Panasonic PV-GS65 3-CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Having just finished a half-hour video documentary using the Panasonic GS65 means I've seen the good and not-so-good. First, let me say that viewed via LCD projector on a giant screen, the color and image quality were satisfyingly rich. And I found the joystick controller terrifically easy.Along the way I racked up hours of interviews. The principal problem I found was a basic one rather than a Panasonic one: shooting with a bright background surrounding the face of the interviewee - backlighted - rendered uncomfortably dark faces. Still, I think better cameras (I had a top-of-the-line Sony for 6 years) are less severely affected by this common lighting situation.The good news for amateurs who need to rescue unintentionally-silhouetted footage is that today's software will allow you to boost the brightness in a scene as you edit. I use iMovie HD on my eMac and it proved an effective tool for tweaking both audio and video.I found the GS65's mic input and hotshoe to be essential for my interviews. I used an Azden clip-on mic with 9v-powered transmitter and receiving units and was very happy with my audio. And, by the way, I hope you realize that audio is one of the most difficult factors in bringing home a watchable video.One last bit: I noticed a bit of extra headroom on every shot despite composing tightly. I suspect that allowance needs to be made for a discrepancy between the view provided by the viewing screen and the camera's actual capture.I'm afraid the lure of Better Video via the 3-chip technology was only partially realized. Thank goodness the GS65 cost less than $400.Serious amateurs (skateboarders, teachers, etc) probably ought to save their money for a higher quality unit.

I liked the camera a lot, but it has a few irritating details as compared to GS150. If I knew these before purchase, I probably would have purchase GS150 itself.The camera itself is fine, but the description doesn't indicate that you cannot transfer the video over the USB cable. You have to separately purchase the Firewire cable for that. GS150 allows you to transfer video over USB. GS150 comes with software for video editing, and it has a built-in lens cap.

We purchased this camera and overall it was a good camera. It took excellent outside video and was not a great performer in low light conditions but that is not atypical of today's reasonably priced miniDV camcorders. However after six months the LCD screen suddenly stopped working. It was not mishandled and the otherwise the camera works great. We sent it last November to the Panasonic authorized service center. They returned it three months later unrepaired because the part is not available. We were out $100 in labor fees plus we still have a broken camera that is less than a year old. I only share this as a warning to potential buyers. Panasonic did not honor our warranty!

I have purchased the pv-gs65 and everytime I use the camera with autofocus it makes everything blurry and only stays in focus for about 3 seconds. I returned my camcorder and got another one (pvgs65) and I am still having this problem. everytime i have used the camera i have to use manual focus.If anyone else has had this problem or knows how i could get this fixed please email me or post another review. [email protected] Thank You.

I did a LOT of comparing before I bought this camcorder. The "lack of zoom" wasn't that big of a deal to me compared to the other features. My hands are too shaky for zooming in much beyond 10x anyway. I did use a little bit of the digital zoom (to 12x) and my video (although shaky) seemed to still be exceptional.The low light recording on this camera is tremendous for it's price range. I also like the S-video output, which for some reason seems to be the first thing to go when camcorder companies ditch options to drive down the price. Mic input is also a nice feature usually lacking on a camcorder in this price range.I haven't taken any stills yet, but samples I've seen on the web show that it does a pretty adequate job and unlike some other camcorders, you can take stills to the SD card while shooting video.The lack of software might be a concern to some, but chances are if you bought a video capture card or a "Firewire" card for your PC, you have some acceptable editing software anyway.The following minor cons aren't really enough to detract from the overall value of this camera:1. I don't like is that you have to flip out the LCD panel to turn on manual focus. Some of the more advanced filming options are only available in manual mode.2. The thumb "joystick" and it's associated icons isn't the most intuitive or easy thing to use, although I do think it's better than a bunch of buttons all over the place.Basically, if you'd like to make some high quality home video and are looking for an affordable camcorder, then this is the one for you...

I bought this camera in January and have been very happy with the performance. Bang for buck, you really can't go wrong.HOWEVER, please look at the warranty on this camera before you buy. Panasonic has 12 months warranty - but the FINE PRINT says that after 3 months you, the consumer have to pay any service charges. Now we are into May, the camera mangles my tapes continually, and I have to pay for labour charges to get this fixed on a camera I have barely used and is still under warranty.....Panasonic does pay for parts - which are of course virtually free to Panasonic.... You will then need to send the camera away to a random 3rd party that may or may not fix the camera, and may or may not charge you a fortune for labour.Seriously sucks.....

camera works great but the issue of getting video into a laptop or PC can be difficult since newer versions of windows doesn't support the camera driver. MAC has issues as well