Combining top-of-the-line features with affordability, the Panasonic PV-GS200 camcorder will help you achieve professional results with easy to use tools. This MiniDV camcorder features a 3CCD optical system for improved video clarity, 10x optical zoom, pop-up flash, manual focusing ring, 2.3-megapixel digital stills, and Secure Digital memory card slot.
Optics
The PV-GS200 incorporates same type of 3CCD imaging system used in PanasonicÕs professional camcorders, which results in vivid, true-to-life imagery with remarkable depth and presence. The PV-GS200 has three 760K CCDs for a total 2.3-megapixel resolution. It also boasts a Leica Dicomar lens, which has become known for its ability to capture and finely render the most delicate nuances of light and shade.
It features a 10x optical zoom lens and a 700x digital zoom for amazingly clear close-ups--from wide angle to full telephoto zoom. The PV-GS200 also has a Macro Zoom feature, which lets you shoot extreme close-ups at distances as close as 40cm (16 inches).
3CCD System
A 3CCD system uses an imaging system where the incoming light is split into its red, green, and blue parts (RGB) and captured on three separate CCD arrays. Each R/G/B signal has a full pixel resolution, resulting in a horizontal resolution three times higher than a typical camcorder's single CCD.
Digital Stills
In addition to shooting video, the PV-GS200 can also capture digital still images up to 1760 x 1320 pixels--large enough to print 8 x 10-inch print enlargements. They are stored to the Secure Digital (SD)/MultiMedia (MMC) memory card slot--an 8 MB SD card is included. The Direct Mode Dial can be used in digital still mode lets you quickly select the desired digital camera mode, such as Record, Playback, Card Record, or Card Playback.
More Features
- 2.5-inch LCD
- Soft Skin Detail function detects the different skin tones being recorded and softens the focus to create a realistic blend
- MPEG-4 Movie mode lets you easily transfer MPEG-4 video clips with audio to a PC to create clip libraries and presentations, attach to an e-mail, or add to your Web site
- Webcam functionality
- Manual focusing ring on lens
- Pop-up flash for lighting digital still photos
- MagicWire wired zoom control and narration microphone
MiniDV Format
MiniDV is the preferred format for personal and broadcast-quality video, and it is highly regarded for its high audio and image quality. With up to 540 lines of horizontal resolution and minimum color noise, MiniDV delivers a 2 percent clearer picture than analog camcorder formats. This is all delivered on a cassette that's 1/12th the size of a standard VHS tape. A MiniDV tape offers digital recording time of 2 full hours--20 times the capacity of a CD.
The 2.5-inch LCD screen can be opened a full 120 degrees away from the camcorderÕs body, making it easier to view motion images as theyÕre being captured.
The Quick Start feature enables the PV-GS55 to begin taping 1.3 seconds after turning the power on so those unexpectedÊmoments wonÕt be missed.ÊAfter pressing the Quick Start button, the camcorder will bring up the previous settings that you were shooting with--even if they were manually entered.
The MPEG-4 Movie mode lets you easily transfer MPEG-4 video clips with audio to a PC to create clip libraries and presentations, attach to an e-mail, or add to your Web site.
1 Turn off the Digital Zoom to get better EIS
The Digital Zoom is just useless for most camera! It is just a marketing sick joke. Turn off that stupid Digital Zoomm then your EIS will work a lot better ( try not to zoom all the way to 10X). If you need to get closer to the object then try to use a telephoto lense converter ( may be around $99 for a decent one). Over all I think this camera is doing very well! I would definately recommend it! Video quality is superb! Still camera is not bad if you need a quick shot at something. The user manual is a real joke though but the menu is very easy to use. Thing you may need beside the camcorder:
- IEEE cable
- Adobe Premier
You will not be disappointed! At lest i didn't.
The new PV-GS250 has the Optical I.S. so you may want to look at it as well. But to me, the PV-GS200 is very good you just have to get use to it.
2 Don't buy it for the computer program.
The Panasonic PV-GS200 is a great camera as all the other reviewers have mentioned. Don't buy this camera for the computer program, DV Studio3. I have Win XP Home and installed the software that was included with the camera. I have yet to find out how it works as the program freezes as soon as you start it. I get the splash screen and that's it. I usually have to use the task manager to shut down the program. I contacted Panasonic via their website and after two weeks, have not received a response (not even an acknowledgement that they received my question). Camera is great but the program is the pits. -- Update: Finally got a response from Panasonic (three weeks). They recommended I use Windows Movie Maker to download the video. That worked.
3 Panasonic GS200
First off......why are all concerned about low light capabilities....most cameras are lowsy without some sort of external bulb. I had a GL2 which i recently sold because i no longer need to documentaries, and that camera needed an external light. Also the image stabilization is a joke. Like recent reviews. If you want perfection on screen then use a tripod and remote. Usually using the zoom won't keep you steady anyway. The GL2 had a powerful zoom but was shaky when held by hand. Gl2 is an awesome Prosumer camera. But thats what its for, a semi professional who is using it for non home use. The Panasonic GS200 is a superb below 1000 bucks small compact camera that is comparable in 3CCD video clarity as the GL2. I give the GS200 3 thumbs up. Those extra little features are for movie makers people, not Joe Schmo who is videoing his daughters sweet 16 and making a momento for future reference.
4 Finally I bought the GS200
After months of looking around, We had to opt out of 3 Camcorders, the SONY DHRC40, Canon Optura 40 and the Panasonic GS200. And we went for the later one.
November 12th 2004:
As the Camcorder is only 2 days old, I will post the Initial Review and Add to it later.
Factors in Making us buy this camcorder:
1) 3 CCD, its not a hype.
2) Compact Size, and in fact the camcorder is really small and nice.
3) One can edit the voice later on when doing the Playback, I loved this option.
PROS:
1) It comes with a Remote like external mike and stuff, which has zoom controls and all needed buttons to operate the Camcorder, Excellent.
2) The Remote is wonderful
3) Night Shots are wonderful.
4) the Mic is big and is on the Front of the Camcorder, Voice Recording is wonderful.
CONS:
1) The Manual is very lousy.
2) EIS not effective when Camcorder on Full Zoom.
December 6th:
PROS:
1) The Camcorder records really well during the Night.
2) The day light recording easily surpasses any camcorder in this range.
3) Very Decent Battery life.
4) Decent features like the Cinema Mode, Timed Recording.
5) During Zero lux(no Light) it lets the LCD to become a sorce of light.
CONS:
1) Again, the manual is very lousy. Do not expect any help from it.
2) As my laptop does not have a IEEE1394 port, transferring Video to my PC aint possible. I have ordered a $40 PCMCIA card and a cable on Bizrate and will finally be able to transfer video.
3) PANASONIC doe not provide a Firewire Cable for connection to PC.
And again, because the manual does not have any word of how to connect it the computer, It took me some time to figure all this out.
5 Great camcorder, excellent video
After a great deal of research, I decided to buy this camcorder. This is really an awesome piece producing vivid and life-like colors. I personally compared videos shot from popular models like Sony DCRHC40, JVC GRD90, Canon ZR90 and Panasonic PV-GS200. The built-in 3 CCDs in GS200 rocks and the difference is easily visible and of almost broadcast quality.
I have no complaints about the image stabilizer. It performs as good as the other make/models I have tested, if not better.
Pros:
1. Video quality & color reproduction.
2. Top mounting cassette deck, easy to use on tripods.
3. No motor noice, very feeble on rewinding.
4. Compact size.
5. 3 CCD technology at affordable prize.
6. White balance and wealth of other manual controls.
7. Focus ring.
8. Battery life.
Cons:
1. Low light performance could have been better. Though Sony performs a little better, Panasonic is just above average under low light. I can live with it though - I wouldn't be shooting my home videos in the dark.
2. Zoom is only 10x. It is sufficient for most of my requirement, but other make/models give longer zoom range for the same price. (I found that at full 16x zoom in JVC, the camcorder shakes badly and becomes almost unusable without a tripod)
I would highly recommend this for anybody looking for a feature-rich, great quality camcorder for around $700.
6 A professional opinion...
To address the concerns of another reviewer about low light performance: cameras work much differently than your eyes. There is no camcorder, even the digital Betacams we use at work that cost tens of thousands of dollars, that will look good in a basement lit with a 100 watt bulb. The other night I tried it in a dim room and was impressed at how good it looked. A little grainy, but again, much better than any other camera in this price range, thanks to the 3CCD's and ability to manually white balance to correct for the conditions.
I've had a couple of good miniDV camcorders, including one JVC model that does well in low light, but the PVGS200 blows them away in performance.
In my opinion, if you want a better camcorder you'll have to look into the $2500+ prosumer models like the Canon GL2 or Sony VX2100.
The GS200 has several features that make it a great first choice for those who want to learn about serious digital filmmaking without having to mortgage the house to try it out. Features like manual control of white balance, iris, gain, shutter speed and best of all, focus, via a focus ring on the lens. Best of all, it has a microphone jack. Invest another $125 in a quality XLR converter like a BeachTek box and you can hook up any professional mic for better control over your sound. The built in zoom mic works well and motor noise is not a concern at all.
The LCD monitor is of high quality, and the overall build quality is good. The chasis is mostly high-impact plastic, but it feels robust. The tape-loading mechanism is very sturdy (much more so than any other DV camera I've used) and loads tapes from the top, which is rare.
The image stabilization is about the same as any other camcorder and should be used as little as possible. Again, no electronic stabilization will work in low light. Use a tripod whenever possible to keep your productions professional looking.
The best part is the incredible color seperation that the 3CCD's provide. All professional cameras use 3 chips to seperate color and the results here are very impressive, even in lower light.
If you're looking to step up to something serious but can't justify spending as much as a down-payment on a car, definitely consider the PCGS200.
7 Excellent image stabilizer
Just ordered my Panasonic PV-GS200 and would like to share one issue I found.
During my search for the MiniDV, I read a few reviews and some of them mentioned that this model is pretty much the same as Panasonic PV-GS120 and has a terrible imaging stabilizer. And I also see other postings here and there that they think Sony has the best IS (imaging stabilizer) and Panasonic needs much improvements. Since IS is important to me, I decided to go to a local Fry's to hand test these Mini-DVs.
I tried most of the sub $1000 models in the store including Sony's (like DCR-HC85/65/40, TRV22/...), Canons (only horizontal models like Elura 65/70 and Optura XI and a few others), and Panasonic PV-GS120 and 200. The PV-GS120 has indeed a very bad image stabalizer as I can see the image shaking a lot in the screen. But the PV-GS200 is definitely a much better improvement and not the same as GS120.
Actaully, I tried zoom to very close object, and zoom to very far object, the PV-GS200 beats all Canons and is the same, if not better than, any Sony I tested.
I then go to a 2nd store to test to make sure all PV-GS200 has the same imaging stablizer. In the 2nd store, it still beats all Canon's and in par with any Sony (actually better than some old Sony's).
I don't know why people saying it has a bad imaging stablizer, but you should definitely test yourself.
This is a great model with great functionality.
Eric.
8 So good, it's very hard to find.
After a good deal of research, I decided on buying this camcorder. Because of an immediate need, I ended up driving to another town and paying full price at Circuit City. In my opinion, it was worth it.
Picture quality is excellent - even better than what appears on the LCD or in the viewfinder. Being able to take still pictures while recording video is extremely conventient. True, it is a very complicated camcorder, but there are resources to assist users with this compexity. The owner's manual is huge, and difficult to navigate, but it is available online in PDF format, to make searches easy.
I recommend this site (http://www.camcorderinfo.com) for a comprehensive review, as well as a forum set up with a very helpful moderator to answer all questions.
9 Finally, an affordable pro-quality camcorder
I just got this so I'll give some first impressions. I'll come back in a month or two to fill in more details.
In short, this is the camcorder you've been waiting for: vivid, almost broadcast-quality home videos. OK, that's assuming you know how to shoot steady and well-framed videos. The camcorder with its three CCD chips gives you the technical superiority over your next-door neighbors, but ultimately if you shoot trash, you get trash. But for those of us who know how to shoot like a pro (e.g., no in-camera zooming, steady and slow pans, no in-camera special effects), the results are simply amazing. If you, for example, are a serious amateur home-movie maker or an aspiring filmmaker, you'll definitely love this camcorder.
Because this is an affordable camcorder, Panasonic seems to have cut a few (minor) corners. Indoor/night shots are no better than the average consumer 1-chip camcorder. Of course if you have plenty of lighting, you'll once again reap the benefits of having 3 CCDs to capture light. But if you just use existing indoor lighting you won't find this working wonders. Also its optical zoom is lower than many newer camcorders. As always, digital zoom is next to useless.
The camcorder is pretty easy to set up and use; no Ph.D. in VCR programming required. For this review I just wanted to focus on its main selling point, the 3-chip video capture system. Other amenities include manual focus, 2MP digital still camera, remote controls, etc. Battery life seems average, after you cycle the battery properly a couple times.
If you want to take beautiful (outdoor) videos and don't have a fat wallet, you should definitely consider getting this camcorder.
NOTE: From what I read, the cheaper PV-GS120 model foregoes the manual focus ring, the wired remote and the flash. I assume that model has the same video quality as the GS200.
10 Great pictures - but shaky
I've owned Sony Hi8 cameras before and finally decided to jump to MiniDV with this Panasonic GS200.
While this Panasonic really delivers great picture quality and colour, my real gripe is the stability of the image when hand-held ... it's awful compared to a Sony (yes, I did have image stability turned on!) It really needs to be used with a tripod.
Other features of the camera are impressive although it has too many things crammed into menu's. Some things are difficult to find - especially when adding titles. I really miss the thumb-wheel navigation that a Sony has.
Also impressed with the digital stills, although when compared with a digital stills camera, the images are fuzzy around sharp edges.
Overall, it serves my purposes as I need good picture quality and colour. The 3CCD's are excellent and battery life is reasonable.
11 Great color. Wonderful lens for macro shots!
I have a Canon $2,500 Canon GL2 camera to compare this to so my video standards are high.
Good controls and ergonomics make it realatively easy to use. The manual is not great, but you won't need it too much because the controls are pretty intuitive. The low light properties are not great. A camera like the Canon GL2 blows it away due to the larger lens and CCD sensors. But with enough light, the video quality is impressive for such a small camera. Good resolution, and fantastic color. In fact, I may like the color of this camera more than the Canon. Beautiful greens.
It works with iMovie on the Mac, except that the scene cut detection does not always come through.
This camera has very good still photo quality for a camcorder. Very good color (probably due to the 3 CCDs). Very little chromatic aberation (purple fringing). Typical for camcorder stills, there is a little bit of visible noise and some of that "video" look.
The biggest suprise was it's macro capability! You can focus just a few millimeters from the lens and get sharp, bright pictures.
Definitely one of the best performers for the price and size.
12 Don't buy high-end MiniDV
I bought this product and played with it. But I decided to return it. The reason is simple: it's too complicated.
First of all, when I opened the package, there is tons and tons of parts that I need to assemble. Certainly, you can think of it in a good way, if you think these are frills. Secondly, the software that comes with it is really of poor quality. It doesn't work well on Win2K.
But my main point is that given the rapid technological advancements, the end of MiniDV is already insight. The picture quality of MiniDV cannot compete with Hi8. Yet, on the other hand, other media types, especially MiniDVD, is much more convenient to use for average users. Using a MiniDV camcoder you have to shoot, hook to a computer or TV, and transfer from MiniDV to some other media, e.g. VHS, or DVD, and requires an additional VCR or DVD burner. This is the same hassle as a Hi8. The only benefit is its cute, smaller form factor.
Now look at MiniDVD. Same small form factor. But you shoot, and play! On a computer or with DVD player. That's it! No more transfer from tape to tape, or tape to DVD. And for the same price as GS200 you can get a Sony 201 MiniDVD camcorder. Other "less-prestigious" brands offer MiniDVD camcorder at even lower prices than GS200.
It is well-known in marketing that for viewers of TV ads, there is a great wall between the 1-800 numbers on the screen and the actual phone, and few people would bother to make a call even if he is interested in the stuff. I'd tell you from my experience the same is between shooting a video, and then viewing it. Later on you don't even bother shooting a video, since you know you won't be viewing it anyway. The best solution to overcome that wall right now is the MiniDVD camcorder. And if you can affort a high-end MiniDV like this GS200, you can affort a MiniDVD equivalent.
13 The little camera that could.
I was skeptical about the size of this camera. When it came in I was very impressed with its capabilities. Color is very rich and lifelike. Low light is adequate. The feel in the hand is quite comfortable. It feels natural and is easy to keep still. Top loading is the way all camcorders should be. Still photography is a definite plus for this camcorder. Normally I just use my digital camera. What I like best about the still photo capabilities of this camcorder is the burst mode. It can take 10 pictures in about 3.5 seconds. Love it and recommend it highly.
14 Panasonic sets the bar for compact, pro quality vid...
As a previous owner of the 3CCD PVGS70, I was already familier with this camera's basic layout. The 3CCD system makes a noticable difference in color vibrancy. The controls under the lcd seem more robust and easier to use. The increased resolution of the new CCDs, and the addition of a firewire connection makes this just what the doctor ordered....My only complaint.... The included 8mb SD card will only hold about 4 pictures in fine quality.... NOTE TO PANASONIC - Throw it away and bring the price down a bit!!!! The money saved could go towards a 128 or 256 SD....I was already disapointed with the 8mb card included with the 1.2mp PVGS70. I was really hoping the 2.3mp PVGS200 would come with at least a 32mb (even a 16mb would have shown an effort).......Oh well...I guess I will just have to settle for excellent color and resolution...... It's only money right???
15 Panasonic! Get down!
This is a great camcorder! 3CCD - Simple; one for red, one for green and one for blue. Add one Leica Dicomar lens equals great video with vibrant colors. 2.3MP stills that look better than many digital cameras. 10x optical zoom, 25x or 700x digital zoom. At 700 times I cannot hold it still. Even a tripod will not clear up the image. Images at 200x or 300x are ok. The 25x setting is most useful. 2.5-inch LCD, mediocre (5x7) still photos while taping but good 2.3mp stills in digital camera mode. It plays a little camera shutter sound when you snap a photo, cute. Good manual focusing, decent flash, zoom mic, quick start, the SD card hides under the control panel. They even included a better battery. My 256MB card hold hundreds of high res photos and/or 1.5 hours of MPEG4 video. Awesome. Oh ya, it tapes MiniDV too. The addition of manual focus, MPEG4 and a digical camera is worth the money compared to the PVGS120.
