Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic PVGS200 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

This is a tourist-camera body with a professional output! I use this camera for commercial video and public access cable TV. I've taken this camera on vacation all over the world. On a flat panel TV, people always remark how incredibly good the resolution is on this camera, in all sorts of lighting environs. One of the standouts is the excellent lens and the sharp autofocus. It also rocks with a steadicam. My next camera is going to be a lot less fun because it is more bulky.

I won't go into all the technical specs of this camera because the other reviewers have already done an excellent job of doing that. I bought my pv-gs200 2 years ago and it's really an amazing and value packed product. They're a little tough to find new now but I would imagine a refurb would be of equal quality. The #1 reason why I purchased the gs200 is because it has a manual focus ring. I can use it for stills and full motion video. This is a huge benefit, especially in low light shots. The color reproduction on the GS200 is spot on. I recently shot a family reunion at a beach in Long Island NY and discovered that if you capture the video in an uncompressed format using an app like Sony Vegas, you get results comparable to that of a higher end broadcast quality camera. For me, figuring this out was like unlocking the cameras true potential. I highly recommend this camera for the steady handed. It's ideal for tripod use too! Check out a video of my nephew picking his nose with both fingers, filmed with the GS200 and rendered as a an mpeg layer 2 file. http://www.robdrew.us/thepick.mpg Here's a link to a still I took with the GS200. It's a pic of the sun using no filters. http://www.robdrew.com/gallery/IMGA0502.JPG

The Digital Zoom is just useless for most camera! It is just a marketing sick joke. Turn off that stupid Digital Zoomm then your EIS will work a lot better ( try not to zoom all the way to 10X). If you need to get closer to the object then try to use a telephoto lense converter ( may be around $99 for a decent one). Over all I think this camera is doing very well! I would definately recommend it! Video quality is superb! Still camera is not bad if you need a quick shot at something. The user manual is a real joke though but the menu is very easy to use. Thing you may need beside the camcorder:
- IEEE cable
- Adobe Premier
You will not be disappointed! At lest i didn't.
The new PV-GS250 has the Optical I.S. so you may want to look at it as well. But to me, the PV-GS200 is very good you just have to get use to it.

The Panasonic PV-GS200 is a great camera as all the other reviewers have mentioned. Don't buy this camera for the computer program, DV Studio3. I have Win XP Home and installed the software that was included with the camera. I have yet to find out how it works as the program freezes as soon as you start it. I get the splash screen and that's it. I usually have to use the task manager to shut down the program. I contacted Panasonic via their website and after two weeks, have not received a response (not even an acknowledgement that they received my question). Camera is great but the program is the pits. -- Update: Finally got a response from Panasonic (three weeks). They recommended I use Windows Movie Maker to download the video. That worked. -- Update (again): The one thing that is not mentioned by anyone, including Panasonic tech support is the firewire cable. This is essential and is not included with the PV-GS200. Since this is a neccessary accessory, you'd think Panasonic would have mentioned this somewhere in their manual (and included one with the camera). Make sure you have one if you're using this camera.

First off......why are all concerned about low light capabilities....most cameras are lowsy without some sort of external bulb. I had a GL2 which i recently sold because i no longer need to documentaries, and that camera needed an external light. Also the image stabilization is a joke. Like recent reviews. If you want perfection on screen then use a tripod and remote. Usually using the zoom won't keep you steady anyway. The GL2 had a powerful zoom but was shaky when held by hand. Gl2 is an awesome Prosumer camera. But thats what its for, a semi professional who is using it for non home use. The Panasonic GS200 is a superb below 1000 bucks small compact camera that is comparable in 3CCD video clarity as the GL2. I give the GS200 3 thumbs up. Those extra little features are for movie makers people, not Joe Schmo who is videoing his daughters sweet 16 and making a momento for future reference.