Panasonic PV-GS320 First Impressions Camcorder Review

The top-of-the line MiniDV camcorder from Panasonic this year is the PV-GS320.  In keeping with its trend over the last several years, Panasonic took its highly regarded PV-GS300 (Review, Specs, $469.99) from last year, added some features, removed some features, lowered the price - to the tune of $499 - and released the new model as the PV-GS320.  Make no mistake, however, video enthusiasts wanting to stay with MiniDV will sorely miss having an external microphone and headphones jack.  Perhaps the diminutive size and lower price will ameliorate the feature loss somewhat.

The PV-GS320 is the only 3CCD model remaining in the Panasonic consumer line that shoots video to MiniDV tape.  Video may be recorded in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios at a frame size of 720 x 480 pixels.  The PV-GS320 also offers improved storage capacity for still photos via its upgraded SDHC card slot.  Still photo sizes up to 1280 x 960 may be taken while shooting video to SDHC card, but the PV-GS320 does not ship with an SD or SDHC card.