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Panasonic PV-GS300 First Impressions Camcorder Reviewby Guy BrunerPublished on Jan 16, 2006 12:00 PM 
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Video Performance
The new GS300 (Review, Specs, $469.99) shoots video in both normal and anamorphic widescreen aspect ratios at 29.97 frames per second (60i) for compatibility with the NTSC standard. For our readers who use the PAL TV standard, you will be able to buy a GS300 that will work with your TV system. The GS300’s widescreen video is cropped from the full width of the 4:3 CCDs and then zoomed to fit a 16:9 aspect ratio before being squeezed into anamorphic pixels. The GS300 does not widen its field of view in widescreen mode. In contrast, the higher-end GS500 (Review, Specs, $1040) widens the footprint it takes from the CCDs to create its widescreen, and thus produces more of the field on either side of a normal frame. Nevertheless, the video quality in both normal and widescreen modes on the GS300 is excellent, just like last year's GS250 (Review, Specs, $1299.99), which earned itself a CamInfo Select award.
Low Light Performance
Since the GS300 is essentially a body update to the GS250, the CCD sensitivity stays the same. According to Panasonic, the minimum light sensitivity of the GS300 is 12 lux. For MagicPix mode, a low light sensitivity of 0 lux is listed, but this of course takes into account additional light from the LCD; in this mode the LCD is supposed to be swiveled away from the videographers and towards the subject as a makeshift video light. This mode also slows the frame rate to a crawling 8 fps, which causes severe blurring if any subjects are moving.
We could not convince everyone the trade show floor to shut off the lights, so we couldn’t get in a quick test of the GS300’s low light ability.