Panasonic PV-GS320 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Camcorder Reviews

Panasonic PV-GS320 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Great Camcorder 2008-08-29

This is a great camera. I bought it a few months ago for an rv trip and the moment the battery was fully charged i hooked it up to the camera, put in a tape, and walked around the house experimenting. On the trip, it performed excellently. When properly exposed, the camera's three CCD chips reproduced colors surprisingly well. The microphone has a neat wind-cut function that works very well.

Pros
-great image and sound quality
-10x zoom
-color electronic view finder (which is becoming very rare in consumer camcorders now)
-very simple menu navigation
-photoshot feature
-nice joystick navigation for menus

Cons
-Poor low-light shooting
-no hot shoe
-no manual focus ring
-manual/auto switch inconviniently located
-no firewire input
-you have to remove the battery and go through a messy process to hook the camera up to a computer

I highly recommend this camera for beginners or even enthusiasts with a low budget.

Panasonic PV-GS320 2008-08-14

I have the Panasonic PV-GS320 for about 3 weeks. Took it on a trip to get some practice with it. Easy to use and set up. Make sure you have an extra battery. The one that come with it is good for about 25-30 minutes.

Best results are outdoors and in bright light. It has a camera feature to allow still pictures to a 1 GB storage card, which is kind of neat. Cassette tape goes in and out easily.

Single worst feature is the lack of good quality sound. It has no audio jack, so the sound is a bit garbled if you don't speak loudly and into the mike. Otherwise, for the money, it is a good camcorder which is fun to use.

Good quality for a good price 2008-08-03

Most of the reviews on here are spot on, so I'll just go with what doesn't work that well and what I found to be a con to this camera.

And that is mainly that it's hard to pick up light while retaining image quality in darker places regardless of what settings are used. Also, I'm disappointed by the lack of external microphone jack, and, from what I've seen, the sound quality isn't of the highest quality.

In the end, I'll probably just use this for filming music videos.

I'd recommend this camera to those relatively new to film and just need something to get started out with that is of reasonable price. I got mine for $320.

Great camera for inexperienced user 2008-07-30

I bought this camera as a semi-impulse buy because at the last minute I decided I needed a video of my wedding ceremony (we had skipped the videographer to save on cost). Besides a brief test, the first time this camera was used was at the wedding. It did a beautiful job. A friend (an amateur) taped the ceremony from about 40 feet away, and the picture and sound both came out very well. You can hear everything, the colors are crisp, the zoom works very well, and the whole thing just turned out beautifully. It was easy to figure out and use and I couldn't be happier with the result. It also downloaded easily to my iMac and works well with iMovie, although I had to buy a firewire cord to download (it comes with USB which only works with a PC). I got the firewire cord on Amazon for $14.

GS320 has image edge issues. 2008-07-26

I just returned the Panasonic PV-320GS MiniDV Camcorder due to one devastating problem: the video quality is at issue when viewing on a 1080p LCD. The edges of everything stairstep badly. It appears like the picture on an old analog tv, dark lines between the lighted pixels. Very lo res. I guess I'll need to move up to an hd model.
I want to thank Amazon for having a good return policy, accepting the camcorder back for a full refund.

Cheap Zoom Lever 2008-07-21

Complete disappointment. The camcorder has so many features, but the zoom lever easily popped off and left the lens unable to zoom. Panasonic would not stand by their product and I was unable to get the camera fixed without a substantial fee. After four calls I was unsatisfied and the camera still cannot zoom. At a store I found that the zoom lever easily comes off. Avoid this product. There are too many cheap factors that can ruin the great features. Technical and customer support are useless.

GREAT CAMCORDER! 2008-07-18

I bought this because i'm filming a movie and we needed a new camera. I read all the reviews. The camera looks like its HD! The only problem with it is that there's no mic input. This is not a huge problem because to overcome this, we bought a mini disc recorder and hooked up our mic to it and then synced it in editing! I love this camcorder! Also! It will except filters and lenses (37mm)

Great Mini-DV Camcorder, but a bit Too Expensive 2008-07-15

Performance wise, this is a great Camcorder. I dropped my old one on the cement and needed a replacement. BEST thing is the image stabilization. I've got a ton of videos taken at maximum zoom that are very shakey, so I immediately noticed the improvement with IS. Even at maximum zoom, there's very little shake. Nice!

There's nothing fancy other than that. Typical zoom range, typical features. I do really like the jog dial menu navigation and it's really good for start/stop/FF/Rev. Much better than my old Panasonic's dedicated buttons that were located on the side of the camcorder inside the area where the screen folds out.

However, at $325, this is too expensive. Mini-DV is on the way out and I only bought this because I've got so many existing Mini-DV tapes that I've not yet digitized (I also like the higher quality over MPEG, but that wouldn't have stopped me from buying a HD camcorder by itself). It shouldn't cost this much. $200 or even $250 would have been much more reasonable.

However, given the IS & my need for the Mini-DV format, I would buy this camera again, even with my price comment above.
Recommended!

Great picture, no frills. 2008-07-15

If you want a miniDV camcorder before they all go away, the Panasonic PV-GS320 is a good choice. Every year they seam to reduce features on these cameras but at least the Panasonic PV-GS320 did not cut out picture quality. I really wish they had an external microphone jack on the camera but it does not. However, you can kill all the audio using the Panasonic software that comes with it. Use this one for point an shoot only, edit and add audio later on a PC. (However you can change the audio on the camera as well) It takes true 16x9 as well as standard. It is very easy to use and learn, especially if you ever owned a Panasonic VHS-C camcorder before, i.e. the ergonomics are like other Panasonic cameras I have used. Be sure to have a computer as new as possible and use the software provided with the camera to capture the video. There is nothing here that will do it for you, you will have to figure all the editing and adding audio and things like that out but it does give you some help. I use both a MAC and a PC. The PC is a Sony Vaio that also uses firewire (cable sold seperately). Firewire is better to use in my opinion. I could also use the hi-speed usb, (which comes in the box with the camera). I do not recommend standard microsoft movie maker/editor, for mine does not recognizes 16x9, it squishes it into a 4:3 frame. My Sony PC is a 2003 model, so I think the year has something to do with it but use the Panasonic software to transfer the video onto the PC. I have also used Nero 6.6 to edit after capturing the video on the Panasonic software and it works okay. Just keep in mind to use THE COMPUTER using the Panasonic software to edit the video, add new sound or music to it. You can also re-record the new version back on the camera using a new mini DV tape if you want. I'm not a pro at video know how, but I am an artist and have made videos in the past using amature equipment and find Panasonic video cameras a good choice. If you cannot afford a 1,000 dollar Panasonic like me, then go for this one, it will work for you if you are willing to sacrifice on-camera features for software instead. Otherwise do allot of research and ask some pro's. I have a realative who works professionally with video cameras in the business, (movies, sports etc.) and he said this one is not too bad. Not the best by any means (for the best cost in the thousands) but he did mention that Panasonic cameras are an excellent choice and said this one is a good starter, if that helps. Panasonic PV-GS320 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

not impressed 2008-07-15

i bought this camcorder as a demo model back in april 2008 only used it 1 time,and when i went to use it in july 2008 it would not play any mini dv tapes,so i tryed another one,and it did not work out at all,so i contacted the store where i got it from,they said since you dont have a warranty with us,then you have to contact the manufacture,so i did, and oh my gosh,what a load of junk you have to go through.all automatated system. and no person able to talk to at all.so if you buy this camera and it breaks,good luck trying to get it repaired.sony is so much better customer service.i have other products that are sony and always able to get ahold of a live person. and to make matters worse,panasonics web site for supports link are not avalible anymore,interesting ...

Panasonic GS320 2008-07-14

We have this camera for about a month , occasionally use and it work well for us, mainly for our little daugter, draw back: no flash light, not real good at night, picture quality is ok.

Pana PV-GS320 Camcorder 2008-06-14

I bought this GS320 to replace a GS12 that quit working after about 6 or 7 years. It serves as a back-up for my Sony PD170 that I use to record high school football and volleyball games and live music events around South Texas. I was going to use it just for cut-a-ways for the videos and to act as a rewinder for all of the miniDV tapes that I run through the PD170. It turns out that the sound it records at live musical events is actually better that the sound I record using the PD170's removable mike. That will change once I start using the remote mic I have purchased, plus, at larger events I am able to tie directly into the sound board with the Sony.
The GS320 is a great, lightweight (in a good way!)camcorder loaded with an easy to use menu system. It is wonderful to use at outside events, but it lacks a little when used indoors at venues that use dim lighting.
It is a 3CCD camcorder, so the picture is crisp, clear and clean when the lighting is good. I am still learning all of the camera's features, but so far I am happy with my purchase and, once again, Amazon was amazing!
Brad Burns
La Vernia, Texas.

Great Little Camera 2008-06-04

Picture quality is excellent, especially outdoor shots on sunny days. The color reproduction is very good. Indoor shots are also very good and even low light shots aren't bad. This was a huge step-up from the old VHS HQ camera I used to use. Transferring the video to a computer with an IEEE 1394 (firewire) cable is easy and doesn't result in any loss of picture quality or frame rate. Videos do take up a large amount of hard drive space (594 Mb for a 2.5 minute clip), but the quality is exceptional. It certainly isn't HD but the picture will look very good on a standard definition TV (the output resolution is the same as DVDs use, 720x480). The camera is quite small so it is very easy to get shaky pictures and the image stabilizer doesn't always react fast enough to fix some of the jitters. With some practice though it's not bad.

panasonic pv-gs320 2008-05-31

This item works quite well on the Mac with I movie. The tape system works best for the mac even though the format is older. quality of the pictures is good and I am happy with the camera. It seems to be a good camera for an amateur. It has many good features 3ccd, minidv, macintosh compatable,mini dv, firewire.

Camcorder 2008-05-27

This camera is so very easy to use. The controls are in a good place toe easily go from one function to another. Also it takes great video.

Panasonic PV-GS320 2008-05-17

It's certainly not the best camera out there, but for the money, you can't beat it. Better than camera's costing 50% more.

Good Camera 2008-05-17

This is a great camera that is easy to use and takes great video in almost every situation. This camera is for the person who wants to video his family and friends and keep is simple.

The only complaint is the way it fits in your hand - it will flop over if you let go of it and just use the strap.

Works with my Mac.

Amazing camcorder at an affordable price 2008-05-14

When its time for me to replace my old Mini-DV camcorder I made an extensive research whether to buy another old technology camcorder (mini-dv or DVD based) or buy a new technology camcorder (HD or hard drive based). I finally compromised on buying this, since this is a compromise between old and new. It uses 3CCD technology which is cool because the same tech. is used in professional cameras.

Am I satisfied with my purchase? A big Yes. Especially the capability to record still images on a SD card at an amazing clarity eliminated the need for me to carry both camcorder and digital camera.

I would recommend to buy this to anyone who is looking for a budget camcorder but do not want to compromise on quality.

Vivid colors on video and pictures 2008-04-18

I purchased the Panasonic PV-GS320 model to replace the PV-GS85 I'd been using for five months. Although I'm missing the more powerful optical zoom of the 85, the much more realistic color balance of the 320 worth the change. I think I could only change this excellent camera if I find a significantly better HD model. Videos in standard and widescreen modes are beautifully captured when using adequate illumination. Still pictures are also very good in standard size, but pictures in widescreen mode have less resolution.

I recommend this camera to those needing great recordings on mini-dv format.

Good bang for the buck 2008-04-16

To get a camera with a 3CCD lense for under $400 is pretty amazing. Now, it's not perfect and definitely consumer-grade but it can shoot a professional-grade shot in the hands of an experinced user. I would recommend getting 37mm filters and maybe some accessory lenses if you want to have more fun and flexibility. The BIG think that's lacking is an audio out to lest recording levels from the mic input. That is quite annoying but I guess we'll have to pay more to get into the pro range for that feature. It is a great value at a low price and we've bought several.

Great video quality for a good price. 2008-04-09

Overall, the PV-GS320 is great. The video quality is great for the price. The joystick for manual controls is slightly annoying, especially for focus. A manual focus ring and mic input would have been nice. Connects and operates perfectly with my Mac and Final Cut Pro. Overall, great video quality for a small, consumer camcorder.

Great for live music -- so good I bought a second one! 2008-04-05

I am a hobbyist who shoots a lot of live video of bands in clubs. I have a Panasonic DVX-100B as my primary camera, but needed something more economical for a second. I bought a GS320 after reading reviews around the web. The control I have over the image is great, with individual controls for iris, shutter speed, white balance, and more. The sound quality is really good, too. Loved it so much I bought another. Does well in low light, although ultralowlight introduces noise into the picture, which is normal -- in general, if you want to shoot decent video or still photos, you need light. Duh. I am very impressed with the way this camera's mics handle loud music. It it possible to clip the audio, but that takes a bit to do. I shot The Band Of Heathens from stage level with the camera just about on top of the monitors and got great audio. It was after that experience that I decided to purchase my second GS320. Now I have three great cameras to create videos of live performances of my favorite indie bands.

Best buy for the money! 2008-03-29

You can spend more and get more, but you can't get more at this price! Picture quality is excellent, you would need to go HD to get better. Sound is good. Recording to tape means better quality than current digital storage and longer uninterrupted recording, at least at this price range. The down side is that dubbing to my computer is done in real time (1 hr video takes 1 hr to load). I consider that a small price to pay for the picture quality and cost of the camera. It is small and light, controls are easy and intuitive after a short time with the manual. Comes with a remote, which is great for operating it and not being it everyone's way. I would like to see mic inputs and head phone out jacks, but at this price, I am not complaining. Low light seems a little grainy, so I am looking for a good light to attach to the shoe (which does not appear to be a "hot shoe", rather only a place to attach something. Makes a great web cam when not filming the grandchildren. Excellent choice for family video. Interfaces well with my iMac and iMovie!

PV-GS320 CamCorder review 2008-03-28

+ This is an excellent buy for the money. If you are looking for something that has nice movie quality and is fairly inexpensive this would be it. The still picture quality is not the greatest but passes for the average photo taker.

- I was disappointed that the software that come with it wasn't compatible with Vista, and if you want to put the video on your computer, you will need to buy and additional DV cable in order to transfer your movie clips from the DVI tapes to your computer as well.

Excellent Camera For the Money 2008-03-16

I shot a wedding useing two of these cameras next to my Panasonic DVX100b
and while there was some difference in image quality I was pleasantly surprised at how well the GS320 did.

MiniDV review 2008-03-11

I've only used the product once to take videos and then capture it on my PC. I had no problems and the quality was good. The menus were easy to understand, access and operate. The included software was also easy enough to use once I played with it a bit. I doubt I'll ever use the still picture capability of the MiniDV since I already have a higher resolution digital SLR, but the instructions looked pretty straight forward.

great looking video so far 2008-03-10

I found this to be a pretty good camera in terms of picture quality for the money. I bought this one because of the 3CCD technology. I also stopped by the big box stores to get a personal feel for the controls before buying online and thought the Panasonic thumbwheel type of control felt pretty good. Went with MiniDisk versus DVD writing models cause I did not want the conversion to DVD format on the camera - rip it back to my PC for editing - then back to DVD. I think the hand strap is a bit loose but not a big deal. Would have liked to see it come with a 6 to 4 firewire cable instead of the USB cable. But I guess if I had a PC and it came with a firewire then I'd want it the other way around.... Overall the camera plugged into my MAC and downloaded easily. The conversion over to Imovie and IDVD were pretty impressive.

Nice camera albeit missing a few things 2008-02-17

I just picked up this camera locally to use as a backup/crash cam for a AG-DVX200 prosumer camcorder. It works fine and by all means is a good camera for the money but there a few features that are annoying enough that some folks might want to avoid it (none of these points are a deal breaker for my purposes).

1) There is no audio input so you're stuck with the microphone that is in the camera.
2) The USB, DV and power ports are located behind the battery. This wouldn't be so bad except for the next point.
3) The charger will not power the camera and charge the battery at the same time. This is a good way to force us to purchase a second battery. We need a second battery anyway..
4) The hand strap position makes NO sense. It is far too low slung making the camera fit loose in your hand. Once you loosen your grip on the camera, it flops around in your hand uncontrollably. Not a problem if once you grip it again. Bah!
5) The hot shoe is actually a cold shoe so there is no way to trigger an external flash when using the still camera mode.

While those points are enough to sway away most users, this camera is about low cost high quality video, not the normal features consumers have come to expect. The camera is solid and produces a fine picture. The controls are usable with one hand so you can make adjustments on the fly fairly easily. Pressing the camera button during video recording or playback will cause a still image to be recorded to the SD memory card - kinda neat. Finally, it works with Linux so dvgrab just pulls down video on demand.

I'd give this camera a 7 overall and a 9 on picture quality. For the price, it's probably the best picture wise. You have to decide if the negatives are a show stopper or not.

I think for someone who is interested in a low cost high quality SD (standard definition) camcorder with picture quality being the number one requirement, this little camcorder is the ticket.

Lo que buscaba 2008-02-15

Esta era la cámara que estaba buscando. Bajo precio y gran calidad de imagen para el mismo. Es excelente en días soleados, maneja muy bien los contrastes y el color tiene un tono natural. Las fotos son aceptables y sirven muy bien para el album de recuerdos y mejor si se quieren enviar por internet. La recomiendo si eres un aficionado que quiere un buen acabado en su imagen de video.

Brilliant Video Images 2008-02-12

I bought my GS320 over Christmas and have been truly impressed with it.
The reason I got it was to videotape mobility scooters for product reviews.

I didn't even truly understand what they mean by a great image until I viewed my first videos from this camcorder. I was amazed by the clarity and detail of the images.

The GS320 is a great balance of what you need to produce 1st class videos at a reasonable cost.

I highly recommend it.

Glenn
[...]

Excellent Camcoder 2008-01-21

I have purchased this camcorder to record my newborn. This one is giving excellent video recording (except at very dark, anyway I will not be recording in complete dark place). I have transferred the video to laptop thru FireWire cable (cheap one purchased from Amazon) and burned a DVD- the image quality is amazing. I would recommend this camcorder over the HDD/DVD based expensive ones. This editing software bundled with this camcorder is good enough for basic editing job.

Panasonic PV-GS320 2008-01-18

If you want to film and edit your movies, MiniDV is still the best platform. Panasonic has provided the best solution for the money in it's PV-GS320 3CC camcorder. It's easy to use, and takes beautiful shots - even in low light. The 16:9 format is especially nice.

Great Camera 2008-01-12

We replaced our Canon ZR70 with the PV-GS320. There is no comparison in video and audio quality. The Panasonic blows it away. Also compact enough to manage but not so small there's no where to put your hand. Only time will tell if it proves to be reliable. The ZR70 only lasted a couple years.

Sony camcorder 2008-01-07

I was a little disappointed in that the camcorder did not have a built-in light as do newer models, but that is my fault. Otherwise, it is a very good product.

Beautiful Picture! 2008-01-01

When shopping for camcorders I was torn between this one and several (much more expensive) high definition options. I'm happy to have gone with the GS320. It shoots in 16:9 and the image quality looks great on my 42" HD TV... comparable to watching a DVD I think. Colors are vivid and I have no regrets about not going with a HD camcorder. Software is pretty intuitive, though I wish it allowed for mpeg2 compression (since the avi files you get are HUGE). Otherwise, no complaints.

Worst piece of hardware i ever got 2007-12-11

software provided in CD doesnt work with vista, not sure why its being sold when it is not supported on new version of windows. i can't download gb's of s/w from internet...i hate to return an item, feel like throwing it but will return as my hard earned money is spent on this..

My first 3CCD... 2007-11-20

I purchased this nifty little camcorder primarily for making
low-budget movies. I read the reviews and compared prices on
numerous models and decided the GS320 was the most affordable
and suitable model (GS500 was unavailable at the time). The
box arrived in the mail and I began some film testing and was
quickly impressed with the video quality, especially outdoors,
creating some clear, vivid images. It's true, the low lighting
isn't the greatest and the colors typically fade with the lack of
proper lighting. If you plan on filming a lot at night or
creating some dark creepy scenarios then this model probably
isn't what you want (The GS250 however has some great low
lighting capabilities, although, it too was unavailable at the
time).

The GS320 is very lightweight taking much stress off of the
arm and wrist, and the handstrap is also adjustable to fit practically
any size hand. You can purchase high-quality mini-tapes which
bring about an even more impressive looking picture (I've found
these to cost about $10-$12 per tape).The zoom is nice, although
you do lose some picture quality as already mentioned in several
reviews. This camcorder also has some neat special features, one
of which cuts down on that typically uncontrollable background noise
by concentrating its built-in mic on the speaker. The built-in OIS
works well in keeping the image steady for those distant, closely
zoomed in shots. Since I use Adobe Premeire Elements 3.0 for movie
editing, I only dabbled briefly with the 320's effects, most of which aren't very useful to my purpose. APE 3.0 is a great editing tool to
use with the 320; it's fast and simple and allows for much creative
freedom. I bought the APE 3.0/Photoshop Elements 4.0 bundle which
ran about $100 and is indispensable to a striving movie-maker.

For the price and quality, the GS320 seems to be unparalleled.
An unregrettable choice so far.

Camera is Ok. 2007-10-10

- Initially I ordered SDR-H200 (which is also 3CCD), but it was getting heated up so I returned it and ordered GS320..
- GS320 was no match for SDR-H200 in terms of quality of picture.
- Other drawback was to transfer the recorded media onto Laptop. No faster way other than playing it back again.
- So I returned GS320 and ordered Panasonic SDR-H200 again. I took my chance but luckly the heating problem is not there. Probably it was with the previous piece.

NOTE: Not an upgrade over the GS300! 2007-10-05

Correcting another review:

This is NOT an upgrade over the PV-GS300!
The two camcorders are exactly the same except that the 320 has NO microphone input. That is the ONLY difference.

Also, a CCD is the digital equivalent of film. It is a computer chip that changes light into digital information. It has NOTHING at all to do with the zoom. If you are zooming to 25-30x, the lens has reached its zoom limit. What is happening is the camera's computer is cropping and enlarging the picture to LOOK like it is zooming in. This dramatically decreases the quality of the picture. The PV-GS300 can zoom in 10x its widest setting without resorting to this "Digital Zoom".

Now, I'm not completely sure of the technical stuff in this paragraph, but here's what I think it is: A CCD can only use one color. So, an 1 CCD camcorder actually shoots in black and white. This image is then converted into color, hence the poor color quality on these camcorders. On 3CCD camcorders, each CCD deals in either red, green, or blue. This way the color quality is FAR higher than with only 1 CCD. All professional camcorders have 3 CCD's.

Now, about this camcorder. I have owned the PV-GS300 for around 6-8 months. I can't really remember which. The color is the best you can get with a sub-$1500 camcorder. The quality and detail is also superb. I don't know why you would choose a Sony HC96 (with ONE CCD!) over this baby. The menus are easy to navigate, the screen is bright and clear, the camcorder is easy to hold and operate... I could go on and on and on. My only two gripes are: the hand strap is fairly narrow, so it begins to hurt a little after a long time wearing it tight, and the editing software that come with it is pitifully useless. I use Adobe Premiere and Avid Liquid when I want to make things look good.

The only better standard definition camcorders are (for some reason, they're all Panasonics...):

PV-GS400 (discontinued, but in its time was sweet)

DVX-100b (~$3,000)

I don't have the words to describe the amazingness of the DVX-100b.

Overall good, image stabilization could have been better 2007-09-19

This is my first Panasonic Camcorder. I had a sony trv 27 for the last 5 years and I broke it by mistake, otherwise its a great solid camcorder. First I bought a Sony HC48, it was good in every aspect except it died the first week. I'm satisfied with this panasonic gs320. The video quality is good and rich on outdoors, indoors are not that great but okay, can't complain. Its easy to hold, shoot and control the zoom. It took me a while to get used to the joystick. The still images are not just bad but its awful. The image stabilization is worse compared to the sony camcorders that I had before. With sony I didn't have to hold it steady but this panasonic sucks, I have to remember to hold it perfectly steady. Another issue, the battery has to be removed to access the ilink and the usb ports. So, to download the video and images it has to be connected to the power adapter

pros:
good video quality
comfortable shape and size

cons:
bad image stabilization
bad still images
no neck-strap
can't use battery power to access the data ports

Panasonic PV-GS 320 2007-09-17

I got this video camera to replace an aging Panasonic PV-401. I especially wanted the 3 ccd feature, the 10x optical zoom, and the image stabilizer, in a DV format (since I have many DV tapes, and have read DV gives better recording quality).
I've been pleased with the camera, especially the 3.1 MP photo capability, which works with the zoom and image stabilizer. This means only one camera to carry for both video and stills. With a powerful optical zoom, 3.1 MP is plenty for my purposes, and I can save hundreds of photos on an inexpensive 2-GB SD memory.
Its lighter weight and smaller form factor are attractive, and it easily fits in the camera bag used for the PV-401. The revised interface took some getting used to, but it is an improvement on the PV-401, once you get used to it. The manual is pretty comprehensive, and is also available online, a nice feature I really appreciate after the PV-401 manual got soaked and became unusable.
The included remote is convenient for playback when attached to a TV or A/V system, or remote recording.
One minor problem was the included video editing software incompatibility with Windows Vista. But with the Vista MediaCenter capability, it isn't really necessary. The photos are recognized by the Vista OS, and can be downloaded easily.
One other plus - it cost less than the PV-401, but has greatly enhanced features.

Good Value for money 2007-09-02

PROS : Very good quality of video, OIS, Manual Iris

CONS : No Microphone input, not impressed in low light (Magicpix), All interfaces behind the battery

Very impressed by the PV-GS320's optical image stabilization. The image was steady when zoomed at 10x. As the specs mentioned about 10X optical zoom you can zoom till 25X by losing minimum video clarity. The Digital zoom 700x upto me is not useful bcoz when you zoom at half of its digital zoom capacity its looks grainy. Auto focus was good at this level of camera but not best.Read more review at http://myownreviews.blogspot.com/2007/08/panasonic-pv-gs320-review_6780.html It does a great job of capturing high-quality video in auto mode and provides just enough manual control to satisfy the needs of beginners and some advanced amateurs.

Works GREAT with a Mac! 2007-09-01

This camera works fantastic with our iMac & Macbook. It is a breeze to get video from the camera into iMovie. I accomplished it on my first attempt & no documentation was required.

You make the connection via Firewire, turn the camcorder to "play" mode and iMovie will detect the connection. You just click the "import" button and watch your video be copied over. The video quality is fantastic. My wife was really impressed.

We made the mistake of originally buying a JVC Everio (hard drive based camcorder). While it was possible to get the video onto our Mac, it was by no means easy. After going through about 300 different procedures, you would finally be done. But then it was complicated to manage the files. It was a giant waste of money & time.

This camera worked easily right out of the box. I am highly impressed. And of course, because we own Mac's, we didn't have to waste time by installing stupid software onto our computers (the unit does come with a CD-ROM for PC's).

We paid $365 for this unit. All in all - fantastic camcorder!

Great camera for the money 2007-07-18

This was our first video camera and we bought it for a trip to Alaska. We were very happy with the results. If you use the basic "automatic" controls the camera has a short learning curve; more advanced features take a bit longer. We were especially surprised with the quality of the still photos taken with this camera - in some cases, especially when the maximum zoom was used, they were better than the photos taken with a 9 MP digital still camera. One of the keys is probably the 3 CCD feature, which is not very common on cameras in this price range. We'd suggest you get an extra battery with extra capacity to be sure you don't run out of power on a long day of travel.

Perfect Camcorder for us 2007-07-17

I've had a Canon Z45 for over 5 years and it has provided me with reliable performance and decent quality for home and vacation video. When we purchased our 42" widescreen TV and began taping in 16:9 aspect ratio, we found during playback that the image quality was definitely hurting. I thought I should replace my Canon with a HD Camcorder, however, my research failed to convince me that the time is right - high cost, various recording media, difficulties editing and unknown capability to transfer to a standard DVD. I currently like the ease of making DVDs to share with family and friends with our HDD recorder.

Researched standard definition camcorders and I was sold on the PV-GS320. 3 CCD sensor, 10x optical zoom, image stabilization, size/weight and great price. I am amazed at the quality of the video and sound - it is absolutely phenomenal - to quote others `crisp image, true-to-life colors'. To my eyes it's close enough to HD for my videos. My wife was skeptical of the need for a new camcorder but when she saw the first video, she was astonished at the difference. My wife and daughters enjoy the playback with the remote for slow motion and freeze frame. It is a great tool for critiquing my daughters' swim strokes.

Great price, received in 3 days. Easy to set up and use. My 10 & 12 year old daughters have no problem taping, playing back or using the joystick. Others have criticized the lack of a microphone input and the quality of the digital camera. I believe the internal microphone is excellent and I have a good digital camera for taking still shots. Battery life is short - ordered a CGA DU-21.

poor packaging 2007-05-30

Great budget camcorder! For the price you get what u pay for and this is worth every penny. It could have more features but then it would cost more.

The only problem i have is the way it was packaged by amazon, it wasn't even bubble wrapped! Instead it was lined on just three sides with what i can only describe as a three pocket airbag of which one of the pockets was busted when it arrived. I've seen far lesser known not to mention financially less resourceful internet vendors package their electronic products with more care than this. Had i known about the packaging procedures i would have never ordered it from here.

A downgrade from the GS300 2007-03-30

Not only is the physical appearance of this model ugly, it is a complete downgrade. Panasonic takes off one of the most important features on the PV GS320 model,a MICROPHONE JACK! I currently own a 300 model and needed another camera to shoot different angels at the same time, since the 300 is discontinued I purchased the so called upgraded model. Now the only available model with MIC jack is the VDR 310, and I have heard DVD is quality on Camcorders is not what it should be. If you do any video prodcution and need to hook up your camera to a MIC, this camera is not for you.

Poor low lighting... 2007-03-11

My wife and I purchased this item to film our family events over the coming years. After a lot of research I narrowed it down to this and the Sony DCR-HC96 (in fact several online reviews compared these two as well). It came down to price, which was better at Circuit City. Unfortunatly I will be paying a 15% restocking fee now as we have decided to return it and go with the Sony. The Panasonic, I feel, is a really good camera. The colors are bright and crisp...during the day. However we felt that most of the use would be during the evening hours indoors. With all three lamps turned on in our living room, "Auto" mode showed faint images and shadows when not pointed close to a light source. After several adjustments in "manual" mode we managed to get a decently lit picture on the viewfinder (...the picture will not show up as bright on your tv). Poor lighting is a big problem with Digital Camcorders, so I was actually somewhat content with this picture quality. Where this camcorder falls short IMO is the lack of an onboard lightsource. It has a "cold shoe" on the top where you can add your own light. However it will have to run on it's own batteries since it's not powered by the camera (also the only lights I have found so far are on ebay). Knowing that this is a problem with every brand of camcorder, I simply don't understand why companies insist on not putting better, if any, light sources on their equipment. Oh well...at least the Sony has a "hot shoe" to add a light source if needed.
Overall I think that this is a VERY nice camcorder...if you plan on staying in well lit areas. Just my two pennies worth :)

Some unnecesary "savings" 2007-03-08

1)Good things
Image quality
Great Zoom with IS
Decent pictures for a camcorder
Automatic turn off when you put 90° down

2) Panasonic Savings (things to improve)

Plastic lens cap
No SD Card inlcuded
No microphone jack
No blue light in the jostick
No built in flash

It is not un upgrade for the PV GS 300. The image quality with the 3 CCD is great but "Panasonic savings" in such things...not a very smart move.
HD camcorders (Sony or Panasonic) with the same image quality cost addtional $400. Buy if you have no time to wait that the HD Camcorders prices decreases o try to get a PV GS 300...

Closest Camcorder to HD quality! 2007-02-19

I have been in the market for a HD camera at the best price. I looked into the canon HV-10 which is priced at 1000 dollars which is HD quality. I compared this camera as a baseline.

Online I read about the Panasonic PV-GS320 which is the upgraded model of the GS300 released early 2006. This camera has 3CCD , what does that mean? each ccd is a processing chip that allows the image to display at it's best.

How do you test this? Go to your local Best Buy or Compusa where they have this camera. On the 1 CCD camera zoom in at 25-30X digital zoom. You will start to see blurry. Do the same with the GX320 you will see much clearer and crisp image.

You will notice the difference right away.