The Panasonic PV-GS400 offers the usual assortment of ports: composite AV and S-Video, USB and FireWire. The external-mic jack is essential for recording high-quality audio, and it doubles as a jack for the included MagicWire wired remote, a clever handheld mic that includes buttons to stop and start recording and control the zoom. The AV port also doubles as a headphone jack.
For a consumer camera, the PV-GS400 offers very well laid-out controls. They're ergonomically positioned and large enough for real human fingers. They also display a startling lack of gimmickry. A couple of buttons select whether the Multi Manual Ring will control focus, zoom, shutter or iris -- and that's all there is to it!
Features
The heart of the Panasonic PV-GS400 is its three-chip imaging system. Each chip is 1/4.7 inch in size -- relatively large for a consumer camera -- and has a whopping megapixel of resolution, which accounts for the camera's excellent wide-screen performance and decent still-picture capabilities.
The Leica Dicomar lens offers a 12x zoom range and optical image stabilisation, which is superior to the electronic stabilisation typical in consumer cameras. (Note that the PV-GS400's optical stabilisation is misidentified in the menus as electronic, or EIS.)
It's safe to say that no camera at the PV-GS400's price point offers more or better manual controls. Focus, iris, shutter, zoom, gain, white balance and even audio levels can all be controlled quickly and directly. True, the Multi Manual Ring isn't quite as efficient as the separate controls pro cameras have for each function, but this hybrid arrangement is a world beyond that of the typical consumer camera.
Besides the manual controls, the Panasonic PV-GS400 offers several other pro features: zebra stripes (an exposure-setting aid that highlights blown-out areas), colour bars for setting up monitors and a full complement of custom image adjustments that enable the shooter to fine-tune the sharpness, colour, exposure and contrast of the image.
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Anonymous 8 March 2006
Good: Picture quality excellent
Bad: Low light performance
Comment: So far the best prosumer camera. Earlier versions had noise problems, this seems to be a thing of the past. I've been doing a lot of international travel, so the camera had been bounced around and used in a variety of weather conditions. So far no problems. Love the large view screen. Think the low light performance could be better. I like the size, easier to hold. Good battery life, I carry only one extra battery (extended life type) and rarely need to use it on a day of touring and casual travel.
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