Panasonic PV-GS35 Camcorder Review

Ease of Use (4.0)
The new navigational control joystick on Panasonic’s new MiniDV camcorders this year really improved their ease of use. These camcorders, the PV-GS35 included, can now be operated easily with one hand. This bumps up the appeal for point-and-shooters. For those who need lots of manual control, however, the PV-GS35 does not offer the same ease of adjustment for its manual options. It should be noted that there are tons of manual options on the PV-GS35, for those not turned off by the tedious process of accessing them. A period of adjustment might be needed as the user begins to decipher Panasonic’s menu icons; buying this camcorder without a manual is not recommended, though PDF documents of the manual should be available online at some point.

Handling (8.5)
The new navigational feature on Panasonic’s MiniDV camcorders drastically improves handling from last year’s camcorders. While manual controls are still trapped in a menu system, the new joystick makes one-handed operation and adjustment very easy. Both the new joystick and the camcorder’s record button are ergonomically designed and very well placed on the camcorder’s body. I would have liked to see the zoom toggle located under my index finger rather than my middle finger, but I guess I’ll have to deal. The PV-GS35 didn’t fit into my hand as well as some of Panasonic’s new 3 CCD camcorders, but it was pretty close.

Portability (7.0)
The PV-GS35 is fairly portable. It might not be as portable as some of Canon’s and Sony’s new MiniDV camcorders, but for Panasonic, this is about as small as you can get. It is similar in size to last year’s low-end GS line camcorders.