Ab Work Outs: Panasonic PV-GS90 MiniDV Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I purchased this camcorder to document the vacation of my lifeime. And I have been extremely pleased with its performance. Panasonic has addressed several design flaws in previous models to make this one sweet little unit. They've also added a few new improvements.

The bottom line is that it takes good video overall. Quality is very good in outdoor lighting. Indoor performance is good; low light performance is minimal, but much better than expected. Considering what you pay, video quality is on par with units costing hundreds more.

Pros:
1. Great video for a single CCD camera. Great for outdoor shooting.
2. Amazing 42x optical zoom. Picture stays crisp & clear.
3. Advanced Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). Panasonic has a reputation of having the best. This allows you to zoom in and move the camera with minimal screen jitter. Better than other brands costing $100's more.
4. Uses inexpensive miniDV cassettes. These can be purchased just about anywhere if you need one in a pinch.
5. Lots of software available to do video editing. You'll also need a firewire cable and card to transfer the video to computer.
5. Built in lens cover; it slides open and close by moving a sliding button. Say goodbye to dangling or lost lens covers.
6. Firewire port has been moved to side of camera under the foldout LCD. You no longer need to remove the battery to get to it. The AV output is on the front right side.
7. A usable built in LED light. It won't light up a room but just enough helpful illumination for a subject 3 to 5 feet away in dim areas.
8. Lots of manual control. User can switch from Auto to Manual modes at the touch of a button. Controls include focus, white balance, iris, f-stop, and others.
9. Shoots and displays video in widescreen 16x9 and standard 4x3 formats.

Cons:
1. Poor battery life. Battery included barely lasts 1 hour. Using the viewfinder instead of the LCD helps a lot. You'll definitely need to buy an extra battery.
2. Expensive replacement batteries. I found that the batteries for previous Panasonic camcorder models work just fine, and are a fraction of the cost.
3. Poor low light performance.
4. No slot for memory card. Takes video stills. Plan on using your digital camera for regular pictures.
5. No way to use accessories such as lighting kits or extra lenses.

Basically what you get is a minimalist digital camcorder that takes good video. The limitations of this camcorder are hardly "cons" considering how little you pay for it. MiniDV is on its way out, but is currently still a viable media. If you need a camcorder that takes HD quality or good low light video, this is not the camera for you.

But if you are looking for a great first time camcorder, or an inexpensive little unit to document that once a year vacation or occasional event, you'll be pleased with this one.

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Product Description:
The PV-GS90 miniDV camcorder's 42x optical zoom lens has the power you need to take dramatic close ups or get remarkable shots of even distant subjects. But with long-distance zoom shots, even a tiny bit of hand shake has a huge effect on picture quality. That's where Panasonic's Advanced Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) comes in, suppressing the effects of hand shake as you shoot. The system uses gyro sensors to detect hand shake, then shifts a lens and adjusts the optical axis to compensate. This all happens a remarkable 4,000 times per second. And because the system is optical, no image quality is lost. Thanks to Advanced O.I.S., the images you capture look incredibly clear, sharp and blur-free even at high zoom levels. When illumination is insufficient, turn on this camcorder's built-in LED video light to take crisp, colorful movies. The LED (light emitting diode) has low power consumption, long service life, and the safety of a low-operating temperature. Or leave the light off and turn on the MagicPix function to capture sharp images with color even in dim lighting (1 lux). Light from the LCD is gentle and easy on the eyes, so you can snap shots of sleeping children without waking them up. With One-Touch Navigation, just press the center of the joystick to display an operating menu. The operations you use most often appear right on the monitor, so it's easy to change settings or operate the camera without looking away from your subject. The Soft Skin function detects skin tones, softening the focus on those areas. This has a skin-beautifying effect, which makes wrinkles and lines appear less noticeable. When turned on, this function makes blemishes and moles look less conspicuous while preserving resolution in areas of the picture and outside of the skin. No Still Picture Recording Minimum Illumination - 2 Lux (Magic Pix) Focus AF/Manual White Balance Auto/Indoor/Outdoor/White Set (with IR S