Panasonic PV-GS250 Review
Published by Digital Video Camera / Camcorder Review Staff January 31st, 2006 in Camcorder Reviews, Panasonic
Features include: 3CCD Ultra-Compact™ Digital Palmcorder® MultiCam™ Camcorder with 3.1 Megapixel Still Picture Recording U.S. List Price $999.95.
dvspot has a story on the Panasonic PV-GS250 and says: “The PV-GS250 is the top dog in Panasonic’s 2005 3-CCD compact MiniDV camcorder lineup (although last year’s high-end PV-GS400 is still available). Below it are the GS65 and GS150 which are priced at $600 and $700 respectively. Step-up features from the GS150 include a 3.1 Megapixel CCD, optical image stabilization, a manual focus ring, and analog-to-digital conversion…”
“…The Panasonic PV-GS250 is an excellent 3-CCD camcorder. It offers excellent video (in adequate lighting), manual controls (except for audio level), a manual focus ring, and three Megapixel still images.
The GS250 is a fairly large camcorder, though not as big as the PV-GS400. It’s made mostly of metal and as a result it feels solid. It offers a standard-issue 2.5″ LCD display plus nice bonuses such as a hot shoe and built-in flash. The top-loading tape mechanism is a welcome feature, as well. Two design annoyances are related to the LCD panel: both the FireWire port and the SD card slot are inaccessible until the LCD panel is opened. When transferring video to your PC, that means that your battery will run down that much faster (hint: use the AC adapter). The GS250 features an optical image stabilization system which does a good job at countering “camera shake”.
Video quality is excellent, with vibrant color, nice detail, and no funny “digital junk”. Low light recording leaves much to be desired, however. We suggest using a video lamp if you’re serious about shooting in dark rooms. As far as features go, there are quite a few. You can shoot in auto mode, or manually adjust the shutter speed, aperture (iris), white balance, and focus. About the only thing missing here is manual audio level control. The GS250 offers a 16:9 widescreen mode (though it seems to be kind of a digital effect) and can convert old analog video to digital format too.
Still image quality is decent for a camcorder and will allow for good quality small prints, but you’ll get better results with a “real” digital camera.
All-in-all we recommend the GS250 without hesitation. Trying to decide if the GS250 is worth spending $300 more on versus the GS150? Well, look at what you get and decide for yourself: more resolution (not important, in our opinion), an optical image stabilizer (helpful), a manual focus ring (only nice if you’re going to use it), and analog-to-digital conversion (again, only useful if you use it). What about springing for the GS400, which costs $500 more? You get more zoom (12X vs 10X), higher resolution stills (groan), a larger LCD, and an even bulkier body. We think the GS250 is probably the better buy here. Whichever one you choose, though, you really can’t go wrong — we’ve been very pleased with all of Panasonic’s recent 3-chip camcorders.”
CamcorderInfo has reviewed the Panasonic PV-GS250 and writes - “The PV-GS250 is a great camcorder, but the PV-GS400 is such an awesome camcorder that it might be a better idea to save $150 dollars more for the PV-GS400. For another $150 you’ll get better video performance, a wonderful zoom/focus/shutter speed/aperture ring, and a bigger LCD screen. You also get added control. The advantages to the PV-GS250: a new navigational system, some nice still options, and a smaller form. But it doesn’t really seem worth it. In fact, for the recommended $300 difference between this camcorder and the PV-GS150, there might not be enough of a difference between camcorders to justify such a gap in price. For instance, there really isn’t much difference performance-wise between the two camcorders. Besides, the PV-GS150 doesn’t have a focus ring, or the ever-important optical image stabilization. And something tells me that still options aren’t going to tip the scales too much. The bottom line is that the PV-GS250 trumps the competition with great video performance, great manual control, and acceptable low light performance. We certainly recommend it, but if you have the money the PV-GS400 adds a ton more features.”
CNET Reviews has a review on the Panasonic PV-GS250 giving it an editor review of 8.0 (Excellent) and writes - “Priced at nearly $1,000, the Panasonic PV-GS250 is far from the cheapest consumer DV camcorder out there. And measuring roughly 6 by 3 by 3 inches, it’s also far from the most compact. But to the discriminating videographer, it offers a three-chip capture system and improved image stabilization whose advantages make it a winner.
Most video cameras geared toward general consumers have a single light-gathering CCD chip. Professional cameras, on the other hand, employ a prism behind the lens, which sends the red component of the image to one chip, the green to a second, and the blue to a third. Three-chip cameras generally produce images with richer colors and greater detail than do single-chip cameras, but they’ve been too expensive and bulky for home video use–until 2004, when Panasonic introduced a series of three-chip cameras priced and sized to compete with the one-chippers. The PV-GS250 represents the second generation of the company’s consumer-oriented three-chip line, replacing the PV-GS200 in the middle of the series between the PV-GS150 and PV-GS400.”
Full specs here