Panasonic PV-GS19 Camcorder Review

The Front(6.5)
Panasonic has gone retro, with the PV-GS19 (Review, Specs, $244.74) sporting a decidedly '80s feel. The main feature is, of course, the lens, with a 30.5mm filter diameter. Underneath the lens is the white balance sensor. To the left of the lens is a small patch of real estate, unused on this lowest-end model of the PV-GS series. On the PV-GS35, you’ll find a video light in the space. Here, the spot is absently marked by a patch of tight horizontal lines, a look I haven’t seen since the Transformers were big. Below this is the stereo microphone. Towards the very bottom is a hard plastic cover concealing the A/V port.

The Right Side(8.5)
The right side is dominated by the MiniDV loading dock, which opens via a button on top. The design is simple enough, given that the user’s hand will be covering it most of the time. At the upper left of MiniDV panel a switch to choose between Auto and Manual controls. An extra push to the right on the switch calls up the manual focus control. Beside this, almost invisible at the bottom of the right side, a hard rubber cover reveals two more ports: USB and DV. The entirety of the right side is rounded out by a comfortable strap of faux leather and authentic Velcro.

The Back(6.0)
The rear of the PV-GS19 is a somber affair with its matte gray finish. The mode dial makes a prominent bulge in the left side. The tiny joystick nested within the mode dial makes for ultra-convenient one-handed menu operation. Next to the mode dial is the bean-shaped record button. The Menu button and Quick Start button, the latter of which preps the camcorder for shooting or taking stills in less than 2 seconds, are located in the center. A record lamp would have been nice, but is included only on the PV-GS31 (Specs, $299) and PV-GS35.

The viewfinder is located at the rear of the lens barrel. It has a disappointing low-res black & white quality, but thankfully, it extends an additional 2” or so in order to clear bulky protuberance of the battery. The included CGR-DU06 battery has a decent amount of life, but an extended life battery might render the viewfinder inaccessible. It’s just as well, since you wouldn’t want to look through it anyway.

The Left Side(8.0)
If the PV-GS19 has a shocking feature, it’s the gunmetal blue façade on the left side. It’s certainly not a look that screams good quality, but with plenty of better camcorders in this year’s line, I suppose Panasonic can afford to be tawdry just this once.

The lens barrel runs along the entirety of the upper half. Here is yet another crude design feature on the PV-GS19: a series of tiny ridges around the lens barrel suggest a manual focus ring. This is merely an illusion. Now, the lowest-end MiniDV camcorder in their line should not be expected to have a manual focus ring. The tease of its presence, however, reminds me of the decals of speedometers and fluid indicators on my old Hot Wheels. They don’t actually work, and knowing that they should make me feel the burn all the worse.

Underneath the lens barrel, you’ll find the 2.5” LCD screen. Behind the LCD panel is the SD card port, with a spring-loaded open switch to the left. Also behind the LCD is the playback speaker.

The Top(7.5)
The top of the PV-GS19 is bisected into a lens barrel half and a MiniDV loading bay half. Towards the front is the Eject switch which opens the mechanism. Towards the rear is the zoom toggle, which is more of a sliding switch than a proper toggle. In addition to the inferior design of the button is the placement, positioned far enough away from the rearmost corner that your middle finger falls upon it naturally rather than your index. Index fingers tend to exhibit finer motor control, which is why better camcorders place the zoom control there.

Behind the zoom is the Photo Shot button for taking stills. Finally, at the corner where the top meets the back of the body, you’ll find the on/off switch.