Panasonic - DVD Camcorder - Black/Silver

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• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Currently I own and using this model quite freq.

  • Incentivized

  This is a no brainer it takes minie and runs operates and even the battery is excellent. Not only can you film but also take pictures. Now the blimish is have to be in well lit area and have to acceserize example: tripod, extra lighting. Definately useable easy and you can buy 2rw disc @30 min and never run out of flim. Oh yea you can't format a disk from your pc

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  Posted 17 years ago by

• Rated 3 out of 5 stars

  Okay, but could be better

  • Incentivized

  This camcorder is great if you're looking for something easy and quick to use for everyday filming, but the quality is very disappointing. It has an impressive number of features (powerful zoom, image stabilization, still photo capture, wide screen viewing/recording) compared to other cameras in the price range. I have had positive experiences with Panasonic products in the past, so I enthusiastically purchased this model when it first came out, prior to reading any reviews. In hindsight, I wish I had waited and researched it later because I probably would have chosen another camcorder. The far zoom and OIS features work wonderfully, but they don't compensate for the overall poor quality of the video and still photos. Even at the highest resolution recording mode, the video still looks grainy on a 32 inch widescreen TV. I find it necessary to always record at this resolution, but it limits the length of video that will fit on the disc to 10 minutes. The quality of the still photos is even worse. I wasn't expecting super high quality photos, but I had hoped to get decent shots so I wouldn't have to carry a separate digital camera. Unfortunately, the photo quality is unbelievably poor and this feature is not worth using at all. Basic operation of the camera is very simple and easy to learn. However, finalizing and transferring video is not only extremely time-consuming, but a big hassle as well. Video is unplayable on any other device until it is finalized, but the process of finalizing is very slow and requires the unit to be plugged in, which means carrying around cords and the charger unit. The battery can't even be charged during this long process. I installed the software that comes with it on my WinXP computer, but it will not run due to an error, so I must use another program for editing and viewing. The quality of the camera itself seems good, with the exception of the door to the mini DVD compartment. It does not close well at all and pops open at unexpected times. Overall, this is an OK camcorder with many features, but I wish I had either gone with a better quality camera without the features or spent a little more money to get a camera with it all.

  Posted 17 years ago by theiae

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Not bad for the money

  • Incentivized

  Bought this over the weekend and tried it out. The reviews here were a little confusing. some hate it others liked it a lot. Picture quality is about the same as the old vhs recorders maybe a little less quality. The magic pix setting for night time shots is pretty bad. Just as well not advertise that it can record in dark settings. Still for about 400 bucks with the extra battery its not bad. The quality of the recorder itself is pretty good. Seems to be made well. Better read the manual pretty close to make sure you format the disk right. I set it for a VR setting to edit it before playing it on a dvd player and it didn't play on any of my dvd players. So I have to record it on my dvd recorder first then use that dvd to play in my other players. Haven't tried formating to Video setting that doesn't allow editing and see if the 3inch will play on the players then.

  Posted 17 years ago by SAVYSHOP