Panasonic PV-GS35 Camcorder Review by Matt Culler Published on Feb 15, 2005 6:00 PM

The Front (7.5)
The front of the PV-GS35 is gray and silver—black on the left, silver on the right. On the top of the gray side is the camcorder’s video light, followed down the front by the camcorder’s stereo microphone. Below the stereo microphone is a port cover, shielding the camcorder’s microphone input and A/V port. The lens protrudes from on the top of the silver side and is adorned with focal length and optical zoom information. Below the lens is an infrared sensor.

 The Right Side (8.5)
On the right side of the PV-GS35 is the camcorder’s tape mechanism. It is grooved horizontally and features the camcorder’s long slender strap which runs across the bottom. Underneath the strap is a horizontal port cover concealing the camcorder’s USB and DV ports. Along the top of this mechanism is the automatic/manual mode switch/manual focus slider.

 The Left Side (8.0)
The left side of the PV-GS35 is dominated by the camcorder’s LCD screen and panel. When lifted, this panel reveals the camcorder’s SD card port—-which partially wraps around the bottom edge of the LCD cavity—-and its ‘open’ switch. Above the SD card port is a speaker used during on-camcorder playback. Above the LCD panel, the PV-GS35’s lens barrel runs along the top of the left side and protrudes slightly.

The Back (6.5)
The back of the PV-GS35 features nearly all of the camcorder’s navigational controls and power sources. The camcorder’s battery port sits squarely in the lower left of the back of the PV-GS35, adjacent to the color electronic viewfinder located above. To the right of the electronic viewfinder are buttons for the quick start function, for access to the camcorder’s menu system, and to turn on the video light. Above these is the camcorder’s on/off switch. Below them rest the camcorder’s newly designed record button, mode dial, and navigational joystick. The record button has been made sleeker, smoother, and more easily accessible than last year’s option. The navigational joystick found on this year’s Panasonic MiniDV camcorders is a great new feature because it is conveniently within thumb’s reach, making the camcorder easily workable using only one hand. Last year, many of the features controlled by the new joystick could only be accessed underneath the camcorder’s LCD screen. Used to toggle between camcorder mode, digital camera mode, camcorder playback mode, digital camera playback mode, and PC connect mode, the mode dial encircles the navigational joystick. Underneath the battery compartment on the PV-GS35 is the camcorder’s S-Video port.

The Top (7.5)
The top of the PV-GS35 is both silver and gray. On the left, the lens barrel is covered in silver, while to the right, gray lines the top of the tape mechanism. Toward the back of the tape mechanism, the camcorder’s zoom toggle and photo button are within reach of the user’s middle and index finger, respectively.