Panasonic PV-GS31 MiniDV Camcorder w/26x Optical Zoom Camcorder Reviews

Panasonic PV-GS31 MiniDV Camcorder w/26x Optical Zoom

The picture does not make it 2006-02-24

We returned this video camera due to video picture quality. The camera requires a lot of light to have a decent video, even after changing settings, the video had a "grainy" look. We just needed something basic to replace our 10 year old video camera and thought this would work, but the picture was worse than our previous camera. Purchased the PV-GS65, next model up with 3CCD's and love this model. As a matter a fact we still had the GS-31, used the same tape, shot the same footage, and reviewing the two different shots, the GS-65 did 100% better.

The camera has a great feel in your hand, although the menu button can be difficult to press.

unable to transfer video to computer using xp 2006-02-23

Panasonic offers a USB driver however no video driver. This means that anyone using windows xp will be unable to transfer video to their computer. When talking to panasonic they just said they didnt have a driver and were not developing one. They offered no suggestions or alternatives.

Nice camera but it doesn't cut it 2006-02-23

Nice small,not heavy camera. I liked the features but the quality of the recording was not to my satisfaction. For example, if you videotaped people wearing baseball caps in a bright sunny day, you could not recognize their face, all you see a is black shadow, specially if they are dark skin. In low light, the recording seems like "slow motion" and very grainy.
I returned it. Most MiniDV have the same problems. I returned this item. I am still searching for the right camcorder.

Good value for the money 2006-02-08

I purchased this camcorder with a lot of hesitancy because of the reviews it received here on Amazon, but for the price I got it for, it was hard to refuse.

First, the camera is very lightweight and sturdy in construction. If handled delicately, I don't foresee any spontaneous operational issues appearing. If you drop it and kick it around, then sure, it's going to break and not function correctly.

I am very pleased with the quality of film that it has produced. I am an amateur photographer and videographer, and I have no complaints personally about this particular model. It functions well in all light, and I was especially impressed with how it did in low-light. I found that reading the manual thoroughly and understanding the cameras functions helped me immensely to avoid problems.

Overall, I am pleased with it and am glad that I chose it. I have full faith in this camera, and that is why it's going to be used on an Alaskan cruise, and to film my wedding this summer. It's a great camera for the price.

Now, I do have a couple of rants about it.
- When in a specialized mode while filming, the display is very slow. So I haven't been able to have "real time filming" and when I am shooting something, and I see it on-screen, it's already happened and something else is going on.
- The camera does not come with any extras, which meant that we had to run to the store to get the Mini DV tapes required to start using it immediately.
- The BIGGEST issue that actually caused me a lot of frustration and anger was that with this camera you CANNOT transfer your film to your computer through USB. With my other cameras, I have always been able to transfer all digital images (movies and stills) over USB. Not with this. You have to have a special cable (Firewire 4 pin to 4 pin) AND you have to have the port for it IN your computer. Most average computer users do not have this port (I have a new Dell Dimension) So, I have to go and buy the Firewire port ($14.99), open my computer case and physically install the hardware. The firewire cable itself is really inexpensive. For someone who doesn't know about computers and needs this port, it could honestly cost you quite a bit to have it installed for you. It turns into a lot of hassel, which isn't very appealing for todays technological consumer.

Overall, I rate it a good camera for the money, but I do not like the issue with the firewire cable.

Good for web publishing 2006-02-01

I initially wanted to buy the GS-150 since it has 3CCD. Then I decided to try this GS-31 just to see if the quality is acceptable. I took it home and at first could not make heads or tails out of the controls. So I sat down and took a few minutes to read through the manual. That made it easier. Soon I got the hang of it and liked using it. I like the built in light that this model has. (I chose it instead of the GS-29 because of the light). The feature that allows me to tape city lights is also very cool. The camcorder becomes extra sensitive and picks up any light and amplifies it. So now I have a video on soldornot. I tried making use of the manual controls and it works great. But after a while I got lazy and just use the auto controls which in some cases came out even better. For web publish, a must have with this camcorder as with any camcorder are a tripod, firewire, and Windows XP (if you are using a Windows system). Windows 2000 has firewire support but does not have Windows Movie Maker. I was pulling my hair out trying to capture the video from my tape to my PC until I switched and used my brother's Windows XP system.

Disappointingly fragile (or poorly constructed) 2006-01-27

I've had nothing but bad luck with this item. Had to return the first purchase because -- right out of the box -- blue bands appeared on the recorded video. The second unit I had was OK for three months, but then it also exhibited the "blue bands" effect. One day within the 90 day warrantee period (whew!), took it in to get it fixed -- heads were out of alignment. Now, after six months of owning the camera, a pin in the Firewire connector pushed out through the back, and now it won't connect up to my computer. Sigh. Repair or dump?

Basic Bargain camera 2006-01-15

I bought this about 3 months ago. I primarily use it to record my son's hockey games. The zoom is quick and the footage comes out good. It is very easy to use, lightweight, and the audio is good. The still pictures are only 640 x 480 which is ok but it isn't for making any keepsake photos. Had I known how useful the still photo feature was I would've bought a camera with higher quality stills. It gave me a warning that the head needed to be cleaned which was a bit surprising considering how new it is.

It does upload video through the usb cable. Download the drivers for webcam on the site and get some video capture software. It seems to be restricted to 15 fps with the webcam drivers, even though it records video at 30 fps.

Good Not-so-Serious Hobbyist Camera 2006-01-04

I bought this camera as a replacement to a Samsung SCD535, which I used for about two days before I realized that I just couldn't stand it. The Panasonic PV-GS31 is like a dream.

If you want professional, TV-show quality pictures all the time, get a $1000 camera. If you want a camera that works well both indoors and out, is easy to use, and affordable, this is a good candidate. Someone seriously into video would be disappointed, but for the casual hobbyist, this is quite a nice beast.

I have had few problems taking pictures indoors, even in rooms with one fluorescent bulb and darkened windows. You just need to fiddle with the settings a little... Night mode is your friend in some cases. Even without nightmode on, there is very little in the way of noise.

The image stabilizer can be a little unsteady zoomed in really close, but it doesn't seem like this is a terribly unusual problem in any camera.

The camera is lighter than the SCD535 I had previously, and feels good/fits in my hand.

I chose it over the JVC GR-D270US because it is supposed to be slightly better in low light. I chose it over the Canon ZR200 because I heard Canons frequently had motor noise. And the Samsung was just awful.

The controls aren't terribly intuitive, but they're not bad to learn and are accessed similarly to each other, so it's not like it's a horrible task to remember how to do things.

You do need a firewire port, and cord to upload video to your computer. The camera has a four pin port. USB in this model is only for uploading stills. I haven't tried the still photo mode yet, but honestly, I love my still digital Kodak camera, so I probably will just use that when I need a good quality photo.

All in all, pleased with the camera. It's a good idea to get a replacement battery, such as the ER-C535, or CGA-DU14 as Panasonic puts a cheap battery with a short life on the default model.

Good for the money 2006-01-01

Has a suprising number of features, and deals well with low light/indoors if you read the manual and use the appropriate settings.

The reason I don't give 5 stars is that the manual is not clear about how to transfer video to your computer. The manual only has instructions for the PV-GS35 model, and indicates with that model you can use either a USB or IEEE-1394 cable for that purpose.

It turns out you can transfer from the PV-GS31 to your PC, but you can't use a USB cable. You have to buy your own IEEE-1394 cable (as indicated by another reviewer). (Note you also have to buy your own USB cable if you want to use it as a webcam).

Poor picture quality, cheap price 2005-12-22

I got this camcorder after my Sony DCR-TRV33 broke. Actually, the Sony works sometimes so I did a comparison test when it did work and the picture quality of the Sony is a whole lot better. The picture of the PV-GS31 is grainy and is especially poor in low light while the Sony is crystal clear. I bought it from Bestbuy during the Thanksgiving sale for $249 with a $50 rebate from Panasonic because the website camcorderinfo like it. Well, don't believe everything you read. After tax and rebate (haven't received yet), it cost me $220. The Sony camcorder DCR-HC32 cost over $400 so you get what you pay for. For $220, it ain't bad but if you want really good picture quality, spend more money. The PV-GS31 is light compared to my old DCR-TRV33 and the same size but the new Sony's are smaller and lighter now. Also, the joystick control of the Panasonic sucks compared to the touch screen of the Sony. I hear of problems with the Sony's CCD going bad which is my problem but I dropped it a couple of times. Sony and a repair shop wanted over $250 to fix it which isn't worth it. I will keep the Panasonic and will try a different brand like JVC next time.

Not a bad buy 2005-11-29

I bought mine last week at Circuit City and it worked pretty well for what I wanted. The Camera ain't that great, but it is just a bonus feature that I never expected. I really bought it for the camera. It is easy to use and manipulate. Anyone buying it for its purpose (a camcorder) will not be disappointed with the purchase, but if you are buying it for a camera, be prepared to flush your head. I recommend this to anyone just starting out in this field

Not a great buy, but not a disaster either. 2005-10-18

I usually am very satisfied with purchases and rate products 5 stars. But this one is a little disappointing.
I bought this seeing the rave reviews in [...] when compared to JVC-GRD250 and Cannon ZR 200. But most of the "advantages" listed for Panasonic camcorder in the website are features only of the higher end model PV-GS35. This one (PV-GS31) does not have "advanced" features like audio dubbing in GS35, but also lacks a lot of what I consider basic features - like a remote control, basic PC editing software. The battery life indicator also does not seem reliable - the battery runs out even when the life indicator shows half the life is still remaining.
Rating it average as it is not a total disaster. It records very decently. And the price was great -especially after amazon sorted out a problem I had with the mail-in rebate.
If I had a chance to buy again, I would probably buy the JVC-GRD250 which comes at about the same price.

Yep--disappointing 2005-10-14

Read some positive things about this line that led me to believe that maybe our modest video needs could be served with a "budget" level video camera. I was wrong.

As others have mentioned, this camera is nearly useless indoors. All we wanted to do was shoot some video of our newborn baby. The problem is, newborns aren't in the mid-day sun, outdoors, much. Tried video during the day -- indoors -- very mediocre. In the evening, in a lit home, horrible. This camera is also very slow to focus when using in "auto" mode, and there's minimal steady-shot capabilities here too. So you get a shaky, pixellated, out of focus, dark video all the time.

I came to the conclusion anything I shot with this was going to turn out frustratingly poorly, except in absolutely optimum light conditions. Despite my limited use for the camera, it had to go back. Having no video camera it seems is less frustrating than having one you wish was better. I concluded I had no choice but to add more to my video camera budget and get something that might actually give me some useable video.

Great first camcorder 2005-10-12

I never considered myself a camcorder type of guy, but we bought this to record our wedding and it's been a lot of fun since. Quality is good for price and I've downloaded the video to camcorder for back-up. (Use firewire for this, with the camcorder on play mode.)

AWFUL PICTURE QUALITY - save yourself the headache 2005-09-15

I bought this camcorder and when we played it back on our TV the picture was extremely grainy, like a clear layer of sandpaper. Our old VHS-C took MUCH BETTER pictures than this one did and it's 9 years old. I went to a local TV/video store and asked them to help me test it out and no matter if we used mine or one they had of the same brand it was awful on their TV's too. If this is the way the new digital technology is going to be I'm going back to VHS-C. I bought a different brand in hopes of getting something better and it does the same thing. That is the JVC GR-D270u....I'll be returning this one as well. In the $300-$400 price range we should be getting something better than the old technology shouldn't we?

Not the best for taking pictures 2005-08-23

This camcorder is not the best in taking quality pictures. If you want better pictures, I would recommend getting something else. The pictures I took look grainy and totally weird. The battery life sucks too, with only 3 hours. I didn't really like the lighting when using the camcorder. Images looks dark when taking indoor or outdoor. The only good things about this camcorder are the small size and it is fun to play with. But for quality, I would go for something else.

horrible low light video 2005-08-21

I quickly returned this. Nearly all videoa I take are indoors with the kids in the evening. All lights in house are on, but of course it's not as bright as a sunny day. The video looks great in the LCD monitor, but once it's on TV or computer.. yuk!! grainy and pixelated, washed out colors. All the grainy junk makes the video look flat somehow. Terrible. My old analog Panasonic takes much better indoor video than this. I now understand why other camcorders advertise features like "3D Noise cancellation" and "Low light boost", etc. My advice, spend the extra bucks and get one of those cameras if you're going to shoot indoors, because the quality with this is just ugly.

Couple other things I didn't like about it: it has a lenscap, and the USB/firewire connections are blocked by the handstrap, so you have to loosen the handstrap nearly all the way to get at those ports.

The best thing is its joystick navigation thingy. Navigating menus and doing VCR operations in playback mode is a breeze. Wish all cameras had this.

very good tiny camcorder 2005-08-17

It is a very good budget buy for family movies. Sharp picture, no motor noise. Nize zoom (and mic zoom too!). Fit well in the hand. Few complicated functions, you may need the manual in the begining if you want use them. You can record more than 60 minutes with the standart battery. It would be nice if they had usb and firewire cables in the package, but you can find them really cheap on the net. The battery indicator may be improved. Overall, for 300 usd after the rebate it is a very good buy. Better night shots comparing to Sony, no motor noise comparing to JVC and lighter than Canon.

Panasonic Cam Coder GS 31 model for my personal use 2005-08-04

Panasonic Cam Coder GS31 is good and suits my requirements. It has a 1000X zoom and very efficient to capture images and to replay that in televisions

Found What I Was Lookin' For 2005-07-07

The Panasonic PV-GS31 is an excellent camcorder to learn the basics and capture excellent digital video. It had exactly what I needed: a light for night shots, LED screen, and a great zoom feature for close-ups. It transfers well to the computer to upload the video I take on the MiniDV tapes. But make sure you purchase a firewire cable (4 pin to 4 pin) and have software like Intervideo DVD creator or Windows Movie Maker to take advantage of video editing. It's a good buy without the features you don't really need!

If you're looking to take good pictures, don't rely on the Panasonic camcorder. Instead, go buy a tiny digital camera with at least 5 megapixels. This camcorder can take pictures but they're less than 1 megapixel, which equals poor quality pix.