Camcorder Reviews

I am very happy with this digital camcorder. We were looking for a small, light-weight recorder that was easy to use and this is exactly that. It takes nice pictures with quality audio and a very nice range on the zoom. THe battery charges quickly-less than an hour. It's easy to transfer the recording onto a VCR tape. I would highly recommend this to anyone including a mom with 4 children in tow, such as myself. I usually have a toddler on my lap while I'm recording I'm able to hold the Palm-corder easily with one hand.

Bought this digital camcorder 2 weeks ago from amazon.com, the size is amazingly small and very confortable in holding it while shooting. Picture and sound quality are excellent. the 3-way PC LINK is easy to connect and an excellent features that I ever seen. The 3" LCD is very clear and and reduce strain on eye. The digital zoom plays very well and picture is clear and bright. I am pleased with it so far for all the features and will write again once I have more experinece on it.

I buied a handycam panasonic model NV-VZ10.
It is very good.

The Good: We've had our 201 for two years now, and have been happy with the video performance and features. The still cam is weak, but with the specs on it, it's more of a convenience than something one would want to depend on. Perfectly appropriate for the price at the time we bought it. The bad: The hand strap attach point broke off, and the GE extended warranty won't cover what they consider a non-functional part. There are 4 strap attach points, 3 metal, one plastic, and that's the one that let go. Without the hand strap, you'd have to hold the camera with both hands to use it. The case is very thin, and no other physical attachment exists internally. I also found a report of someone buying 8 PV51 cameras (similar to this one), and three of them broke in the exact same place as mine. Still waiting to hear from Panasonic, but I'm betting since it's out of warranty I'm out of luck. And I'm going to cancel my worthless GE warranty policy as well.

when i took it out the box....IT FELT CHEAP
The battery life needs more power. Panasonic has yet to come out with a driver for XP. The still images are compared to a PHD camera (push here dummy). This is a low end model. As far as video goes....i love it. I have had nothing but fun and thrills. If you can get it for...cheaper than list.... it really is a good deal. I would suggest holding out though

Update to previous reviews. The driver for win2000 or winXP is available NOW on panasonic website. With Firewire, WinXP actually detected it and it's plug and play.

I have used this camera for more than 2 years. I LOVE it.

1. There's no gap between clips. Canon ZR shows blue screen on playback every time you hit the pause button when recording - REALLY annoying. This one just stitch the clips together nicely.
2. Transfer to computer with firewire or USB really simple, easy to use. TIPS: you can get firewire card with cable for less than $20 now.
3. Handling is excellent - nice grip, light weight.
4. Long battery life. I was planning to buy a spare and found out no need for it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

man I feal sorry for the one who got theres for $66.00 i would hav given mine to him mine broke the same day i got it, and wal*mart wouldent give me a re-found becou i threw away the box and stuff...... .....................OVER-ALL, this cam, is dead wieght. I boght it to film skateing with me and my friends, and it F#$%ed up the same day I was the damn laghing stalk for the day. so..... take my advise and get the {Samsung Hi8™ Camcorder- SAM SCL906} for $299.00 at circut city or www.circutcity.com

This is probably one of the best electronics I have bought in a while, the only complaint I have on it is you need good light to take pictures or video tape anything, otherwise it comes out fuzzy and slightly blurry. It works great other than that. I already have transfered about 300 pictures onto my computer and have enhanced and printed them out. I would like to have something smaller to take pictures but I am happy w/ what I have until I get some extra $$$ to spend on a small digital camera.

I bought this camera with my money, and i have never been happier with anything else. The resolution is great, its got many effects, and the digital camera works great. One thing I love about the digital camera is that you can hook up the camera to the TV, turn on the digital camera, and play the pictures, creating a slide-show. I really like the way the camcorder part is easy to use; I was able to teach myself how to use it and I'm a first time user. So, it is a great first time use camera.

Pros: Picture quality, Hi8 Playback Capability, Price

Cons: Zoom Control, Image Stabilization, Bottom cassette loading, Handling Comfort, 15x Zoom

While holding out for the cost to come down on DVD camcorders and needing a new camcorder that would play my existing Hi-8s, I went with the backwardly compatable Digital8. The TRV740 appeared to be a solid choice with it's many features and great output quality. But when I first started to use it I was quickly disappointed by the following:

Zoom Control: My previous camcorder was a Canon ES5000 (Hi8). The TRV740's zoom control is awful in comparison with the Canon. It's very difficult to activate the slowest zoom speed as the sliding switch does not move smoothly. 9 times out of 10, you'll go right past the slow speed as the force needed to get the switch moving is much greater than the force to keep the zoom speed steady so an overzoom situation happens. Then you're zooming rapidly and have to slow it down which ruins the slow zoom effect.

"Super" SteadyShot: Huge disappointment here. Electronic stabilizers simply do not compare with optical stabilizers (Canon). It almost seems that when the stabilizer is turned off, Sony added shake to the image so that when the stabilizer is on, it looks better in comparison to when it was "off". Just a silly conspiracy theory to let you know bad it is.

Bottom cassette loading: Did you ever think you'd see a camcorder that had to be removed from a tripod in order to change the cassette? You've got it with this one. Unbelievable.

Handling Comfort: It's a little heavy and not something you want to use for an extended period.

15x Zoom: This is on the low side and the only reason I can imagine that they went with this low of an optical zoom is because of the poor image stabilizer. At 15x, let alone 20x, you need a tripod or it looks like you have some sort of neuro-muscular affliction.

I'll probably keep it to use as a player to backup my Hi-8 collection by playing those tapes to a DVD burner. I recommend looking for something else if you think you'd be bothered by the same things as I am with this camcorder.

This is a great camera, but I wish I had done a little more research before going ahead and purchasing this. The quality is absolutely great. It has the ability to transfer data with the iLink, and the backwards compatibility is also a plus. However, the "digital camera" aspect is pretty poor. If you want to take digital pictures, buy a digital camera. The photo resolution on the still images is horrible and the actual size of it is too small. Also, there are a ton of extra features on the camera that are worked into the price that are never used, like the superimposing is a waste. It you want to do things like that, you probably should look into some editing software.
If I could go back, I would have definatly got a MiniDV camcorder. The quaility is just as good but it's much smaller and more lightweight. After filming for awhile, your arm hurts lugging this monster around. I personally would stick with the Sony brand, only due to the great NightShot feature. If Cannon or Panasonic offered it, I would check them out. However, Sony is the only brand to go with in the ghost hunting buisness...

I bought a Sony DCR TRV740 this summer and have been very pleased with it. It was my second D8 camcorder and is a nice step up from the DCR TR7000 it replaced.

I used the still photo function recently at a boat race and was more than pleased with the results. The high resolution stills come in a 1152x864, which results in a pretty good picture.

Video quality is good. The ccd in the 740 and 840 produces a really nice looking picture.

I can't hear any of the tape drive sound that others claim to hear on their recordings.

The only thing that keeps me from giving it 5 stars is the need to get a larger battery is you plan on shooting much away from a power cord. A larger memory stick is probably in order if you intend to use the still photo feature.

The optics on this camcorder don't make the rich colors I'm used to on my Sony Hi-8 8mm camcorder, but the camera is nice, lightweight and very easy to use. And the battery seems to last forever. DO NOT bother with the still photograph to SD card feature. There is *no* excuse for how bad the picture quality is. Get any cheap digital camera, if you want still pictures.

You can find these for far less than the original US$600 MSRP now, which makes them a good deal...

As an experienced digital camcorder and camera owner, I have
been on the move again. I was recently trying to decide which
digital camcorder to keep. Decisions, decisions. Immediately
after buying the 203, I tried out the new Sony TRV19. I found
that it had some nice Sony features, especially the Carl Zeiss
lens and touch screen LCD. I wish it had at least megapixel
still image quality or at least some type of interpolation. I
then returned to the Panasonic DV203 and have grown to like it a
lot. It offers nice features for the price and the overall
quality is fairly decent.

The Panasonic PAN PVDV203 that I originally, only briefly tried
out is looking better and better for the money.

Admittedly, the Panasonic PV-DV203 has some disadvantages and
might not be the "heavy duty serious" type of digital camcorder
that critical cameraphiles look for, but it has some nice features for the price. The non-glare LED
style light is a plus and it offers SD media
storage for [dollar amount]. There is a the "magic pix" setting for enhanced exposure although it contributes
to slow frame capture. Audio, a hallmark of Panasonic
not always mentioned in camcorder discussions, is superb.

Unfortunately, the low light capability of the Panasonic PV-
DV203 is mediocre in a dark or dimly lit room but quality seems
to improve significantly using the LED light and/or Magic Pix
feature. I still need to use this camcorder under a lot of
different conditions to get a much better idea as to its
capabilities. Initial reaction is that Sony optics in particular
are definitely superior. Whether that justified the price
difference is another matter and a very subjective decision. I
will be doing a lot of outdoor shooting shortly, but of course
that is optimal for most digital cameras and camcorders.

One of the major disadvantages is mainly the "interpolation"
instead of "real" megapixel still imaging. You can definitely
see the difference.

A web designer I work with who is very experienced with digital
photography pointed out to me that low light video is usually
not that great with many camcorders and that the low or zero lux
features available on some are a nice and important feature only
if you happen to shoot in very dark or non-lit areas. After
examining and handling it, he also noted that the Panasonic
DV203 has some nice features and that suggested that I should
use it extensively rather than prejudging it by constantly

looking for slight advantages or disadvantages. It does offer a
lot of functionality and I guess I am not going to find the
"perfect" digital camcorder in this price range. The bottom line
is that I need to get used to it, enjoy it and explore its
versatility, which is significant. It would also be nice,
... I am now leaning toward keeping this camcorder....

I purchased this digital camcorder on May 4th to be used primarily for family events. After an exhausting two hours or so reading all the reviews on the Sony, JVC and Panasonic MiniDV camcorders I decided on this one.

I am not a photographer or videographer, just a father of a two month old baby boy who wants to record special events. So far, I am very happy with this camcorder. I can't compare this camera's performance to the Sony or JVC in real world experience, but I can't see how they could be any better. Interior recording, even in low light, plays back very nicely - even on a 52" projection TV which highlights imperfections. The recording was comparable to a DVD movie!

The MagicPix low-light recording feature is not very useful in my opinion. The framerate is slowed down so much and there is a LOT of motion blur. My friend has a Sony Digital8 camera with Nightshot and that is a far superior low light recording capability. However, I don't plan on shooting many scenes in complete darkness so this is a moot point.

After two weeks of ownership, the only thing that annoys me about this product is that the battery must be remvoed from the camera to use the AC adapter. If you plug the camera into the battery charger while the battery is charging, it will stop charging the battery until the camera is unplugged.

In a nutshell, as a family man wanting to record special events, this camera is awesome. The Electronic Image Stabilization feature will let you record anything without all the wibble-wobble and is HIGHLY effective compared to the other brands. The images are sharp and colors crisp. I'm extremely pleased!

IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE PC CONNECTION CABLE AND DRIVER SOFTWARE AS TARGET IS ADVERTISING IN THE DESCRIPTION. WHEN YOU GET THE CAMERA YOU ARE STUCK WITHOUT A WAY TO CONNECT IT TO YOUR COMPUTER, AND YOU HAVE TO BUY YOUR OWN CARTRIDGE BEFORE YOU CAN USE THIS. IT NEEDS SOFTWARE THAT IS NOT INCLUDED. I HAVE TRIED FOR TWO DAYS TO CONTACT PANASONIC AND ORDER OR FIND THE SOFTWARE NEEDED, HELD FOR OVER AN HOUR TWICE AND SENT TWO EMAILS TO THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT STILL HAVE NOT BEEN ANSWERED. SAVE YOURSELF THE TROUBLE I HAVE GONE THROUGH - FIND ANOTHER CAMERA.

For a while, my friends and I have been searching for a digital camcorder to make movies with. We had one already but it was...bad...to say the least. We needed something new.

I got this camcorder and absolutely love it. The picture quality and sound quality is amazing. I can now record at a crisp, clear 720*480 resolution.

Another pro: the zoom is amazing. Don't believe it when it says 800x zoom because that's just false, but if you turn the digital zoom down to 50x, the quality still remains almost the same as optical zoom.

Within minutes after I opened it, I had transfered a video onto my computer using windows movie maker, and saved it as an avi. All you need is a firewire cable (which I bought at the time I bought the camera).

I can't think of any cons for this camera because it has exceeded my expectations in every way.

You can also transfer videos from your computer back on to the camera using the firewire cable, and then record them onto VHS tapes.

I've been looking for a camcorder for several months, and have been comparing prices and features both on the web and in the stores. Based on my needs I was looking for the biggest bang for my buck. I saw this Panasonic PV-GS9 Palmcorder for $349 that included an extra free, longer life battery. I couldn't go wrong.

My needs were simple. I wanted something palm-size, and this fits the bill. It doesn't take still digital photos, but I already have 2 digital cameras. It will, however, allow you to snap single photos on the tape, which you can transfer to PC, as opposed to a Secure Digital card that the more expensive models have. It has a USB connection, a firewire connection, and an analog audio/video connection. The cable is provided for the latter, but not the first two. You can use the USB connection to allow the camcorder to be used as a web cam, but you will need software for that. I hooked up the analog connection to a USB Pinnacle Studio USB box I have, and it worked great. My Pinnacle Studio v.8 transferred the clips on the tape. You can save to CD or to your PC. I then tried a firewire cable connected to my laptop. Instantly, Windows Movie Maker opened up and automatically rewound the tape, then it transferred the movie, and allowed me to edit it, and save it as a WMV file. I use WinXP, which requires nothing else to work. You will need to download some drivers if you have Windows 98.

I have not tried the connection to the TV yet, but will soon. It works great in low light situations. It has a stereo zoom microphone. I could not hear any motor noise in my playback on the PC. Sound was crisp and clear, and the full screen video was crystal clear and very sharp. Depending on how hard you touch the zoom button, you can make the picture zoom in as slow or as fast as you want.

It comes with no editing software or cables, except for the AV cable. But then I didn't need anything extra, as I already had all the hardware and software I needed. It does not come with any digital tapes, so you will have to buy those. It comes with a Li-Ion battery and charger, and a cable to allow you to use the camcorder while plugged into the charger. In fact it is suggested you do that while hooked up to the PC to prevent battery drainage. Battery charging is very quick. The manual has 82 pages, is for this model and three other models, and is packed with information; and for my age, I need reading glasses to see all the small print and illustrations. It has Image Stabilization, but no remote control. The 2.5 inch digital viewfinder is very clear and easy to see, even with these "aged" eyes. The camcorder has an easy to use menu button, which is accessible when the digital viewfinder is opened.

For my needs, it is perfect. I love it, am very happy with it, and expect to get a lot of use out of it. Even with the tiny print in the manual, I still give it all 5's.

Here's a nice piece of hardware that was sabotaged by Panasonic's software division. It's hard to believe that,in this era of video file type proliferation, Panasonic could have produced MPEG2 files that are incompatable with practically all video editing software on the market. Panasonic provides a conversion and editing program called "MediaStage". It's practically worthless. It's simultaneously elementary and obscure. If you are comfortable with MS Windows and then open MediaStage to run the program, you'll be stunned at how disconnected software developers can be with users. The only conversion available for MPEG2 files (in .MOD and .MOI format, no less) is to MPEG4 or to WMV. What a pity.
Maybe one of these days some software developer will produce some decent software that can edit these strange d-snap files.
I asked Panasonic, but they couldn't recommend any software to me. The joke's on me.

The camera works as advertised, but I couldn't find any software that could convert the .mod files to something useful. Even the software that comes with it fails to convert the files to a standard format. I have a new XP Pro desktop, and Windows Media Player, Roxio Video Wave Movie Creator, and Windows Movie Maker do not play the files, convert the files or burn the files. Neither does the software that comes with it. I contacted Panasonic, and they said, "We appreciate your frustration. However, Panasonic does not offer software that will allow you to convert the mod.
files. At this time we will relieve ourselves from any further e-mail correspondence regarding this matter." The software that comes with the Product is advertised to convert the files and it does have Panasonic's name on it. That aside, I did find Ulead VideoStudio 7, which can burn the files to DVD. The quality isn't horrible. It will only burn the highest quality video which looks 'ok' on my tv. This means that I can only get 10 minutes of video per 512 MB SD Card. The fact that the SD Cards used by the camera are not standard should be emphasized. You cannot just use any SD Card. Please, do yourself a favor and keep looking for a better choice. This camera is definitely not ready for market.

i shoot quite a bit of video, and i really like not having to use tape... you can get a cheap hard drive-based digital wallet with an sd slot to copy the av100 sd card contents into while you are shooting with a second sd card... no need to ever have more than two sd cards, and you can shoot all day without having to unload the digital wallet.

do not use the software that came with the av100, instead, at the end of the shoot, just plug the digital wallet into your pc via the usb cable, where it appears as just another hard drive... copy the .mod files onto your local hard drive, and rename them as .mpg's... there is nothing to convert, and you can burn the .mpg's directly to dvd.

the av100 is a bit difficult to handle because of the small size, and no tripod mount hole, but surprisingly, it has options for manual controls, and it even has digital image stabilization... along with the mpeg2 recording, you can't get all those features in any other camera on the market today.

improvements i'd like to see would include a bigger ccd pickup, this isn't a camera you get for shooting stills or for shooting video in low light... it's built to serve as a video camera, get a cheap digital still camera if still shots is what you want... the current crop of these types of cameras proves that trying to combine both video and still functions into one camera will result in too many compromises of either one or both functions.

Please sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/osxmicmv/ requesting Sony support this camera (and other MicroMV camcorders) on Mac OS X.

This is a great camcorder, but it is impossible to use because you cannot get the video onto your Mac. For those of you that use a PC for video editing (yeah, right...) and don't mind using Sony's proprietary Movie Shaker program to do your editing instead of something like Premier (again, yeah, right), you will find this camera wonderful. But for the rest of us, Sony needs to take steps to open up this format or support the camcorder on the most popular digital video platform (Mac).

This camera seemed ideal for my needs and although I spend most of my time in Europe I opted for an NTSC format as I know that I am able to access this format in Europe whereas I cannot access PAL in the US, thus it being much more universal.

I bought this camera and after 40 days it developed a fault. I contacted Sony Service Centre in London, who after keeping it for 5 weeks explained that they could not repair NTSC Models in the UK and I would have to send it to the US for repair. I suggested that they should do that but no. I returned to the US and took the camera to one of their service centres who said that I would have to pay $216 labour charges as it was now over 90 days old.
After a great deal of hassle they eventually agreed to give me a work order to have this charge waived. I then sent it to Sony in PA and although I have been informed that it has been repaired I still am awaiting its return over 6 months after purchase. Just be sure you realise that the 12 month warranty only applies to parts, the labour warranty is 90 days, it is in the small print but easily overlooked. This review may not be helpful to everyone but if one person is helped then great.

In a nutshell, the major issue with the IP55 is the small trade-off of video quality versus size.

Mind you, you're getting by far one of the smallest video cameras on the market, with all the camcorder features you'd expect in a larger model. However, its only major limitation in my eyes is the video quality.

Regardless, it's still very impressive. In all my use of it, the only thing that bugs me is the slow autofocus. That's it. I can only tell the video quality issues when compared side by side with the TRV50, but after converting to DVD there's little difference between the two.

MicroMV isn't a hard format to handle once you get it converted to the MOV format. To do this you need Quicktime Pro 5 (Quicktime Pro 6 doesn't work), which Sony should've bundled with it. Simply open your MMV file in Quicktime, select Save As, and save it as a MOV. Load it into Premiere or whatever video editing software you like and away you go, no other issues to speak of. I've successfully edited my videos using a variety of programs, so don't let the MicroMV format put you off.

Quibbles aside, the best bit of owning the IP55 is when you pull it out of the case (which, incidently, is the size of a regular camera case, not a camcorder). You can't beat the wow factor.

My husband and I purchased this Camcorder and recorded our sons birth, which worked fine for the taping, but when we played it back the camera would not rewind and when we played it on the TV there was nothing but lines through the picture. We sent the tape to Samsung who said the tape could not be recovered and the camera was "off line" and could not be fixed. The tape of our sons birth is now bascially worthless. So we returned the camcorder and purchased another one just like it. It worked for 2 months and now when you play back the tape, the picture is all encrypted and the sound is nothing but static! Samsung camcorders are junk!!!

Not only did this camera exceed my expectations, but after shopping around, got it for a great price. The zoom and DIS are excellent, and the power nite pix is really cool. Pictures onto the memory stick aren't anything special, but I wasn't buying a camcorder to take pictures anyway. The size is very manageable, and hooking it up via the USB was a snap. The menus become easy to use after you get use to them, and some of the 'quick' buttons let you access functions even faster. The cassette insertion is actually pretty neat, and assuming you're not retarded, you shouldn't have a problem.

Just bought this camcorder after A LOT of research...and couldn't be happier. It is very simple to use, and the manual is an easy read. The still pics are a little grainy...but we don't plan to use it for that purpose. The microphone picks up wonderful sound and the movie images are crisp and clean. Be careful, there is no memory stick included for still pictures, so you need to buy it. We have had no problems with the battery, although we will buy another one to have on hand for vacations, etc. If you're looking for a great camera, at a great price, this has it all!

I purchased this Sony camcorder assuming that it is the best non-digital available. Picture quality is poor. My old VHS full tape Samsung camcorder delivers a much better picture quality. I complained to a Sony authorized center in Michigan, with no hope. I'm so sad for the non-repeatable moments (graduation party and two trips) that I captured using this poor quality camcorder. I wrote an email to Sony's customer service, and did not receive a response yet.

The camera has a sharp LCD, nice features, excellent sound recordingand night shot.

What is wrong with the door mechanism??? I have had mine serviced (and payed for labor) TWICE for the same problem. two weeks after th second repair it stopped loading the tape again. Everything else still works, but what good is it to not be able to record or view tapes on it. I stoped throwing money at SONY, for this product. Next one I buy will be a different brand.

I purchased this camera shortly after it appeared on the market. It has served me very well. It is easy to operate, and stands up well to rough and tumble use. I have used it on ocean beaches[sand], in hot air balloons[sometimes hard landings] in private planes[vibrations],taping summer event[extreme heat] and it works just fine. I have owned Sony products in the past and found them to be a wonderful consumer product.

As a point of reference, I have used apx. 150 full tape in this camcorder with perfect results.

This camcorder is no longer available, but if you can find a good clean used one , I say "go for it'.