Camcorder Reviews

This camcorder has many good control designs and it is excellent in recording DV footage. However the digital still photos onto SD cards function lacks any High-Res performance. Photos will seem spotty. If you want great digital pictures better buy a 3 mega pixel digital camera instead. The Cam's VCR play back directional pad, the zoom slider, record button, menu button & its switch ...all contribute to the cam's easy functionality. The cam I bought came right out of the box with 5 bad dead red/green pixels on its side LCD panel. I had to sent it to repairs within the week. Panasonic service at Elgin, IL took over a little over 3 months to get it repaired. Some what irratating...and poor service. The unit is repaired now and works properly. I highly recommed to get a service plan on it. Make sure it works right with in 90 days. Its a cool cam but sure wish it had a image motion stablizer.

This has to be the greatest item I have ever laid my hands on and thats saying alot since I'm a multimillionaire with everything that I want. There is not a better camera available in the world.

We bought this in a store where they had scores of camera plugged in and you could scan around with all of them. This one consistently had the most natural color and exposure... even better than some very expensive ones (of course you can't always say what adjustments have been goofed up on some of the display cameras) After using the camera for a week or so we find that that indoors the video is nearly on a par with broadcast quality. You would never suspect is was a home video. It's very clean and properly exposed. Low light performance is also very good if you employ the Magicpix digital effect.

Outdoors it is also quite good but, being a bit more challenging, you might be able to tell it's not the travel channel you're watching (but it's still very good)

Now here's the bad news.
The optical image stbilizer is OK but you do stil have to be very careful to get good video. It does not iron out the bigger shakes like the electronic ones do. So I am not so thrilled with the stabilizer.

Still pictures, if you care, are good 1M pics but nothing more. They are useful.

Surprise! The lens is mismarked and will not accept 43mm filters or auxiliary lenses. In fact it won't accept ANY filters because it is 50mm (not 49 and not 52) and therefore non-standard. So you can forget about getting a wide angle lens for it. This is a problem for us... No polarizer, no wide angle lense. So, at this point we are not sure we'll keep the camera.. even though we have been favorably impresed with the basic quality.

Just to correct previous reviewer: how to attach 43mm filter or add-on lens (from the manual):
"When you want to attach a Tele Conversion Lens (not supplied) or a Wide Conversion Lens (not supplied), be sure to first remove the lens Hood by turning it counterclockwise."
I removed lens Hoood, attached 43mm filter and putted Hood back.

PD-DV952 is a great camcorder. I tried it once, and the image quality was exellent. I suggest you buy this since it's really cheap considering the the fact that it's a 3CCD camcorder. Buy this and you won't regret it.

I recently did A LOT of research for a high-end camcorder.

This was the winner. After trying many 2 ccd products from Sony and Canon--both good, this camcorder just had more of the goods. Being a 3 ccd camcorder, the colors and sharpness are EXCEPTIONAL. You can film a professional documentary with this one.

The only problem with all the camcorders under $3k, you'll have problems filming in low light. The low-light features in the Panasonics, Sonys, and Canons is substandard, so don't believe the MARKETING that they can film at night in color--that war footage green low-light tints, etc aren't really pragmatic. Consider these cams for use only in good light conditions.

I took the Panasonic to Hawaii and worked flawlessly. Get the bigger Panasonic branded lithium-ion battery and you'll have more than enough juice for 3 days of regular filming thru the big lcd screen (which is better than competitors).

Controls are intuitive and easy to use as well. It may be a little bit more bulky than the 2 ccd Sony palmcorders (though of similar weight), but MARKEDLY smaller than the other 3 ccd competitors. If you're an enthusiast, then this cam offers the best in terms of price, features (3ccd!), and size.

Since all cams are not really pocketable (avoid the buggy Sony micro Dvs), don't only think in size.....you'll need a camera bag on vacations REGARDLESS of size (you'll need the spare battery, 2 filters, wide angle lens).....skimping on these goods will cut your filming experience when you get to your computer to edit--I learned this lesson the hard way--so don't skimp on these items........get a Lowe camera backpack which worked as a day pack and camera pack.

This is one exceptional camera that will give me many years of service!

Panasonic out did themselves by releasing two 3CCD camcorders below the $1000 price point (the other being the PV-GS200). No other consumer DV cam boasts 3CCDs, and the difference in image quality really shows. Getting a similar image quality from any other brand of DV cam requires spending at least $1500. The only reason I gave this camcorder 4 stars instead of 5 is because the battery life is far too short. Even with an extra battery, this camcorder beats out everything in the same price range from Canon, Sony, JVC, etc.

I payed for half of my camcorder which came to be about $450 with the extra batteries and wires you needed to get for the camera. I'm only 13 so $450 is a lot to spend for me but it was well worth it. I'll tell you what I wanted to know about a camera in a review before I bought one...
-the zoom is good, not as good as some of the other models in the store but it is also not as shaky.
-it has a zoom mic which allows you to shoot someone talking from far awa distances without them having to talk much louder then usual for the camera to pick up the sound.
-the pictures is what you pay for in a 3CCD camera. there is one chip for red, one for green, and one for blue. This makes the imagery OUTSTANDING.
-The camera is comfortable in my small hands and my dad's big hands... all you need to do is adjust the strap on it for it to fit our hand perfectly.
-i must be honest... the bad things about it is the battery life on the battery it comes with is only fourty five minutes but if you buy an extened battery it is 1 hour and 15 minutes and if you use both that adds up to about 2 hours of filming time.
-I also don't like that it doesn't come with a light but magic pix is sometimes helpful if you are shooting at a still object in the dark but it slows down the pixels so much that if you move it it could be very blurry, still, with a tripod it could be useful.
-i like the easy mini DV format. Some people are now saying that it's beyond in technology but realy... if you want to edit your tape then you have to get mini DV's... they're not hard to use and they are less expensive. You'll have to plan on shooting a perfect film with a DVD camcorder.
-the manuel tells you all of the things hiden inside of your camera like cinema mode, spotlight mode, sports mode, low-light mode so you can use he camera to it's full potential.
-overall i really was very happy with this camera and i am sure i am forgetting something but i hope my review was helpful to you.

This is the second Panasonic camcorder that I have bought in the last 4 years and my first MiniDV camcorder. I was trying to choose between the Sony DCR-HC20 and this model. Both retail for the same price and there were some reasons I chose this one over the Sony:
1. This camcorder has 24x zoom while the Sony has only a 10x zoom.
2. There were many reviews about the problems with the Sony's touch screen especially when viewing it outside in broad daylight.
3. I have read some reviews that the included software with the Sony is very difficult to use and install.
4. The Sony camcorder has no photoshot button or memory card, the Panasonic has both. The Panasonic photoshot allows you to capture low-res (640x480) digital still pictures with the touch of a button.
5. The viewfinder on the Sony is Black and White; the Panasonic has a color viewfinder.
6. The Sony has an included 1-hour battery. This model has a 3-hour battery included instead.

It was for these 6 reasons I went with the Panasonic instead of the Sony. After using the camcorder now for 2 weeks I have found out some drawbacks that I previously did not know about:
1. The included software for the Panasonic can only be used to edit STILL images NOT movie images. If you want to edit the movie images you have to buy additional software and a firewire cable. Also be careful if you have Windows 2000 because the optional Panasonic movie editing software is not compatible with Win2K.
2. The Panasonic has no in-camera movie editing capabilities. You can dub the movie to VHS tape but that is about it. You cannot copy a VHS or VHS-C to MiniDV by using this camera as you can with the Sony model. Also, the Sony camera is able to control most VCRs in order to make editing easier if you don't have a PC.
3. The supplied USB cable that comes with the Sony allows you to stream the movie onto a PC whereas the USB cable that comes with the Panasonic cannot do this. The Panasonic USB cable only allows you to copy the STILL images from the SD card or a STILL movie image, NOT the movie itself. With the Panasonic if I wanted to copy the movie to my PC and then burn a Video CD, for example, I would have to buy a firewire cable, and additional software. On the other hand, right out of the box the Sony can do this with the INCLUDED software and the included USB cable.
4. The supposed Panasonic 1.3 second "Quick Start" actually keeps the camera in "Standby" mode and uses quite a lot of battery power. I actually had this mode on for 4 hours and when I finally used the camera I was only able to shoot for 18 minutes before changing batteries. Be careful using this. In any case the camcorder comes on rather quickly without it.

Other than the 4 reasons mentioned above the Panasonic does have a lot of nice features such as the 24x zoom, the zoom mic, the MagicPix function, wind noise reduction and a Soft Skin Mode. I would say that overall I am pleased with the picture quality and sound of the movies I have made with this camera. For the price of this camcorder I would say it is well worth the money, provided you can live without the 4 things I have mentioned previously. If you are willing to spend an extra $100 you could buy decent Movie Editing software and a firewire cable, thus closing the gap on the two camcorders. Although, if you were going to spend another $100 anyway you could buy a Sony DCR-HC30 which has most of the features the HC20 lacks, such as digital still images and a color viewfinder; it still has a 10x zoom, but no camcorder is perfect, right?

This is the first camcorder I have bought in 10 yrs - my Sony 8mm finally died. I have had the camera about 1 month and have shot in various conditions and settings. Overall, I am extremely happy with my purchase, and have only a few nitpicky wishes. I don't intend for this to be a long expert review, just my impressions to help you shop. Some comments:

VALUE: This is a great buy for price/performance. I think I got more than I paid for. I love features but I'm not rich enough to pay for perfection. I had planned on the $400-$600 range based on reviews, hands-on at Sears, etc. Sony has the night-shot (which I really would have liked) but I didn't like the touch screen LCD. Canon 65/75/85 units did not seem as user-friendly to me.

Zoom: The 24x optical is SPECTACULAR. Turn the digital zoom off unless you are on a tripod and have very good full-spectrum lighting, then only 50x. Hard to hold still at 20x and above, even with stabilization. The variable speed zoom control is easy to use and easy to control the speed.

Sound: Built-in zoom mic picked up chirping of little birds over the sound of waves at the beach. Little to no motor noise. If you are shooting and talking, your voice is somewhat muddled. I'm sure an ext. mic would improve sound.

Picture: Colors seem very true to my non-expert eyes with default settings. Better (not just brighter) light makes better video. In imperfect outdoor light, colors not very saturated using auto WB. I will try some adjustments for clouds/fog or filtered sun. Auto WB mode is pretty good indoors, incandescent or flourescent. LED light is useful only within 4-5 ft depending on ambient light. There are 2 LED light modes, one with slower shutter and one with normal. LED can also be used with MagicPix, but I don't think it would help much. MagicPix is for very slow scenes in low light, although zooming or motion may produce interesting psychadelic effects.

Controls: The new model no longer has the menu wheel; a menu button is placed inside the viewfinder door. You use a 5-key directional pad (which doubles as the VCR control) to navigate menus. Simple enough, but defintely a 2-handed task now - you cannot hold still enough to change menu options while filming. There is no one-button toggle to show/hide the date in your recorded video. Other than that, controls are intuitive and relatively simple. Zoom control is great. During VCR playback, zoom button controls volume from the tiny (but adequate) speaker. When playback is paused, zoom button acts as a single-frame jog wheel (nice feature, but slow). VCR searching is too fast for my taste, but still usable. In recording mode, there is a handy "check" button to review the last 2-3 seconds of video.

Photos: 640x480 good only for e-mail or monitor, otherwise worthless to me except in an emergency. The included 8mb SD card holds roughly 45 pix in fine mode. You can snap a photo live or from already-recorded scenes.

Ease of use: My wife is technophobic, so if she can operate it, it passes the test. She shot a few minutes of video using all automatic options and seems comfortable with it. I can fiddle with options when I choose, or shoot in auto if I want. Most people will be fine operating 1-handed. I was most comfortable using 2 hands, right hand close to right shoulder to minimize bending wrist backward. Boot-up time is very fast, 3-4 seconds without using quick-start feature, <2 sec with.

Battery: Included charger charged the battery in 1 hr 15 minutes, which lasts for almost 1 hour of shooting video, plus playing with features, light, playback, etc. I will get another battery sometime, useful for vacation or long events.

This is my first camcorder and I think this RCA is so cool! It is extremley user friendly, excellent color, and excellent video quality. I thought I would have to spend $1000.00 to get this kind of quality. I would highly recommend this product!

I purchased this camcorder for my Mother for Mother's Day. She found it extremely easy and practical to use. We made tons and tons of home movies and sent them to the rest of our family. It helped us all connect more. We've had this camcorder now for 2 years, and it still works well for us everytime there's something we never want to forget.

it is one of the best cameras I have ever seen. I'd defintaly give this camcorder a try if you want to treasure family moments.

Looking for an entry level cam corder that will not break your budget; this is it. It has some wonderful functions such as digital effects and though it can be shaky if you do not really steady it with a tripod or by holding it firmly this little gem is a great first time camera. It is incredibly light and to make shooting possibilities even more enticing comes with a remote control unlike its 249.oo junior. Otherwise these cameras are identical.

Sharp VLA111U 8mm Viewcam is a good buy. A friend gave me a Sharp Viewcam as a gift and I'm really satisfied with the features and functionality of the product. It is comparable with other brands such as Canon and Sony. Everything else is okay except for the weight. I wish it can be a bit lighter though.

its it the best camara in the worlde. iloove it so muchh

I like this charger, very small and portable. Sony shoud sell a extra battery / charger combo. I sure recommend it for taking vacations.

This charger takes up minimal space. The prongs for plugging into the wall fold in preventing snags. Excellent design. It also charges your spare battery in minimal time.
Highly recommend.

Very nice and convenient but a little dim past 10 feet or so.

I've used this light a lot since purchasing it and it has worked well in most situations that would cause chroma noise in dark environments. Use little battery power but is surprisingly bright in short range shooting, say up to max 10 ft. Combine with a Sony camcorder's Program mode for Sunset/Twilight and you can get good, clean and decently lit video.