Panasonic PV-GS65 3-CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

I just bought this for about $190 at the local PX. I am impressed so far. I was going to buy the GS180, but for the sale price I would be crazy to pass this up.
SO far the low light is much better than a single CCD. The video playback is quiet compared to a few other camcorders that record the motor noise onto the tape.
I plan on buying an extended battery and a tripod today at the same sale.
I will use this camcorder mostly for home videos of my son and vacations we take around Europe. I look froward to using this camcorder a lot!

I bought this camera in January and have been very happy with the performance. Bang for buck, you really can't go wrong.

HOWEVER, please look at the warranty on this camera before you buy. Panasonic has 12 months warranty - but the FINE PRINT says that after 3 months you, the consumer have to pay any service charges. Now we are into May, the camera mangles my tapes continually, and I have to pay for labour charges to get this fixed on a camera I have barely used and is still under warranty.....

Panasonic does pay for parts - which are of course virtually free to Panasonic.... You will then need to send the camera away to a random 3rd party that may or may not fix the camera, and may or may not charge you a fortune for labour.

Seriously sucks.....

Having just finished a half-hour video documentary using the Panasonic GS65 means I've seen the good and not-so-good. First, let me say that viewed via LCD projector on a giant screen, the color and image quality were satisfyingly rich. And I found the joystick controller terrifically easy.

Along the way I racked up hours of interviews. The principal problem I found was a basic one rather than a Panasonic one: shooting with a bright background surrounding the face of the interviewee - backlighted - rendered uncomfortably dark faces. Still, I think better cameras (I had a top-of-the-line Sony for 6 years) are less severely affected by this common lighting situation.

The good news for amateurs who need to rescue unintentionally-silhouetted footage is that today's software will allow you to boost the brightness in a scene as you edit. I use iMovie HD on my eMac and it proved an effective tool for tweaking both audio and video.

I found the GS65's mic input and hotshoe to be essential for my interviews. I used an Azden clip-on mic with 9v-powered transmitter and receiving units and was very happy with my audio. And, by the way, I hope you realize that audio is one of the most difficult factors in bringing home a watchable video.

One last bit: I noticed a bit of extra headroom on every shot despite composing tightly. I suspect that allowance needs to be made for a discrepancy between the view provided by the viewing screen and the camera's actual capture.

I'm afraid the lure of Better Video via the 3-chip technology was only partially realized. Thank goodness the GS65 cost less than $400.

Serious amateurs (skateboarders, teachers, etc) probably ought to save their money for a higher quality unit.

I bought this camorder around 3 months ago and so far I am very happy with it. First off let me say that I am a complete amateur when it comes to camcorders. I did a lot of research online though before buying this particular camcorder and saw nothing but positive reviews and for a 3 CCD camcorder I only paid $400 for it, which is the same as a good 1 CCD camcorder. I have a 20 month old baby and I use it primarily for home video footage. I was able to take it out of the box and use it very quickly. I keep the setting on 'auto' most of the time and that works just fine for me. The picture quality is excellent, the colors and vibrant and the camcorder is easy to use. I read a lot about camcorders not performing well in 'low light situations' and this camera does pretty well, even though I do notice that when I shoot video in my basement (which is not very bright) the picture is slightly grainy. However when the room is bright or when I am outside the picture is incredible. The zoom is not great but I am not shooting more than 10 feet away anyway, so that doesnt bother me. I am going to buy a video light and see how that improves my indoor video. Overall, I am extremely happy with this camcorder and highly recommend it.

I have purchased the pv-gs65 and everytime I use the camera with autofocus it makes everything blurry and only stays in focus for about 3 seconds. I returned my camcorder and got another one (pvgs65) and I am still having this problem. everytime i have used the camera i have to use manual focus.

If anyone else has had this problem or knows how i could get this fixed please email me or post another review.

brandonwg8677@comcast.net

Thank You.