Panasonic PVDV953 MiniDV Camcorder with 3.5" LCD, 3CCD, and 16MB SD
by Panasonic

Our Price: $199.99
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details

• 3CCD MiniDV camcorder with 10x optical and 700x digital zoom with electronic image stabilization
• 800K pixel resolution on each CCD for 3.0 MP total resolution; Leica Dicomar lens
• Large 3.5-inch color, swivel LCD, cinema mode, MPEG4 video
• Saves digital stills to SD memory card; 16 MB card included
• Connects to PCs and Macs via Firewire (IEEE1394); USB transfer for stills

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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Panasonic PVDV953 MiniDV Camcorder with 3.5" LCD, 3CCD, and 16MB SD

Customer Review: 3CCDs, great optical stabilizer, and the price is right!
Summary: 5 Stars

pros:
- excellent value - 3CCDs for less than fifteen hundred bucks!
- as expected from having 3CCDs, this camcorder displays excellent video quality in good lighting.
- color reproduction is amazing - having 3CCDs definitely make a difference here.
- for a camcorder, this unit boasts high quality stills.
- built-in flash for stills.
- optical image stabilization - and it really works.
- large 3.5 inch lcd.
- top-loading tape mechanism - this means you don't have to remove your camcorder from the tripod to change tapes.
- allows a great degree of manual control.
- miniDV media is widely supported.
- great connectivity options: firewire, USB, S-video, headphone, mic input, etc.
- leica dicomar lens.
- magic pix function - allows video capture even for very low light situations (just don't expect quality footage).
- built in pop-up flash for taking photos.
- ability to record mpeg videos directly to SD card.
- the built-in mic zooms to your target in coordination with the lens.
- the price. 3CCDs at this price point is just a huge bargain.

cons:
- the accessory shoe is not a hot shoe; this means that while you can get a third party video light, the camcorder will have absolutely zero interaction with the light. contrast this with sony, which has some video lights that will even adjust light intensity automatically depending on inputs from the camcorder. with the pv953, this is not possible.
- very limited accessory list from panasonic.
- no built in video light but you can get third party lights. oddly enough, when i emailed panasonic about an optional video light, they responded that they don't make video lights for this camcorder. very strange.
- low resolution viewfinder
- below average low light recording quality.
- the included 16MB SD card is barely adequate. be prepared to shell out more money for more memory.
- lots of functions are buried in the menu system.
- it could be lighter - dimensions are 5-1/8"H x 10-5/8"W x 8-1/2"D and this unit weighs 1.7 pounds.

i have to keep coming back to what an incredible value this camcorder is. this will apply downward pressure on sony products and that can only be good for consumuers. if you're considering a camcorder in this price range, the PVDV953 should be in your short list. enjoy!

Description of Panasonic PVDV953 MiniDV Camcorder with 3.5" LCD, 3CCD, and 16MB SD

Optics
The PVDV953 utilizes a 7-element, multi-coated Leica Dicomar lens that preserves your videos and still images with a high level of detail and subtlety. The 3CCD system uses a separate CCD for the reds, greens, and blues that compose an image and delivers high-fidelity color reproduction--up to 540 lines of resolution.

The PVGS70 also utilizes quad-density pixel distribution technology, which was originally developed for broadcast-quality cameras to help maximize picture quality. It utilizes vertical and horizontal pixel shifting to yield improved clarity and performance.

The camcorder is equipped with a 10x optical zoom, and also features a 700x digital zoom that allows you to zoom in on incredible close-ups.

Digital Stills
The PhotoShot built-in digital still mode is capable of capturing crystal-clear still images of up to 2048 x 1496 pixels. The images are stored onto the included 16 MB SD memory card. These stills can then be transferred to your PC using the available USB port.

More Features
The PVDV953 offers the capability to create high-quality MPEG-4 video clips from recorded video footage, or in real-time using the camcorder as a Webcam. This allows for computer-based editing, e-mailing video clips, or uploading to Web sites. The camcorder will also double as a Webcam when connected via USB to your PC. Also included is an auto pop up flash that eliminates darkness.

Other features include:

• 3.5-inch tiltable LCD screen.
• External microphone jacks allow for professional sound recording.
• 3 megapixels.
• Built-in voice recorder.
• The IEEE-1394 (Firewire) connections provides fast loss-less digital transfer to a computer, or dubbing from or to another DV unit.
• The manual focus ring enables the cameraman to adjust the focus by hand.
• Remote control features include playback with special effects, zoom, slow motion, and audio dubbing/insert editing.

MiniDV Format
MiniDV is the preferred format for personal and broadcast-quality video, highly regarded for its high audio and image quality. With 540 lines of horizontal resolution and minimum color noise, MiniDV delivers a 20 percent clearer picture than analog camcorder formats. 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 2 full hours--20 times the capacity of a CD.

Contents
This package includes the PVDV953 camcorder, 16 MB SD memory card, AC adapter, battery pack, shoulder strap, A/V cable (mini-3 RCA), USB cable, wireless remote control, wired remote control, lens cap, and software.

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