Panasonic PV-GS320
Panasonic PV-GS320 Press Release
Panasonic today announced three new value-priced digital camcorders using MiniDV tape and SD Memory Card1 storage media and boasting such advanced features as Panasonic’s Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) system, newly developed lenses2 for extended-width 16:9 shooting, 3.1 megapixel still-picture recording3, shutter speeds up to 1/8000th of a second, one-touch navigation and joystick control, and 2.7-inch wide LCD.
At the top of the line, the $499.95 (MSP) PV-GS320 combines a Leica Dicomar ED lens and a virtually light-loss-free 3CCD imaging system to produce superior detail rendition, greater color accuracy, and enhanced depth.
Check price and availability at Amazon.
Bid for it on eBay:
 | US $113.50 (6 Bids) End Date: Saturday Feb-11-2012 7:04:59 PST Bid now | Add to watch list |
PANASONIC PV-GS320 DIGITAL VIDEO CAMCORDER/3CCD/USED/$1
 | US $0.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Feb-15-2012 17:01:21 PST Bid now | Add to watch list |
“The big story here is extending the benefits of Panasonic’s advanced Optical Image Stabilization technology to customers shopping for camcorders in the entry level market segment,” said Rudy Vitti, Panasonic’s national marketing manager for camcorders. “O.I.S. eliminates the deterioration and unnatural artifacts common with electronic stabilization systems by canceling hand-shake effects before the image reaches the CCD. With it, we have managed to increase the zoom range of several of our models to 32x while obtaining smoother, more stable images than ever before.”
Vitti also noted that the O.I.S. system is fully functional in still-image as well as video mode. “Our O.I.S. secures and stabilizes a 960×480-pixel rectangle for true wide-screen shooting. “This ensures that movies taken with any of camcorders will be sharper and steadier than those of others, particularly when viewed on a big-screen HDTV.”
Other key features of all three new models include 2.7-inch wide LCD viewfinders for easy 16:9 image composition, improved one-touch menu navigation and joystick controls for intuitive one-hand operation, and high-speed (1/8000 max.) shutters.
Panasonic PV-GS320 Features
3CCD imaging system, optical image stabilization, Leica Dicomar ED lens, 3.1 megapixel still picture recording onto SD Card, 10x optical zoom, 2.7″ wide LCD, one-touch navigation and joystick control, high-speed shutter (1/60-1/800, tape mode; 1/30-1,2000, card mode), Motion DV Studio and Quick Movie Magic software applications
Check price and availability at Amazon.
Panasonic PV-GS320 Reviews
CNET has a review of the Panasonic PV-GS320 and writes, “This model’s three 800,000-pixel CCD sensors really shine when it comes to image quality. Our footage had nicely saturated, accurate colors with relatively little noise compared to single chip models we’ve tested recently. We saw plenty of finer detail and in-focus portions of our footage were very sharp. Even indoors, with only moderate ambient lighting, we captured video with admirable saturation, though noise became noticeable but tolerable. Only when shooting in very dim light did noise become very intrusive, though we were surprised to find that colors weren’t as washed out as we would’ve expected. … If you don’t like bothering with fancy controls but can appreciate the value of good image quality, then the Panasonic PV-GS320 may be just the camcorder for you.” Link.
Macworld has a review of the Panasonic PV-GS320 and writes, “The benefits of this design were quickly apparent in our testing, as our assembled panel of editors gave the video quality a Superior rating, both in low light and in normal shooting conditions. Our panel gave the camcorder’s 3.1-megapixel still shots a rating of Very Good and scored its highest marks for color accuracy. The only performance detail that did not rate well was battery life. With just 81 minutes of video captured on a full charge, the camcorder earned a rating of Fair.” Link.
PCWorld has a review of the Panasonic PV-GS320 and writes, “The PV-GS320’s 3.1-megapixel still shots earned a rating of Very Good, with especially high marks for color accuracy. The only performance detail that didn’t rate well was battery life: The camcorder captured a somewhat skimpy 81 minutes of video on a full charge. Compared with other three-CCD MiniDV camcorders–including the model it replaces–the Panasonic PV-GS320 is a bargain. Despite some design quirks, this camcorder is a good choice for people who want great-looking video without paying high-definition prices.” Link.
CamcorderInfo has a review of the Panasonic PV-GS320 and is disappointed in the camcorder: “The video quality remains, yet all that made the PV-GS400 great has fallen to cinders. We looked upon its mighty works, and now we despair. … the Panasonic PV-GS320 has so many flaws and missed features that it’s hard to work up a compelling reason to buy it. First of all, the camcorder does not offer a manual focus ring, as indicated by their website. We’ve informed Panasonic of the error, and we hope this review prevents many more people from getting duped. Secondly, the port placements on the PV-GS320 are simple nonsensical. Why hide the DC power, USB, and Firewire cables all behind the battery, essentially killing any possibility of using this for field production? The LCD cavity is completely empty except for the playback speaker, and we’re sure the engineers could have figured out how to relocate the ports there. Also, the SD card slot is on the bottom. This is certainly less of an inconvenience than the other ports, but it means that the card cannot be removed it on a tripod. We love the optical image stabilization, which proved to be amazingly effective in our testing, but was it enough? Not really.” Link.
