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Photograph: Chris Manners
Panasonic Panasonic PV-GS300 MiniDV Camcorder
| Video image quality | Superior |
| Still image quality | Good |
| Battery life: Time for the camcorder's battery to go from fully charged to exhausted while recording to tape or disc with the LCD active. | Very Good (117 minutes) |
| Video recording media type | MiniDV |
| Still image recoding media type | SD Card |
| Still-image maximum resolution (megapixels) | 3.1 |
| Image stabilization type | Optical |
| Viewfinder type | Color |
| Inputs/outputs | FireWire, USB 2.0, composite, S-Video, microphone |
| Weight (ounces) | 48 |
| Dimensions (inches) | 2.9 by 3.0 by 5.3 |
Panasonic PV-GS300
Panasonic PV-GS300 MiniDV Camcorder Review, by Richard Baguley June 9, 2006
Panasonic's PV-GS300 is less expensive than two other camcorders we recently tested that have three CCD sensors. The PV-GS300 (priced at $700 as of 5/2/06) delivered impressive video quality in our tests. It's a little bulkier than some other models, at 5.3 inches long and just under 3 pounds, though it fits comfortably in the hand; the heavier components on the left side of its body mean that it will sometimes tilt to the left while you're filming. Though the record and zoom buttons are comfortable, the mode dial and joystick are a little awkward; you have to use your other hand to brace the camcorder before you can comfortably reach them.
The PV-GS300 lacks a couple of features that its more expensive cousin (the PV-GS500) has, such as a focus ring and some manual controls. The PV-GS300 can take 3.1-megapixel stills--and these photos looked good, showing strong color and fine detail.
The camcorder houses three one-sixth-inch CCD image sensors (for red, green, and blue), which makes the GS300 a strong performer: It captures video with bright, accurate colors and good detail, and it outperforms all the other camcorders except the PV-GS500 and the JVC GR-X5US. Its low-light video was a little pale, however; some objects in our test video lacked the vivid color that they showed under normal light.
This camcorder's optical image stabilization is another a big plus: An element in the lens moves to compensate for small camera movements--this is more effective than the electronic image stabilization that camcorders such as the Sony DCR-HC36 offer. The GS300's battery life is also above average: At a few minutes under 2 hours, it's long enough for a weekend trip.
The Panasonic PV-GS300 has a lot of features and is a great choice for shooters who don't mind spending a little extra money for quality, but who don't want to lay down a lot of cash for a higher-end camera such as the PV-GS500.
Richard Baguley
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User Reviews
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User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: ausoff
Strengths: Picture colors and sharpness. Very good build. Easy to operate.
Weaknesses: battery life (1 hour max) and OIS (Optical image stabilizator).
Overall: Everything about this cam is good. I bought additional battery and now don't think about battery life. But OIS is just awfull.... well I expected more for the price!!!
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Reviewed by: kahboom
Strengths: 3ccd, small, light-weight, external mic connection
Weaknesses: died after one normal vacation (4 one-hour tapes).
Overall: Apparently, moisture gets in easily through the speaker and corrodes the front PC board, so if you live where there is any humidity at all, DO NOT buy this camera. It is very fragile. My camera did not get wet, but it was around normal humidity, taking summer videos.I had another brand camera before this and I'm going back to that brand because it could handle basic outdoor use.
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Reviewed by: djcabrera
Strengths: Color is produced in expected manner with 3xccds, even though they're 1/6 compared to gs500 1/4, can't tell any drop in quality. made in Japan!- super smooth with OIS. Audio is also suprisingly good.
Weaknesses: Can't think of much... would be sooo sweet if it would record video to SD.
Overall: I picked this up to do a 15 minute documentary on building in LA/Hollywood... it's great but I had to purchase a combo lens pack ($25) with UV lens (to replace the lens protector that it came with) and a polorization lens to remove daylight reflection/glare... then another $50 bucks for a .5 wide angle and 2x telescopic lens, now I'm really cooking, and Frys had the unit on sale for 449, which Best Buy price matched... Very very happy with this unit, saved me 100's of bux.
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Reviewed by: philldo
Strengths: 3 CCDS render great color and clarity. Has Mic Port and Cold Shoe.
Weaknesses: Lost the manual focus ring. No headphone jack. No analog to DV passthrough.
Overall: This cam works great. The color and clarity blow my old Canon ZR series camcorder out of the water. I like shooting in widescreen. Not only is it the big buzz right now, widescreen feels more natural to me. Its kinda how I see the world. After reading all the poor reviews about the batterry, I purchased a longer lasting battery. The stock one seems to work fine though. I was able to film a whole tape (60 min sp) and review a little of it on one charge. A second battery is always good to have.OIS works wonders. My tele shots look much steadier than with my old "digital" stabilized camcorder. You still need a steady hand. I wish the cam had a little wider angle lense. You have to take a couple of steps back unless you want to be "up close and personal" with your subject. This is especially true with kids. They want to be on top of you when you are filming them and all I end up getting is their hands or face in the shot. The low light setting under "Scenes" mode works good. I tried to shoot manually and up the iris setting, but kept on getting dark shots. The low light mode does wonders.It lost the maual focus ring which I would really like to have. But, they also, dropped the price on this model which allowed me to purchase it. The audio sounds good. That is when I don't put my hand over the mic. It's not jsut me. My wife does the same. The mic is a spot we both naturally grab to steady the cam. I wish the viewfinder tilted for shooting in bright light.The camera was not a selling point for me. It works okay in camera mode. The photos are soft and the flash over exposes them. I haven not tried tweaking this at all. The big disappointment is when you are in video mode. The camera shoots at a very low resolution. Which makes since. SD dv is only 720 X 480. I dont' know what I was thinking, but I was hoping for the 3 megapixel shots.Overall the camcorder works awesome for the price.
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Reviewed by: GGA
Strengths: easy to operate
Weaknesses: Manual not well written
Overall: I like the joystick a lot. Operation is easy. The on-screen prompts make it easy to use. The 3CCD makes for great image quality. Still shots are available in 3 megapixels. The video quality looks awesome when uploaded to the PC
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