Review: This Panasonic NV-GS17B MiniDV is a great little camcorder. Although almost the bottom of the panasonic mini-dv range it appears to have all the important features of its more expensive stablemates without the frills. (no memory card slot or usb cables/software supplied, mono chrome viewfinder)
Firstly, in normal daylight filming the picture quality is incredible for an entry level camcorder although its low light ability is not that special. The (semi-)manual low light setting improves things. (this camcorder has no extra subject illumination facilities or cold shoe for an add on movie light).
In full auto mode it's capable of providing 95% of your everyday filming needs. Colour balance and auto focus seem accurate although there are extensive manual facilies to suit most needs.(don't be fooled by what looks like a knurled focus ring around the lens, it's just for show) The 24x variable optical zoom is a knock out! I recently filmed a pair of souring buzzards and was able to keep them in almost full frame. Incredible. If you want a capable "holiday" camcorder with the ability to go a bit further when special conditions arise I thoroughly recommend this little Gem.Pros
-very, very good picture quality for price (for both sharpness and colour)
-accurate autofocus
-excellent optical zoom (I don't use digital zoom)
-full manual control on focus, shutter, iris, gain, white balance.
-compact and light weight
-doesn't come with any useless cables and software (see cons) cons
-you have to read the manual because most features are controlled by the thumb joystick and one other button.
-Low light (60 watt bulb room light) picture quality just acceptable.
-You'll need to buy a data cable and software to edit on your PC (an AV cable is supplied) I bought a basic 4-6 pin firewire cable and a £6 firewire PCI card and use PowerDirector for down loading and editing and burning onto DVD. There is no noticable loss of quality when playing the DVD on 28" TV.(That should be in the "pros" above!) |
Digital Cameras
