote with the digital camera feature yet, but I?ll include that in a later update as well.
Speaking of that digital camera feature, it?s great! The unit comes with an 8 Mb flash memory card that holds hundreds of pictures. There are 12 really nice special occasion slides built in, but don?t delete them or they?re gone forever! The software for information transfer is really nice. It has some nice, although basic, image processing features and is easy to load and use. The quality of the pictures is very good, and with a little practice you can get very close to 35mm quality. For the kind of pictures most people take it?s better than any instamatic I?ve used.
An added benefit that I didn?t expect was that I now take a lot more pictures. The camera is so easy to use and light to carry around that I find myself snapping pictures of just about everything. I?ve recorded more of my kids childhood in the last couple of months that in the last few years.
The one, and only one inconvenience I?ve found is the location of the zoom lens control. I like to keep the view finder folded when using the flip out screen. Well, that control is right under the sowed viewfinder. I find myself popping it up about half way when using the camera. It?s a little awkward, but easily forgiven when considering the total package.
In summary, not only is this a great piece of hardware, but it saves you a ton of money. The VHS-C format is a must. I compare 8mm and digital, and I couldn?t come close to justifying the price. Not to mention that you don?t have to buy another expensive piece of hardware to play back your tapes. I don?t know why 8mm isn?t dead yet, but I predict it will go the way of Beta Max in the near future.
I could go on and on about the remaining myriad details, but the best thing to do is see for yourself. I can?t imagine anyone having a moments regret after purchasing this camcorder!
I work in the leading edge of the high tech industry, but I don?t stay current on the consumer stuff. If I did, I would be putting all of my disposable income into updating my gadgets. So, when I finally decided to put the old, full size, Panasonic in the museum and shop around, I was in for some pleasant surprises.
First was price. I paid $599 1985 dollars for my first camcorder. I got this one on sale for $599 2001 dollars. What a difference. This thing records in conditions that would have required a night scope not long ago. The optical zoom is great, and then you go all the way up to 300X with the digital enhancement. The image suffers fairly heavy pixelization at that magnification, and even with the electronic stabilization you need a tripod to get a steady picture. None the less, it is just this side of amazing what you get for your money with this model.
The special effects are great. There is a ton of features on this camera that make it a virtual editing studio. I wish I could elaborate for you, but I haven?t had time to really explore all of the capability. I?m making a video training guide with this thing over the next couple of months, I?ll update this opinion to reflect my findings.
The battery really does last a full two hours. If you use the view finder instead of the 4? screen you?ll squeeze out a little more. The power pack recharges quickly and I like the ?refresh? setting on the charger that extends the life of the battery.
This camera has many really nice touches. The remote control is great. It isn?t just a simple pause/record/stop version either. You can control the zoom, play back, fast forward and rewind as well. I haven?t tried the remote with the digital camera feature yet, but I?ll include that in a later update as well.
Speaking of that digital camera feature, it?s great! The unit comes with an 8 Mb flash memory card that holds hundreds of pictures. There are 12 really nice special occasion slides built in, but don?t delete them or they?re gone forever! The software for information transfer is really nice. It has some nice, although basic, image processing features and is easy to load and use. The quality of the pictures is very good, and with a little practice you can get very close to 35mm quality. For the kind of pictures most people take it?s better than any instamatic I?ve used.
An added benefit that I didn?t expect was that I now take a lot more pictures. The camera is so easy to use and light to carry around that I find myself snapping pictures of just about everything. I?ve recorded more of my kids childhood in the last couple of months that in the last few years.
The one, and only one inconvenience I?ve found is the location of the zoom lens control. I like to keep the view finder folded when using the flip out screen. Well, that control is right under the sowed viewfinder. I find myself popping it up about half way when using the camera. It?s a little awkward, but easily forgiven when considering the total package.
In summary, not only is this a great piece of hardware, but it saves you a ton of money. The VHS-C format is a must. I compare 8mm and digital, and I couldn?t come close to justifying the price. Not to mention that you don?t have to buy another expensive piece of hardware to play back your tapes. I don?t know why 8mm isn?t dead yet, but I predict it will go the way of Beta Max in the near future.
I could go on and on about the remaining myriad details, but the best thing to do is see for yourself. I can?t imagine anyone having a moments regret after purchasing this camcorder!
