Quick Review Camcorders: Panasonic PV-GS250

The excellent video performance is due in large part to the 3 CCDs, each measuring 1/6”. While The PV-GS250 didn’t do quite as well as last year’s immensely popular PV-GS400, its sharpness and color definition definitely outperformed any other Panasonic this year (although it was a close call with the slightly less expensive PV-GS150). The PV-GS250 sports a 10x optical zoom, rather disappointing relative to the imager specs. But then again, this model is taking its cues from professional cameras. These tend to have smaller zooms because pros are more likely to set up their shots ahead of time.

Low light performance was, unfortunately, less impressive. A camcorder’s performance in low light is determined largely by the size and number of the chips. It seemed that the PV-GS250 had a lot going for it, but simply failed to deliver on the promise. We consider our tests in this area to be critical to camcorder’s overall score, as low light situations occur far more often for the camera lens than the human eye might expect. Indoor shots at night, dimly lit rooms, evenings in the backyard… all of these environments in which we can see just fine create, in the camcorder, a battle to achieve adequate color and focus while holding noise and grain to a minimum. The PV-GS250 certainly did well against similarly-priced camcorders (such as the Optura 60), but not as well as we’d hoped.

Handling the PV-GS250 is a dream compared to most consumer camcorders. A joystick on the rear allows for easy, one-handed navigation through the menu. The LCD is average, and certainly adequate. The viewfinder extends and pivots upward – a rapidly vanishing feature in the world of ever-shrinking camcorders.

Automatic controls are good, but not quite as good as a Sony. The PV-GS250’s shining moment occurs when the manual controls are accessed. While it may take a few minutes to acclimate yourself to the menu, you’ll soon find the joystick to be a breeze. Options for manual control include exposure, shutter speed, white balance, and gain (somewhat of a rarity on non-professional cams). Finally, adding a true sense of professionalism, a focus ring encircles the lens. This is undoubtedly the best method to achieve manual focus, and does not come included on the PV-GS150.

The PV-GS250 is also equipped to take stills in four resolutions (max. 2048 x 1512). It records to SD cards. The feature set is fairly limited, so it shouldn’t be considered a “hybrid.” You’ll find a burst mode that shoots in 0.5 second intervals, but only in 640 x 480. The stills do look very good, however, and feature one of the highest effective still pixel counts of any camcorder.

Ports on the PV-GS250 include DV, USB, A/V in/out (which supports analog to digital pass-through), S-Video, microphone input, and a smart accessory shoe. This is as wide an array as you could find on a camcorder.

If you are a first time user, you should know that there is no “Easy” mode, as you might find on some Sonys and Canons. Automatic controls are available, but relegating yourself to them alone would defeat the whole joy of the camera. This is a machine that seeks your participation. Join it, and you can make beautiful pictures together.

Panasonic PV-GS150 Rating: 217.09	Panasonic PV-GS65 Rating:205.24	Sony DCR-PC1000 Rating: 198.88	Canon Optura 60 Rating: 209.25	Panasonic PV-GS200 Rating:126.09
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
-Portability -Still Performance -Affordability	-Affordability	-LCD -Automatic Control -Ease of Use -Portability -Design	-Optical Zoom -Automatic Control -Ease of use -LCD -Audio -Portability	-Automatic Control -Manual Control -LCD
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
-Zoom Specs -Video Performance -Low Light Performance -Automatic Control -Wide Angle -Ports -LCD	-Zoom Specs -Automatic Control -Optical Zoom Specs -Wide Angle -LCD -Ports	-Optical Zoom -Built-In Flash -Video Performance -Wide Angle	-Top-Loading -Audio Dub -Focus Ring -Flash -Image Stabilization	-Optical Zoom -Video Performance -Low Performance -Handling
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
-Image Specs -Manual Control -Ease of Use -Focus Ring -Image Stabilizer -Still Capabilities -Audio	-Imager -Still Capability -Manual Control -Ease of Use  -Lens Cover -Video Performance -Audio -Handling -Widescreen	-Still Capability -Low Light Performance -Manual Control -Ports -Side loading -Audio -Handling -Affordability	-Imager Specs -Video Performance -Low Light performance -Manual Control -Still Capability -Handling -Still Capabilities -Wide Angle -Handling -Ports	-Imager Specs -Navigation System -Ports -Digital Still Capabilities -Audio