Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic PV-GS320 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

My wife and I purchased this item to film our family events over the coming years. After a lot of research I narrowed it down to this and the Sony DCR-HC96 (in fact several online reviews compared these two as well). It came down to price, which was better at Circuit City. Unfortunatly I will be paying a 15% restocking fee now as we have decided to return it and go with the Sony. The Panasonic, I feel, is a really good camera. The colors are bright and crisp...during the day. However we felt that most of the use would be during the evening hours indoors. With all three lamps turned on in our living room, "Auto" mode showed faint images and shadows when not pointed close to a light source. After several adjustments in "manual" mode we managed to get a decently lit picture on the viewfinder (...the picture will not show up as bright on your tv). Poor lighting is a big problem with Digital Camcorders, so I was actually somewhat content with this picture quality. Where this camcorder falls short IMO is the lack of an onboard lightsource. It has a "cold shoe" on the top where you can add your own light. However it will have to run on it's own batteries since it's not powered by the camera (also the only lights I have found so far are on ebay). Knowing that this is a problem with every brand of camcorder, I simply don't understand why companies insist on not putting better, if any, light sources on their equipment. Oh well...at least the Sony has a "hot shoe" to add a light source if needed.
Overall I think that this is a VERY nice camcorder...if you plan on staying in well lit areas. Just my two pennies worth :)

I purchased this nifty little camcorder primarily for making
low-budget movies. I read the reviews and compared prices on
numerous models and decided the GS320 was the most affordable
and suitable model (GS500 was unavailable at the time). The
box arrived in the mail and I began some film testing and was
quickly impressed with the video quality, especially outdoors,
creating some clear, vivid images. It's true, the low lighting
isn't the greatest and the colors typically fade with the lack of
proper lighting. If you plan on filming a lot at night or
creating some dark creepy scenarios then this model probably
isn't what you want (The GS250 however has some great low
lighting capabilities, although, it too was unavailable at the
time).

The GS320 is very lightweight taking much stress off of the
arm and wrist, and the handstrap is also adjustable to fit practically
any size hand. You can purchase high-quality mini-tapes which
bring about an even more impressive looking picture (I've found
these to cost about $10-$12 per tape).The zoom is nice, although
you do lose some picture quality as already mentioned in several
reviews. This camcorder also has some neat special features, one
of which cuts down on that typically uncontrollable background noise
by concentrating its built-in mic on the speaker. The built-in OIS
works well in keeping the image steady for those distant, closely
zoomed in shots. Since I use Adobe Premeire Elements 3.0 for movie
editing, I only dabbled briefly with the 320's effects, most of which aren't very useful to my purpose. APE 3.0 is a great editing tool to
use with the 320; it's fast and simple and allows for much creative
freedom. I bought the APE 3.0/Photoshop Elements 4.0 bundle which
ran about $100 and is indispensable to a striving movie-maker.

For the price and quality, the GS320 seems to be unparalleled.
An unregrettable choice so far.

I just picked up this camera locally to use as a backup/crash cam for a AG-DVX200 prosumer camcorder. It works fine and by all means is a good camera for the money but there a few features that are annoying enough that some folks might want to avoid it (none of these points are a deal breaker for my purposes).

1) There is no audio input so you're stuck with the microphone that is in the camera.
2) The USB, DV and power ports are located behind the battery. This wouldn't be so bad except for the next point.
3) The charger will not power the camera and charge the battery at the same time. This is a good way to force us to purchase a second battery. We need a second battery anyway..
4) The hand strap position makes NO sense. It is far too low slung making the camera fit loose in your hand. Once you loosen your grip on the camera, it flops around in your hand uncontrollably. Not a problem if once you grip it again. Bah!
5) The hot shoe is actually a cold shoe so there is no way to trigger an external flash when using the still camera mode.

While those points are enough to sway away most users, this camera is about low cost high quality video, not the normal features consumers have come to expect. The camera is solid and produces a fine picture. The controls are usable with one hand so you can make adjustments on the fly fairly easily. Pressing the camera button during video recording or playback will cause a still image to be recorded to the SD memory card - kinda neat. Finally, it works with Linux so dvgrab just pulls down video on demand.

I'd give this camera a 7 overall and a 9 on picture quality. For the price, it's probably the best picture wise. You have to decide if the negatives are a show stopper or not.

I think for someone who is interested in a low cost high quality SD (standard definition) camcorder with picture quality being the number one requirement, this little camcorder is the ticket.

This camera works fantastic with our iMac & Macbook. It is a breeze to get video from the camera into iMovie. I accomplished it on my first attempt & no documentation was required.

You make the connection via Firewire, turn the camcorder to "play" mode and iMovie will detect the connection. You just click the "import" button and watch your video be copied over. The video quality is fantastic. My wife was really impressed.

We made the mistake of originally buying a JVC Everio (hard drive based camcorder). While it was possible to get the video onto our Mac, it was by no means easy. After going through about 300 different procedures, you would finally be done. But then it was complicated to manage the files. It was a giant waste of money & time.

This camera worked easily right out of the box. I am highly impressed. And of course, because we own Mac's, we didn't have to waste time by installing stupid software onto our computers (the unit does come with a CD-ROM for PC's).

We paid $365 for this unit. All in all - fantastic camcorder!

I've had a Canon Z45 for over 5 years and it has provided me with reliable performance and decent quality for home and vacation video. When we purchased our 42" widescreen TV and began taping in 16:9 aspect ratio, we found during playback that the image quality was definitely hurting. I thought I should replace my Canon with a HD Camcorder, however, my research failed to convince me that the time is right - high cost, various recording media, difficulties editing and unknown capability to transfer to a standard DVD. I currently like the ease of making DVDs to share with family and friends with our HDD recorder.

Researched standard definition camcorders and I was sold on the PV-GS320. 3 CCD sensor, 10x optical zoom, image stabilization, size/weight and great price. I am amazed at the quality of the video and sound - it is absolutely phenomenal - to quote others `crisp image, true-to-life colors'. To my eyes it's close enough to HD for my videos. My wife was skeptical of the need for a new camcorder but when she saw the first video, she was astonished at the difference. My wife and daughters enjoy the playback with the remote for slow motion and freeze frame. It is a great tool for critiquing my daughters' swim strokes.

Great price, received in 3 days. Easy to set up and use. My 10 & 12 year old daughters have no problem taping, playing back or using the joystick. Others have criticized the lack of a microphone input and the quality of the digital camera. I believe the internal microphone is excellent and I have a good digital camera for taking still shots. Battery life is short - ordered a CGA DU-21.