Panasonic PV-GS85 Camcorder Review

by David Kender
Published on Dec 4, 2007 10:31 AM

Intro Performance
Format Auto / Manual Controls
Still Features
 Handling and Use
Audio / Playback / Connectivity Other Features
Comparisons / Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings  


Still Features (4.75)
The still features on the Panasonic PV-GS85 (Review, Specs, $199.00) are severely limited, and it is strongly advised that you not only do not consider this to be a substitute for a still camera, but that you do yourself a favor and skip the still functionality altogether.

The primary reason for our harsh criticism of the PV-GS85’s still mode is that the maximum still size is a mere 640 x 480, equivalent to 0.3 megapixels. Anyone even vaguely familiar with digital imaging is aware that the cheapest point and shoots are averaging 7 megapixels at the time of this review – that twenty-three times the resolution of these stills. If you want to shoot stills in the 16:9 format, that’s an even smaller 640 x 360, or 0.2 megapixels. Stills are saved in the JPEG format. There are two qualities for each resolution setting: high and low.

There are some upsides to the still mode in the PV-GS85, however. In still mode, you have access to most of the same manual controls that you do in video mode: independent shutter and aperture, gain, Backlight Compensation, Soft Skin mode, and manual focus. The optical image stabilization is available, as is Guide lines and all the scene modes.

Main Menu (Photo Mode)

Basic Scene Mode, Picture Quality, Aspect, Clock Set
Advanced OIS, Guide Lines, Shutter Effect
Setup Display, Date/Time, Power Save, Quick Start, Beep Sound, LCD Set, EVF Set, Initial Set
Language English, Francais, Espanol

Main Menu (Photo Playback Mode)

Basic Date/Time, Protect
Advanced DPOF Set, Format Card
Setup Display, LCD Set, EVF Set, Power Save, TV Aspect
Language English, Francais, Espanol

Still Performance (7.76)
The still performance of the Panasonic PV-GS85 was tested by shooting a GretagMacBeth Color Checker chart at an even, bright light, then outputting those stills to Imatest imaging software. At best, the camcorder was able to produce a color error of 7.73, with a noise level of 0.8375% and a saturation level of 97.66%. The step-up Panasonic PV-GS320 (Specs, $0) produced similar results. The Canon ZR850 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $265) produced larger stills but the colors were less accurate. The Sony DCR-HC38 (Specs, $279) did not even offer the ability to shoot stills.

In order to get this best score, we had take the camcorder out of auto mode and put them into manual mode, shifting the aperture into f/2.4. The shutter was set at 1/60th.

Still Resolution (1.58)
The still resolution of the PV-GS85’s stills were tested by shooting an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart and running the stills through Imatest imaging software. At best, the Panasonic PV-GS85 was able to produce a horizontal resolution of 344.5 line widths per picture height (lw/ph) – with a 3.72% clipping and a 5.53% oversharpening – and a vertical resolution of 357.6 lw/ph – with a clipping of 3.89% and an oversharpening of 4.12%. These scores were low, which was no surprise considering the 640 x 480 maximum resolution.

To get this score, we adjusted the aperture from f/4.0 to f/3.4. The shutter remained at 1/60th.

 

 

 

 



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