Review
Beware the Panasonic Sv-AV100 (April 14, 2004)
| Ease of Use |
|
(2/5.0) |
| Value |
|
(3/5.0) |
| Performance |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
|
(1/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Val U. - Waukesha, WI
First, the good news. Never before have I used a camcorder which approaches the micro size and fly weight of this model. I firmly believe this is a glimpse into the future of what all camcorders will be.
The ease of use inherent with recording to a chip are well known to anyone who owns a portable MP3 player. I had no problems with low-light performance, recording time in MPEG2Normal mode was adequate with an acceptable loss of picture quality versus Fine, and the picture stabilization was more than up to compensating for the small size and light weight.
Now, the downside. None of the above pluses could make up for the HORRIBLE software Panasonic provides with this unit. Due to the proprietary format Panasonic chose to utilize for it's recording you are extremely limited with what you can do with the files you've recorded. You are allowed to essentially watch the video unedited on a TV, watch the video unedited on the camcorder, or watch the video on your computer unedited. Sensing a theme here? If you jump through many, many hoops you MAY be able to play and then edit in other read Microsoft programs, but even that can be hit or miss. My system crashed every single time, and my friend's computer crashed about 75 of the time while trying to edit with MovieMaker. I have a leading edge not bleeding edge system, too, so I know my hardware isn't at fault.
You are really agreeing to drop close to a grand on a camcorder which limits you to only viewing the footage you've shot. I would seriously caution anyone interested in this unit to read other reviews on the 'net. You will find a running thread of software and usability complaints. Heed these warnings!
Review
Panasonic SV-AV100 Digital Camcorder - WOW! (February 22, 2004)
| Ease of Use |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Value |
|
(4/5.0) |
| Performance |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
|
(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Andrew C. - Cranston, RI
Having owned ever smaller camcorders, I still found that I rarely used them. Why? Because they won't fit in a pocket! So I see specs on the SV-AV100 and wonder 'Can this really give me the quality and functionality I want?' The answer is YES!
Tiny and lightweight, this camcorder gives amazing quality, even in its 'normal' mpeg 2 mode which gives twice as much recording time as the 'fine' mode. It even has remarkable sound quality. But that does not address all my concerns.
Since this little dandy does its magic by recording to SD media rather than tape, keeping recordings on the media is not practical. Though it is easy enough to copy the files to a computer and viewshow them there, I more often am going to want to view my recordings on somebody's TV. I therefore need to produce DVD's that work on a typical DVD player. Not a problem! Using DVDRW media, I am producing reuseable DVD's onto which I keep adding recordings. Simple and very cost-effective.
Of course, it would be easier to just have a tape, but then I need a 'big' camera. The SV-AV100 forces a choice, but if you want a shirt pocket sized camcorder that gives images as good as a mini-dv tape unit, try this little puppy. I love it.
Review
A great 'little' camera (January 04, 2004)
| Ease of Use |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Value |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
|
(3/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
|
(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Pete F. - Poway, CA
First off, this is not a high end Digital Camcorder - what it is is a really functional, easy to carry, easy to use camcorder that you can carry with you anywhere and use anytime.
I have had it for two weeks and really love it...it was outstanding over the holidays. You can take it anywhere and use it almost anyplace.
The video quality is unbelievably good for its size. It does suffer a little in low light situations. After about an hour or so of use, it's 'ease of use' really shines.
The included software is a little rough, but by simply renaming the .mod files to .mpg I was able to import and edit the video clips with media player and Pinnacle Studio 8.
A cool product and one that I will use a bunch.
MY CART
Meet Geoff
Product
