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Panasonic PV-GS39 Camcorder Reviewby James MurrayPublished on Jan 27, 2006 3:00 PM 
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Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (5.0)
Though automatic controls on Panasonics are usually not the best, there is still an auto mode, which locks most controls on the camcorder from manual adjustment. The user can access this mode using the switch in the LCD cavity. (For better automatic control look to Sony camcorders, although keep in mind that this year Sony hasn’t made many improvements to their MiniDV line this year.) In addition to a full auto mode, users can use the Scene Mode settings for limited image control. They include : Sports, Portrait, Low Light, Spotlight, and Surf & Snow Modes. It is also still possible to access Backlight Compensation, Fade On/Off, Information, Soft Skin Mode, MagicPix, Perform Blank Search, and Recording Check Start while in auto mode.
The automatic controls of the PV-GS39 (Review, Specs, $212.8) are mixed. The auto focus is good in most regards, but it fell apart in less than great lighting conditions, or when an image had too much detail. The auto exposure was great for major shifts, like from out the window to a dark corner of a room. But making subtler adjustments, like a subject shot in a room with mixed lighting sources, resulted in over- or under-lit scenes. Frequently, a wall or door with only a slightly reflective surface would blow out. The white balance did not adjust well automatically, and we were thankful for a good manual adjustment feature.
Overall Manual Control (7.0)
Panasonic camcorders offer tons of manual control, and the PV-GS39 as the first 2005 model we've reviewed is no exception to this rule. The PV-GS39 offers manual control over focus, aperture, shutter speed, gain, and white balance, and even offers a pretty easy way to access them via the joystick located on the back of the camcorder. Certain settings like Gain and Aperture could do with some control improvement; a sliding rather than incremental scale would allow users to hold down the control and scan an entire range rather than pressing a button fifteen times to inch towards the end of the Gain range. Other than this slight control setback, the number of settings, the subtle changes to images they provide, and the responsive demeanor of all features will allow for fast and successful control of these settings and should encourage the use of the offered manual controls.
The joystick is used to make most manual controls happen. It moves in five directions: up, down, left, right, and in. Pushing it in will bring up or hide the manual control menu, which is split into five sub-menus (four if you are in automatic mode). The first menu, labeled 1/5, offers controls for fade, backlight compensation, and info. This last feature is immensely helpful for new users, and provides explanations for each control. To scroll to the next sub-menu, 2/5, push down on the joystick. Here you’ll find soft skin mode. On the third sub-menu is MagicPix night mode, on the fourth, Record Check, Blank Search (to find black spots on the tape), and on 5/5 are the iris, gain, white balance, and shutter speed controls.
There is also an administrative menu, accessed by pushing the Menu button. It controls features like 4:3 / 16:9 mode, Scene Modes, Wind Cut, Picture Quality, and Image Stabilization on / off, and similar features that do not typically need instantaneous access.
Zoom (7.0)
Last year, Panasonic MiniDV camcorders included tremendous optical zooms, blowing their competition out of the water. Panasonic is using the same tactic this year on both their MiniDV and DVD machines, though we should note that Sony and Canon are catching up. The PV-GS31 (Specs, $299) had 26x optical zoom. The PV-GS39 features the 30x optical zoom which further escalates the zoom ratings war, setting Panasonic ahead of the curve once more. Users who have larger hands, such as myself, may find that the re-design of the camcorder body will make these controls a bit too close to the palm of the hand, and that it will require a bit re-adjustment to really be able to take control of the zoom. That said, this toggle is actually placed nicely under the user’s middle finger and is a joy to handle, mostly. The camcorder did, however, provide fluctuating zoom speeds when trying to maintain a steady rate when moving from full telephoto to full wide angle.
The Zoom Power/Ratio settings for the Panasonic PV-GS39 provide the option of shooting with 30x optical zoom only or engaging the digital zoom which will produce images which have degraded quality. The digital zoom options for the Panasonic PV-GS39 allow users to select between Off, 50x digital zoom, and 1000x digital zoom maximums.
| Model | Optical Zoom | Digital Zoom |
| PV-GS39 | 30 | 1000 |
| PV-GS31 | 26 | 1000 |
| PV-GS59 (Review, Specs, $297) | 30 | 1000 |
| PV-GS29 (Specs, ) | 30 | 1000 |
| ZR600 (Specs, ) | 20 | 800 |
| DCR-HC26 (Review, Specs, $299.99) | 20 | 800 |
Focus (5.0)
The Manual Focus setting for the PV-GS39 is accessed by flipping the Auto/Manual setting, which is in turn located on the left face of the camcorder body and hidden by the LCD screen. Once this small toggle is slid downwards and the manual mode activated, users can engage the focal settings by pressing the joystick situated in the center of the mode dial. The handling on the focal control is concise, allowing for smooth transitions to occur and settling accurately on the proper focal length without breathing. Unfortunately, there is no numerical gauge or even a scale to indicate where in the focal range you are. The auto focus tended to struggle when switching quickly between subjects of varying depths and subjects positioned under varied lighting. The switch in lighting finally produced the more problematic AF “breathing,” causing the camcorder to take upwards of five seconds to settle on a focal depth in low light.
Exposure (Aperture) (6.0)
It is possible to manually control the iris adjustment for the PV-GS39, which Panasonic refers to as the “F Number,” for F Stops. To access this control, the user must have the camcorder switched into manual mode via the manual control switch located on the left side of the camcorder. Once in manual mode the user must enter the joystick menu and select the Iris setting, which is located within the fifth menu on the small onscreen diagram. The Iris setting will then appear on the left side of the LCD screen and is controllable via the left and right arrows on the joystick. The settings for iris control are: Open (F1.8), F2.0, F2.4, F2.8, F3.4, F4.0, F4.8, F5.6, F6.8, F8.0, F9.6, F11, F14, F16 and Closed. Once the camcorder reaches Open, the PV-GS39 switches into Gain control and allows users to set the camera at the following Gain levels: 18dB, 15dB, 12dB, 9dB, 6dB, 3dB, and 0dB. The settings listed are the numerical levels listed on the LCD. There is actually one step between each of the listed Gain levels, and varying steps for each F Number numerically represented. The number of steps for the F Number settings will allow more sensitive aperture settings to be selected and will allow more accurate and nuanced shooting control.
Shutter Speed (7.0)
The manual shutter speeds are accessed through the same onscreen diagram which represents access to white balance, gain, and iris, amongst other settings. The manual shutter speeds are located in the fifth menu screen, found when the user deploys the joystick. Once the shutter speed controls are entered users will be able to alter the shutter speed settings to shoot at rates of 1/60, 1/100, 1/120, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, and 1/8000 of a second. This manual control is set up such that the user must press the toggle for each step within the shutter speed range, so getting from one end of the menu to the other will take longer than it would on an operating system that provided fluid scrolling. It's really great that Panasonic includes full manual shutter speed control, most manufacturers leave this out.
White Balance (7.0)
White balance control for the Panasonic PV-GS39 is located within the same diagram page located through the activation of the joystick. Once selected, the user will be able to select between white balance presets and a full manual mode. The preset options for white balance are Auto, Fluorescent, and Halogen. While these preset options aren’t going to be useful beyond the realm of well lit interior spaces, Panasonic has luckily made up for this deficit of presets by providing a quick-reacting and functional full manual white balance. To activate this control users merely select the Manual White Balance option and press the joystick up until the white balance indicator on the LCD screen stops blinking. In most instances, this took less than second to adjust.
Gain (7.0)
As mentioned during the Exposure/Aperture section of the Manual Control section, users can access the Gain control for the Panasonic PV-GS39 by using the joystick and entering the onscreen diagram for manual control. The Gain control may be found within the Iris Adjustment menu. The Iris Settings permit control over both “F Number” and Gain, although they do so via different menu structures. To begin gain control the user must merely enter the Iris section and press the joystick right and left to shift the gain levels for the camcorder. There is one step between each numerical gain level listed on the left side of the LCD screen. Settings displayed for dB are: 18dB, 15dB, 12dB, 9dB, 6dB, 3dB, and 0dB.
Other Manual Control (0.0)
There are no additional manual controls on the Panasonic PV-GS39; however, due to the reasonable price range and the immense number of manual control settings offered, the user of this camcorder shouldn’t be disappointed by what Panasonic has provided.