Panasonic PV-GS55 Camcorder Review

The PV-GS55 costs much more than the PV-DV53, which ranked highest in the 2003 B & H CamcorderInfo.com Shoot-Off for the $300-$399 price category. The PV-DV53 has a 1/4 inch 680K CCD that really delivered in the video performance department. In contrast, the PV-GS55 is a straight point-and-shoot camcorder with a 1/6 inch 680K CCD. The PV-GS55's automatic settings capture an adequate picture, and there is an 8mb SD Card included in the package as well as an external microphone. Despite the included SD Card for stills, resolution on stills is limited to 640x480.

Video Performance (4.5)
The video performance of the PV-GS55 is disappointing. A one-sixth-inch CCD converts 680,000 pixels of image resolution, offering a decent picture on the LCD or a television set. At 3000 lux, the PV-GS55 interprets the spectrum with solid color separation, although the colors are not that crisp, and the yellows and greens are too similar. The reds look good, and the blues are the most vibrant colors on the chroma-key - every tile is crisp and full. The purples and the tiles between purple and red are also solid and rich in color.

Moving into the yellows, the bleed begins, as does under-saturation. The anchor tile is more of a tan color than a rich yellow. The colored tiles between yellow and green aren't as distinct as they could be, although the greens are more vivid than the yellows. What's most surprising is the lack of gradation in the black and white tiles. The PV-GS55 doesn't seem to capture all the available shades of gray; the black tile is a solid black, and the white tile is a solid white, but there are roughly 11 different grays between black and white, and only six appear distinct.

The Front (7.0)
The front of the PV-GS55 has a 10x optical zoom, with digital enhancement to 700x zoom. The Panasonic name is printed directly above the two-channel zoom microphone on the right side of the camera. Below the lens, on the left, one finds the infrared sensor for the light meter. At the bottom is a removable plastic panel that conceals the AV in/out port, where the included external microphone can be inserted.

The Right Side (7.0)
The right side of the PV-GS55 is sparse with a nicely designed strap running from front to back. Below the hand strap, where the base of the palm rests, is another plastic cover that protects the USB and Firewire out ports. Above the hand strap is the Mini DV casing, with a speaker approximately an inch in diameter midway toward the front of the camcorder. The surface of the plastic itself is contoured to help in gripping the PV-GS55 against the palm.

The Back (6.5)
Near the top of the back of the PV-GS55 is a static color viewfinder. The eye piece is protected by thin black rubber that is less than adequate for blocking light, and when the LCD is engaged, the viewfinder doesn't work, making accessing the manual controls impossible. Below the viewfinder are the lithium battery, the AC cord input, and an S-Video in/out port. The PV-GS55 battery charger/voltage converter for AC power can't be used when a battery is in the port. The battery charges in a separate cradle. There is a good-sized switch with a locking mechanism for engaging the PV-GS55 and getting it set for recording. The mode selector, which sets the camcorder for stills, for tape, or for playback, is also quite large and easy to read. Below the selector is the Quick Start button. When depressed, it cues up the tape and defaults to the last settings. This is handy because the camcorder shuts down automatically if left inactive for some time, and one must either use the Quick Start or shut down and restart to resume. There is also a spring-loaded manual-focus pull-down switch, but to adjust the focus the LCD must be open to access the circular navigation panel on the left.

The Left Side (7.5)
The left side of the PV-GS55 has a 2.5-inch LCD. The camcorder is very small, weighing less than a pound, and the LCD makes good use of the space. Under the LCD are a number of options surrounding a four-point navigation panel that resembles a compass. This controller has several features, including playback and menu navigation. Surrounding the compass are a series of digital enhancement and menu cues. One can find the backlight and magic pix features and the skin-tone softener here. Beneath the function buttons is the input port for the included SD card.

The Top (7.5)
The top of the PV-GS55 has an accessory shoe which can support any number of add-ons. (The included external microphone is not designed to be mounted on top of the PV-GS55.) There's also the Mini DV tape-ejector switch; the PV-GS55 has a top-loading tape mechanism. It's a little on the slow side, but an interesting change from the many bottom-loaders on the market. The control for the 10x optical zoom is located towards the back, and is a sleek, flat slider that works nicely where accuracy is concerned. Behind the zoom is the electronic shutter.

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (5.0)
The processor in the Panasonic PV-GS55 does a good job of adjusting settings to fit conditions. The processor is limited by the physical size of the CCD and its effective pixel count. The Quick Start feature is designed to minimize the amount of time it takes to get the PV-GS55 up and going so users won't miss that perfect shot. It jump-starts the processor and gets the camcorder ready to shoot at the push of a button. In fact, it was easier overall to rely on the processor than to use the manual controls.

Overall Manual Control (5.0)
The PV-GS55 is average in manual control functionality. The majority of the manual controls are accessible via the LCD menu, and controlled with the flat compass-like device. While there are a number of manual options, the interface is so convoluted that the PV-GS55 will be used most as a point-and-shooter. The only feature that's truly ''manual'' and not dedicated to the LCD is the focus. However, because the switch is hidden away in the underlying panel, the LCD has to be open in order to focus the camcorder. It seems that Panasonic designs their ultra-compact camcorders for consumers not overly concerned with manual functionality.

Accessing the manual controls requires the user to press the central button on the navigation panel. Provided the camera is in manual mode, pressing the center button will display the first of three manual control options on the LCD. Repeatedly pressing this button will move the user between manual control options. First displayed is white balance, followed by shutter speed, then finally exposure.

Zoom (5.0)
The 10x optical zoom of the PV-GS55 is controlled with a flat toggle-type switch on the top-back-right of the camcorder. The component enables smooth zooms at varying speeds. In fact, users can slow the zoom rate to one-half and gauge the zoom progression on the LCD, so that one can see the increments slowly increase from 1x to 10x, or 700x if the digital zoom is engaged.

Focus (3.0)
The PV-GS55 works well in automatic focus. Using the manual focus requires engaging the spring-loaded switch on the exterior on the right side near the back and then adjusting the focal plane with the rewind or fast-forward buttons. That means that the LCD must be open to adjust the focus, but when the LCD is open, the viewfinder doesn't operate. The PV-GS55's ability to focus in manual isn't too bad, and works fine adapting the image to the chosen focal plane. However, the controlling mechanism is imprecise and somewhat awkward.

Exposure (Aperture) (6.0)
The PV-GS55's exposure is manipulated with the same compass-like controller as the manual focus, leading to similar troubles in handling. The processor in the PV-GS55 provides a good image, though, and one can tweak the exposure as desired. The aperture settings range from F16 to +18dB (gain) allowing the user to adjust the F-stop and increase gain as needed. Additionally, there are standard AE settings of sports, portrait, surf and snow, low-light, and spotlight.

Shutter Speed (6.0)
The shutter speed of the PV-GS55 is accessible within the LCD menu via the compass-like button configuration that also handles the manual focus and exposure control. Shutter speed settings range from 1/60th to 1/8000th in tape mode and 1/60th to 1/500th when using the SD Card. The PV-GS55 can record stills to tape or to SD Card by adjusting the mode dial on the top of the back of the PV-GS55.

White Balance(6.5)
The standard white-balance settings - auto, manual, indoor and outdoor - can be selected from within the PV-GS55's LCD menu. This is the easiest manual adjustment one can make, and adjusting the white balance as needed is a great way to improve picture quality. The auto mode works well.

Gain (6.0)
The manual gain control on the PV-GS55 is part of the LCD menu and linked to the exposure control. The manual gain settings range from 0db to +18db. The manual gain options are welcome, and will enhance the performance of the camcorder in low light.

Still Performance(5.0)
The PV-GS55's memory card settings only allow for stills at a maximum pixel resolution of 640 x 480. This is a significant downfall; the inclusion of an SD Card in a camcorder generally translates to increased resolution. However, this drawback is countered by the Panasonic PV-GS55's ability to shoot continuous video while snapping off stills. The PV-GS55 also has the ability to do rapid-fire shooting, allowing for several stills per second. The camcorder has a digital enhancement called progressive photoshot that improves the quality and increases sharpness of still shots. This feature uses multiple memory streams to ''freeze time'' during shooting, replicating the truest image possible.

VCR Mode (5.5)
The PV-GS55 has a standard VCR mode that is controlled with the compass-like button configuration. Playback works well, as do the rewind, fast-forward, pause, and search features. There are so many options for output, including S-Video, AV out, and Firewire, that a user could connect the PV-GS55 to almost any external monitor.

Low Light Performance (3.6)
The PV-GS55 is super small, and so are its CCD and effective pixel resolution. Blues are the best color represented at 60 lux. Each shade of blue is accurate and distinct with little or no bleed between tiles on the chroma-key. The greens begin to show bleed between tiles, and the various shades of green are neither as well represented nor as distinct as the blues. The yellows are very washed out, literally and figuratively, with so little saturation that they look more like dull greens than a separate color. There is so much bleed between tiles that it's tough to gauge individual shades, and there is noticeable grain in the main yellow tile. The reds aren't a complete letdown; in fact, the reds are a little better than the greens. The main red tile is rich in color, and gradations between individual tiles are distinct. Grain is at a minimum. The same is true with the purples, which are one step below the blues in accuracy and vibrancy.

Unfortunately, at 15 lux the entire chroma-key is barely discernible. The tiles have hints of color but there isn't accurate representation. The CCD doesn't have the ability to allow a significant amount of light for the processor to interpret the color. Of course, this is in automatic, and with AE pre-sets and/or manual adjustments this could improve. In sum, the PV-GS55 doesn't seem to represent colors at all at 15lux, even in the black and white tiles.

LCD/ Viewfinder (5.5)
The PV-GS55 has a standard 2.5-inch LCD Monitor that's perfectly in proportion with the size of the camcorder and makes great use of the space. The LCD is crisp, and the image is clean. The viewfinder is static and in color, with a decent eye cup, but access to the menu is restricted, as mentioned above, to when the LCD is open, making concurrent use of the viewfinder and the controller impossible.

Audio (8.5)
The PV-GS55 has wind cutting filters and zooming capabilities for the built-in microphone, and the ability to record in 12-bit (for dubbing narration) or 16-bit. Although the PV-GS55 has no manual audio settings, it does have both an external microphone input. The Panasonic PV-GS55 comes packaged with an external microphone, albeit one designed for narration rather than for real sound capture and unable to be mounted in the accessory shoe atop the unit. The included microphone is the MagicWire remote control which has the unidirectional microphone on top, but also has a zoom toggle, record button, and still photo capture button. The PV-GS55 also has a port for headphones.

Handling (7.0)
The PV-GS55 has a good, solid feel for its small size. The unit measures 3.12 x 2.62 x 4 inches long and weighs .8 pounds. The strap is top-notch, securing the camcorder comfortably in the hand, and the ribbed face of the Mini DV tape casing is a nice touch. The controls for shooting and zooming and snapping stills are in close proximity to the fingers and thumbs involved. The LCD is well-placed and doesn't affect the unit's balance while open. Unfortunately, the port placement on the PV-GS55 is a bit off, as the USB and Firewire are hidden beneath the user's palm. This is not a major problem, however, as these ports are usually accessed after recording is complete. Making adjustments manually is somewhat cumbersome. Increasing and decreasing the exposure, for example, require pressing two separate buttons, rather than scrolling a wheel or touching an area on the LCD screen. Moreover, one must use the control panel to cycle through the options to get to the desired manual control in the first place.

Ports (9.0)
The PV-GS55 has as many ports as a high-end camcorder. There is an USB port (with an accompanying cable), a Firewire port, and included AV in/out cables. The PV-GS55 has S-Video in/out, an accessory shoe, and SD Card input.

Other Features (7.0)
Webcam and Software The PV-GS55 has an included software suite from Arcsoft that allows for webcam, minor DV editing, and picture editing. The package comes with external microphone, which has control features like record and overdub, and there is also an IR remote that allows for frame-by-frame scrolling. These can be used for self recording.

16:9 widescreen mode There is a stretching digital enhancement on the PV-GS55.

Webcam The software included from Arcsoft and the USB cable enable users to set up the PV-GS55 as a webcam.

MPEG The PV-GS55 has high compression MPEG 4 recording capability, which means a better image with less card space used.

Analog to Digital Pass Through The PV-GS55 is equipped with S-Video in/out, and AV in/out.

Zoom Controller As mentioned above the PV-GS55 includes a great zoom controller.

Comparisons (no score provided)
Comparisons for the PV-GS55 draw from several price points. Getting a frame of reference is somewhat difficult, as the PV-GS55 is an original model in this line. Last year there was the PV-DV53, and that camcorder won the B&H shoot-off, in the $300-$400 price group. The PV-GS55 costs much more and doesn't perform as well as the PV-DV53, but the PV-DV53 didn't have an SD Card port or all the extras found in the box of the PV-GS55. The PV-GS15 looks and feels almost exactly like the PV-GS55, but comes with added goods in the box. Canon has the ZR90 with a 1/6th inch CCD and 680k effective pixels. It's a much bigger camcorder with a powerful 22x optical zoom. The Canon costs around the same price as the PV-GS55.

JVC GR-D93 JVC has the GR-D93 at around the same price as the PV-GS55, but the JVC GR-D93 has a 1/4 inch CCD with 1.33 megapixels and a 10x optical zoom. The video and low-light are better with the JVC, but the zoom power is exactly the same. The GR-D93 has performed quite well in video and low light tests in its approximate price bracket.

Sony DCR-HC40 (Review, Specs, $539.94) The DCR-HC40 has superior video or low light performance of the PV-GS55. It also doesn't have the manual control. The only thing it wins on is still performance and easy of use. It's a pretty easy competition, with the win going to the Panasonic.

The PV-GS55 stands almost alone on the matter of price. If you subtract the costs of the software suite, the SD Card, and the add-on microphone, you've got a model comparable to some of the $400-$500 camcorders on the market.

Who's it For
Point and Shooters (5.0)
This is an optimal camcorder for the point-and-shoot set who would like the option of manual adjustment.

Budget Consumers(3.5)
The PV-GS55 is somewhat expensive, considering the 1/6th inch 690k CCD, but it has a lot of add-ons included in the box.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid (4.0)
Not bad for stills and video, especially since you can shoot both simultaneously, but the low resolution is a drawback.

Gadget Freaks (5.0)
The PV-GS55 does have quite a few gadgets, and they come in the box.

Manual Control Freaks(7.0)
True manual control freaks will be happy to find many options that are not available on other consumer camcorder models. While there is a good amount of manual control with the PV-GS55, the means of adjusting this control makes it more of a point-and-shooter.

Professionals/Serious Hobbyists (2.0)
Not a good choice for pro users or serious hobbyists. Its low-light performance isn't up to par.

Conclusion
The PV-GS55 has a surprising number of accessories included in the box. As part of the package are an 8MB SD Card, an external microphone, a full software suite from Arcsoft, and an IR remote control. Overall, the PV-GS55 is a little on the expensive side, but if you take into account everything included in the box, you're getting your money's worth.

The Panasonic PV-GS55 is small and light, and makes for a decent point-and-shoot camcorder with its 1/6-inch CCD. It has adequate video, but sub-par low-light performance. The PV-GS55's manual controls are somewhat troubling, even cumbersome to use. However, the potential image tweaking possible on the PV-GS55 is practically limitless. Once users familiarize themselves with the control panel and accessing manual control options, experienced and novice users alike will acclimate. Overall video and low light performance on the PV-GS55 below average. At the end of the day it's all about how the camcorder feels in your hand and whether or not you like or dislike the factors we have mentioned in the review.