Panasonic PV-GS120 Camcorder Review

Panasonic's PV-GS120 is the less expensive version of the PV-GS200, a sub $1,000 3CCD consumer camcorder. The PV-GS120 is a 3CCD camcorder as well, just a striped down, fewer frills version. The GS120 replaces last years GS70. It's always a good thing when prosumer technology trickles down to the consumer level, making for better camcorders at more affordable prices. The GS120 has several features that make it a valuable commodity, and a stand out camcorder in the consumer market, most notably the 3CCD's and perhaps the top loading tape mechanism. The latter isn't so much technology implementation, just intelligent design.

Video Performance (7.5)
The PV-GS120 is fitted with 3 1/6 inch CCD's with 290K (x 3) effective pixels for moving pictures and 280K x 3 effective pixels for still pictures. The PV-GS200 has 440K (x 3) effective pixels for video and 530K (x 3) for still captures, demonstrative of the subtle differences between models.

We tested the PV-GS120 at an optimal light level of 3000 lx. The color reproduction is accurate and the colors are rich and vibrant, and well balanced throughout the color chart. 3CCD technology allows for the colors to be handled independently of one another, and the results are a better. There is good definition between colors and between gray scales. This test was performed in automatic with the white balance manually set.

The Front (7.0)
The front of the PV-GS120 is dominated by two things: the Leica Dicomar lens and a large gray plastic void on the right side of the lens. There is a type of lens hood on the PV-GS120, which is nice to see on these smaller less expensive camcorders. The lens hood can be turned counterclockwise, and removed; the exposed threads allow for conversion lens/filter attachment. Unlike the PV-GS200 the PV-GS120 does not have a focus ring. Beneath the lens are the auto white balance sensor, the remote control sensor, and the stereo microphone.

The Right Side (8.0)
The right side of the PV-GS120 is also mostly gray plastic. There are, however, some important components well hidden on this part of the GS120's body. Starting at the back left is the well placed port cover, a removable hard rubber cover that snaps in and out of place. Under the cover, the user will find USB, Remote/Mic (plug in power), and AV in/out ports. The AV port doubles as a headphone jack. Within the sub menu system of the GS120, the user can select desired function for this port.

Moving towards the front of the GS120, but still near the back end, the user can access the mode selector switch with Auto/Manual/Focus settings. When switched to Auto, the GS120 is in automatic mode, obviously. If switched to Manual, the user can then access the menu system and make manual adjustments to shutter, focus, exposure, white balance, etc. If the user slides the mode selector further forward still, the GS120 will focus on the subject. It is somewhat deceiving to have Focus on the mode selector, as it is not a mode itself: the user simply slides the mode selector forward and the corresponding action is focus. Sometimes I can be a little slow on the uptake and I am not ashamed to admit that it took me a moment to figure this out.

The speaker and reset button are also on the right side, just forward of the mode selector switch. The thin pleather Velcro Panasonic strap runs the length of the right side. The front end of the strap has a plastic locking mechanism that somehow keeps the strap in place, and locked. It can be unlocked by flipping a small plastic switch which separates the plastic lock from the metal and plastic bar attached the GS120.

The Back (7.0)
The back of the PV-GS120 is home to the mode dial, the quick start button, and the power on and off switch. There is also a port cover on the back as well, very effectively hiding the S-Video and DV ports. Running top to bottom, yet nicely depressed into the PV-GS120's body, is the battery holder.

The mode dial looks more like a digital still dial than the traditional video camera mode dial. The GS120's modes can be divided into two main categories: Tape and SD Card. There are five modes in all, represented by different colored icons. A reel to reel film camera represents the traditional filming to tape mode and next to it is a green arrow surrounded by a box, connoting VCR or playback mode. The other three icons on the mode dial have SD written underneath them and are images of an SLR camera (Still capture), an SLR camera with the play arrow on it (Still playback), and PC as the final icon for computer capture mode.

The quick start button is the small button directly beneath the mode dial. This allows the camera to be turned on within 1.7 seconds. When the GS120 is still on, the user can press the quick start button and the lamp within the button will illuminate. The user can then turn the camcorder off and the button will remain lit. When the GS120 is again turned on, it will be up and running, bypassing the usual several second start up.

The Left Side (7.0)
The left side of the PV-GS120 is home to the LCD screen and the menu/navigation buttons. The menu buttons are exposed when the LCD on the PV-GS120 is open. Cleverly hidden away beneath the navigation area is the flip out SD card slot.

There are five main buttons on the navigation panel, in addition to the central arrow/VCR playback key pad. The buttons on top, from front to back, read Magic Pix, Soft Skin, and Tele Macro. There are two other buttons: Menu and Multi/P-in-P. The menu button gives the user access to the main menu system that appears on the LCD.

The Top(8.0) On top of the PV-GS120 the user will fine the extendable color viewfinder, the cold accessory shoe, wide angle/telephoto zoom toggle, photo button, and the tape open/eject slider. Unfortunately, they removed the jog dial from the GS120, and as a result, all menu control is relegated to the somewhat awkward key panel on the left side, in the LCD cavity.

The viewfinder is at the very back of the GS120 and can be pulled towards the user nearly two inches. The viewfinder can also be rotated 45 degrees and can be left so whether the viewfinder is extended back or not.

In front of the viewfinder on the GS120 is the cold accessory shoe ort. Power can be drawn from the camcorder if the accessory is plugged in to the power in port on the right rear side of the GS120.

To the right of the viewfinder are the zoom toggle and the photo button. Both are made of silver colored plastic and have a dull finish. To the very front of the GS120, still on the top, ist he open/eject slider. The user can engage the top (!) loading/ejecting mechanism by pressing and sliding the button forward, and then pulling out away from the body of the GS120. Top loading tape mechanisms have been some what of a rarity over the years as camcorder sizes shrink. This is a really great feature to have as it saves the user trouble if s/he records with a tripod.

Just a note about the bottom, as there is not a specific place for describing the bottom of the camcorders. I just want to voice that I am impressed with the tripod receptacle on the bottom of the GS120. It's constructed of metal and doesn't look as though it will break the camcorder if you screw a tripod connecting plate to the bottom.

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (5.0)
The PV-GS120 offers a surprising number of manual and automatic control options. User be warned, however, as the operations guide will come very much in handy whilst getting acquainted with the GS120. I usually just like to figure things out on my own by handling and fiddling with the camcorder, or anything else for that matter. But in the interest of time, I found myself pulling out the operation guide for directions.

Automatic control was very responsive on the GS120 and I found the automatic settings, such as focus, white balance, exposure, etc., to be quite accurate. Focus adjustments at 1x were very quick and reliable, fast enough that even a pro or serious hobbyist might be satisfied with the nearly invisible adjustments. Focus adjustments at varying focal lengths or zoom settings are more difficult for the camcorder to handle, but even here the GS120 proved its ability to keep up.

The other automatic settings were also fast and accurate, with the exception of white balance, which seemed to lag a quite a bit when making color temperature adjustments. Unless really paying attention, however, only a trained eye would notice the subtle shift in color temperature.

Overall Manual Control (5.5)
There are manual controls a plenty on the GS120. To access the manual controls, the user first slides the mode slider on the right side of the GS120 in to the manual position. The center button of the VCR/Playback buttons which will bring up, one at a time, the available settings that can be controlled manually. The first is white balance and the user is given the option of AWB (auto white balance), Indoor, outdoor, and manual.

If the user presses the Play/Enter button again, the shutter speed option is selected. Users can select shutter speeds from 1/60 to 1/8000. When the center disc/button is pressed again the iris/gain setting is displayed. F stops 16 to 2.0 are available and boosted gain levels from 0dB to 18 are at the ready for selecting.

The major drawback to the many manual controls is the navigation system used for accessing the options. The controls are forced onto the LCD, which restricts accessibility. Previous models used to have a jog dial located next to the record button, which allowed the user an external and (seemingly) more accessible way to make manual changes. In the menu and in the manual sub-sections, the two disc arrow pad controllers are somewhat

Zoom (7.0)
The PV-GS120 has a Leica Dicomar 10x optical lens with 25x and 700x digital zoom options. Using the digital zoom is a compromise to the image in many cases and should be used sparingly. It's far better to decrease the distance along the Z axis between the camcorder and the subject but, as that is not always possible, the zoom does come in handy. Digital zooms work by increasing the size of the pixel, so if the video needs to stand up to any scrutiny, it's best to avoid using the digital zoom.

The wide angle/telephoto zoom toggle is on the top right side of the GS120, is easy to use and is very accessible by the index finger if holding the camcorder in a point and shoot posture. Several zoom speeds are obtainable with the GS120's zoom toggle.

Focus (3.0)
Automatic focus control on the GS120 is quick and reliable. Manual focus can be adjusted by sliding the mode selector switch on the right side of the camcorder body all the way forward. If held forward it will focus on the subject, and when released will slide back to the manual setting.

Exposure (Aperture) (4.5)
Exposure on the GS120 can be set to automatic as well as manual. In automatic, the user has several settings to choose from: Sports, Portrait, Low Light, Spot Light, Surf and Snow. When any of the AE modes are engaged, shutter speed and iris can not be adjusted.

Manual exposure settings are available as well, with F stops (closing the iris) F16 to F2.0 as well as gain adjustment 0dB to 18dB. Use caution when applying gain to an image, as the higher the gain value the more degraded the image.

Shutter Speed (6.0)
Shutter speeds of 1/60 to 1/8000 are available when recording to tape and 1/30 to 1/500 when recording to an SD card. To access this function the GS120 has to be set to manual (mode selector swich/slider) and can navigate the manual settings using the VCR/Playback arrows.

White Balance (6.5)
The GS120 has both automatic and manual white balance options. The auto white balance sensor is located on the front of the GS120, embedded within the infrared remote sensor. The setting does it's best to determine the nature and origin of the light source, and then make adjustments accordingly.

To manually set the white balance, the user would focus on something they wish to represent true white, ideally a white balance card or other true white surface. The entire field of view should be white and illuminated by what ever dominant light source is available. The user can then press and hold the center Play/Enter button while the camcorder makes any adjustments necessary. The LCD will flash black, then back to normal, and then a second or two later the color balanced white is displayed and the GS120 is ready for recording.

White light, in its many hues, is assigned a color temperature measured in Kelvin degrees from 1,000K-10,000K. White light from a given source is assigned a temperature based on its reddishness (1,000) or bluishness (10,000). Here some pretty good examples of the Kelvin color temperature spectrum: Candle light 1,000K; Dusk/Sunset 2,000K; incandescent bulb 2,500K; Halogen light bulb 3000K; white fluorescent lamp 4,800K; sunlight 5,500K; Cloudy-Rainy day 7500-10,000K. If you are video taping on a gloomy day, and you don't white balance, the subject really will be blue. Ok, bad pun. Moving on…

Gain (6.0)
Gain settings of 0dB to 18dB are available on the GS120 when the camcorder set to manual. The gain is controlled using the same arrow pads as the other manual settings. It should be noted that it is rare for camcorders in this price range to offer any manual control over gain.

Still Performance(6.5)
The PV-GS120 captures JPEG stills at 1280 x 960 (1.2 million pixels) or 640 x 480. Picture quality settings of Fine (approx. 9 pictures), Normal (approx. 16 pictures) and Economy (approx. 23 pictures) are also available (based on an 8mb SD card). These options are accessed through the navigation menu under the LCD. All manual controls (WB, shutter, gain, etc.) are available in still mode. Stills are recorded to an SD card and can be transferred to tape later, if desired.

VCR Mode (5.5)
VCR/Playback mode on the GS120 is controlled through the main navigation panel on the left side, under the LCD. The LCD must be open in order to operate the GS120 in VCR mode.

Low Light Performance(5.5)
The GS120 performed quite well under low light settings of 60 lux and 15 lux. The images are all around darker, naturally, but even in automatic with the gain boosted, there was not nearly as much noise and grain in the image as was expected. Actually, at 60 lux there is no grain to speak of, and color has been represented well in relation to the 3000 lux test. At 15 lux, grain is present in the image, but there appears to be minimal distortion and blurring of color. Compared to the Sony DCR-HC40 (which has been tested, but the review is pending), the color on the GS120 is disbursed much more evenly and, for lack of a better word, seems much more balanced. The blues are blue, the reds are red, etc. what is most interesting about this is that the CCDs on the PV-GS120 are smaller than those of the HC40, however they've managed to do better in low light.

LCD/ Viewfinder(6.0)
The LCD is one of the weakest parts of the PV-GS120 and will impact the GS120's overall score. It's a standard 2.5 inches diagonal LCD, but the user has to constantly twist and rotate the LCD to maintain the optimal picture. The slightest movement and the image is heavily solarized and eventually is rendered unviewable. This LCD is meant to be looked at dead center, and nothing else will cut it. Poor performance all around for the GS120's LCD.

The GS120's color viewfinder, on the other hand, scores very good marks because of its functionality. The viewfinder can be extended nearly two inches past the locked position. The viewfinder can also be raised to 45 degrees and can be extended or pushed back in as such.

Audio (6.5)
The GS120 has 12bit and 16bit stereo audio recording capabilities. The GS120 also has a wind noise reduction function which reduces the sensitivity of directional recording. That directional recording feature is part of the zoom mic function, which is designed to hone in the microphone's recording capabilities on what ever subject is being recorded or zoomed in on. The GS120 camcorder has an AV/headphones jack on the back right side of the GS120 body. The GS200 allows for additional sound to be added while recording through the use of a magic wire remote, however this option is not available on the GS120.

Handling (7.0)
The PV-GS120 feels comfortable to hold, though not as comfortable as the PV-GS200. The zoom toggle and photo buttons are in easy reach of the index finger/thumb depending on the recording posture. The GS120 is evenly weighted and doesn't feel like it's going to fall out of the hand, or that it could be easily damaged from rough handling. Where the GS120 looses some points is in the LCD screen and the navigation menu. I found myself constantly adjusting the LCD screen even for the most minimal movements. If an adjustment is not made, the images appear solarized making it impossible to make informed creative decisions regarding image improvement.

The navigation takes some getting used to. The user should spend at least an hour fumbling through the menu to get acquainted, regardless of whether or not they have used a Panasonic camcorder in the past. The VCR/Playback arrow control panel is made of two small, glossy discs one inside the other. They are slippery to the touch and it is almost impossible to determine which button (or part of the disc) is under your navigational finger of choice. When the GS120 is in manual mode, the settings are all controlled through this panel of buttons so any adjusting on the fly will take some practice. It's easy enough to get around when looking at the controls, and I assume that over time the user will adapt. A focus ring would have been nice, but unfortunately consumers have to pay a bit more for that luxury (focus rings are a real luxury on consumer camcorders, and are, perhaps, worth the price for an upgrade).

The GS120 handles differently than the GS200, and perhaps a little less comfortably due to the missing rubber grip pad on the top of the right side. This was a really cool feature on the GS200, and made gripping the camcorder a non slippery event. The hard plastic grip area on the GS120 leaves something to be desired.

Ports (9.5)
On the back end of the right side, the port cover can be opened to reveal USB, Remote/MIC, and AV in/out/headphones jacks. The GS120 is also equipped with S-Video and DV ports, located on the back.

Other Features (6.5)
Magic Pix Magic Pix allows the user to brighten up dark settings without the use of a flash. If pressed once, the entire image is lightened, if pressed twice the user is prompted to flip the LCD around, toward the subject, and the white light from the LCD brightens up the dark setting. Don't expect to catch any action with this setting, as the slow shutter speed makes moving images look blurry. Soft Skin The Soft Skin button activates a function that softens skin tones but, as warned by the manual, similar colors will be softened well. Tele Macro Tele Macro is for getting those close images in focus. By close they mean no closer than 16 inches from the lens. If pushed and the GS120 is not already zoomed in Multi/P-in-P The Multi/P-in-P button can be activated if an SD card is loaded into the GS120. The Multi feature allows the user to capture up to 9 pictures and have them simultaneously displayed on the screen while P-in-P (picture in picture) allows one photo to be placed within another.
16:9 widescreen mode
The GS120 has a Cinema mode that letterboxes the image. It is not stretched as on many camcorders, but blacked at the top and bottom.
Analog to Digital Pass Through
The GS120 is equipped for analog to digital pass through.
Comparisons
Comparable in price ($699) to the GS120 is Sony's 1/5 inch CCD DCR-HC40. The HC40 is at the top of the Sony HC line so has any and all available extras and features. Video performance and low light test comparisons have not yet been conducted, but will reveal the HC40's true colors. Sony did manage to maintain a certain level of low light performance on the HC30 and the HC20, and each of these camcorders has a 1/6 inch CCD. Whether the 3CCD 1/6 inch GS120 will handle color better at varying levels, is yet to be determined.

Both camcorders have low light imaging options, Magic Pix on the GS120, and Super Night Shot Plus on the Sony DCR-HC40. Both have still capture capability, and right on down the line, the various features come head to head, and may be a matter of preference.

Who's it For
Point and Shooter's (6.0)
The GS120 is a great point and shoot camcorder, and the automatic settings work well under varied settings. The LCD might be a bit bothersome, but the other great ease of use handling options on board the GS120 almost erases that irritation.
Budget Consumers(8.0)
A bit pricy for the most frugal of spenders, but the informed consumer will slightly deeper pockets will most likely not be disappointed with their choice in the GS120.
Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid(7.0)
The GS120 has good still photo capabilities with an SD card slot that folds neatly away under the LCD screen. The GS200 has more effective pixels and mega pixels dedicated to stills, so for someone concerned about quality, they may need to pay a little more.
Gadget Freaks(4.0)
The GS120 is good option for the gadget freak and as one of the first consumer level 3CCD camcorders it's a good option for the technophile that's into trend setting envelope pushing consumer technology.
Manual Control Freaks(6.5)
Come one come all, manual control freaks will like the GS120. However, if you want to get really freaky, you'll have to upgrade to the GS200 for all the extras.
Pro's/ Serious Hobbyists(5.0)
The GS120 is a good camcorder for the pro and or serious hobbyist. The GS120 has enough manual control to keep them happy and is quick on its feet in automatic.

Conclusion
All around, the GS120 is a good camcorder. I was impressed with the video performance, and although images recorded in low light settings on consumer camcorders are never anything to brag about, the GS120 can certainly hold its own. The handling issues are for the most part forgivable, as I did find myself quickly adapting to some initial handling awkwardness such as the navigation system on the left side. The LCD is a problem, and I found myself annoyed and wanting to use the viewfinder instead…but wait, to engage the viewfinder I have to shut the LCD, and there's no access to the menu controls with the LCD closed. Too bad they removed the jog dial on the back end. Oh well, I doubt they'll ever come up with a camcorder that pleases everyone!

The automatic settings were fast, and accurate. There were some features I was hoping to discover, such as image stabilization, for example. Off, on, off, on. It makes no difference: it's impossible to tell whether it's on or off, and believe me when I say I spent a half hour trying to tell the difference.

The GS120 is a great camcorders with positive points where it counts, but if you want a little more versatility, more effective pixels per CCD and a Focus ring, and slightly improved handling (the rubber grip) look to the PV-GS200. I would certainly recommend the PV-GS120, the video performance and low light performance make it a valuable camcorder that is priced well for the consumer market and in comparison to its competitors in the same price range; the video performance/image quality is superior. Panasonic is doing a great thing with both of these lower priced 3 CCD camcorders, and now that they've improved the low light performance, they've gone from good buys to great buys.