Panasonic PV-GS59 Camcorder Review

The Front (7.0)
The Panasonic PV-GS59 (Review, Specs, $297) is a low-slung camcorder that is wider than it is tall giving it proportions that stand out in a market where most camcorders tend to be taller than wide. As a result, this camcorder’s appearance may strike some people as unusual. The front of the PV-GS59 is topped by a Panasonic Video Lens with an impressive 30x optical zoom, a focal length equivalent to 1.9 to 57 mm, an Auto Iris of f/1.8 to f/3.9, and a filter diameter of 30.5 mm. Just below the lens is a Built-in Stereo Microphone, encased by a screen.

Directly to the left of the Built-in Stereo Microphone is an opaque rectangular window that houses the camcorder’s White Balance and Remote Control Sensors. In order to function properly, these sensors cannot be blocked, so care should be taken to keep the front of the camcorder free from obstructions like a stray finger. Just above the sensor window is a Built-in LED Light, which can be employed to illuminate subjects in very dark environments. The PV-GS59 manual claims the light is effective up to 4.9 feet from a subject, but it should only be considered as a last resort when no other lighting is available.

The Right Side (8.85)
The main feature of the right side of the Panasonic PV-GS59 is the MiniDV cassette compartment, which features an unusual side-loading design. This is certainly an improvement over bottom-loading camcorders, and in terms of convenience, is comparable to the more common top-loading tape compartments. In the middle of the right side of the camcorder is the Open/Eject switch, and pressing the switch forward pops the door open, and causes the tape eject mechanism to open outward. Above the Open/Eject switch, is a concave trough in the camcorder’s body where built-in playback speaker is located.

At the bottom edge of the right side is a hard plastic port cover which houses the USB and DV Input/Output ports for the PV-GS59. This is a dubious port placement. Not only are the ports hidden behind the hand strap, they can only opened from the camcorder’s underside which would require its removal from a tripod. The hand strap itself runs along the length of the PV-GS59’s body, and is angled slightly down towards the lens to provide an optimal shooting position. The hand strap is nicely padded and adjustable, and the low-profile of the camcorder body makes it very comfortable to hand hold. At the back end of the hand strap are two metal loops for the shoulder strap, and the lens cover can be looped to the hand strap’s front.

The Back (6.0)
The extendable Color Electronic Viewfinder is located on the back of the Panasonic PV-GS59, positioned at the upper left. The viewfinder has a dioptric adjustment knob, which is accessible on its top when extended. This adjuster is larger and easier to operate than those found on most consumer camcorders, which tend to be extremely small. The viewfinder’s eyepiece is made of hard gray plastic, and in this respect it is just as uncomfortable as those found on most consumer camcorder. The viewfinder’s one redeeming quality is that it can be used with little or no light leakage, an area where all too many consumer camcorder eyepieces fail.

The PV-GS59’s Battery Pack can be released via a tab on the underside of the camcorder body. When the battery is removed, a DC-in port is revealed on the inner-right edge of the battery compartment. This DC-in location necessitates removal of the battery, an inconvenience that could have been avoided by placing the port outside the battery compartment.

The camcorder’s Off/On switch is located on the top-right edge of the back, adjacent to the viewfinder. Just below and to the right of the On/Off switch is a tiny red LED power indicator light, and just below the LED is a raised Menu button.

Extending out from the right side, below the Menu button, is the primary interface for the Panasonic PV-GS59, a Mode Dial with a Joystick in its center. The Joystick protrudes slightly from the dial, and serves as an efficient means of navigating the menu and controlling manual adjustments. The Mode Dial is used to switch between Video Record, Video Playback, Still Image Record, Still Image Playback, and PC Modes. The Record button is located just to the left of the Mode Dial, and is a medium-sized oblong button marked with a red dot. A small, grey Light button controls the front-mounted video light, and is directly beneath the Mode Dial. All of these controls are within reach of the right thumb when the camcorder is hand held, making it possible to access all of the Panasonic PV-GS59’s adjustments using only the right hand – a rare feat in the world of camcorders.

The Left Side (8.0)
A 2.7” LCD screen occupies the bulk of the left side of the PV-GS59. The screen has a 16:9 aspect ratio, but it can also display video in 4:3 by pillar boxing the image (i.e. cropping the left and right side of the screen). The LCD screen opens to 90 degrees from the camcorder body, can be rotated through 270 degrees when open, and can be folded into its cavity with the screen out. The LCD screen’s hinge is unusually flimsy – much less robust than the hinges found on higher-end Panasonics and most other consumer camcorders. This is disappointing because Panasonic camcorders are generally well-built, and we hope the LCD hinge on the PV-GS59 is anomalous rather than a harbinger of lowering standards by the manufacturer.

Inside the LCD cavity are a few features of interest. Along the bottom edge of the cavity is the SD memory card slot cover, which can be opened with a fingernail along where it meets the left side of the camcorder. The card slot loads from the bottom of the camcorder, making it yet another feature inaccessible while mounted on a tripod. A tiny SD card indicator light is inset in the LCD cavity to the left of the slot. Near the rear edge of the cavity is the Auto/Manual Mode switch, which also functions as a Manual Focus toggle. Just above this switch is the camcorder’s Reset button, recessed to make it unlikely that it would be pressed accidentally.

The Top (8.0)
On top of the Panasonic PV-GS59, near its back edge, is the Photo Shot button, used to capture still images to SD card. The Zoom Toggle is located just ahead of the Photo Shot button, and has a rocking lever design that is raised slightly above the top plane. This lever doubles as a volume control when reviewing footage in playback mode.