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The Panasonic PV-GS250 has a good selection of features that make it an attractive option for those who like to tinker with settings. It provides more manual controls than any of the other models we tested, and it has an external microphone socket. It also comes with a wired remote control and microphone combination--great for adding narration to a video.
Unique among cameras in this spotlight are the PV-GS250's three CCD image sensors, which are supposed to produce more-accurate color and better-looking video. However, we found that the PV-GS250's video didn't look substantially better than what the camcorders with a single image sensor generated. But the PV-GS250 did a great job of reproducing colors accurately, especially in low-light situations where the other models began to have problems.
The PV-GS250 is relatively expensive, at $850, and is a little larger than the others; at 5.75 inches by 3 inches by 3 inches, it definitely feels bulkier than the Sony DCR-HC42 or the JVC GR-DF550US. But the Panasonic sits comfortably in the hand, with the curved side of the body fitting into the palm. This curved look also includes the LCD screen, which folds snugly into the body. The lens is a 10X zoom.
You reach most settings through a joystick control next to the record button on the rear of the camera. Though this control is designed to be operated with the right thumb for one-handed use, we found that bracing the camera with the left hand was more comfortable. Besides, to access the menu you need to press a button that is located too far up to be reached with the thumb. The joystick lets you access Panasonic's MagicPix modes, which include a telephoto macro mode, automatic video fade, a soft-skin mode (which softens video slightly to make skin look more attractive), and a low-light mode.
You can use the LCD screen as a light: You set it to the 0-lux, low-light mode and flip the screen around; the camcorder sets the screen to white and cranks up the backlight. This method is much less effective than the white LEDs that other models have, but it's better than nothing.
The versatile joystick also lets you access the manual controls for the camera: shutter speed, aperture, white balance, and audio recording level. There's also a manual-focus ring on the front of the lens; of the cameras in the August roundup, only the Canon Optura 60 also offers manual focusing. Those who want to exercise greater control over their video (or who shoot video in situations that could confuse the automatic settings) will find this flexibility very useful.
The unit's five scene modes (sports, portrait, low light, spotlight, and surf and snow) do a nice job of configuring the camcorder for these situations. The still-image feature of the PV-GS250 can take photos at a resolution of up to 2048 by 1512 (about 3 megapixels) and save them to an SD Card. These images had accurate, bright colors, but were a little fuzzy--fine detail often got lost. As with the other camcorders, the stills were inferior to those taken by a dedicated still camera; their overall quality fell squarely in the middle of our results. The battery life (with the LCD in use) was 1 hour, 54 minutes--enough for a day trip. You can extend battery life by using the viewfinder (which is clear and bright) instead of the LCD screen.
Upshot: The PV-GS250 takes good-looking video and offers manual controls that give users plenty of flexibility in shooting.
Richard Baguley
