Panasonic NV-GS60 Mini DV Digital Camcorder

I originally purchased the NV-GS27, which developed problems after 18 months. Although it was outside of the 12 month warranty, Panasonoic offered to to part-pay for the repair. Seeing the next model up (NV-GS60) on ebay and at a cheaper price than I paid for the GS27, I decided to purchase this model. Two reasons for this decision.

1). I had bought two long life battries for the GS27, which also work with the GS60 and this meant I would not waste the money on those purchases.

2). I was very happy with the GS27 as it done all I required. Both the GS27 and GS60 are considered entry-level camcorders without all the thrills and spills of the more expensive products on the market. However, if you are like me and mostly use your camcorder for holidays and that odd occasion - the GS60 is a great value buy. For it's price, it offers an amazing 30x optical zoom, which many a pro would tell you, is far more important than the digital zoom figures that are quoted by manufactures.

The camera is simple to use and most functions can be accessed via the joystick control - using the thumb. It does have manual override for a number of functions - but to be honest - the auto settings will give a favourable result. The cameras shape makes for a comfortable grip in the hand and the placement of controls - in my opinion - are well thought out.

Mini DV tape gives excellent quaility and unless you really find it a bind to carry a few tapes around with you I see no reason to opt for the more expensive hard-disk models.

The GS60 does not come with any editing software, but there are many products available on the market that perform well, without taking out a second mortgage to purchase them.

I hope you find this simple review of some use and that it helps you decide on your next camcorder purchase.

I was looking for a backup camera to my Sony camera and saw this Panasonic for sale. The price was good and I decided to get it at the'Buy now' price. I was particularly impressed with the 30x optical zoom beacuse I do a great deal of Railway filming. It's a small camera which fits into the palm of your hand which can be a disadvantage on full zoom because of camera shake, however, if you switch on the anti-shake function it gives a very stable image.Take care when using this function as if the subject being filmed is moving the camera constantly tries to lock in the ant-shake and gives a slightly juddery feel to the image. The pull out viewfinder is excellent even in bright sunshine. The battery supplied with these cameras has a very short usage time and for around £12 you can get a replacement off Ebay that will last for days! Overall a great little camera that gives excellent results at a very affordable price.

I recently bought this model on E Bay and I am delighted with it. It's a small well balanced camera that is very responsive and easy to use. The 30x optical zoom is excellent but make sure that the ant-shake function is switched on. This will give you a stability that will match a tripod!There is also a wind filter which is very effective shooting outdoors. The other good point worth note is that the Pull out LCD screen is very good even under bright sunlight.
So look out for a bargain and you wont be disappointed.

A great little camera - very easy to use and good quality imaging, buy the DV firewire cable and life's a breeze. Recommend you buy one, especially if its your first venture with video! It lacks a backlight filter and a spare battery would be advantageous!

For the money this camcorder is a good choice. I was going to buy a hard disc camcorder and save to my computer, copying to dvd when required. However, this Panasonic mini dv gives a much better picture quality than any hard disc camcorder in the same price range. It is compact and easy to use. The performance is great for an entry level camcorder.
On the minus side the instruction manual is poor. It is sometimes written in broken English and is far from clear in places. It also comes without a single mini dv tape so it is hardly ready to use. However, these are just niggles rather than factors that would stop you buying this product. On the whole it is a product that I could recommend but try to get it demonstrated before you buy if you want to avoid the perils of the rather pathetic manual.