Panasonic PV-GS65 Camcorder Review

by Matt Culler
Published on Feb 8, 2005 11:00 AM

 
Intro Intro
Performance Format
Tour
 Auto / Manual Controls
Still Features Handling and Use
Audio / Playback / Connectivity Other Features
Comparisons / Conclusion



The Front (7.5)
The front of the PV-GS65 is almost a square. In the upper right corner, the camcorder’s lens protrudes ever so slightly, its screw-on lens hood ringed with focal length and optical zoom statistics. To the left of the lens is the PV-GS65’s record light, below which rests the camcorder’s stereo microphone. To the right of the stereo microphone, directly below the camcorder’s lens, is a black, glossy sensor area. This is a fine layout for the PV-GS65. Usually on small camcorders, the stereo microphone can be muddled by the user’s pinky finger during handling. This is not the case here. The PV-GS65 is wide and long enough for a decently sized hand to fit comfortably without obstructing the microphone.

The Right Side (8.0)
The right side of the PV-GS65 contains the camcorder’s tape mechanism, grooved in gray plastic. Running along the bottom of the tape mechanism is the camcorder’s hand strap, which is long and slender, yet comfortable. Towards the left of the middle of the grooved tape mechanism is the camcorder’s speaker for on-camcorder audio playback. To the far left of the right side of the PV-GS65 is a vertical port cover which reveals the camcorder’s A/V output/headphone, microphone jack, and USB port.

The Left Side (8.0)
When the camcorder’s LCD screen panel is closed, the left side of the PV-GS65 is unadorned by any sort of buttons or controls. Opened, the LCD panel reveals a cavity containing the camcorder’s Power LCD button. This button turns on an LCD brightening effect, the auto/manual mode switch/manual focus slider, the FireWire (DV input) port, and the SD card slot, which is concealed by a gray plastic cover. While there are some controls lurking beneath the LCD screen, most of the controls seen here last year have migrated into the camcorder’s menu system, and, while one could say that this isn’t a good thing since it requires the user to enter a cumbersome menu system to adjust anything, Panasonic has redesigned both their menu system and the method it is navigated. This helps make the PV-GS65 both beautiful and functional.

The Back (6.5)
The back of the PV-GS65 contains all of the camcorder’s navigational controls, including the new navigational joystick, as seen on all of Panasonic’s new MiniDV camcorders. Starting from the top of the back of the body, the camcorder’s electronic viewfinder can be stretched backwards about half an inch. This may be problematic if the user opts for a larger battery. The battery port itself rests immediately below the viewfinder, and thus, if the user purchases a bigger battery, he or she might not be able to look comfortably into the viewfinder without getting a mouth (or nose) full of battery. To the right of the camcorder’s battery compartment are buttons for quick start–-a feature which starts the camcorder in about 2 seconds, but with limited capacity–-and the camcorder’s menu button. Below these are the record buttons and the mode dial, which surrounds the new navigational joystick. Modes on this dial include: camcorder mode, camcorder playback mode, camera mode, camera playback mode, and PC connect mode. The navigational joystick and record button are excellently placed within extremely convenient reach of the user’s thumb. Below these controls, underneath a relatively bulky port cover, is the camcorder’s S-Video port.

The Top (8.0)
The top of the PV-GS65 can be divided into halves: the top of the lens barrel and the top of the tape mechanism. Atop the lens barrel sits the camcorder’s cold accessory shoe, opposite which, on the tape mechanism side, sit the camcorder’s zoom toggle and photo button. Behind these controls is the camcorder’s on/off switch. Further up on the tape mechanism side is the tape eject switch.



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