Panasonic SVAV30 MPEG4 eWear Digital Camcorder/Still Camera w/ 64 MB SD Card & Docking Station

by Panasonic

Product Details

Product Manual [4.97mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 2.9 x 2.4 x 1 inches ; 3.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008OLBQ
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,654 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 2, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The stylish Panasonic e-wear SVAV30 (Silver) combines a digital video recorder, digital still camera, digital audio player (with new SD-Jukebox software), and a digital voice recorder into one ultra-compact package. This palm-sized camcorder features a user-friendly interface and improved video resolution over its predecessor, the SVAV10. The SVAV30 also offers a docking station for recording and viewing footage on a television.

The new user-friendly interface makes recording easy, without having to scroll through menus. The SVAV30 features enhanced picture quality with an MPEG4 frame rate (15 frames per second) for video and 640 x 480 resolution for JPEG still images. A swiveling 2-inch LCD screen and two record buttons allow you to shoot comfortably with the unit in either the horizontal or vertical position. A new 2x digital zoom helps bring subjects into closer view.

The SVAV30 includes a built-in flash for taking digital still pictures in low-light situations. A built-in USB interface makes it easy to transfer music from a PC to an SD Memory Card for playback, while the included SD Jukebox software provides a simple way to catalog and save numerous digital music files in a single database on a PC. The SVAV30 is compatible with the MP3 and AAC formats. A built-in speaker lets users listen to any recorded audio.

Improving on its counterpart, the SVAV20, the SVAV30 features a unique A/V docking station that connects to a TV for viewing video and still images, or to a VCR for recording favorite TV programs and viewing them on the go. The docking station also includes a built-in battery recharger to power up the player.

• 64 MB Secure Digital memory card
• Weighs just 3.25 ounces
• 2-inch LCD screen
• Software includes SD Jukebox 3.0 and SD MovieStage 2.0
• Compatibility with Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, and XP
• Packaged with AC adapter, USB and A/V cables, handstrap, carrying case, remote control with earphones, and rechargeable battery

The Digital Tapeless Format
Tapeless camcorders make use of the compression power of the MPEG-4 file format (often called the MP3 of video) to allow you to record directly to memory cards, dispensing with the need for tapes altogether. They may require slightly more computer savvy than other formats, but are more user-friendly than you might expect and allow for the most compact camcorder body sizes ever made.

Product Description

CL) MU) PANASONIC SV-AV30 A/V CAMERA

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT Worth it, October 28, 2003

By 

"jonmarsh9" (GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic SVAV30 MPEG4 eWear Digital Camcorder/Still Camera w/ 64 MB SD Card & Docking Station (Electronics)

Sorry guys... I saw this gizmo and thought as many do.."wow.. a video camera and digital camera in one and in a small package" (I didn't really care about the mp3 player and voice recorder).

I was/am willing to sacrifice some quality because of the size but this thing is ridiculous. Unless you are in DIRECT sunlight taking a picture of something 2 feet in front of you then this thing is worse than anything I can imagine (and even then the pictures are terrible).

The video camera recording/reproduction is useless...I have never got a decent recording.

If you have to use the flash (which seems like all the time) then all you get is bright white pictures.

I can't express how disappointed I was with this product. A friend of mine just got a digital camera for 25% the price and the pictures are 10 times the quality and it is only slightly bigger than this.

The only positive things I could say is that it is a great conversation starter at bars..etc.. since it is a cool package and draws a lot of attention (but dont try actually show it off by using it because it is pathetic) and that the software isnt "terrible" (although has failed to work a couple of times on XP but pretty solid for the most part).

My opinion---a waste of money--novelty wears off after 24 hours and then you look at what you have which is picture quality 10 times worse than a picture booth and a video camera that you can't use.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars pretty cool, September 19, 2003

By 

Kurt W. Baumgarten "kurt4287" (Mendon, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic SVAV30 MPEG4 eWear Digital Camcorder/Still Camera w/ 64 MB SD Card & Docking Station (Electronics)

Sure - its not 3 megapixels and not regular handycam...but, it is exactly what it is advertised to be. Very cool. I'm glad I bought it. A 512 flash card will record an hour of video at the highest quality, which is plenty considering you can always carry more than one with you.

I bought a flash card reader to go with it which makes it easy to connect to your recorded stuff as if it were a drive on your PC. The process for importing MP3's is a bit odd, but works fine. Make sure you read the manual. Battery life is good.

Like many others have said, if you want to take pictures to print and hang on the wall - look elsewhere. If you want to have something that you can slip in your shirt pocket so that you dont miss moments that you otherwise might, this little doodad is perfect.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Coolest Gadget of Summer 2003, June 18, 2003

By 

Tom Greensmith "Tommy G" (Rancho Mirage, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic SVAV30 MPEG4 eWear Digital Camcorder/Still Camera w/ 64 MB SD Card & Docking Station (Electronics)

If you don't have an MP3 player, digital camera, digital voice recorder or digital video camera, this one device will do it all. If you have all those separate components, this baby is still great to have. Sure, the still and video camera don't have the resolution of the larger and pricier cameras, but hey, it fits in the palm of your hand with room to spare and weighs just a tad over two ounces. And you can pop it into its cradle and record video from an external source. The frame rate is only 15fps but I was still able to enjoy an episode of Seinfeld while waiting for a flight. And everybody who saw it had to know what it was and what it did.