Small Size, Sharp Video
The Panasonic PV-GS200 camcorder fits in one hand, yet comes packed with features.
Use one hand: Panasonic's palmable PV-GS200.
Small is in for camcorders this season, and at 3 by 3 by 6 inches and just over 1 pound, Panasonic's PV-GS200 is the smallest three-CCD camcorder we've seen. The unit shoots great-looking video, too: In informal tests, I saw sharp images with accurate colors in all types of lighting.
The high-quality video is due to the three CCD image sensors, which allow the camera to use a separate sensor for capturing each of the primary colors. The camcorder also has two low-light modes: one for slow shutter speed and another that uses the LCD's backlight to illuminate the scene. The latter mode works adequately, but only for a range of a few feet.
The camcorder's small body sits comfortably in the hand, with the record button falling under the right thumb and the zoom under the index finger. The other controls (for accessing the well-designed on-screen menu and playback) are located under the 2.5-inch LCD screen. Battery life is more than adequate, with a fully charged battery providing more than an hour of shooting in informal tests.
The $900 PV-GS200, winner of a 2004 World Class award, can take still images at a maximum resolution of 1760 by 1320 and save them to an included 8MB SD card. While reasonably good-looking, they are not as appealing as those captured by a dedicated digital still-image camera. Panasonic also offers a $700 model, the PV-GS120, which doesn't feature the still-image capability.