Customer Reviews

Panasonic PVDV202 MiniDV Multicam Digital Camcorder w/ 2.5" LCD, IR Remote & 8MB SD Memory Card

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

 

 

I purchased this camcorder about 2 months back. Thought I'd share my experience with all. Overall, I am satisfied with this purchase.

''''''''''''''''LIKES :)'''''''''''''''
1. 680,000 PIXEL CCD
Camcorders at this price range (atleast the better brands) typically have 390,000 or 460,000 pixels. In a MiniDV camcorder, the number of pixels on each CCD significantly affect the video quality. So this one with 680,000 pixels should give you noticeably better video quality than others

2. IMAGE STABILIZATION AND PICTURE EFFECTS
It is surprising how much shake comes into a video even with what I thought was a steady hand at 10x Zoom. Image stabilization can make that shot much more viewable. The nice thing is that you can apply stabilization either while recording or playing it back. The other effect I use a lot is the Fade effect, to seperate different sequences of video

3. AUDIO EFFECTS AND ZOOM MIC
I like to be able to cut out the background noise caused by the wind howling. Also, in relatively quiet conditions, the Zoom Mic can filter out the ambient noise and try to make the sound (from the area you are zooming into) more prominent. Cute!

4. POWERFUL LIGHT
I found this to be quite useful. Digital photography products generally struggle in low light conditions, so this was a must have feature for me. And while it would certainly take up more battery power, my batteries didnt seem to drain out very quickly either

5. WEB CAM MODE
You can also use this as a Web Cam. I've never used this mode but expect it will do as well as any dedicated Web cam in the market

6. DECENT LCD
Though not exactly great when in bright outdoor conditions, the LCD is about as good or better when compared to other camcorders in the market

7. REMOTE - EASE OF USE; and RELIABLE
I found this camcorder to be easy to use. The remote helps playback / operate from a distance. The Camcorder has good build quality and that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling

''''''''''''''''DISLIKES :(''''''''''''''''
1. OPTICAL ZOOM - 10x
I think Optical Zoom is one feature which you can never have enough of! 10x is decent and useful, but frankly, there are tons of models there that offer 20x+. Though I would certainly love more zoom, be warned that the more the zoom, the more the shake that gets into the video; and the lower the picture quality (because there is lesser light incident on the lens). I never use Digital Zoom so Optical Zoom is all the zoom I've got

2. USB CONNECTION AND STILL PHOTO MODE
This has its caveats. Yes, you can transfer videos using the USB 1 connection, but its just not practical. One second of video takes 40 seconds to get downloaded onto the computer (because USB 1 has a bandwidth of only 12 Mega bits per second). Also, you can download only 1 minute of video at a time (which will take you 40 minutes anyway). Just not practical!
I wonder if Panasonic will be upgrading these models with USB 2 support soon - that will be good - its 40 times faster!
Regarding the still photo mode, I was disappointed. I thought 1.3 Megapixels (albeit interpolated) would give me decent shots, but it doesnt. Take others advise and plan on using a [good] camera for stills, they'll leave this for dead. And dont get impressed by the Memory Card feature - its not very useful to have poor quality shots caught on the card.

3. FIREWIRE TRANSFER LIMITATION
Honestly, I don't know how many people would use this feature to store / process their digital recordings. In case you are like me and intend doing so once DVD Writers are cheaper (so that you can dump about 1 hour of video after doing the necessary modifications on 1 DVD), there's a caveat. The firewire transfer mode only does 3 minutes of video at a time. I don't know about other digital camcorders, but this sounds like a trivial irritation

''''''''''''''''MUST HAVE ADD-ONS :O''''''''''''''''
1. MORE BATTERY
The battery that comes with the camera is good for about 40 minutes of Video - with LCD usage and Zooming. I found this out the hard way - the very next day I bought this camcorder, I went out on a cruise by the San Francisco Bay to watch the 4th of July Celebrations. I had captured details of the Alcatraz; and after waiting out in the cold for 3 hours, the fireworks finally started. And as Murphy would have warned, the battery gave way immediately! :'(
You've been warned. There's a decent Panasonic battery that I purchased for [a moderate amount]- that gives me about 2 hours more. Must buy!

2. VIDEO CASSETTES
These days you can buy a 60 minute cassette for [a small price], you'll need them as long as you don't start burning your videos onto DVD

3. FIREWIRE CARD and DVD WRITER
To burn videos onto DVD. I'll probably wait for DVD technologies to stabilize and prices to drop - maybe a year or two before I buy these

4. CARRYING CASE

5. OPTICAL LENS
I haven't done this yet, but am planning on buying a 2x Telephoto Zoom lens and a Wide angle lens. This way, I get to overcome my main gripe with this camcorder - the 10x zoom

This is an excellent Digital Cam. It has great features that are easy to use. Also, the quality is very good. The only negative is the slow digital picture taking between clicking and being to take another picture. I have owned this camera since it came out. I use it alot and never had any problems with quality or functionality.

I'm giving this product three stars, because our PV-DV202 was a very good camera.. until it quit working. The quality of the video and even that of the still shots was very good. Panasonic cameras are also generally very user friendly. Beware though of Panasonic's customer service. Its Internet and telephone contact system is notorious for not returning requests for assistance, routing its callers through a confusing phone tree to poorly synthesized voice messages or long waits to talk to a customer representative. If you are seeking to repair a product that is out of warranty, your camera has actually just become a very expensive doorstop because repairs will usually cost you more than the camera cost new. We found this out the hard way. We were very happy with the camera for the two years of gentle use we gave it. Suddenly, the tape head went bad and we discovered the ugly truth about Panasonic, that it sells its cameras at a competetive price by reducing its customer service overhead. If you are nonetheless willing to take this risk or choose to buy an extended warranty for the camera, then Panasonic's customer service situation would be a non-issue for you.

This is a nice camcorder that you can play with.
This is a light and easy to operate camcorder( compare to JVC VLWD405 ). The quality of still picture and video is great.
I think this is excellent model for the beginner.

The camera locks up when recording, and it's already fallen outside of it's 90 day parts warranty.

I can't find much out about what's wrong on the Internet, and of course, since most of these types of repairs can cost nearly as much as what the camera cost, it's turning into an expensive paperweight.

This camera has disappointed me because I couldn't take movies of my Kauai trip.