Product Description

The Panasonic PV-GS500 Digital Camcorder with 3 CCD Technology offers superior images and features, in a more affordable package. This small digital camcorder uses the same type of 3CCD imaging system used in professional broadcast equipment, giving you 540 lines of breathtaking resolution. 4.0 Megapixel still image recording lets you record vivid, true-to-life pictures with remarkable colors. A 12x optical Leica lens with 700x digital zoom helps you capture every detail. Record to a miniDV tape or directly to a PC through S-Video or high-speed USB 2.0 interfaces, for high quality full-motion video transfer. The color viewfinder & 2.7 inch LCD display make it simple to preview photos, and the joystick control gives you easy, one-finger navigation of every advanced feature. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface Hi-Res Wide mode S-Video out Hot shoe PictBridge 2-hour battery life Includes remote control Pro Cinema Mode Dimensions(WxHxD) - 2.874 x 3.583 x 6.024 Weight - 1.26 lbs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3384 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Panasonic
• Model: PVGS500
• Dimensions: 1.26 pounds
• Display size: 2.7

Features

• Features professional-quality 3CCD imaging system
• 2.7-inch wide LCD display
• 4.0-megapixel still image capture
• 12x optical Leica lens with 700x digital zoom brings you close to the action
• Records to miniDV or directly to PC through DV (FireWire) or high-speed USB 2.0 interfaces

From the Manufacturer
The Panasonic PV-GS500 3CCD Digital Palmcorder MultiCam Camcorder with 4.0 MP Still Picture Recording offers superior images and features. This small digital camcorder uses the same type of 3CCD imaging system used in professional broadcast equipment, giving you 540 lines of breathtaking resolution in a more affordable package. The 4.0-megapixel still image recording lets you record vivid, true-to-life pictures with remarkable colors. And featuring a 12x optical Leica lens with 700x digital zoom, the PV-GS500 helps you capture every detail. Record to a miniDV tape or directly to a PC through DV (FireWire) or high-speed USB 2.0 interfaces, for high quality full-motion video transfer. The color viewfinder and 2.7-inch LCD display make it easy to preview photos, and feature navigation is a breeze with the easy, one-finger joystick control.

Advantages of a Panasonic 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder

3CCD Camera System
Most professional broadcasting cameras use the 3CCD system. In a 1CCD system, all of the incoming light information is processed by the same CCD. The more advanced 3CCD system uses three distinct CCDs for processing, so there is absolutely no light loss. You can see the results in beautifully rendered images with vivid colour, fine detail, and rich gradation.

Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S)
Panasonic's O.I.S. minimizes the hand-shake that can be such a problem with handheld shots. Because Panasonic's system is optical, there is no image quality degradation. When you're shooting a still picture, the MEGA O.I.S. system automatically activates, doubling the corrective power. With O.I.S. and MEGA O.I.S., the e.cam is equipped for clear, beautiful shooting of both motion and still pictures.

4-Megapixel Still Picture Recording
Both motion and still pictures are superb. Photos are so vivid and real, you can enjoy them as high-quality prints or as breathtaking images on a large-screen TV.

12x Optical Zoom
Distant subjects can be enlarged so they appear to be right up close. This allows dynamic shots of both motion and still pictures.

Get close to the action with high-quality zoom

Web Camera Function
With the camera connected via USB cable to a PC, start up Windows Messenger and the camera instantly turns into a web camera. Ideal for teleconferencing over the Internet, or for surveillance camera use.

What's in the Box
PV-GS500 camcorder, remote control, and software.

Customer Reviews

Are you kidding me?!!
I don't normally write online reviews, but when I saw the 2.5 average rating for the GS500, I felt compelled. First, let me qualify myself. I am a techno geek. I love electronics, and whenever I'm about to spend more than a couple hundred dollars for something, I THOROUGHLY research it. I have been doing video editing for several years, and I have produced several wedding videos. I'm not an expert, but I do know quite a bit about the topic of video cameras. Oh, and by the way, I can also very critical of products.

Secondly, let me state that, aside from the Panasonic GS400, the GS500 is by far the best camcorder you can purchase unless you plan to spend over two grand. It has great color reproduction and AMAZING low light performance. Sure, compared to the GS400, it has less functionality, but I don't think the average user is going to miss it. And, given its price is several hundred dollars cheaper than the GS400, I can almost assure you the average user will bid good riddance to the missing functionality.

So, why so many negative reviews on this camcorder? Usually, when a product that is head-and-shoulders above the competition gets negative reviews, it is because the reviewer either works for the competition or they are ignorant of the facts.

Reading the reviews on the gs500, it is my belief that ignorance was the culprit in these cases. First, to the "kid" that had a problem with his four year old video camera -- we don't care. This board isn't for questions, it is for getting opinions and ratings on products of interest. And regarding products of interest, people on this particular board are interested in the gs500, not the nv gs5. Additionally, I have not had a single problem with the blue screen you describe, nor have I read about anyone else having this problem on either the gs500 or the well-established gs400. So, I'll chalk this up to an isolated issue.

To the fellow who thinks the gs500 is too heavy, it is 3 pounds. Your gs200 was only 1 pound. So, yes, the gs500 is substantially heavier than your previous camcorder. However, it wouldn't have taken much research to realize this.

Folks, the gs500 is not a crappy, little, fit in the palm of your hand, spy camcorder. It is a high quality camcorder with 3 large CCDs offering exceptional video reproduction. If quality video is what you're looking for, then you've found your camcorder. If you want something you can carry around in your shirt pocket -- keep looking.

And, by the way, I have no affiliation with Panasonic.

Professional muscle in a small consumer camcorder
I wanted a 3 CCD camera that was small enough to haul around without any issues, with auto features and yet with manual features that allowed me my own personal adjustments for specific scenarios or customized shots. I also wanted firewire connectivity. The GS500 seemed to fit the bill. While there are lots of comparisons to the GS400 as the superior camcorder, for a lot less money you still get the heart and soul of the camera which is:

its 3 1/4.7 inch CCDs, Leica Dicomar lens and real widescreen format which produces shockingly professional video (and very decent stills) that approaches the low end of real professional camcorders (that is in video quality, not features) costing around $500 to $800 more. My hat is off to Panasonic for its entire family of very affordable 3 CCD camcorders.

There are a couple of things I don't like. #1: It doesn't have a headphone jack. It has audio options that approach way more expensive camcorders so the lack of a headphone jack is a puzzle. However, it is PROBABLY possible to juryrig your own headphones (I've yet to cut and splice stuff to try this) or if Panasonic is smart, they'll come out with some related headphone peripheral. It is sorely needed.

#2: A lot of the things (manual features) the GS400 did in hardware the GS500 has in software through its menus. While these features retain their quality, surfing through menus is sort of a pain and takes away from the spontaneity of having some of those features at your fingertips.

Those are my only two complaints about what is a top notch camcorder that approaches professional quality. It also comes with a remote control (about 16 feet and 15 degrees on your vertical and horizontal planes) that allow you remote access to practically all of the camcorder features, and again the advanced audio features making the lack of a headphone jack puzzling.

Mac User - Great camera! Great Quality!
One of my greatest pet peeves about system compatibility claims don't list what the cameras DO work with. This camcorder works great with iChat on Mac OS Tiger using the DV link. USB connection links directly to iPhoto. DV link also goes directly to iMovie's Firewire import, where you control the camera through iMovie.

I am loving this camera. The quality is excellent. The color shifts? Yes if you have it on auto temperature adjust, if you have multiple light sources, pick your temperature manually. I keep on having comments on how professional the quality looks, this is starting to tick me off as I want them to be telling me how cute my 3 week old son is... but with that aside, I admit the quality is nothing less than spectacular.

Big & Heavy? Yes, it is bigger and heavier than some I have tried, but I really prefer to have a little weight. The balance this one has seems great, very comfortable to shoot with. Besides, I just haven't seen anything smaller with anything near the quality.

Side note: I almost purchased the Sony HD video camera. Yes my 800 mhz Mac laptop would edit the HD video via the specifications, but when you dig deep you will find that the import is at half of live speed, the disk space requirement is enormous and processing effects and final video would be absolutely painful. GIve it a few years and the blueray DVD drives will be common, the processors and drives will be large enough to handle the load. Right now, I believe I made the best choice for the price range.