[MW Forums]

The Panasonic PV-GS300 MiniDV is a great choice for shooters who don’t mind spending a little extra for quality, but who don’t want to lay out a lot of cash for a high-end camera. more

[Machound]

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The Panasonic PV-GS300 is a great choice for shooters who dont mind spending a little extra for quality, but who dont want to lay out a lot of cash for a high-end camera such as the PV-GS500.

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I don't know that the GS500 is really a high-end camera. Without a number of favorite features of the GS400 it seems squarely targeted at consumers, not prosumers. With street prices on the GS500 now around $650 it certainly seems a fair value for a 1/4" 3CCD array cam, though many buyers may be tempted to wait a few months until the HiDef camcorders receive OIS lenses and get a few more of the bugs worked out. Also there's the question of HDV versus AVCHD format, MiniDV tapes versus hard drives, the much anticipated announcement of Panasonic's HD cam, etc.
This is certainly a difficult time to be selling standard definition camcorders to prosumers and enthusiasts. SD seems headed for the low end market sooner than later.