Panasonic PVDV52 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/ 2.5" Color LCD
by Panasonic

List Price: $499.99
Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details

• MiniDV camcorder
• 10x optical, 700x digital, zoom with digital image stabilization
• 2.5 inch color LCD monitor and black and white viewfinder
• Features digital still mode
• IEEE1394 port for easy video transfer

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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Panasonic PVDV52 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/ 2.5" Color LCD

Customer Review: A great value on a solid, no-nonsense Digital Camcorder
Summary: 5 Stars

For example:
* If you want digital video editing, buy a good PC/Mac kit like Pinnacle Studio 7(includes 1394 card and user friendly software) and get real movie making capability like background music, sounds, transitions, titles and more.
* If you want a digital still camera, take the money you save here and go buy a real 2-3-mega-pixel camera, don't settle for the .5 -.7 mega pixel you might get with a... camcorder that will only produce a small (3x5) quality digital still.
Note: Generally speaking a digital camera produces quality stills in correlation with it's mega-pixel rating.
1 mega-pixel = 3x5
2 mega-pixel = 5x7
3 mega-pixel = 8x10
and so on...

*If you still want digital still capability on your camcorder look at the CCD rating and compare it to this correlation chart, to see the quality/size you can expect. This camera is considered a (.7MP) which will only produce quality digital stills from 1x3 up to 3x5.
For most folks, It is probably more important that a camcorder takes great video - in all conditions and is easy to use.
At these very basic functions the PVDV52 is quite strong.

PROS:
- Might not sound impressive but 680,000 pixel (.7 MP) resolution makes for great video (significantly higher resolution than many similarly price camcorders).
- Solid features: 12/16 bit sound, (EIS)image stabilization, 1394 firewire transfer, external headphone jack & good microphone pickup.
- Good in lowlight recording(one of the best feature sets you will find in a low-end camcorder) - They include: Auto digital lowlight enhancement, dark subject backlight & a external lamp for limited nightime recording (good up to 10 feet).
- Top feed tape: allows you to keep the camera on the tripod, while changing the tape (I challenge you to do that with current bottom feed cameras).
- Separate battery charger: allows you to charge the battery independent of the camera.
- Great quality and value: Panasonic holds 7 of the top 10 spots in Consumer Reports Digital Camcorder ratings for quality, value & reliability.

CONS:
- 10x Optical Zoom is a bit wimpy, though it is on par with most cameras in it's price range. It does however pale in comparison to Sony's 20-25x optical zoom.
- A few extra jacks would have been useful. It does not include: an external microphone jack or auxillary video/audo in or an S-video out (all useful otions).
- You cannot using lowlight recording feature AND image stabilization feature at the same time (a bummer for handheld lowlight recording - if this is important to you, it could be a significant deficiency).

# This a Great Camera for: Folks who want to pay for strong video capability and not all the extras - who want to record at length on a tripod without taking the camera off the tripod to change tapes - Who want significant lowlight recording capability - Who want a very small and light affordable video solution.

# Not such a Great Camera for: Folks who want hot shoe capability (for add on accessories like better microphones and lights)- Don't care about taking the camera off the tripod to change tapes - Want a digital still/memory stick capability (no matter how poor the image quality). Want extended optical zoom capability (beyond 10x)- Want image stabilization AND lowlight recording capability simultaneously.
**For folks in this category you might checkout the Sony TRV340(though it is only .5MP)**

* Note: The PVDV52 will take a digital still but:
1. It is recorded to the tape and not easy to locate for retrieval.
2. The image quality is nowhere near what a standard digital still camera can produce.

Description of Panasonic PVDV52 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/ 2.5" Color LCD

Although its 10x optical zoom is lower than other camcorders, it still provides a close-up image for average recording, and a hefty 700x digital zoom capability as well. The image stabilization feature of the PV-DV52 worked well, keeping our frame steady even during one-handed filming.

The PV-DV52 will capture still images as well, but only at 640 x 480 resolution. It also stores images to tape, which sometimes makes them difficult to locate in order to transfer them to PC.

Speaking of transferring, you'll need a FireWire port to move video and stills over at high speed, as the camera doesn't include USB connectivity. It does offer a serial connection, but that is only for transferring still images, as moving video via a serial connection would be akin to draining a lake with a stirring straw.

Some of Panasonic's more expensive MiniDV camcorders offer a 3.5-inch LCD, but the 2.5-inch color LCD of the PV-DV52 proved large enough for average use. The PV-DV52 also offers some nice features for low-light recording (although not for no-light recording), including the MagicPix digital enhancement mode and a built-in light with a 10-foot range.

Tapes eject from the top of the PV-DV52, allowing you to keep the camera on an optional tripod when popping in a new tape. And the battery--which lasted a little over an hour--charges separately from the camera, which makes it easier to have a backup fully charged.

For the price, the Panasonic PV-DV52 allows for high-quality video recording without requiring a big investment. It's a great starter camcorder for a family on a budget. --J. Curtis

Pros:

• Light and compact
• Sharp video image
• Inexpensive

Cons:

• No storage card for stills
• Lower optical zoom

Lens
With an optical zoom magnification of 10x, the DV52 also has a digital zoom, which works by electronically enhancing the optical image, and can magnify the picture up to 700 times. The digital image stabilization system keeps the picture steady and solid throughout zooms and camera shakes.

Digital Stills
The camcorder has a mode called progressive photo shoot, so that images captured will not have the jagged lines of interlaced video and instead come out clear and undistorted.

Inputs and Outputs
The DC252 comes with the standard DV IEEE 1394 port (also known as FireWire) for a super-fast, lossless connection to a PC or other DV machines. RCA connections are used for direct viewing on a television or VHS dubbing.

MiniDV Format
MiniDV digital technology delivers clear, sharp video with up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution--far superior to the 240 lines of resolution offered by 8mm camcorders. You'll also get minimal color noise interference for a more stable picture.

Using Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) technology, Panasonic's MiniDV camcorders provide pristine sound. Choose from 12-bit or 16-bit audio recording modes.

• 16-bit audio includes a set of stereo audio tracks to produce CD-quality sound.
• 12-bit audio utilizes two sets of audio tracks so you can easily add background music or commentary into your videos while maintaining the existing soundtrack.

This is all delivered on a cassette that's 1/12th the size of a standard VHS tape. A MiniDV tape offers digital recording time of two full hours--20 times the capacity of a CD.

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