Panasonic NV-GS50B Digital Camcorder [Mini-DV 10xOptical DV-in/out] Camcorder Best Buys

Quality, Affordability and Functionality! - 01 Mar 2004

8 out of 8 found this review helpful.

After spending 3 months trying to decide among a plethera of Mini DV's, I decided on the Panasonic NV-GS50B.
This compact, robust Digital Video Camera cannot be recommended enough. It has everything that you would expect from a Digital Video Camera worth twice as much.
The only thing missing to enable you to become the next Spielberg is a Firewire Card for your PC - but for an extra few pounds this is soon resolved!
I would also recommend that the battery included with the camera is used as a spare, as it doesn't last long before it needs to be recharged. It is worth considering purchasing a better battery from Panasonic. These are a bit pricey, but I would say well worth the extra money, especially for those of you who intend to use the camera for more than the odd day out!
You can buy many extras too, such as Flash (which fits on the top), Different Lenses and you can also use MMC and SD Cards which can capture still images (not up to much on the NVGS50B, but not bad considering I bought it specifically for Video use - so a bit of a bonus really!) and MPEG4 Movies.
Overall, a lovely piece of Kit. A couple of minor whinges, but on the whole HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. What more can I ask for at such a fantastic price?

Its very good - 25 Sep 2003

27 out of 27 found this review helpful.

I've really enjoyed owning and using the camcorder since buying it some 6 months ago. Its very easy to use, small and produces great quality movies. I've been using it with Pinnacle Systems 8 and burning the results to DVD via firewire (you need to budget an extra £85 for the software and card). The end results are really superb. Everyone I've shown the films too have been impressed with the picture quality (although not necessarily the content).

My only gripes are the night vision feature which is a waste of time and it does take the camera a few seconds to adapt to different light conditions. Some of my shorts start of with a blue tint before settling down. Also, don't bother with the stills functions. You will definately need a seperate digital camera if you want good digital stills as well.

These are minor points compared to the size (it really is tiny), the quality and the functions.

Great - but could be even better - 09 Sep 2003

24 out of 25 found this review helpful.

I love this little baby. It's smaller than my old Digital still camera, let alone my old Camcorder. I bought it because

* It's small enough to fit in my jacket pocket
* It's digital with DV-Out to load unto my PC.
* Its got Analogue input to help get all old Hi-8 tapes onto my PC with the cost of an analogue capture card.
* It's small
* It has a still capture onto removable card (why take a digital camera on Holiday as well)
* It's really small

It also has (but I wasn't fussed about) the following
* DV-In
* MPEG4 capture to removable card
* Loads of changeable stuff like shutter speed, white balance, and manual focus.

My only gripes are
* Still images are only 640 x 480.
* Colour night shot has a very slow shutter speed - it's very poor if anything's moving.
* Still image white balance is sometimes weird
* I often use the "backlight" exposure compensation, but the button is hidden behind the screen.
* MPEG4 capture to card is pretty jerky.
* Battery life is short and additional batteries are expensive.

However I love it. Images are great and goes down onto my PC just fine (once I bought a Firewire cable which is extra).

Did I mention how small it is?

DVD Quality Video! - 26 Apr 2003

60 out of 64 found this review helpful.

This is the most stylish dvCam with the most reasonable price on the market. It's slightly bigger than the size of my palm with good grips.

The picture quality taken is superb. When out to the telly, it was as if you are watching a DVD. crystal clear! The 10x Optical zoom is fantastic but ignore the digital zoom coz it is not as good.

despite all the good points, its still picture wasn't as good. but reasonable for internet viewing. worse under dim light because lack of flash light. that's why i give it a 4 star! one minus off due to the still picture quality!

conclusion, why are you taking a still picture with a DVcam? isn't it a lil bit wasted? As long as it serves it function as a dvcam perfectly that's fine! rite?

good cam, good quality video, good price, and STYLISH - 4stars!