Panasonic PV-GS320 Camcorder Review

by David Kender
Published on Jul 9, 2007 10:00 AM

Intro Performance
Format Auto / Manual Controls
Still Features
Handling and Use
Audio / Playback / Connectivity Other Features
Comparisons / Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings  
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Reviews: Panasonic PV-GS250 Camcorder Review


Ease of Use (6.0)
Though there is no Sony-esque Easy button on the PV-GS320 (Specs, $0), it does have an auto/manual/manual focus switch. In the auto setting, the manual control joystick menu loses its white balance/iris/shutter speed functions. While a lower-level Sony will charm the consumer with large touch screen buttons and autopilot functionality, the PV-GS320 is for the more seasoned videographer, boasting 3 CCDs and a more extensive manual control suite. However, those who wish to dabble with the PV-GS320’s manual controls will most likely have to read the manual.

Panasonics utilize a navigation control that in many ways is far superior to most consumer camcorder controls—the rear-mounted joystick. In terms of speed and efficiency, the rear-mounted joystick is a hero. It enables one-handed camcorder operation—no messy touch screens or menu control clusters mounted dimwittedly to the side. You just need a right thumb and a thirst for rapid navigation. The PV-GS320’s menu is not exceedingly comprehensive, either. It’s laid out in a basic, vertically scrolling interface with only the bare essentials present like scene modes and picture quality. The multi-faceted mode dial is a clutch player when it comes to separating the video, video playback, camera, camera playback, and PC connection modes. Instead of bogging yourself down with pages upon pages of options, just click the dial to access independent, simplified menus.

Handling (7.0)
Within the last three years, Panasonic has gradually facilitated the slow demise of a gargantuan, quality-ridden camcorder design. Their PV-GS400 (Review, Specs, $1099) was a marvel to amateur filmmakers and intermediate shooters alike. It boasted a multi-function cam control ring, ripe suite of manual controls, and a mic and headphone jack. The PV-GS400 also included a nifty “magic wand” microphone for voice-over narration and wired remote control. The subsequent year’s PV-GS500 (Review, Specs, $1040) lost a few key features along the way (multi-control ring, headphone jack, image adjust buttons), yet it gained a rear-mounted joystick and managed to salvage the manual focus ring, hot shoe, and flash. Then along came the PV-GS320, stripped of nearly all of its unique qualities.

The PV-GS320 is identical to last year’s sad, sad PV-GS300 (Review, Specs, $469.99), only it has no flash. Yikes. In this respect, you can expect the same torturous hand strap issues and a recent foolish development: the placement of three crucial ports within the battery chamber. You’ll also have to deal with an SD card slot that’s mounted to the bottom of the camcorder. On the plus side, the interface is easy to use. But that’s due mostly to the PV-GS320’s heavily watered down design.

A thin, low strung hand strap is not on the top of most shooters’ lists when it comes to ergonomics. The PV-GS320’s hand strap is hung so low that the camcorder flops to the side of the palm of the hand at an awkward angle. In addition, while you’re attempting to slide your hand into the strap, it flips up, turning inside out and digging into the back of the hand. In order to prevent this, you’ll have to loosen the strap, slide your hand in, and ratchet it tight again. Once you’ve found a tightness offering acceptable blood circulation, velcro it home and hope the PV-GS320 doesn’t get lazy and doze off to the side again.

Now it’s time to bust out the Coleman and grill Panasonic for a fatal flaw prominent on the PV-GS320. We’re still attempting to siphon out the most microscopic milligram of logic from this design. With the battery attached to the PV-GS320, you’ll notice a total of 1 port (A/V out) on the right side of the camcorder. Okay, so where the heck are the DC in, FireWire, and USB terminals!? Remove the battery, and you’ll find them all hiding out within the battery chamber. Cazart! If you’re out in the field and need to capture video, forget it! If you are anywhere at all and forget your power adapter, forget it! This is a major inhibitor, and a giant leap away from the beloved Panasonics we used to know and love.

On the upside, the PV-GS320 is simple to use, thanks to its handicapped design. There aren’t a whole lot of menu options, and the rear-mounted joystick is lightning quick and highly sensitive. One-handed operation is the way to go on the PV-GS320.

Menu (6.5)
The PV-GS320’s menu is basic, to say the least. Like Panasonics of yore, it features a rear-mounted joystick, but is stripped of any automatic or manual control buttons. Your only controls are the menu button and joystick.

Let’s start with the manual control joystick menu, also known as the quick menu. Pressing the center of the joystick in video mode cues a small circular menu consisting of 4 pages when in manual mode. Page one includes fade control, backlight compensation, and usage information. On page two, you’ll find soft skin mode, MagicPix, and telemacro settings. Page three consists of recording check and blank search. Finally, page four will offer iris, white balance, and shutter speed controls. A fifth page pops up when the manual focus slider is engaged, monitoring the focus level. When the PV-GS320 is set to auto mode, page four vanishes. In still image capture mode, the quick menu ditches the fourth page and only focuses on self timer, backlight compensation, usage information, soft skin mode, telemacro, iris, white balance, and shutter speed settings.

The manual control joystick menu

The Basic admin menu

The Advanced admin menu

The Setup admin menu

In order to access the administrative menu, press the menu button located beneath the on/off switch. A screen will appear containing four options: basic, advanced, setup, and language. You can scroll up and down with the joystick and press center or right to select a category. Once in basic, you’ll find the scene mode, recording speed, wind cut, aspect ratio, and clock settings. Advanced offers picture quality, picture size, O.I.S., guidelines, fade color, audio recording, USB function, digital zoom, and zoom mic settings. Setup consists of display, date/time, power save, quick start, AGS, remote, beep sound, power LCD, LCD set, EVF set, initial set, and demo mode settings. Language pretty much speaks for itself, literally. In digital still mode, the basic set is identical, advanced is limited to O.I.S., guidelines, and shutter effect settings, and setup is just missing AGS and demo mode settings.

Portability (5.0)
The PV-GS320 is most comparable to the Canon HV20 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $903) or Sony HDR-HC7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1128.56) in terms of size and shape. It’s a chunky horizontal low-rider, weighing in at 450g (0.99 lbs.) without the supplied battery pack, DV tape, and lens cap. The PV-GS320 should fill your camera bag reasonably with its 78.5mm x 72.6mm x 136mm (3.091” x 2.859” x 5.355”) body. It would be wise to purchase a medium size camcorder bag with enough zip pockets to hold extra tapes, batteries, and other accessories. You won’t be able to fit the PV-GS320 into a pocket, especially a pair of Diesel Jeans. In that case, throw it in a backpack next time you head to the movies along with your smuggled store-bought candy. Just don’t try this in Canada.

LCD and Viewfinder (5.5)
The PV-GS320 features a 2.7 inch widescreen LCD with a 123,000 pixel resolution. The LCD screen flips out at 90 degrees to the camcorder’s body and can be rotated up to 270 degrees. Unlike most camcorders, there are no zoom or record start/stop controls mounted within the LCD panel. For two-handed shooters, this will be difficult to deal with. The PV-GS320’s native zoom slider is modestly inferior to a raised zoom toggle, which offers more precision and control. An optional zoom control would have aided those who cannot (or choose not to) master the art of the vexing slider. PV-GS320’s LCD hinge is mounted oddly toward the top of the bracket, causing it to rock unsteadily up and down. Keep an eye on the LCD during transport.

In an age where viewfinders are diminishing like polar ice caps, it’s nice to see one on the PV-GS320. Newer camcorders, particularly DVD, HDD, and flash memory models are shedding viewfinders in order to maintain a small size. The PV-GS320 keeps it old school with an extendable 0.33”, 113,000 pixel resolution viewfinder. The downside is that it’s a bit small and not rubberized. The dioptric adjuster is located on top of the viewfinder shaft for those who wear glasses.

Battery Life (8.4)

The Panasonic PV-GS320 ships with the CGR-DU06 battery pack (7.2V, 640mAh). The battery is rear-mounted, and as stated several times in this review, when the battery attached the DC-power, Firewire, and USB ports are all blocked. The battery must be placed in the charging cradle to recharge. The cradle also serves as the AC-to-DC regulator to plug direct power into the camcorder. Be aware: when the thin cradle-to-camcorder cable is plugged in, the battery will not charge, even if the camcorder is not turned on, and even if the other end of the cable is not even plugged into the camcorder. This poor design could result in hours wasted thinking you recharging when you were not.

The manual states an estimated 1 hour and 15 minutes of continuous recording time. Our testing, shooting with the LCD open, the stabilization on, and the tape speed set to SP yielded a continuous shooting time of 80 minutes and 37 seconds (1 hour, 20 minutes, and 37 seconds).  

 

 

 

 



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