I Review Electronics

Overall Rating
Design
Features
Performance

Panasonic PV-GS400 Introduction

The PV-GS400 is a great camcorder which produces truly stunning video both in normal and low light. In addition to its excellent image, the PV-GS400 offers a great four-way hybrid ring for controlling focus, zoom, shutter and iris. When you throw in additional manual control, audio control, a great zoom controller and 4 Mega Pixel stills, the PV-GS400 offers better value than any other consumer camcorder on the market today.

Panasonic PV-GS400 Design

The Panasonic PV-GS400 has the classic Handycam-style layout and a high-quality metallic-silver finish. It measures 3 inches high, 3 inches wide, and 7 inches deep and weighs 1.5 pounds. The Panasonic PV-GS400 offers the usual assortment of ports: composite A/V 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 A/V port also doubles as a headphone jack.

Panasonic PV-GS400 Features

12x optical zoom with optical stabalizer.
700x digital zoom
Allows manual controls over these features: Focus, exposure, shutter speed, aperture, white balance, mic sensitivity
Leica Dicomar lens
Tape Format: MiniDV
Still Photo Resolution: 2288 x 1728 pixels
LCD Features: The Panasonic PV-GS400 is equipped with a 3.5 inch LCD, larger than previous Panasonic GS models. The LCD screen can be rotated 180 degrees.
The GS-400′s viewfinder can also be extended and angled about 45 degrees. A dioptric adjustment slider is located on the underside of the viewfinder.

Panasonic PV-GS400 Performance

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.

What’s included in the package

* Panasonic PV-GS400 MiniDV camcorder
* CGA-DU14 li-ion battery
* AC Adapter / Battery charger
* Wired and wireless remote controls
* Lens cap w/retaining strap
* Shoulder strap
* A/V cable
* USB cable
* CD-ROMs with MotionDV Studio, SD Viewer, USB and Video Stream drivers, and ArcSoft PhotoSuite
* 101 page manual

Conclusion

This camera is great, the only negative feature found is it’s relatively short battery life. The small battery may only last about an hour of actual usage. The MSRP of this Panasonic PV GS400 is $1,499 however the street price is at about a thousand dollars at this moment.

Overall Rating
Design
Features
Performance

Linksys Compact Wireless G Internet Video Camera Introduction

A new product that’s hot in the market right now is Linksys’ wireless-g IP camera. With its’ compact design and sleek look it’s no surprise this $100 IP camera is gaining popularity. The Linksys wireless-g camera sends high-quality live video to your network wirelessly – viewable from Windows PCs anywhere in the world. The security mode can be enabled which will automatically send email alerts with video clips upon motion detection and supports up to four simultaneous remote users.

Linksys Compact Wireless G Internet Video Camera Details

Product Weight: 2.0 pounds
Item model number: WVC54GC

Linksys Compact Wireless G Internet Video Camera Features

The Linksys Compact Wireless-G Internet Video Camera sends live video through the Internet to a web browser anywhere in the world. This compact, self-contained unit lets you keep track of your home, your kids or your workplace. Unlike standard web cams that require an attached PC, this Linksys IP Internet Video Camera contains its own web server, so it can connect directly to a network, either over Wireless-G (802.11g) networking, or over 10/100 Ethernet cable. The SoloLink domain service (trial sign-up included) lets you access your camera using an easy-to-remember “name”, even if your home Internet connection uses a dynamic IP address. You can also turn on Security Mode, which tells the camera to send a message with a short video attached to up to three email addresses whenever it detects motion in its field of view. You can then log onto the live video stream if the situation warrants. The included Viewer & Recorder utility lets you record the audio/video stream to your local hard drive, “live” or on a pre-determined schedule.

Linksys Compact Wireless G Internet Video Camera Performance

The advanced MPEG-4 video compression produces a high-quality, high-frame rate, up to 320×240 video stream. The Compact Internet Video Camera’s unique form-factor and wireless connectivity allows you to mount it on a wall nearly anywhere, or slip it into its included stand for desktop use. Once it’s connected to your home network, you can “see what it sees” from any Windows-based PC in the house, while the video stream is secured from the outside world, hidden behind your Router. If you want the video to be visible from outside your home network, you can open an appropriate port on the Router, and then create password protected accounts to manage access to the camera, or leave it wide open for the world to see.

What’s included in the package

Compact Wireless-G Internet Video Camera
Camera Stand/Wall Mount
Power Adapter
Ethernet Network Cable
Setup CD-ROM with User Guide
User Guide on CD

Conclusion

Several users of this security camera have complained about the dark resolution in low-light conditions. Other complaints are that the product gets extremely hot – so hiding it in a box wouldn’t be a good idea. Finally, some buyers of this product could not connect it to their WEP-enabled wireless network. For these reasons, I Review Electronics cannot recommend this Linksys Wireless-G Internet Video Camera.

Overall Rating
Design
Features
Performance

Canon ZR300 MiniDV Camcorder Introduction
Canon’s ZR-300 MiniDV combines advanced technology and ease of use to ensure that videos and photos are preserved with spectacular color, clarity and detail. This camcorder doubles as a still camera, and with Microsoft Messenger, also works as a Web cam. Convert your analog video to digital by recording it onto a MiniDV tape, or connecting the camcorder to a PC with the USB or DV port.

Canon ZR300 MiniDV Camcorder Design
Device Type: Digital
Weight: 15.2 oz
Media Compatibility: Mini DV
Viewfinder: 0.33-in TFT Color
Optical Zoom: 22x
Digital Zoom: 440x
Focus Adjustment: Automatic, Manual
Microphone: Electret Condenser – Stereo
Display: 2.4-in Color TFT

Canon ZR300 MiniDV Camcorder Features
The ZR300 camcorder can record high-resolution 16:9 video. Unlike camcorders which only record a vertically stretched picture, Canon’s ZR300 uses the full width of the CCD, filling the entire screen with crisp, high-quality images. For added convenience, the LCD screen shows the image in letterbox style, so you know exactly how your image will appear on TV. The ZR300 22x optical zoom lens delivers superb definition and contrast, taking full advantage of the DV format. The camcorder has a 440x digital zoom, extending the camcorder’s magnification, which reveals details too small to see with the naked eye. The high quality image stabilization system corrects camera shake instantly, giving you smooth, stable pictures. It enables you to record shake-free images, even on long telephoto shots without a tripod.

Canon ZR300 MiniDV Camcorder Performance
Now you don’t have to miss out on capturing the perfect photo while shooting the perfect video. That’s because the ZR300 has the ability to take high-resolution XGA quality (1024 x 768 pixel) digital photos onto a memory card while recording video. The secret behind Canon’s renowned video and photo image quality is the DIGIC DV system. DIGIC DV utilizes two different color techniques to maximize video quality for viewing on TVs and still image quality for print or computer display.

Whats included in the package
ZR300 Camcorder, Battery Pack , Compact Power Adapter, Stereo Video Cable, Wide Angle Lens Attachment, Wireless Controller, 8MB SD Memory Card, USB Cable, DIGITAL VIDEO SOLUTION DISK for Windows, DIGITAL VIDEO SOLUTION DISK for Macintosh.

Conclusion
The ZR300 camcorder is the ideal choice for chronicling the many chapters of your life.

Overall Rating
Design
Features
Performance

JVC Everio GZ-MG70 Introduction

What an innovative idea. Put a 30GB hard drive inside a digital video camera! No more worrying about running out of tape or filling up your flash memory card while capturing video or images! That’s exactly what JVC has done with their Everio GZ-MG70 digital media camera. With the ability to capture both still and video images.

JVC Everio GZ-MG70 Design

The GZ-MG70 has a 30 GB hard disk, is truly palm-sized, and weighs less than 14 ounces with the battery attached. Its design is similar to a MiniDV camcorders, which means that it’s comfortable to hold and operate, and it includes a large, 2.5-inch flip-out LCD monitor for easy recording. Playback is easy, too, with multiple connections allowing convenient TV playback; dubbing to a VCR or DVD recorder; transfer to a PC or Apple Macintosh for DVD creation, editing, or posting on the Internet; or even burning directly without a PC to a full-length movie DVD disc using an optional DVD burner.

JVC Everio GZ-MG70 Features

12 megapixel CCD for high-quality digital stills of up to uXGA (1600×1200) image size
Over 7 hours of recording with 30GB internal hard disk drive (ultra mode) at DVD movie quality
Up to 37 hours of recording with 30GB internal hard disk drive (eco mode)
High-quality MPEG-2-ps video recording
4 selectable digital still image sizes (1600×1200, 1280×960, 1024×768, 640×480)
Info button for one-touch confirmation of free hard disk drive space and remaining battery power.
10x optical zoom
200x digital zoom
2.5-inch amorphous silicon color LCD

JVC Everio GZ-MG70 Performance

When you are on the go, vacationing or at a family event, pack your lightweight Everio and go. Long recording time and easy to use features in a palm-sized device, plus no cassettes or discs to lose. The built-in hard disk drive allows you to easily delete unwanted scenes and rearrange your footage even on the go. This Everio’s multi-connectivity allows you to get connected and share all your memories.

Whats included in the package

Everio GZ-MG70, AC power adapter/battery charger, rechargeable battery pack (BN-VF707, 700mAh), AV cable, USB cable, remote control, shoulder strap, grip belt, lens cap, software CD-ROM (USB driver, Digital Photo Navigator: Windows, CyberLink DVD Solution: Windows, PIXELA Capty MPEG Edit EX: Mac).

Conclusion

The advantages of hard drive recording include long record time, no media costs, direct access to desired scenes, easy deletion of unwanted scenes, no risk of accidentally recording over (and erasing) a desired scene, and simple in-camera rearranging of scene sequence. In addition, the Everio GZ-MG70 camcorder is extremely light.

Overall Rating
Design
Features
Performance

Sony HDR-HC1 MiniDV Camcorder Review Introduction

Sony introduces the world’s smallest and lightest high definition consumer camcorder with full HD resolution based on HDV 1080i, the Sony Handycam HDR-HC1. The ultra-compact HDR-HC1 Handycam camcorder delivers high-definition picture quality and lighting detail on both video and digital still images.

Sony HDR-HC1 MiniDV Camcorder Design

The ultra-compact HDR-HC1 Handycam camcorder fits comfortably in your hand.
Dimensions (W x H x D): 2 7/8″ x 3 3/4″ x 7 1/2″ (71 x 94 x 88mm).
Weight: 1 lb 7 oz (without tape or battery)

Sony HDR-HC1 MiniDV Camcorder Features

Sony’s HDR-HC1 Handycam is an incredibly small, lightweight digital camcorder that still fits all the tools and features you need. This ultra-compact device fits comfortably in your hand, while delivering the best in image quality, control and connectivity.
It features:
1080i high definition video recording and playback
1/3″ CMOS sensor with the Enhanced Imaging Processor
Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with 10x optical and 120x digital zoom
2.7″ wide (16:9) hybrid touch panel Swivel screen LCD display
Super Steady shot Stabilization

Sony HDR-HC1 MiniDV Camcorder Performance

The HDR-HC1 also features a 2.7-inch wide hybrid, touch-panel LCD screen to access menu options. You can switch between 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios (in DV mode) to see exactly how your content will be viewed on television. Other convenient features include fully automatic controls, a built-in microphone for audio quality, an intelligent pop-up flash, and Super SteadyShot image stabilization. You can even record your own high definition video in complete darkness with Sony’s Super NightShot Infrared System, which adds the greatest amount of range and detail to your images in low- to no-light conditions.

What’s included in the package

Supplied Accessories: Power Adaptor. In Camera Charger (AC-L15), InfoLithium Rechargeable Battery (NP-FM50), Wireless Remote Commander Remote Control (RMT-831), Lens Hood, Lens Cap, A/V Cable, Component Video Cable, USB Cable, Shoulder Strap, Memory Stick Duo Media – 16MB.

Conclusion

The 1/3-inch CMOS sensor provides stunning detail and clarity with exceptional video (up to 530 lines of horizontal resolution in SD Mode) and still image performance. Unlike traditional CCD imagers, CMOS sensors require less power,
providing better battery performance. Sony’s HDR-HC1 camcorder is the industry’s smallest and lightest HDV1080i consumer level camcorder and player. Now you can record all your memories in true high-definition video. The HDR-HC1 is capable of recording and playing back both high definition and standard definition video recorded on a standard MiniDV cassette.