Camcorder Comparison: Panasonic PV-GS400 vs. Sony DCR-HC1000 Mini DV Camcorders (page 2)

On playback, the rich quality of the PV-GS400's video is immediately evident, with rich colors and sharp details bringing the picture to life. This is due in no small part to the quality of the camera's Leica Dicomar lens. The camera's Soft Skin function works well when used for closeup shots, but whenever a color appears in the background that's similar to a skin tone, this function throws a blur effect on that as well. The quality of stills shot with the PV-GS400 is superb, too--even better than that of many high-quality 4 megapixel still cameras, because the 3-chip technology allows for a richer, more detailed depth of color than a single chip can provide.

Also included with the camera is a CD-ROM that contains the MotionDV capture utility, still-image transfer software and a Webcam utility for those who want to share 6-frame-per-second, 320x240 video over the Internet with the PV-GS400.

Taken as a whole, this camera offers an impressive suite of manual controls in a solid, well-designed package, with only a few minor details marring its otherwise excellent overall quality. Aside from these, the camera's attention to detail and superb image quality in both the still and video realms make it a strong contender in the consumer 3-chip DV marketplace.

Sony is a company that has long been known for innovation in its video gear, and the new DCR-HC1000 is no exception. Sporting a 3-chip imaging system for superior color reproduction, full manual controls, a nice selection of in-camera effects and a handful of very useful editing and DVD-creation tools, this camera aims at the gray area that exists between the high-end hobbyist and the budget-minded prosumer shooter.

The DCR-HC1000 has a solid black appearance and an equally solid feel strap and prepare to shoot. The basic design differs from most Sony camcorders that preceded it; consisting of an elongated main camera section and a separate, hinged tape transport/handhold/control module, which twists forward for easy access to the controls while shooting low. All of the right-hand controls are easy to access and intuitively designed; as an added bonus, the tape ejects from the top of this part of the camera, so you don't have to remove it from a tripod to access the tape door.

The left-hand controls of the DCR-HC1000 consist mainly of the 2.5-inch touch-screen LCD, which offers a very easy-to-use and straightforward way to control nearly all of the camcorder's main functions. The buttons, controls and graphics on the LCD monitor are all attractively designed and easy to understand; Sony really went the extra mile in designing this interface, and we commend them on a job well done. The only drawback to such a system is the tendency for the LCD monitor to get smudged and worn after repeated use, but so long as you keep your hands clean and treat it with respect this shouldn't be an issue.

All of the DCR-HC1000's basic functions--including focus, exposure, zoom, in-camera playback and photo modes--operate smoothly and responsively; the manual focus ring and the aforementioned touch-screen LCD controls work very smoothly together. An Auto-Lock switch on the side of the camera toggles the manual exposure mode; a similar switch covers auto and manual focus. Aside from that, and the small, unobtrusive Backlight button, all of the camera's main functions exist in the touch-screen panel.

On the audio side, the DCR-HC1000 includes a 4-way surround sound mode that's capable of recording 4-channel audio using the dual 12-bit stereo tracks of the DV format. With this mode, you can create tracks that will play back in 5.1 surround mode on DVDs or Video CDs created directly from the source footage on this camera--but only if you purchase the optional ECM-CQP1 microphone ($200) and also have access to the Sony VAIO's Click-to-DVD software. If you do happen to have access to all three of the required Sony products, it's an impressive feature; the microphone is basically a pair of stereo microphones working in tandem both in front of and behind the camera.

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