Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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).

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.

I bought this camcorder after returning a Cannon Elura 100 for motor noise. The Panasonic PV-GS300 is virtually silent and you can't hear the motor noise during playback on the computer or TV. The camcorder has good sound and video quality. The indoor quality is not as good as I expected, a little dark, but outdoor video is very good and vivid. Overall a good camcorder and I would recommend buying it.

I bought this camera after looking at several others and must admit the price-point for the features was a key selling point.
We don't do as much videotaping as we did when the kids were younger, but with two in sports we're doing more and more again.
I have started taking a lot of still pictures with it as well and wound up putting a 1gB SD Card in it, giving us a pretty high capacity for photos in addition to 1 hr of video tape.

The ability to use it as a still camera both stand-alone as well as while videotaping is nice, the picture quality thus far has been outstanding and the "needed" features are sufficient. Sound is as good as one could expect and once one plays with the camera for a few hours, it's use is quite simple and playback/transfer is equally easy.

The zoom range is adjustable at either 25:1 or 700:1 and while one would never be able to use an image zoomed in 700x, the 25x zoom is quite good and the variable speed of the zoom at 25:1 is more than adequate.

Battery consumption is good - a 1hr tape and the standard battery are fairly close. I also bought a non-Panasonic extended battery which gives a far longer capacity. With still photos, it eats up that battery far more quickly!

One thing I would like to see a little better is the image stabilization, as when zooming in, the shake is magnified and when using much of any zoom, the small size makes it difficult to hold steady. I put it on a tripod and that solves the problem, but years ago in the larger full-size VHS cameras, the stabilization was better.

Over-all, this camera has been everything I hoped for and would heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a 3-CCD camera in the lower price ranges.

I purchased the PV-GS300 several months ago and have been using it to create a educational video, and it works great. Images are good and sharp, good color too. The ability to switch between 4:3 and 16:9 ratio is very handy! Still photos at 16:9 are sharp.

Transfering video to the computer by Firewire cable is easy when using most any video software packages from companies such as Pinnacle, Magix, Sony, etc.

Outdoor video is very sharp, colors are true to nature. Indoors when doing studio shots I find the full spectrum florescent lights to work best.

The ability to extract sharp still frames from the video is a big plus in content rich informational videos. Too, when panning the camera rapidly, you don't get the usual jaggies in the video as in lesser camcorders.

For the money it is a very good camcorder. If you use this unit in the field a lot, get an extra battery or two. There is a hot shoe for a shotgun mic, or a LED camcorder flood light. You will also find the microphone input on the side helpful when using wireless mics. This is also a great asset when doing theatrical work.

I did alot of research on digital camcorders before purchsing this camera and I decided to go with this one because it was just sounded so great. The similar Sony models seemed to have extra blue colors in the video quality while this Panasonic model has perfect, real-to-life color contrast. The video quality is alot like actual film,which is a scarce find these days. I use this camera, with a variety of attachments and extra lenses of course, for my film productions company and my school film club. It has an amazing low light mode and is really easy to use. The joystick function is so simple and much more handy than a series of random directional buttons like most other camcorders. I love this camera and I use it for more than just family vacational type movies. I use it for actual films and high quality movies. It's great!

This is my first camcorder so maybe the title for the review is misleading but given the 4.5 star rating I'm guessing I'm on the mark. Originally looked at a DVD based system but after reading probably every review on the web (ask my wife), I opted to go for MiniDV. The logic - its well proven technology, been around for a while, data transfer is fast with USB2 and chances are your going to get a lot of bang for your buck.
Did a lot of research and was torn between the GS300 and GS500. Went for the GS300 after most of the reviews put it slightly ahead of the GS500 and I'm pleased that the hours spent researching camcorders has paid off.

This camera is solid.
Color is excellent, OIS at 25x zoom (10 optical, 15 digital) still gives really clear, amazingly stable images. For you LA kids, could identify the Queen Mary in Long Beach, filming from Palos Verdes to give you an idea of image quality/stability.

Size - fits nicely in the palm, joystick is a breeze to use/navigate the menu's. Digital stills are a nice addition to the unit and give decent quality. Overall, wouldn't trade it for another. Paid $584 total for a brand new unit. Worth every penny. Would highly recommend.

I bought this one aorund 2 months back. Overall it is good, and the clarity is good. Little bit noise in lowlight indoors ( with backlight on..it is OK). And it is very easy to handle, only the zoon button should be somewhere on top...it is kept to handle by middle finger which I am not used to. The great drawback is the software, which has no capability of burn to a DVD. These days, how can they give a software without that facility, then I used third party softwares for that. Otherwise its a coool one.

Bought this camcorder for christmas to film my little baby boy. I send dvds to my relatives who live far away and they love the picture quality. All of my friends who own camcorders agree the picure is very sharp. The camcorder is easy to use and comes with everything you need to get going except minidv tapes. Buy these with your online purchase because they are too expensive in stores. The only complaint I have would be the low light recording quality. It is only average(all camcorders are bad in low light). The camera does have a low light feature, but it produces tracers and ghosting with fast moving objects. The camera does have full manual control that will help with the image, but you need to learn camera jargon and take time to adjust before the shot. You can buy a mountable light to put on the camera, but they are not cheap. If you want a camera with good low light features, buy a sony. I'm am very pleased with this camera and would recomend it to a friend who does not shoot at night.