Customer Reviews

Panasonic PV-GS80 MiniDV Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This camera is a wonderful option to someone new to videography and filmaking. It offers basic features, while packing a mighty punch in performance.

Heres the GOOD:
1.)GREAT video quality for a camera in this price range
2.)Firewire compatible
3.)very useful Optical Image Stabalizer(O.I.S.)
4.)VERY easy and SIMPLE to use
5.)comfortable "one touch" joystick navagation
6.)feels sturdy and fits in palm nicely
7.)Mini DV tape loads from the TOP of the unit(helps with use of tripod)
8.)Crystal clear 2.7 inch LCD screen
9.)you don't hear motor noise.(which tends to be a problem with cameras in this price range.)
10.)Small design which makes it easy to travel with

Heres the BAD:
1.) Battery isnt very good..only about 1-2 hours max recordong time with the LCD flipped open(however, compensating for use of the eyepiece will significantly save battery.)
2.)At Max zoom O.I.S. isnt 100% effective
3.)Removable Lens cap..(they say if you don't remove the cap before powering the camera on, then that will mess up the white balance sensor..although i havent tested that claim)
4.)You have to remove the battery to have access to the fireiwre port, thus needing to plug another adapter into the camera to recive power from the wall.
5.) Eyepiece does not flip up at an angle, insted it only pulls out about 1/2 inch( also, to use the eyepiece, the LCD has to be closed and it isnt diffucult to lean in too close to the eyepice and accidentally push it back in, which will power off the camera, which tends to get annoying.)
6.)Low light performance isnt very impressive( but it still does a decent job.)

My Thoughts:
This Camcorder is deffinatly something to consider if you are a begginer in filmakking(me), or if you just want something inexpensive to record those speacial moments with. I REALLY like this camera, and right now it goes everywhere with me(almost! lol) and the deisgn is wonderful! At a glance, one would never imagine that this is a "lower end" camera. By "lower end" I simply mean "Entry Level." There really is nothing significantly bad with this camera's performance. I highly reccomend it. But there is one catch for those PC users out there. YOU NEED FIREWIRE!!(if you want to edit your footage) Get a firewire card from Amazon. I bought one here for 23 bucks and it came with a cable!! I saw the same card at best buy for 35$( Cable not included, which runs another 20$-50$!! that's ridiculous!!) So go ahead. For the price of this camera, and all you get, you really cant go wrong.

I compared this camera against the GS85 and the GS320, I found the OIS to be exactly the same on all three models, as is the body, the GS320 at 500 bucks DOES give you a leica lens, it's true. But comparing the picture from these three proved to me that the GS80 gives better blacks and a more colorful image, at 279, its a great deal.

Its important to note that all three of these cameras come with firewire as standard, something thats lacking on Camcorders of almost any price range by other manufacturers. Firewire is essential for video editing, make sure that whichever Camcorder has Firewire and not USB!

I recently decided to purchase a video camera and went through hours upon hours of research both on the internet and in stores. In the end, I purchased this camera with the knowledge that while I wouldn't get HD quality, I would get a camera that provided results far superior to what the price tag would suggest.

I've used this camera in a number of situations and will describe a few of them below. However, I have to say first and foremost that the optical zoom on the Panasonic GS80 is ridiculously good. I tried it when I was in the store and zoomed in on the price tag of a product that was easily 20 feet away. I could not only read the price, but also the small product numbers on the store's price display tag. It really is as good as you would think it is when you read, "32x Optical Zoom."

=== Indoors (Low Light) ===
The night I purchased the camera, I unpackaged it, charged the battery, and promptly used it to film my friends' band during a nighttime practice. The practice was held in their basement with low lighting and the camera performed admirably. The results definitely had some graininess to them as compared to later videos I took in sunlight or even brighter indoor light, but the grain was also definitely less than my digital point-and-shoot (which I paid twice as much for a couple of years ago) would produce in the same situation. I was surprised by how much color the camera still captured and the sound was great.

=== Indoors (Regular Light) ===
We went to a children's museum with our niece and brought the video camera along. All day long, I captured great videos of our niece playing. The "normal" light of the museum was more than adequate and the colors and sharpness of the video were exactly what I would have expected. The microphone did a great job of capturing my niece and very little of the ambient noise inherent in a children's museum.

=== Outdoors (Sunny) ===
We went to one of the local farms for National Alpaca Day and had an opportunity to take a lot of footage of the alpacas roaming around outside. Not only were the colors and captures great up close, but I also got a lot of great footage at about a 20x zoom. Also, there were several times when I was recording movement from outside to inside the barn area and the camera recovered quickly when going from the bright light of the outside sun to the low light inside the barn; probably less than a one second recovery time for the picture to clear up.

=== College Football Game (Night, Outdoors) ===
I smuggled my video camera into a college football game and hoped for the best. I really didn't know what to expect because while I was close to the field (about 15 rows up), I was also in an endzone, meaning the opposite side of the field was 100+ yards away.

I started filming the game and couldn't believe how well the camera reacted. I would start many plays zoomed in on the quarterback and then, when the play started, I would zoom out and follow the play as it developed. Many times, on a passing play, I'd follow the ball and then I'd zoom in again to focus on the receiver and the play after the catch. On every play, the camera zoomed perfectly and the only time I missed a play, it was my fault, not the camera's.

The colors and fast-paced action were captured beautifully and I was flat-out stunned at what the camera could do. On one particular play, I managed to zoom in on the quarterback, even though he was completely on the opposite side of the field. The capture was still crisp and had minimal shake, despite being over 20x zoom.

For the heck of it, during a break in the action, I zoomed all the way to 32x and it was enough to capture just the head of a marching band member who was sitting in the stands beyond the opposite end zone.

To say I was happy with the results would be a huge understatement.

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There are, obviously, some downsides to this camera. You can't get a camera for this price tag without having at least a few negatives.

One of the biggest negatives for me is the actual placement of the microphone. I love how well the microphone captures audio, but the particular way I like to hold the camera (with my left hand under the camera, towards the front) often has me putting my left hand index finger over the microphone. I have to remind myself to keep my hand completely under the camera and as long as I remind myself, I'm fine. If I don't, then the audio is obviously muted on playback. I wish they had put the microphone somewhere else so that I didn't have to remember this.

Another negative is that the hookup for the transfer of video to your computer is behind the battery, which means you not only have to remove the battery for the transfer, you also have to plug the camera into an electrical outlet. This wouldn't be TOO bad if the electrical hookup required fewer than three parts (outlet to charger cord, battery charger, charger to camera cord). However, because the electrical hookup DOES require these three parts, it's kind of a pain in the butt.

Still, despite these negatives, I couldn't be overall happier with my purchase. Things like the ease of adjusting camera settings, changing tapes, and quick start-up time are more than enough to make up for the negatives I've outlined. For $300, I got the camera, tapes, and a case and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Lastly, I've used Adobe Premiere Elements to edit my videos and have been ecstatic with the results. I worked up a DVD of my niece's first birthday party and anxiously dropped it into the DVD player that's hooked up to my HDTV. I was expecting "good enough" quality, but what I got surprised both me and my fiancee.

First, thanks to the widescreen format of the camera, the picture filled the HDTV, which was great. And the picture itself was great. On our HDTV, we get both HD channels and "regular" channels. The HD channels are crystal clear, as one would expect, and the "regular" channels are fine. The DVD I had made pretty much fell in-between these two types of channels. So, while the Panasonic GS80 won't produce HD-quality videos, you'll get better than "normal" TV from it and it's hard to ask for much more from amateur home videos off a video camera that's this inexpensive.

If you already own a digital video camera and are looking to make the next step, you might want a bit more than what this camera can offer you. However, if you're looking for a great entry-level digital video camera, you can't go wrong with the Panasonic GS80.

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NOTE: If you do not have a Firewire Pci card in your computer (needed to download your movies to your computer), I highly recommend the TRENDnet Usa TFW-H3PI 3PORT Firewire Pci Card Adapter with 6FT Firewire Cable from Amazon. For the price, you can't beat it!

This is a camera that is very very easy to use. I was amazed by the colour quality even at a very low light. I took a movie at my nephew's theater play and the contrasts and crispness of the picture are just wonderful. The zoom is also very clear and crisp. Putting it onto my iMovie was also a piece of cake.
The only down point is that the still image mode is worthless, but if you need that you should buy the next level up which has a memory card slot.
I highly recommend this camera

I have other camcorders, but this one is my favorite.
Panasonic PV-GS80 is very easy to use, light weight and produces an amazing crisp movies and still pictures.
In my opinion, this is the best camcorder with these superb features, for this price.
Even using Panasonic PV-GS80 in the dark, produced very satisfactory results.

It has a powerful optical zoom. The audio is amazing especially the audio zoom.

The other features that impressed me are:
- Superior Optical Image Stabilizer(O.I.S.)
- Very quite camera, you hardly hear any noise.
- Small smooth design and light weight, perfect to take it any where.
- Amazing 2.7 inch LCD screen.

However, as with most camcorders, the battery life is usually not enough in some situations. It is essential to get an extra battery to be safe.

I strongly recommend Panasonic PV-GS80 MiniDV Camcorder.

I had previously purchased a JVC GRD770, for qualities pretty much similar to this Panasonic, except in a couple of areas.
The JVC had better close-focus ability, with its tele-macro setting, and some of the controls for manually over-riding the auto settings seemed easier to get to and implement.
That said, I found the ever-present motor noise of the JVC too intrusive for any kind of decent amateur nature filming... which led me to look for this PV-GS80. NO motor humming at all and so far as I can tell, equally good video quality, even in low light.
Another advantage: the Optical Image Stabilization, which is superior to the electronic stabilization of the JVC and others. I do get smoother hand-held video with this one, as opposed to the jerkiness of the digitally stabilized solution.
My main personal gripe about most ALL consumer level video cameras even into the near $1K range is the lack of a microphone jack to allow external microphone usage. Even the cheapest old VHS units had That! Sheesh!
Oh, and one More little gripe: While having to remove the battery from the unit for access to the firewire port doesn't bother me All that much, as it forces AC powering during video transfer, forestalling failure due to power loss, but why -oh Why?- can't the battery be recharging in the charger/AC unit simultaneous to powering the camera? Having to charge the battery separately just means it takes twice as long to offload/recharge and get back to shooting. The only solution is to Buy a Second recharging/AC unit.

I agree with most of the reviews here. The camera is very good for the money, and the OIS is quite amazing.
Two annoyances that started getting to me after a while:
- Startup time: it takes 3 to 4 seconds for the camera to be ready to shoot when you turn it on. I know, it's not that long, but many times I have found it made me miss part of the action.
- The white balance takes a while to adjust (1-2 seconds after the camera is ready to shoot). So if you start shooting as soon as the camera is ready, you'll see the color balance change dramatically after a few seconds.

It's slightly annoying that you have to use the AC adapter to transfer your videos to the PC, and that you can't charge the battery while you do that! There's probably a good technical reason for that, but from the user's point of view, it's just silly!

All in all, I'm satisfied with the camcorder though.

I wanted a new camcorder but didn't have a lot of money to spend. After significant research, I chose this one. I'm pretty happy with the choice. This camera has some really good features - especially for this price range - and some not so hot ones. I'll do a "cons" and "pros" list.

Cons:
~ The detachable lens cap. Though it's attached with a permanent strap so you can't lose it, it dangles, blew around in the wind and clipped the camcorder (making clicking noises on the video track) and occasionally swung in front of the lens. I plan to fix this pretty simply with a few pieces of velcro.

~ Low-light filming - non-existent. Even indoors with 'normal' lighting, at night, forget it.

~ I had problems pushing in the joystick to access the menu when I was holding the camcorder in "filming" position, with my hand through the strap. I had no problems actually using the joystick once activiated, and no problems activating the menu if I took my hand out of the strap and pushed it directly dead center. Since I never saw any other reviewer mention this, it may very well be because I have short, stubby fingers. I did find this annoying, initially, although after filming hours of footage on a vacation, it became mostly a non-issue as I never found occasion to access the menu while actually filming.

Pros:
~ exceptional video quality, on my computer and TV anyway. I don't have high definition TV, so this may or may not make a difference. But on my regular TV, the video quality was amazing ... it looked like "real" TV to me, like a documentary or something. I was extremely impressed with the color, clarity, sharpness, and overall quality of the video - in daylight, outdoors.

~ everyone has dissed the quality of the still pictures. However, I found the couple of still pictures I took to be very good quality and extremely clear - BUT, effectively useless, as they were embedded in my video clips, and I have yet to find any way to extract them as an actual picture. The instruction manual says nothing at all about this. If I can ever figure out how to do this, though, the quality looked good in my video editing software.

~ several useful scene modes and functions - backlight compensation, fade, etc. Nothing fancy, but nice solid useful stuff.

~ the OIS and zoom are amazing. At the ocean I saw a shrimp boat so far out we could barely tell it was a boat. I was able to zoom in so close I could read the name on the boat ("Miss Darlene") and the video was as steady and clear as if I was only 50' away, and using a tripod (which I was not). Really great.

~ Option of filming in widescreen - very nice

~ Small, compact, lightweight; comfortable to hold; simple - the lack of excessive options is actually a bonus to me, I don't want to miss the moment while fiddling with 9,000 options - I want to point and shoot, and do my fancy stuff in my video editing software. In this case, simple is nice, and effective.

~ Firewire download ... nice. I found a firewire cable through Amazon for only $6. And it works perfectly. Shop a little.

Overall, here's the deal: if you can't spend more than $250 or so, and mostly plan to use it for simple family events (vacations, reunions, kids playing outside, etc.), this camera may have slightly limited features, but takes incredible video in good light, and has a good effective array of simple effects and settings. That's why I say "good bang for the buck." However, if you're getting a little more serious about taking creative video, you think you might ever want to film in low light situations, and / or you can up your budget by $100 or more, there are probably better camcorders available.

If this is your price range, though, go for it - I don't think you'll regret it. I haven't - the amazing quality of the video has outweighed most of the cons I've experienced with this camcorder. For my budget at this time, despite the cons I've mentioned, I'm actually very happy with this camcorder.

This MiniDV Camcorder is truly an amazing product. The optical image stabilization is incredibly effective, and produces a very smooth picture when zooming in, and panning. I am a prosumer user of video equipment,and am accustomed to the bells and whistles when they are needed. This camcorder functions extremely well as a "Grab and Go" product. Just two basic settings, Play, and Record, and some mighty fine special features to boot. I do wish that this Panasonic had both an external Mic, and Headphone jack, but that's the "Pro" side of me talking, and I am very comfortable doing without when using the PV-GS80. Way to Go Panasonic!!

I had a sony dcr trv250, that really never worked, bad stuff, low quality.

This camera is simple and robust.

May have purchased the GS85 for some small features, but this does a very nice job for the money.

I agree with " T. Hockman "flimaker2380" " in the :

Cons
1. Don't like to remove the battery and plug to the ac every time i want do transfer video to the pc, but, so far this is the worst thing i met .
2. Low light performance is not that good though i do not do that much .
3. Battery life is short, so i'm going to buy a longer life one.

Pros
1 .Love not to hear the motor noise !!!!
2. Simple to use
3. very good video quality
4. nice lcd
5. compact