Customer Reviews

Panasonic PVDV203 MiniDV Compact Camcorder with 2.5" LCD and 8MB SD card

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

 

 

As an experienced digital camcorder and camera owner, I have
been on the move again. I was recently trying to decide which
digital camcorder to keep. Decisions, decisions. Immediately
after buying the 203, I tried out the new Sony TRV19. I found
that it had some nice Sony features, especially the Carl Zeiss
lens and touch screen LCD. I wish it had at least megapixel
still image quality or at least some type of interpolation. I
then returned to the Panasonic DV203 and have grown to like it a
lot. It offers nice features for the price and the overall
quality is fairly decent.

The Panasonic PAN PVDV203 that I originally, only briefly tried
out is looking better and better for the money.

Admittedly, the Panasonic PV-DV203 has some disadvantages and
might not be the "heavy duty serious" type of digital camcorder
that critical cameraphiles look for, but it has some nice features for the price. The non-glare LED
style light is a plus and it offers SD media
storage for [dollar amount]. There is a the "magic pix" setting for enhanced exposure although it contributes
to slow frame capture. Audio, a hallmark of Panasonic
not always mentioned in camcorder discussions, is superb.

Unfortunately, the low light capability of the Panasonic PV-
DV203 is mediocre in a dark or dimly lit room but quality seems
to improve significantly using the LED light and/or Magic Pix
feature. I still need to use this camcorder under a lot of
different conditions to get a much better idea as to its
capabilities. Initial reaction is that Sony optics in particular
are definitely superior. Whether that justified the price
difference is another matter and a very subjective decision. I
will be doing a lot of outdoor shooting shortly, but of course
that is optimal for most digital cameras and camcorders.

One of the major disadvantages is mainly the "interpolation"
instead of "real" megapixel still imaging. You can definitely
see the difference.

A web designer I work with who is very experienced with digital
photography pointed out to me that low light video is usually
not that great with many camcorders and that the low or zero lux
features available on some are a nice and important feature only
if you happen to shoot in very dark or non-lit areas. After
examining and handling it, he also noted that the Panasonic
DV203 has some nice features and that suggested that I should
use it extensively rather than prejudging it by constantly

looking for slight advantages or disadvantages. It does offer a
lot of functionality and I guess I am not going to find the
"perfect" digital camcorder in this price range. The bottom line
is that I need to get used to it, enjoy it and explore its
versatility, which is significant. It would also be nice,
... I am now leaning toward keeping this camcorder....

I purchased this digital camcorder on May 4th to be used primarily for family events. After an exhausting two hours or so reading all the reviews on the Sony, JVC and Panasonic MiniDV camcorders I decided on this one.

I am not a photographer or videographer, just a father of a two month old baby boy who wants to record special events. So far, I am very happy with this camcorder. I can't compare this camera's performance to the Sony or JVC in real world experience, but I can't see how they could be any better. Interior recording, even in low light, plays back very nicely - even on a 52" projection TV which highlights imperfections. The recording was comparable to a DVD movie!

The MagicPix low-light recording feature is not very useful in my opinion. The framerate is slowed down so much and there is a LOT of motion blur. My friend has a Sony Digital8 camera with Nightshot and that is a far superior low light recording capability. However, I don't plan on shooting many scenes in complete darkness so this is a moot point.

After two weeks of ownership, the only thing that annoys me about this product is that the battery must be remvoed from the camera to use the AC adapter. If you plug the camera into the battery charger while the battery is charging, it will stop charging the battery until the camera is unplugged.

In a nutshell, as a family man wanting to record special events, this camera is awesome. The Electronic Image Stabilization feature will let you record anything without all the wibble-wobble and is HIGHLY effective compared to the other brands. The images are sharp and colors crisp. I'm extremely pleased!

This digital camcorder has some nice features for its price range, including the non-glare LED lighting. Stills are 1.2 megapixel interpolation on SD media. Overall great product, easy to use, compact and loaded with features. Panasonic has great products. It's a great product that has good features and terrific quality of video and sound. A must have and must worth of checking out.

Overall, i'm satisfied with this product. Two things you should be aware of. The Sony DCRTRV series camcorders have better zoom resolution than this product. Also, the tape loading door locking mechanism is a piece of junk. It is very tempermental and sometimes will not lock.
Also, be sure to get a bigger battery. The one that comes with it does not last

I am furious.

A year and a half ago I got the dew detection error after a winter weekend ski trip and figured that perhaps some snow had gotten into the camera when I was changing tapes.

I called Panasonic's customer service and since it was still under warranty, I shipped the camera to someplace in Indiana and after about 5 weeks it was returned and I thought okay. All is hunky dory now. So I had to pay $25 out of pocket to ship this defective DV camera to be repaired. But now it seem to work just fine.

Then a few months later, out of curiousity I logged onto Amazon to read the reviews of my camera. That was when I found out that this 'dew detection error' appears to be a common problem with this particular model (and perhaps even other Panasonic models as well.

If this is indeed the case, why then hasn't Panasonic issued a recall on this model?

Flash forward to ....THIS MORNING just about 3 hours ago...

I get the old 'dew detection error' again when I was trying to film my twin boys in our backyard. Family friendly camera? Huh? Dew detection in the middle of a draught? It hasn't rained here in WEEKS!!! The camera is as DRY as a BONE. And the error message won't stop! I could probably aim a hairdryer at this camera for several hours and still get this error message. And there is nothing you can do. It shuts the camera off after 10 seconds and tells you to eject the tape.

I am so angry right now and I KNOW that by now my warranty has run out so now i am stuck with--as another customer wrote--a very expensive paperweight. UNBELIEVABLE. I plan to phone Panasonic today and find out if there's any recourse. DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA PEOPLE. I usually trust the Panasonic brand, but in this case I would advise going with another brand at least for a digital camera.

--Bill

I got the same "Dew Detected" problem as another reviewer noted, and if you do a quick search on any search engine, you will find that this is a very, very common problem with this camera. I now own a very expensive paperweight.

I bought this product (Panasonic PVD203 MiniDV Digital Camcorder) for a Christmas present after doing, what I thought, was good research. After charging the battery and starting up a message came up that it had dew detection and would shut down in 5 sec. I left in a warm dry place overnight, thinking it would solve the problem. It did not. After "Googleing": Panasonic PVD dew, I found out that more then one person has had this problem and once it occurs does not go away. I never did get it to work so cannot comment on other features. Apparently, some of the Panasonic cameras in various models have bad sensors. I returned it and bought another brand that so far is working fine.

I bought this camera as a total novice. I think it was easy to learn to use and I'm absolutely fascinated with it. It provides good quality video, lighting options and most of the accessories come with it. I love it!

This is an awesome camera for families. We bought it after looking for 2 years. We love the lightweight capabilities and the rotating screen. With two very active boys it makes it easy to capture what is going on. We have had no trouble with the lighting features and the still images are great. While we aren't professional camera users by any means we do use the camcorder a lot and this one has been perfect.

Wow! I cannot believe that the dew detected is such a common error message. My family of 6 had very little money to afford a camcorder, but as a mother of four, I deeply wanted one. My parents bought me one for my birthday and I was elated. Since it was a gift, I had done no research and knew no difference, but the camera worked fine for me and I had/have plenty of tapes of moments in my childrens' toddler years. Unfortunately, before we could get to my son's kindergarten graduation, I also got the "dew detected" error. It was frustrating beyond belief. I had taken good care of the camera, but I had a cameraman friend who told me that it was probably due to the case in which I stored my camera. That was years ago, but this year, on my trip of a lifetime to Turkey and Egypt, I decided to bite the bullet and pay the $200 out of warranty cost to have it reapaired. I guess i was in a rush and didn't have time for research, because I could have just bought a used one here for less! Still, my back was against the wall...not only did Panasonic not get it back to me in time for my trip, they also did not bother to inform me of this apparently common problem. I had it repaired. it seems to be working fine at least for me to review my beloved tapes from years ago (my my kids were small and cute!), but who's to say when the error will appear again! You'd think Panasonic would have mentioned that this was a common problem! I believe I will write them a letter now.