Panasonic PV-GS300 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

by Panasonic

Product Details

• Item Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000DZDQLM
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,913 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 22, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer The Panasonic PV-GS300 3CCD Digital Palmcorder MultiCam Camcorder with 3.1 MP Still Picture Recording offers superior images and features. This small digital camcorder uses the same type of 3CCD imaging system used in professional broadcast equipment, giving you 540 lines of breathtaking resolution in a more affordable package. The 3.1-megapixel still image recording lets you record vivid, true-to-life pictures with remarkable colors. And featuring a 10x optical Leica lens with 700x digital zoom, the PV-GS300 helps you capture every detail. Record to a miniDV tape or directly to a PC through DV (FireWire) or high-speed USB 2.0 interfaces, for high quality full-motion video transfer. The color viewfinder and 2.7-inch LCD display make it easy to preview photos, and feature navigation is a breeze with the easy, one-finger joystick control.

Advantages of a Panasonic 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder

3CCD Camera System
Most professional broadcasting cameras use the 3CCD system. In a 1CCD system, all of the incoming light information is processed by the same CCD. The more advanced 3CCD system uses three distinct CCDs for processing, so there is absolutely no light loss. You can see the results in beautifully rendered images with vivid colour, fine detail, and rich gradation.

Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S)
Panasonic's O.I.S. minimizes the hand-shake that can be such a problem with handheld shots. Because Panasonic's system is optical, there is no image quality degradation. When you're shooting a still picture, the MEGA O.I.S. system automatically activates, doubling the corrective power. With O.I.S. and MEGA O.I.S., the e.cam is equipped for clear, beautiful shooting of both motion and still pictures.

3.1-Megapixel Still Picture Recording
Both motion and still pictures are superb. Photos are so vivid and real, you can enjoy them as high-quality prints or as breathtaking images on a large-screen TV.

10x Optical Zoom
Distant subjects can be enlarged so they appear to be right up close. This allows dynamic shots of both motion and still pictures.

Get close to the action with high-quality zoom

Web Camera Function
With the camera connected via USB cable to a PC, start up Windows Messenger and the camera instantly turns into a web camera. Ideal for teleconferencing over the Internet, or for surveillance camera use.

What's in the Box
PV-GS300 camcorder, remote control, and software.

Product Description

The Panasonic PV-GS300 Digital Camcorder with 3 CCD Technology offers superior images and features, in a more affordable package. This small digital camcorder uses the same type of 3CCD imaging system used in professional broadcast equipment, giving you 540 lines of breathtaking resolution. 3.1 Megapixel still image recording lets you record vivid, true-to-life pictures with remarkable colors. A 10x optical Leica lens with 700x digital zoom helps you capture every detail. Record to a miniDV tape or directly to a PC through DV (FireWire) or high-speed USB 2.0 interfaces, for high quality full-motion video transfer. The color viewfinder & 2.7 inch LCD display make it simple to preview photos, and the joystick control gives you easy, one-finger navigation of every advanced feature. Accepts MiniDV Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface Cold shoe 2-hour battery life Includes remote control Comes with Motion DV Studio and Quick Movie Magic software Dimensions(WxHxD) - 2.874 x 2.993 x 5.316 Weight -. 99 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid camera, not quite home, not quite pro, June 9, 2006

By 

Nik "Geek and all around good guy" (N. Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic PV-GS300 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Electronics)

I've only had this camera for a few days, but I am quite pleased with it.

Before buying this camera, however, take a look at what else is out there. This camera sits in a very strange place between consumer cameras and pro level (or at least prosumer) cameras.

While it has some excellent features like 3 CCDs (so it captures richer color), optical image stabilization, and fully manual controls; it also lacks certain desirable qualities such as a real focus ring (it has manual focus, but it's joystick driven and imprecise), a headphone jack (although it does have line-level audio out), and the ability to pass analog video through to digital video.

To get all those features, you'd need to spend about $200 - $300 more on something like the PV-GS500. For $200 - $300 less, you can get a very comparable camera that simply omits the 3CCDs and has digital image stabilization.

What those extra features give you, however, is a richer picture with less noise and more detail, and a much more stable handheld image. You will especially notice the richer image detail if you edit your video in the built in software or iMovie or Final Cut or whatever you use. You can make much broader color and image adjustments on the picture from this camera than you could with a 1-CCD camcorder.

Personally, I am very pleased with this camera. I very much like the controls (although I definitely recommend trying out the Panasonic-style joystick control before buying -- some people can't stand it, although I think it's definitely the way to go). The ability to go full manual permits me to take excellent shots in low light, backlit, or otherwise strange situations. The auto mode, however, takes care of 99% of what I need, and does a surprisingly good job managing white balance and shutter speed.

The only things that makes me give this camera less than five stars are the manual focus, which requires that you be in full manual mode and also requires two button presses (one on the side of the camera, and then you adjust using the joystick), rather than being entirely joystick-driven as all the other manual controls are; and the AC adapter/battery charger which can EITHER charge the battery or power the camera, but cannot do both at the same time. Expect to buy a separate charger for long shoots.

85 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quality cannot be beat!!!, August 31, 2006

By 

Alexandru Amira "Jlex 'Alex" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic PV-GS300 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Electronics)

Got this for $480. There is no new camcorder on this planet and at this price which can give you better quality.

The 3CCD capture colors and detail like nothing in this price range. I've compared this to the Sony DVD403 camcorder and the GS300 is light years away. One reason why the GS300 is so much better than the Sony DVD403 in the same price range is because the Sony uses 1 chip. 1 chip will not be able to reproduce the colors realistically.

This past weekend I've shot footage at the NOPI XBOX at MIR in Maryland with a home made shoulder stabilizer and everyone who has seen it told me that I can make DVDs and sell them (it was that good).

A big feature is OIS. Optical image stabilization. Unlike EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) OIS does not degrade the picture quality. EIS is found in lower end camcorders.

Some reviewer complained about the RCA output. I recommend making DVDs or using S video. Why would you buy a camcorder that can produce such high quality video and then try to run this in via RCA? Everyone has a DVD player or Xbox or PS2 that can play them, and a blank DVD is 22 cents. I've looked at the RCA and S video quality and you can tell S video is better. Me personally I just make DVDs.

The camcorder has a ton of manual controls for gain, IRIS, white balance, etc.

For low lighting conditions the camcorder will not do so good as some Hi8 camcorders I've used. Here is a BIG TIP. Shoot in manual and adjust the gain down and shutter speed (you have to adjust the shutter first). The reason people get sucky low light video is because they have it on AUTO and the picture is boosted through the roof to 18Db which adds a lot of noise. Shooting in manual and adjusting the noise down then brightening up the video in post with you favorite NLE is the same way the pros do it.

The number 1 accessory to get is a UV filter. It is cheap insurance to protect the lights and blocks out the UV ray which can make the video look purple. Then get a polarizer to make the colors look natural and give it a nice contrast.

Another thing you may want to get unless you have it is Sony Vegas 6. Best $100 ever spent. Renders super fast, does not crash (like Ulead and Premier). Easy to learn (unlike Premier). Best NLE I've used.

I would recommend getting an additional battery so you can record more.

I've used the multi RCA SVideo cable and I don't find any problems with it.

Using the firewire you can write back your edited video on the MiniDv tape. Nice feature for archival purposes. I just edit and then make DVDs.

The fact that you can transfer using USB makes it a bonus (there is no qulaity loss if you go USB or Firewire).

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great camera for the price, November 25, 2006

By 

G. Berger (Bellerose, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic PV-GS300 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Electronics)

When shopping for a camcorder, you have to realize that at this price point there are going to be compromises. According to all the reviews, this is one of the best at this level. I've had it for about a month now, and I can't imagine that there is anything out there better than this and comparably priced. Here are my likes and dislikes:

The Good:

- price (obviously)
- picture quality outdoors is excellent. Beautiful color and clarity. The lens seems to be extremely sharp. Should be, it's a Leica, but these days Leica is throwing their name on a lot of low-end (relatively) consumer cameras and camcorders with varying results.
- I like the joystick control. Some people don't, but I'm a big fan. Makes selecting options very fast.
- Reasonable battery life. Third party extended life batteries are inexpensive, I recommend getting one.
- Menus are fairly easy to navigate. You do need to spend some time familiarizing yourself with all the options, but this will be time well-spent and you only need to do it once.

The Bad:

- Low-light performance is good but not great. I'm not sure how it compares to others, but some reviews mention that the Sony model in the same price range is superior in this regard. If you're going to do a lot of indoor shooting check into this carefully.
- Manual focus is done with the joystick. Focusing with the joystick is AWFUL..an exercise in frustration. Panasonic really goofed here, this camera needs a focusing ring like a baby needs a mother. To me this is the most serious drawback of this camera. If not for this I'd give it 5 stars.
- Auto white balance can be a little slow to kick in, but seems to work well otherwise.
- This camera is just too small and light to hold steadily.
- Manual is one of the worst I've ever seen, takes several reads to get through. A background in still photography helped me immensely in understanding some of the manual features, but I feel sorry for those who open this manual without some kind of previous experience. On the other hand, if you're just going to turn it on and shoot in automatic mode all the time it's not an issue.

Overall, I'm convinced this camera is a great deal. The only serious flaw is the lack of a focus ring, everything else is just a function of the compromises you have to expect in this price range. In good light the picture quality is outstanding, so if you're shooting mainly outdoors this is the one for you.