Panasonic PV-GS85 MiniDV Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

The recent arrival of our first child prompted this purchase. I knew that I wanted MiniDV to allow me maximum editing flexibility and software compatibility. I scoured the internet for product reviews and had decided to get a Canon Elura 100 as this was widely considered the best "budget" digital camcorder. Of course, I decided on that just as the last stocks ran out Canon no longer make the Elura line. I was then faced with starting from scratch as all the majors had just released new cameras. I've used Canon SLRs for years and so naturally gravitated towards the Z-series camcorders. They didn't get great reviews though.

Then I spotted the Panasonic PV-GS85 and was immediately grabbed by the fact that it has OIS optical image stabilization. It uses an actual optical component to counteract hand shake as opposed to the electronic jiggery-pokery that other cameras at this price point use. I tried out both a Canon and the Panasonic in an electronics store and the difference between the effectiveness of OIS and EIS is amazing optical stabilization is just leaps and bounds better. That is what sold me on the Panasonic.

I went for the GS85 over the GS80 for the addition of snapshot capability it will take a still photo to memory card whilst you are filming. The quality isn't fantastic, but it isn't terrible either and it is perfect for capturing stills of those magical moments for emailing to relatives when you happen to be in the middle of filming.

I don't use Windows, so can't comment on the software included, but the camera works flawlessly with iMovie on my Macbook Pro and with Kino on Linux.

The video quality is very good, color reproduction has so far proved excellent. The auto white balance takes a little while to adjust after turning the camera on (maybe 20-30s) so you have to be a bit ahead of the game. Startup is very quick even without the fast start option where the camera "goes to sleep" when you close the LCD rather than switching off all together.

All in an excellent camera.

I was looking at buying this camcorder or the comparable Sony. I am so glad I went with the PV-GS85. The OPTICAL IMAGE STABILIZATION IS KEY! This little piece of tech keeps your videos nice a stable even when you are zoomed way in. The SD card slot is a hidden gem. It is so easy to hit the snapshot button while recording and get some great (although low resolution 640x480) shots WHILE you are recording. The only downside is that it cannot record in very low light conditions like the Sony can. The PV-GS85 does not have the capability to see infrared very well like the Sony can. One day I will probably be annoyed by not having this feature, but it hasn't been an issue yet. Overall, the optical image stabilization far outweighs the NightShot technology... unless you are going to recreate Blair Witch or something like that!

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After much research and reading many reviews, mostly here (thanks everyone for the excellent reviews), I chose to get the Panasonic PV-GS85 over the Canon ZR850 for the following reasons:

Claims of motor noise on the Canon

Panasonic has Optical Image Stabilizer

Panasonic has a built-in light (seems like LED technology)

Now that I have the camera and got a chance to play with it a bit, here's my review...

PRO's:

Somewhat small (not the smallest, but not large by any means)

Smooth zoom (either analog or it has many small speed increments)

Optical Image Stabilizer

Built-in light

SD card slot for snapshots (although I don't intend to use it for that)

Color viewfinder

CON's:

Hand strap mounted too low and allows camera to pivot away from fingers

Charger has cumbersome heavy-guage power cord (not easy to stuff into a small bag)

Very few buttons -almost everything is done through the joystick menus

Menu and Light buttons can't be reached with thumb and require some dexterity to reach with index finger

Built-in light is VERY weak (although it probably doesn't consume much power -I think it's a small LED lamp)

This camera will probably make most home movie makers very happy -overall, it's very easy to use. Features, such as Night mode or Fade, take a little effort to change since you'd need to shuffle through a few menus.

It supports USB photo transfers, FireWire video transfer to PC, and A/V out to a TV.

Overall, this is a very nice and easy-to-use camera.

This was the first time I've tried uploading a video onto a PC, editing, and burning a DVD. I used Windows Movie Maker (comes with Windows XP) and was VERY impressed by how easy it was to use and how robust it was for a bundled utility. It does a nice job of controlling the camera to transfer the video (keep the camera on Playback mode when transferring -not PC Connection mode... took me a few minutes to figure that one out). Once all of the video clips are transferred, Movie Maker automatically splits up all of the scenes. So, just click-and-drag your scenes, trim unwanted pieces, set transitions, effects, music, and create a movie.

The tough part was managing the HORRIBLE DVD burning software out there! Roxio used to have good DVD software, but their last few releases of MyDVD are AWEFUL! They simply don't work.

I hope this last part helps newbies like me through the jitters of diving into the whole digital video realm.

x_hobbes

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Pros:

1. Really easy and convenient to use

2. 16:9 widescreen recording

3. For Windows users, simply connect to the PC and use Windows Movie Maker to download your recordings

Cons:

1. Relatively short battery life

2. USB 1.1 !! Inexcusable for a new product. It does have FireWire which is fast, but if you're a USB only person, then you're stuck with 1.1

3. The battery needs to be removed to connect USB or FireWire to the computer. Consequently, power needs to come to the camera from a cord hooked up to the battery charger... an inconvenience. What's even more irritating is that when you connect the battery charger to the camera to power it up, the battery stops charging... i.e. the charger will either charge the battery or feed power to the camera but not both! Really annoying since I'd like my battery to charge up while I'm downloading the recording.

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I just bought this camcorder. My older Sony miniDv finally died. And needed a cheap one quick. You can't really get the old Gen of Canon ZR500 etc. (wihch were the best cheap ones) So I went with this.

Still not sure having the SD card and light make it worth $XX more than the 80.

Some comments

1. I WAS SHOCKED to get to the FireWire or USB you HAVE TO REMOVE BATTERY and use the electricitystupidist thng I have seen

2. Stills can only be 640*480 wihch is REALLY quite low-

3. BUT you get a 32X optical zoom which is really cool with stills

4. You can NOT make video clips for the SD card just stills

5. Gives a lot of manual control

6. Light is good only for 1 meter of so

Overall a good camera nice quality. If Idea is to go chepa look carefully at delta between this and 80.