Panasonic PVDV51 MiniDV Digital Camcorder

Panasonic PVDV51 MiniDV Digital Camcorder
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Product Type: Photography

Editorial Review:
Product Description
The PV-DV51 is a Digital Video camcorder that offers precise image quality and color accuracy. The superior quality of digital video resulting from higher horizontal resolution yielding sharper picture detail and component color sampling preserves more color information than analog.PV-DV521 delivers 12 / 16-bit audio, 16 bit offers one set of stereo tracks and achieves the same quality as CD, while the 12 bit mode creates two sets of stereo tracks, audio dub is possible when recorded in 12 bit mode. Panasonic invented the Digital EIS to compensate the unintentional hand and camcorder movement to stabilize your recordings. You can use the Dual D-EIS technology even in the playback mode to remove the jitter from previously recorded video. PhotoShot Built in Digital Still Camera allows you to use your digital camcorder as a digital still camera by capturing six seconds of stills with audio in VGA (640 x 480) resolution onto the mini DV cassette. Using the industry standard IEEE-1394 PC interface, you can connect the digital camcorder to a compatible computer for advanced editing. Also allowing you to produce duplicate copies of your recordings without any loss in picture quality with similarly equipped camcorders or VCR's. Equipped with an optical zoom that magnifies the image up to 18x by increasing the focal length of the lens, the zoom acts like a telescope to produce close up shots with extraordinary clarity, and with the 300x digital zoom you will be able to bring the objects up to 300x closer by electronically magnifying the images. 2.5" LCD Color Monitor provides excellent viewing clarity in full vivid colors, rotates 270 degrees allowing you to hold the camcorder at many different angles. A built-in speaker allows playback with sound.
Amazon.com Review
For a manufacturer of today's increasingly tiny digital camcorders, the biggest design challenge is to pack the immense number of features now available on even the lowest-priced models into a compact product while keeping the features easy to find and easy to use. With the entry-level PV-DV51, Panasonic succeeds at this task beyond all reasonable expectations.

Compared to the quality of the footage, ergonomics and features may sound like secondary considerations when discussing a camcorder. But quite frankly, virtually any digital camcorder will capture images superior to those of analog formats like VHS-C and Hi8. The PV-DV51 is no exception. Not only does this inexpensive Panasonic produce better images than many other entry-level DV models I've tried, but the untutored naked eye would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between footage shot with this camcorder and models three times the price, which means the vacation videophile will be well satisfied.

The PV-DV51 hides its abilities inside a rather traditional and uncluttered exterior. The DV51 isn't cute or fancy; it looks like most other camcorders, if a bit smaller and a bit lighter. But the DV51 makes up for its lack of styling with ergonomic excellence. Frequently used buttons such as the VCR/power/camcorder thumb switch, the zoom toggle, fade, menu, manual control and electronic image stabilization buttons, as well as the playback transport controls (play, rewind, fast forward, pause) are all logically and conveniently arrayed. The on-screen menu list is only six choices deep, and all the varying suboptions are outlined in the instruction booklet, which makes locating even the most obscure feature or option relatively easy.

Power handling also is excellent. The small lithium-ion battery takes only an hour to charge for about an hour's worth of shooting (90 minutes if you use the black-and-white viewfinder rather than the LCD), about average for DV models. The camcorder also is equipped with a FireWire jack for connection to a PC, an A/V mini-jack (cable included), and an S-video output (cable not included) for connection to a TV or VCR. Like most of Panasonic's digital camcorders, the DV51 offers an 18x optical/300x digital zoom lens.

So why is this model so inexpensive? On the technical side, the PV-DV51 offers just 640 x 480 pixel resolution when shooting digital stills. More expensive models offer more than a million pixels of resolution in still mode. In addition, stills are stored directly onto the tape, while other camcorder models have the option to store these images on a dedicated memory card. The other cost savings come from the small 2.5-inch LCD screen and monochrome viewfinder; shooting for lengthy periods makes you realize why you might want to spend more for a unit with a 3- or 3.5-inch screen.

Despite these minor limitations, the PV-DV51 is an excellent choice for the weekend video warrior seeking a simple, easy-to-use, feature-packed, low-cost camcorder that produces great pictures. --Stewart Wolpin
Amazon.com Product Description
Panasonic's entry-level PV-DV51 is a great place to start if you want to dip your toes into the digital video river. The camcorder includes an 18x optical zoom lens with digital image stabilization. The stabilizer works for both playback and recording, so if you decide to save your batteries when you're recording, you have the option of applying stabilization to your footage at a later date.

To help you shoot good footage, the PV-DV51 features a five-mode program AE. Simply put, the program AE sets the white balance, shutter speed, and other camera functions for a variety of possible shooting conditions. So, if you set it to sports, all the settings will be adjusted to shoot action footage correctly. In addition to the shooting modes, there are a number of digital effects, including sepia and monotone, which can add a little spice to your movies. There's also a digital still mode that record onto the MiniDV tape.

Average customer rating:

Sharp PG-M10X Projector Manufacturer: Sharp Product Group: CE Binding: Electronics ASIN: B00005BIED

Amazon.com Product Description

Setup is a snap with the Active Digital Keystone technology, whichautomatically adjusts images to fit the screen. The XGA resolution of 1,024x 768 guarantees vivid images, while the wireless remote promises smoothlyprofessional presentations.

Sharp includes a two-year warranty with coverage for parts, labor, andexpress exchange service.

Product Description

Electronics:

1. Panasonic PVGS70 MiniDV Ultra Compact Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, 3CCD, and 8MB SD
2. Panasonic PV-DV400 Digital Camcorder
3. Remanufactured Panasonic PV-GS120 3CCD Ultra-Compact Digital Palmcorder. MultiCam Camcorder with Leica Dicomar Lens
4. JVC GRDVL120U MiniDV Digital CyberCam Video Camera with 2.5" LCD & B/W Viewfinder
5. SiPix StyleCam DV100 Digital Video Camera
6. JVC GR-SX850U Palm Size Compact Super VHS Camcorder
7. Panasonic PV-DV600 Digital Camcorder with 3" LCD and Adobe Photo Deluxe Software
8. Sharp VLH875U 3" Hi8 Color LCD-Screen Viewcam with Touch Screen
9. Panasonic PVDV852 MiniDV Multicam Digital Camcorder w/ 2.5" Color LCD, Color Viewfinder & 8MB SD Memory Card
10. Canon ZR90MC MiniDV Camcorder w/22x Optical Zoom

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