PV-GS70 Feedback « Videomaker Community Forums

nobody
Member

Does anyone own this camcorder? Any feedback about it would be great. Thanks!

Posted 8 years ago #
Gocycle
Member

A great picture with outstanding features but VERY POOR in lowlight, hard to hold due to an EIS system. The stills are 1.2-OK for archiving or e-mail.

Again-great outdoor picture quality. Deep colors and 3-chip depth th the picture. Excellent for vacations. Poor for indoor special events without a 35 watt light.

Posted 8 years ago #
JohnnyRoy
Member

> outstanding features but VERY POOR in lowlight, hard to hold due to an EIS system

OK, I've read this in every review of the PV-GS70 but I have no idea what they are comparing it to. Compared to a $2000 3-CCD cameras with OIS and larger lenses, I can believe this but are you comparing it to other camcorders with a street price of $600?

My Panasonic PV-DV601 is showing its age so I'm looking for a new camcorder. I'm thinking of getting the PV-GS200, which is the newer version of the PV-GS70. Is the EIS in the GS70 worse that the EIS I currently have in the DV601? Likewise is the low light worse than the DV601 that I have?

I'm trying to figure out if this camera is a step up or step down from the PV-DV601. I know 3-CCD's are better than one but other than that, how do they compare? If anyone has owned both and could compare them it would be greatly appreciated.

~jr

Posted 8 years ago #
nobody
Member

I just used my camera at a wedding today (as a guest) and the camera was totally useless-I mean useless in low light. I ended up taking the crappy stills with the camera so at least I had something. The EIS does not work in low light so that is a problem. SOoooooooooo I recommend using this camera for outdoor vacations only and YES for the price it is excellent BUT I lost a few treasured moments at my friends wedding. I will sed you a still.

Posted 8 years ago #
JohnnyRoy
Member

Lou,

Weddings are always tricky when you don't have any lighting (as a guest). Sounds like you were disappointed. The still you sent me wasn't that bad. I assume the video was worse. When I got my first digital camcorder I was very disappointed with the low light capability compared to my analog VHS-C. I think my best bet would be to bring my camcorder with me when I shop and shoot the same footage with my PV-DV601 and the PV-GS70/GS200 and see the difference in the same situation. Thanks for taking the time to send me the image. I think this will not be an Internet purchase. I'm going to have to physically see this one before I buy it.

~jr

Posted 8 years ago #
larryparson
Member

> Does anyone own this camcorder? Any feedback

> about it would be great. Thanks!

Don't believe everything you read in magazines. This is a breakthrough product with fantastic performance for the price or really for any price. I own one & purchased it only after exzhausting side by side comparisons & video on tape comparisons of identical subjucts with several other camcorders that are similar in quality.
Forst it has the very best lense of any small camcorder on the market! It is very flat & very sharp from edge to edge incontrast to all of sony's prosumer camcorders that have extreme light & rersolution falloff at the edges & often produce marginal video with a tnnel effect. Of course this may be what you want but I love this cameras sharp & flat rendition. It is my 3rd dv camcorder having bought the first Sony prosumer I saw when trying to buy a 3ccc hi 8 camera & being informed that it was no longer being made. Great video for the time but a lousy lense & very poor low light performance without exptreme gainup. This camera too requires gain up to work low light but it's lovely pictures make up for any lighting problems. with lproper lighting it knocks the sox off the Connon XL 1 with standard lens. I have produced great video with lesser DV cameras than the Panasonic but I have not seen better consumer video of well lighted scenes. Lighting & sound are the real keys to great video & just because cameras can make video in dim light doesn't mean you should use it in a professional production. I have not yet used mine in a full production but I have tested it exhaustively in comparison to a XL1 & it's bigger brother the 953 which is a better bet for those needing 3 megapixel still shots as well although it does not have noticeably sharper video due to the fact that it uses the same amount & size of pixels for video which means 410,000 per ccd X 3 which is almost twice what the XL 1 uses & the same as all of Sony's & even panasonics other 3ccd cameras do. True the size of the chip is smaller but not the resolution. Actually even light gathering for the lens is very good since this is a function of the ratio of lens size to ccd size which is what f stops are all about. I used to hear that 35 mm cameras were not going to be as sharp as 2 1/4 " behemoths & in some ways that may be true but it is pretty dijfficult to make large lenses that per form as well as smaller ones for any where near the same money. It is also true for cmcorders. You have to pay thousands of dollars to find a large camcorder lens any where nearly as good as this small leica lens. It woul take a 72 mm lens on a 1/3 " chip camera to have the same ratio as this 37 mm lens to it's 1/6 " chip. Just a couple of years ago magazines complained that 1/3 inch chips were not very sharp compared to larger 1/2" chips but it does not seem to have been entirely true as many movies are now shot with these lousy 1/3" chip camcorders. I suspect that reality will take over when peopole see the spectacular video that can be produced with this little copact wondercam. It produces fabulous video in a rugged & unbelievable compact unit with all the necessary manual adjustments & mike inputs for professional use. You can use it for great travel & family shots as well but don't be suprized if your well lit shots are as good as professional news footage from Iraq or anywhere else. Hey maybe a three camera news lpackage cpuld fit in a carry on bag complete with professional wireless mikes & a camera light? What a terrific opportunity to get a professional level camera for less than $1000.00. Why anyone would even consider a similarly priced Sony or Canon is beyond belief. I do have a very fine compact JVC travel camcorder which produces fine vacation video but this camera has no rival in quality & value. 3ccd 410,000 pixel with a Leica lens turns out to be much better than expected. By the way I wonder what kind of bogus testing produced only 415 lines of resolution on this camera & the finds the 270,000 pixel XL 1 to have 500 lines of resolution. Perhaps their frame grab method leaves a bit to be desired because even Videomakers editer realized that subjectively the video looked great. Having performed comparison tests myself on live moving video I know them to be just plain deluded they will probably also believe that Panasonics bigger 953 has better ideo in spite of the fact that it uses the same pixel count & chip structure for video. It has 800,000 pixels for still pictures only. It also does not produce better video but is indeed the best in it's class as well as having zebra function & audio control- asnother great bargain available for just about $1000.00.
larry

Posted 8 years ago #