Panasonic Palmcorder PV-DV953

Product Introduction:

Panasonic Palmcorder PV-DV953 is a very compact three-chip MiniDV camcorder with a large flip-out LCD and an easily portable design.

Design and Features:

Panasonic Palmcorder PV-DV953 weighs nearly 2 pounds along with its fully loaded battery, cassette and memory card. Because of its low weight and handy design this camcorder is so portable. A record button, menu button and a power dial are placed on the upper right corner of the camera.

The menus could be controlled using a jog dial also. On the left side of the viewfinder we have the photo-shutter release, the jog dial and the zoom toggle buttons. We have a 3.5 inch LCD screen and close to that we have a side mounted cassette hatch, autofocus and automatic exposure controls.

Behind the LCD we have the playback functions and other photo oriented settings. We have another record button on the right side of the lens barrel. This camcorder has many desirable features like three- chip for accurate color quality, optional manual control for exposure and focus and enhanced audio capabilities.

Specification:

Product Type: Camcorder

Digital Zoom: 700 x

Optical Sensor Size: 1/6"

Optical Sensor Type: 3CCD

Min Illumination: 15 lux

Image Stabilizer: Optical

Min Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec

Max Shutter Speed: 1/8000 sec

Still Image Format: JPEG

Flash Memory: 1 x 16 MB Flash - SD Memory Card

Media Type : Mini DV

Recording Speed: LP, SP

Red Eye Reduction: Yes

Effective Flash Range: 3.3 ft - 8 ft

Type: Zoom lens - 2.85 mm - 28.5 mm - F/1.6

Focal Length: 2.85 mm - 28.5 mm

Lens Aperture: F/1.6

Optical Zoom: 10 x

Lens system type: Zoom lens

Min focal length: 2.85 mm

Max focal length: 28.5 mm

Auto Focus: TTL contrast detection

Lens Manufacturer: Leica

Filter Size: 43 mm

DV input: Yes

Edit Functions: Audio dubbing

Low Lux / Night Mode: Yes

Digital Still Camera Function: Yes

Software: Drivers & Utilities

Included Accessories: Lens cap, Camcorder shoulder strap

Type: LCD display - TFT active matrix - 3.5 in - Color

Expansion Slot(s): 1 x SD Memory Card

Supported Battery: 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery (Included)

Performance:

The overall performance of the camcorder could be rated average. This camcorder is designed to be very portable and hence it weighs very less. In the same way three-chip technology provides good color fidelity and hence both still images and video look quite good. The LCD screen is quite large with good resolutions suitable for excellent display of images.

The menu controls are quite easy to use and the navigation is quite fast. The shutter speed and the interval between the shots in still mode is also quite less. The overall speed of the camera is average. The audio quality is also quite enhanced and there isn’t any distortion.

The camcorder has some special features like zebra stripes which enable us to detect overexposed portions and correct it, a backlight compensation mode, and optical stabilization. However it lacks Bluetooth connectivity.

The good;

The easily portable weightless set, easy to use menus and controls placed within our reach, good image editing options and enhanced audio facilities are the camcorders main advantages.

The bad:

Though the camera has many desirable features only few of them are so responsive. Most of the controls including the zoom control are a bit hard to use. The overall performance of the camera could be rated average only.

Rating: 3 star rating ***

3 Stars (Good):

A product with 3 star rating has strengths that outweigh its weaknesses. Users should be aware that this product has some minor faults that should be taken into consideration.