Panasonic PV-GS35 MiniDV Camcorder w/30x Optical Zoom Camcorder Reviews

Panasonic PV-GS35 MiniDV Camcorder w/30x Optical Zoom

Buy the Canon if Low Light is your Need 2006-03-25

I bought this item and tested in low light against an old 8mm camcorder. It was terrible. I returned this and purchased the Canon Elura 70 (older version of the elura 90). The Canon is much better - no comparison.

For the money................ 2006-03-21

You would think that for a $400 plus item that Panasonic would be able to afford a tape, but of course not. And then to compound matters, there is no mention (that I can find) of what tape should be used in the instructions. Of course I only went throught the first 74 pages, it might have been on the last of the seventy five page "manual"

Have to go back to Amazon site and do some digging to get the answer. (Panasonic DVM 60 EJ)

Would it have brought Panasonic crashing down if they had provided a bit more? Even had they said "Tape xxx is not included" that would have helped

Panasonic PV-GS35 MiniDV Camcorder w/30x Optical Zoom 2006-03-10

I am very pleased with this camera. Having never operated a camcorder before, I had no idea what to expect. I initially was looking for a camera that I could easily download and edit the film on my computer. This camera seems to do it all from the great zoom capability to the ease of using the controls, literally at your fingertips! The camera is very lightweight, fits perfectly in the palm of your hand and offers many settings to choose from if you decide to switch from automatic to manual. The directions are clear-cut and easy to follow, the camera is very easy to hook-up. I was also pleasantly surprised at the great sound quality. I found I did not need a S cable to connect the camera to my computer, the USB cable was fine.
I did download the software that came with the camera but honestly was not impressed with it and found it difficult to use so uninstalled it. Instead, I am using Microsoft MovieMaker which is much better and easier.

This Mini Cam is Great! 2006-02-18

I still have not used all the features on this mini cam, but I do have to say it is awesome! Clarity and colors are very good, the photos are good for sharing on line, but for printing them up it is best to use your digital camera that is what it is for. The battery lasts quite long,but I immediatly bought a back up just in case. The camera itself is light weight and very easy to use for indoor,day or night all come out very well,audio is very clear and outside filming is just great. I can't wait for the nice weather to arrive so I can really get into it. I recommend this one for all.
Enjoy

Great Camcorder for the price 2006-02-02

If you want a great camcorder for a minimum investment this is the one! I did a great deal of research online to determine which camcorder had the best optics and quality of craftmanship. The 30x zoom is unbelieveable! It focuses very fast and the image stablization works great! Really like the ease of the menu system in combination with the slection device knob.

A very good camcorder for the price 2006-01-29

I am very peased with this Camcorder.
The zoom is amazing.
Also, the software sold with the GS35 is very good.

Great Cam at a good price 2006-01-19

update 3-22-07
I never intended to drop test it but it fell 50" on to a ceramic tile floor. (Due to a defective tripod) So far it still works great. It just has a small dent on the ring around the lens.

This camcorder is easy to use and produces great results inside and out. The low light performance is not stellar but in a dimly lit room I've been happy with the results. Magic pix, low light setting, is fun but not really practical for moving objects. The 30x zoom is great! The digital stabilizer works pretty well up to 20x but beyond that you'll need a tripod. Still pics are fun and suitable for email but not clear enough to print for the photo album. If you want clear stills you'll have to spend $$. For under $400 you can't beat the pv-gs35!
If I was made of money I'd go for the PV-GS400...
The transaction with Amazon as the retailer was very easy.
They answered all of my questions and shipped quality merchandise in a timely fashion.

Super Camcorder 2006-01-16

Very pleased with the camcorder, have had it 2 months. It has been outstanding in every aspect. I was considering the panasonic 3 chip recorders, but ended up buying this unit. The big factory was the 30X Zoom lens.It really paid off. The battery life is fantastic. I use the video light, it doesn't effect the battery life that much, but really is necessary for lower light. This is the 4th camcorder I have owned. I really liked how comfortable it is to hold. It is about half the size and weight of my last camcorder. Editing and recording back to the unit very easy using firewire port. I use ULEAD Video studio. Make DVD's and record finished movie back to the MiniDV tape for archives. I would highly recommend this camera to anyone.

VERY GOOD QUALITY - INDOOR AND OUT 2006-01-07

There have been several reviews on this model camcorder reporting poor quality video, particularly indoors. I have ben using the GS35 for about 3 months and have not found that to be the case. I have taped family events swuch as birthday parties, Christmas, the kids playing, indoors and outside, and some school plays. This camera has proven to be easy to operate, with an exceptional optical zoom, and very good picture quality.

I copy my digital tapes to DVD. I perform this task on a PC sometimes but have found that this devices transfers very nicely onto a component DVD recorder as well. If you use one of these devices, I suggest using an S-Video or Component cable if your unit handles it, as this does a very good job using the supplied RCA cables, but the S-Video will be superior.

This device also has great battery life.

My only complaint- the controls. I realize that to make something this small with so many features, some concessions are necessary, but a few of the features are cumbersome to get to - requiring a few steps to enable.

Good Camera!! 2006-01-02

Easy to use. Shoots great Video and Still Photos. I recommend this to anyone who wants a great camera!!

A disappointment 2005-12-29

Good price, and lots of features... but disappointing video quality. Yes, it has USB transfer to PC, but taking that approach (instead of DV/1394/Firewire) is clunky. The door covering the USB/Firewire connection is attached with a flimsy rubber band that surely won't last over time.

The included video transfer & editing software is *terrible*.

User manual is barely comprehensible -- poor content, poorly edited English. Support (updated drivers, software, etc.) on the Panasonic web site is nonexistent.

Not that good... 2005-12-06

Great camera? When indoors this thing is sub-par. If there are worse camcorders than this, why are they selling? Three 60 watt lights, a Christmas tree and a 45 watt recessed light, and this thing is grainy and dark. it was hard to make out facial features let alone the subject's eyes. I tried all the settings to no avail (on a positive note all the settings, including manual, are easy to use). Another gripe is the image stabilization. It creates an odd effect, kind of a a slightly noticeable fuzzy filter. How can people call this thing great? It's really not.

I should have stuck with my VHS-C 2005-10-31

I this camcorder on October 27, 2005 from Circuit City. I asked the salesperson if he could hook power up to the display so I could see how it looks, but he said he was unable to do this. If I had been able to see this camcorder working in the store - I WOULD NOT HAVE WASTED MY MONEY ON IT.

I have a VHS-C camcorder and was hoping to be upgrading to Digital. I opened it up yesterday and tested it out. Outdoors the quality was OK, but definately not better than my VHS-C camcorder. Indoors with lights on and with and without the onboard light the quality is that of a webcam or a VHS copy of a copy - the quality is not at all what I expected. Because I videotape mainly indoors, this camera is worthless to me. I expected a good quality digital recording something at least equivalent to my VHS-C, if not better.

Because I live about 80 miles away from the nearest Circuit City, I called the store first to find out how to return the camcorder. I was informed that if I did not exchange it for something for more money that I would be paying 15% restocking fee.

I am so, so disappointed that Circuit City sold me a piece of garbage for $442 (it was on sale plus I had a $40 coupon). I am upset that I was not able to see the camcorder first and then when I called the store I was told to refer to the back of my receipt for the 15% restock information.

I have shopped at Circuit City before and have not had a problem - maybe only because I have not had to return anything. I will not do business with Circuit CIty again as this is totally unreasonable. They are selling a high-priced, low-quality camcorder that you will not allow customers to see powered on at the store and then when they get it home to find out how terrible the quality is they are penalized by restocking fees as well.

Duped by optical zoom 2005-10-29

I purchased panasonic PV-GS35. It has several features, controls settings and video recording is also good, but comparatively inferior to my non-digital VHS video cameras. In fact most of the digital camcorders are like that. I think i have mistaken choosing a camcorder instead of video camera.

When I connect this camera to TV for live display, I hear loud continuous screech, and there is no way to stop it. Panasonic did not take care of reducing EMI. For the same reason I explored to check for muting feature or audio volume control, but I did not find any. Fortunately there is no noticable motor noise in the audio reception.

The manufacturer claims of 30x optical zoom, but when I go beyond 10x, the image quality starts blurring very fast, this implies, digital zooming has started after 10x. This appears to be a false claim by Panasonic, which can be detrimental to their reputation.

Response to Disappointed 2005-10-27

This camcorder is great but I have had similar experiences with Circuit City's customer service. I even paid for the extended warranty for my laptop which they denied to service it. Their pathetic customer service kept me on hold every third minute (Honestly! not a joke) for hours. Being a customer, I invest money to purchase electronics and in return I get insulted like this. I will never purchase any electronic product from Circuit City again (and of course.. they sell nothing other than that).

customer service really sucks! 2005-09-30

I bought this camcorder about 3 months ago from circuit city. I don't have much complain about it except it stops working in less than one month, and my tape was stuck in it. Circuit city won't return/exchange it because it has past two weeks(lesson: return policy does matter here!) and I have to contact the customer service of Panasonic. I mailed the camcorder to their service center following their instructions, now two months has past and there is still no sign of my camcorder. I called them several times and everytime I was told I need to wait 2-3 more weeks, they are waiting for some parts to arrive from China, and it seems there are several parts that need to replaced and every time they must order it from somewhere else. What kind of service center it is!! How could it be called a service center if they don't even have enough parts! I asked for an exchange or refund, and was of course refused(And to speak with a customer representive, you have to wait half an hour on the phone...). Now my only choice is to wait, I'm hoping to get it within one year...Panasonic was a respectable name in my mind, now I'll never touch any of their product.

As for the camcorder itself, I can't comment much, it has everything I need and the picture quality is decent. But if you do decide to get one, better prey it never goes wrong.

An update: one more month passed, I was told I need to wait another month, i.e. end of Nov. It will be 4 months for them to repair a new popular model camcorder, and God knows if I can get my camcorder back by then...What can I do? This has become ridiculous...I never thought a famous brand would do this to its customer...

Too great for words!!! 2005-08-14

I was a little worried about purchasing this camera, the reviews on all the sites i checked were all 5 stars (nothing below that) but i'd never used anything other than cannon and minolta. I wont say I know everything about camcorders/cameras but I know enough to know a good one compared to a bad one, and this is a GREAT camcorder/camera. I have only had it about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks, but I've so much videos that turned out crisp and clear, with great sound. I love the light for low light shots, although I dont take many in the dark, it's still a nice feature. I love that you can take video as well as use a memory card to take photos, thats a great option. I Highly recommend this camcorder/camera to anyone who wants a great zoom, with great features....you'll love this camera, I know I do!!!

Wonderful Camera 2005-08-10

I recently purchased this camera due to my husband being deployed, I wanted something inexpensive that I could use as a camera to take still pictures and for a web cam to talk to my husband over seas. This camera can do all that and then some. The LCD is great for taking self portraits and has a bright enough screen that even in the sun light you can still see the picture. Plus it is small enough that I can take it with me were ever I go. This shipping through amazon is great, I live in Alaska and it only took about a week to get it up here. I would give Panasonic and Amazon 10 stars if I could. I would definetly recommend this to anyone looking for a great camera at a low cost.

Great Camera so far..... 2005-04-27

Just bought this camcorder a few days ago and so far, I've been very impressed. The low-light capabilities appear very adequate. The ease of transfer to the PC via the DV-Firewire link is excellent. Haven't had a chance to check out many features yet, but easy of use for picking up the camera and shooting a video is great. So far, I think I've made a good choice.

Wow! Great camera! 2005-03-19

I just got back from my local electronics store which, to my surprise, had the GS35 in stock and on sale. I was very pleased with the ease of use and accuracy of the thumbstick control. Though, the menu button was a bit out of reach for my thumb thus requiring me to use my other hand to push it. The built-in LED lights help shed some light on dark situations, but I noticed an even greater benefit from the increase in gain when the light was switched on. The lens used on this camera is out-of-sight! Not only does it offer high telephoto optical zoom, it offers what few other camcorders out there have: built-in wideangle. The lens is 1.9-57mm which equates roughly to a 35mm equivalent of 35-1040mm. So, go ahead, shoot video indoors and get the whole group in the shot at once!