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- Features 32x optical zoom
- Pure Color Engine
- Large 2.7-inch widescreen LCD
- One-Touch Navigation for easy, intuitive setting and shooting
- Use an SD/SDHC Memory Card to transfer image easily
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Product Description:
When you carry the tiny Panasonic PV-GS80 Palmcorder Camcorder with you, you'll capture every unique moment on film. This amazingly small and sharp digital camcorder gives you clear, sharp, stable photos and video. The optical image stabilizer and 32x optical zoom ensure you always get the best shot. Record to your MiniDV tape or store images to an SD Card with the built-in slot. Professional tools like a noise reducing microphone, low-light shooting (with MagicPix) and white balancing make this little camcorder competitive with bigger models. When you see how compact it is, you'll wonder why you bought anything else. It's the Palmcorder that does it all. 16 - 9 Wide Mode recording Digital Zoom - 32x - 1,000x Records to MiniDV tape or SD Card Stereo Zoom Mic with wind noise reduction Backlight compensation Functions as a webcam White Balance - Auto/Indoor/Outdoor/Manual Minimum Illumination - 2 Lux (with MagicPix) Manual Focus Ring Soft-Skin Mode Date Recording Recording Modes - SP/LP Still Picture Size - 640 x 480 (4 - 3), 640 x 360 (16 - 9) DPOF - Max. 999 stills USB 2.0 connection Languages - English / French / Spanish Mini DV in/out Accessory Shoe - Cold Dimensions(HxWxD) - 3.09 x 2.86 x 5.36 Weight - 1 lb. | | | | |
Average Rating : 
Rating :  - Not impressed
I am not impressed with this camcorder. Let me summarize why:
1) If you want to connect your camcorder to your computer, you will need to remove the battery. As a matter of fact you need to remove the battery, if you want to hook it up for any reason.
2) You cannot charge the battery and use the camcorder on ac power at the same time.
3) It may take still pictures (the 85 does), but the quality is mediocre. It compares to a 1.3 MP camera in a cell phone, if that.
4) No review mentions this so I thought I should. When connecting the camcorder to the computer, you have to do it in this order: a) turn everything of, b) connect the cables, c) turn on PC, turn on camcorder. If you fail to do that chances are that your lens will be fried in the process. It happened to me, which meant I had to send it in and have it repaired for $120 even thought the part was still under warranty. That cost was just for labor.
5) bad warranty: 6 months for parts, 3 months for labor
6) bad customer service. When calling customer service I got stuck in loops of pressing ones and zeros and various other numbers trying to guess which option was best and often ended up with an someone announcing the address of a repair center. Sorry, but I would like to know a little bit more than just an address that is also printed in the manual - like what exactly to send, whether to include battery and or cables , etc.
7) the image quality is really not all that great in bad light. If you want to take a good video of your son crawling for the first time, you better make sure that the lighting is good.
One good thing: I like the joystick (one-touch) control quite a bit. It allows you to control the thing with one hand will steadying it with the other.
All in all I must say that using this camera has not been that much fun. I have learned to dislike it enough to hand it over to my wife whenever a video is to be made.
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