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- Excellent, jitter-free SD video
- MiniDV allows for fine editing
- More features than a budget camcorder
- Expensive for SD
- Lacks several useful features
Clear, crisp video – especially outdoors – makes the Panasonic PV-GS320 a reviewer favorite. Experts and users both praise the Panasonic's excellent image stabilizer, which limits hand shake. The PV-GS320 records to miniDV tapes, an older format that is inexpensive and allows for fine-tuned editing, but which does have its drawbacks -- such as the slow, tedious process of transferring video from the tapes to a computer. Although it offers much finer manual control than mini-models like the Pure Digital Flip Mino (*est. $150), the PV-GS320 lacks some useful features that are common in its price range. There is no microphone jack, for example, and users say the built-in microphone can produce garbled sound if people don't speak directly into it. There is no focus ring, and testers dislike the joystick Panasonic has substituted for manual focusing. Despite its lack of features, the Panasonic PV-GS320 is still one of the more expensive standard-definition camcorders on the market.
CamcorderInfo.com's review of the Panasonic PV-GS320 is extremely thorough and lengthy, and the site's ratings chart ranks it alongside dozens of high-definition and standard-definition camcorders. Consumer Reports offers similarly thorough tests and rankings, but its individual write-up on the Panasonic PV-GS320 is brief, and only subscribers can read the report. Reviews at CNet and Macworld don't directly compare the Panasonic PV-GS320 with other camcorders, but the reviews are thoughtful and critical, and they include numeric ratings. User reviews at Amazon.com are a good place to find out how the Panasonic PV-GS320 performs in real life.
| Panasonic PV-GS320 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom | |
(65 reviews) |
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Our Sources
CamcorderInfo.com exhaustively tests the Panasonic PV-GS320 and concludes that although the video quality is good, Panasonic has cut too many useful features from this model. The review compares the HDC-SD9 directly against three earlier Panasonics and a close Sony competitor, while the site's ratings chart shows how it rates alongside dozens of other current standard-definition and high-definition camcorders.
Review: Panasonic PV-GS320 Camcorder Review, David Kender, July 9, 2007
2. ConsumerReports.org
Consumer Reports includes the Panasonic PV-GS320 in its most recent update, alongside 15 other standard definition camcorder. Ratings are assigned, but discussion is limited. The report is only available to subscribers.
Review: Camcorders, Editors of Consumer Reports, July 2008
3. CNET
This one-page review concisely analyzes the Panasonic PV-GS320's handling, image quality and more. A synopsis at the top providing pros, cons and a bottom line assessment summarizes the tester's conclusions even more quickly. The camcorder gets numeric expert ratings, and several users have also weighed in with their own opinion and ratings.
Review: Panasonic PV-GS320 review, Philip Ryan, April 16, 2007
4. Macworld
This review is brief, but it is based on hands-on testing. James Galbraith finds some of the same design flaws other reviewers have noted -- but, like other reviewers, he goes on to discover that the PV-GS320 delivers impressive video. Galbraith also rates the PV-GS320's still photos.
Review: Panasonic PV-GS320 camcorder review, James Galbraith, May 9, 2007
5. Amazon.com
The Panasonic PV-GS320 has accumulated more than 50 user reviews, with an average rating of 4 of 5 stars. Reviews rate the PV-GS320's real-life performance, with users describing its audio, video and still photo quality.
Review: Panasonic PV-GS320 Reviews, Contributors to Amazon.com
