Panasonic PV-GS80 MiniDV Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
The Panasonic PV-GS80 is another budget Camcorder that is relatively easy on your wallet with smooth controls.
Specs:
• Features 32x optical zoom
• Pure Color Engine
• Large 2.7-inch widescreen LCD
• One-Touch Navigation for easy, intuitive setting and shooting
• Web Camera function
Budget camcorders are designed to be no-frills, affordable products to be picked up for only a few hundred dollars. The GS80 design is chunky at best making it indistinguishable from the crowd of budget MiniDV camcorders. It comes with a simple control system and the menu is navigable with a handy joystick. It offers few impressive features; the camcorder scores some minor points for recording higher-resolution wide-screen video. Panasonic prides itself in its use of Leica lenses in the majority of its digital imaging products, so the GS80's unbranded lens secures its place at the bottom of Panasonic's camcorder food chain.
For a budget camcorder, the GS80 produces rather nice video. Colors looked neutral and accurate, and footage was relatively clean and free of grain, but not suitable for viewing on large, HD TV’s, of course. Finally, the GS80 failed at recording low-light video.
All in all, the Panasonic PV-GS80 is a decent budget camcorder in its own right, but you could get a much better camera for the same or just slightly higher price like the Canon ZR850.
