Customer Reviews

Panasonic PVDV102 MiniDV Multicam Digital Camcorder w/ 2.5" Color LCD and SD Drive

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Lets get down straight to the pros and cons of the product

Pro
1. Extremly small - really 'palm held'
2. Extremly Light
3. Jog dial a very nice feature

Cons
1. The pictures captured on the SD card are "average" quality
2. No remote comes with this
3. The SD Card is additional priced
4. The software is so very average.

Considering that I moved up from the DV 52 model for this model hoping to get

a. Remote (optional I am told)
b. Digital picture capability (v v average)

c. Software (that fell way short)

I would suggest that you buy the Panasonic DV 52 Model.Its a 100 bucks cheaper and buy yourself a seperate digitial camera - even at 1.2 m pixles they will outperform these palm comders !!

Tough learning but I hope you learn from my mistakes !!

I can't say enough good things about this camcorder. I've made a Las Vegas documentary, a skateboard movie, and simple home movies with it. Not only that, I managed to make them look professional. It transfers video without flaw onto the software I use to make movies (Windows Movie Maker) and also makes flawless re-transfers back onto the tape. Using an SD card, it can be used as a digital camera (albeit a very low quality one... it's still-pic mode is only .5 megapixels).

Pros:
-Great for beginners to home movie making
-Great for beginners to digital camcorders
-Amazing film quality
-SD card slot to save still pictures
-Great sound
-LCD screen

Cons:
-Poor explanation of how to use the digital zoom
-Lens cap is detatched
-Doesn't come with a FireWire, which is necessary to transfer video to the computer
-Still pics saved to the SD card are very low quality

Besides these four problems with this camcorder, it is a dream come true for those into amateur movie making. It really couldn't be any easier to use, save the digital zoom control. Other than these flaws, the camera is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to make professional-looking home movies. Great product, strongly recommended.

The camera itself gives you crystal clear movies, they transfer perfectly to VCR with great video and sound quality. Image transfer to PC via FireWire (cable and card not included) is also outstanding. Only problem is that I had to get seperate software (Adobe Premiere which is expensive) because the included software was, without excaggeration, one of the worst applications I've ever worked with weather multimedia or otherwise. It appeared to be written by someone with very basic programming ability! I emphasize this fact for those of you looking to do PC stuff with it. The still pics from the [optional] memory card are average but OK for Ebay and emailing pics. Overall: great for price range. I'm happy with it.

This is my first Camcoder, the other choice I considered was JVC-DV120, I liked JVC's 16x optical zoom, but its construction looked cheesy and it's much bulkier. The DV102 looks much better and has some nice features I like: zoom-mic and build-in light. It's a real good deal.
Camera is pretty easy to use and takes good picture, the image stablization does a good job, I took a lot of video by holding it without a tripod, sometimes I need to walk around, and the image wasn't very jerky. The sound quality is very good, no background noise at all.
In low light the image is a little bit grainy, but still very acceptable.
I'm not worried about the SD card, though I do have a spare one from my digital camera, I rarely use it, the still picture quality is too low to justify the price of a card. If Panasonic removed the SD drive and offered it with a remote, I'd have given it 5 stars. The other thing I missed is it doesn't have S-video output.
The Camcoder offers some manual feature such as iris lock, backlight and program AE, which are essential to cope with certain light conditions.
The camera's control buttons are a little hard to reach for me by just using one hand, my hand is relatively small, so make sure it's good for your hand.

Overall I feel it's perfect for begainers on a budget.
Btw, the software is virtually usesless.

I returned a Sony TRV250 for this camera and am satisfied. The color is good. The sound is good. And, I love the size. It's easy to hold and comfortable to operate.

The digital pictures are fine (when using "fine" mode) for electronic distribution (which is good enough for me). Don't plan on throwing away your 35 mm or digital camera. Secure Digital card not included, but are inexpensive.

The manual and camera present good features that give the operator control over lighting and color, among other things. I think that the more I learn the better my recordings will be.

Low light recording (outside at dusk or inside at night) could be better, but are no worse than VHS-C. I may find a way around that with the settings.

This is a good camera for families that want MiniDV capability with lots of features. ...

I bought this camera my birthday and thought it was great. A couple months later, I began to notice that the sound skips, and it would constantly eat tapes. And then it goes on some sort of safety mode where it wont let you do anything on the camera because it thinks it might break itself. And whats up with all that extra space around the flip screen? I should have done more research before I bought this camera, and now im paying the price.

This is an excellent camcorder. I have had mine for a about a year and I have had no problems at all with it. The buttons on top are a little small for large hands but if you buy the optional remote control then you don't have to worry with them. I create digital movies on my computer using the USB cable that was provided. The special effects built into this camcorder work excellent. I have recommended this camcorder to all of my friends.

I am an aspiring film director and find that with the appropriate settings and tapes, that this camcorder performs famously. It has a lot of bells and whistles, which to some, may not be needed. However, for those of us who enjoy the detailed aspects of film making, it is a good choice. The picture is clear and concise, it loads fast, and so on and so on. The only flaw I would point out, would be that the batery is a little below average. You can of course upgrade and get a higher standard battery, which basically means that flaw is not a major worry.

... and I still love it. I purchased this camera probably 8 years ago. The purpose at that time was to continue practicing my visual style (I'd graduated from film school a few years prior), and it was more affordable than purchasing a film camera. Video scared me at the time, so even though I'd had a product with so many features, I didn't really utilize them until just a couple of years ago.

I now produce projects using my 'old' digital video camera with the help of filters, lighting, and Sony Vegas editing software, and I have to say that some of my work looks just as good as work I've seen on the film festival circuit.

Right now I am looking at prosumer camcorders for business purposes, but because of finances, I am also researching ways to enhance my user experience with the Panasonic PV-DV102 digital camera. Even if I am unable to purchase a new camera, I feel confident that with a little extra effort I can continue to produce nice looking video.

Specifically, the sound capture is better than I thought it would be - though it does annoy me that there is no microphone jack. The attached light is practically useless, which is ok for me since I always use additional lighting since enhancing the picture quality is based a lot on that lighting. I love the manual features, and am intrigued (and a little bit intimidated) by some of the special features - some of which I have yet to try out. Overall, I am still happy with my purchase.

Mine did: three times. They lost it for weeks. For the 6 months I have owned it, I have had it for about two. Panasonic dragged its feet until I had my attorney call them.