Quick Review Camcorders: Panasonic PV-GS500

The PV-GS500 represents the best of what Panasonic has to offer in MiniDV this year. This top-of-the-line camcorder has some big shoes to fill, however, and ardent fans of its predecessor, the feature-packed PV-GS400, will not be impressed. Panasonic’s 2006 strategy was to drop features, thereby lowering prices. Sure, the PV-GS500 is good in its own right, but in an open-market world of Ebays and Craigslists, the competition with past generations can be tough to overcome.

The PV-GS500 comes equipped with three 1/4.7” CCDs and 12x optical zoom. A three-chip array, as opposed to a single chip, splits the incoming light into three channels, increasing color performance. The result was a fantastic image under adequate lighting. We did spot some fine grain noise patterns – systemic in all the Panasonic camcorders this year – but it did not distract too much from an otherwise excellent picture.

We also test camcorders in low light, a crucial area of performance where some models fall apart. Whether you know it or not, you’re often shooting video in low light. A camcorder is not as sensitive as the human eye. That softly-lit living room scene might come out a grainy, grey mess on tape. So how did the PV-GS600 perform? At moderate low light, it produced a sharp image while maintaining surprisingly good colors. It was among the finest we’ve seen this year. Even in very low light, the camcorder managed to hang onto some color information and stave off an overabundance of noise.

Panasonic camcorders generally handle well. They are well-balanced with smart button placement and a solid feel. The 2.7” widescreen LCD is pretty standard these days, but Panasonic also manages to honor a dying feature: the viewfinder not only pivots up about 45 degrees from the body, but it also telescopes out and has a comfortable rubber eyecup. The rear-mounted joystick makes one-handed operation possible. Once you learn the menus, this may be the closest you can get to a professional feel without paying thousand of dollars.

The PV-GS500’s greatest asset is its manual control suite. If there’s a feature to be found on an under $1500 camcorder, it’s probably here: fully independent aperture and shutter speed, exposure compensation, white balance, gain, and more. A focus ring around the lens barrel gives you the tight focus control that most consumer camcorders miss. (Of course, there was a multifunction ring on the PV-GS400 that also controlled zoom.) The tricky thing with Panasonics is learning their menus. The manual control menu is almost entirely reliant on icons rather than simple text. The icons are sometimes difficult for beginners to decipher, and you may need to consult the reference manual before you go out for a big shoot.

Still photos can be captured to SD card in sizes up to 2288 x 1728 (about 3MP). A built-in flash is also available for stills. When shooting video mode, the camcorder features an optical image stabilization system for controlling jitters and bobbing hand movements. The PV-GS500 also offers ProCinema mode when recording video, which is meant to create a film look. We found it to do little more than darken the image and decrease sharpness. There are far better options for mimicking film, but they tend to appear only on much more expensive camcorders. 

The port array on the PV-GS500 is poor compared to the PV-GS400. This year’s model includes DV, USB, AV/S-Video-out, and a shared microphone/wired remote jack. We’re glad to see the mic input, but for this price, the camcorder should at least include an analog-in option. The PV-GS400 included the analog-in and a wired remote control.

The PV-GS500 is a great camcorder in its own right. At the top of the heap in Panasonic’s MiniDV line, it has all the features that consumers should have on their checklist for great video performance: 3 CCDs, optical image stabilization, a host of manual controls, and solid handling. But the remaining PV-GS400 camcorders floating around in the market up the ante with a multifunction ring, analog input, a headphone jack, zebra stripes, color bars, and more. Regardless, the PV-GS500 is undoubtedly one of the most powerful standard definition consumer camcorders of 2006. We can only hope that Panasonic takes a cue from their fans and begins reintegrating some of those lost features on future models.

Panasonic PV-GS500 - THE BOTTOM LINE Rating: 246.69

Likes

- Terrific video resolution and performance - Priced lower than its predecessor - Retains many great features like a focus ring and superb manual controls - An overall standout among DV camcorders, but not by the wide margin of the PV-GS400

Dislikes

- Loss of ring control over zoom, digital pass-through, headphone output and – sadly - much more. - We knew the PV-GS400...the PV-GS400 was a friend of ours. Panasonic PV-GS500, you are no PV-GS400...

Sony HDR-HC3 Rating: 274.94	Panasonic PV-GS400 Rating: N/A	Panasonic PV-GS300 Rating: 231.29	Canon Optura 600 Rating: 230.33	Sony DCR-HC96 Rating: 225.67
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
-Video Performance -Video Resolution -Automatic Control -Focus -White Balance -Ease Of Use -Still Resolution -Still Perfomance -VCR Mode -Low Light Performance -Wide Angle -Portability -Widescreen -24P/Scan Rates -Jacks / Ports / Plugs -Other Features -Value	-Overall Manual Control -Focus -Zoom -Other Manual Control -VCR Mode -Audio -Wide Angle -Widescreen -24P/Scan Rates -Jacks / Ports / Plugs -Other Features -Value -LCD / Viewfinder	-Still Resolution -Wide Angle -Portability -Value	-Exposure -White Balance -Other Manual Control -Ease Of Use -Still Resolution -Still Perfomance -VCR Mode -Audio -Portability -Jacks / Ports / Plugs -Value	-Automatic Control -Zoom -White Balance -Ease Of Use -Still Resolution -Still Perfomance -VCR Mode -LCD / Viewfinder -Portability -Value
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
-Zoom -Other Manual Control -Editing	-Automatic Control -White Balance -Ease Of Use -Editing -Exposure -Shutter Speed -Gain	-Overall Manual Control -Zoom -Exposure -Shutter Speed -White Balance -Gain -Other Manual Control -Ease Of Use -Still Features -VCR Mode -LCD / Viewfinder -Compression -Media -Editing -Widescreen -Jacks / Ports / Plugs -Other Features	-Automatic Control -Wide Angle -Compression -Media -Editing -Widescreen -Other Features	-Other Manual Control -Low Light Performance -Wide Angle -Compression -Media -Editing -Widescreen
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
-Overall Manual Control -Exposure -Shutter Speed -Gain -Still Features -Zoom Ratio -LCD / Viewfinder -Audio -Handling -Battery -Compression -Media	-Video Performance -Video Resolution -Still Features -Zoom Ratio -Low Light Performance -Handling -Battery -Compression -Media -Still Resolution -Still Perfomance -Portability	-Video Performance -Video Resolution -Automatic Control -Focus -Still Perfomance -Low Light Performance -Zoom Ratio -Audio -Handling -Battery -24P/Scan Rates	-Video Performance -Video Resolution -Overall Manual Control -Zoom -Focus -Shutter Speed -Gain -Still Features -Low Light Performance -Zoom Ratio -LCD / Viewfinder -Handling -Battery -24P/Scan Rates	-Video Performance -Video Resolution -Overall Manual Control -Focus -Exposure -Shutter Speed -Gain -Still Features -Zoom Ratio -Audio -Handling -Battery -24P/Scan Rates -Jacks / Ports / Plugs -Other Features