Panasonic PV-GS150 2.3 MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

A solid camera with no bells and whistles beyond it's ability to use flash media as well as digital cassettes. For basic video capture, this camera fits the bill.

Total desaster. I took it to Chile. When I turn it on it showed a message "Push the reset button". That's the only thing the screen has ever showed. It doesn't work at all. The cassette tray doesn't come out. Trash.

Camera works great, however half of the a/c adapter was not included. Probably an oversight and fortunately I found one in my scrap pile. Fast shipping and fair price.

The camcorder offers outstanding video quality (at its price level)in adequate lighting condition. I had a chance to compare it to Cannon Opture 500. I think GS150 produces better color than Opeture does, due largely to 3ccd, but makes slightly more noise in low light settings.I like the joystick, which makes the control panel look clean and simple.However, there are a few things I am not happy with.1. Generally, EIS does not improve much from GS120. Without a tripod, you still need to hold your breath if you want to get really stable video.2. There is no EIS in widescreen mode.3. Again, low light performance is not satisfactory.So, if you do most of your shooting outdoor and are confident on your "stability skills," this is a great camcorder to buy.

This is one of those reviews I skip over. I bought one of these as my first video camera and I must have received a bad one. I didn't know it, though, having never worked with video all that much.I got it in late June and started shooting and trying to learn the camera. As another reviewer stated, the manual is almost a complete waste. Whenever they used the phrase "Taking pictures" I never knew if they meant with the still shot mode, or shooting video - or both! I finally decided they meant both.Anyway, my camera took video, but it's *always* been grainy and splotchy. I didn't know any better. I assumed user-error. But I've checked, doubled checked and finally learned enough to realize that it's not user error, it's the camera. I am taking test video in beautiful sunny daylight of still moving objects and it's hard to watch.Unfortunately, it took me too long to realize this as it's no longer covered under the labor warranty! which is the real reason I write this.Panasonic has, by far, the worst warranty of any company I've dealt with. 3 months labor. 1 year parts. So my unit is almost 6 months old and it's going to cost me 161 dollars just for them to service it. That's almost 1/3 of the cost of the unit. Oh, but parts are free. Thank god! *sigh*I have ended up liking the camera. Fits well in my hand. Controls are easy to access and switch between different modes. And I assume the quality of image is good on working cameras. I just have to give it the low rating based on the company that makes it. Poor, if not worthless customer service and completely worthless warranty on a complex product.So my advice - buy the extended warranty or you're just taking a big risk. This is the second Panasonic product that I've had an experience like this. Last time was a 75 dollar dvd player - busted in 5 months and 80 dollars to fix - "under warranty"!

I love this kind of camcorder. It is very easy to use and it has a very good video quality, but the snapshot are not so good (2.3 MP); it is not a problem for me, I used the camcorder only for video recording.

I really enjoy my Panasonic power tools. They are (surprisingly) the best. I can't say as much for the camcorders. ...First, this "3CCD" thing is a joke! Panasonic puts the tiniest CCD chips - which feel like grains of sand when you actually view the footage - into their camcorders and hype it as something better. I've seen Panasonic camcorders with a SINGLE CCD chip provide much better color-rendering and contrast than the (so-called) "3CCD" models. That's a side-by-side comparison of camcorders from the same company!Second, I had my PV-GS150 for about a year, and it took passable footage (in spite of the poor color rendering and contrast). Then, suddenly, the focus went haywire. Both the "auto-focus" and the manual focus no longer hold. The image blurs in and out of focus. This is not an isolated experience, either. Check the online experiences of others and you will find this issue mentioned. The camcorder becomes useless and the "support" charges $261 (flat rate) to fix any hardware issue that is more than a year old! So, now I have a camcorder that is barely 15 months old and can't be used because the focus won't hold in either mode. ... anyone interested in buying lenses and filters, camera bag, and accessories?!? ... because at least $300 of my investment just became junk!!

This is a great camera for anyone. This is a low budget camera with large budget capabilities. I am impressed with this camera and its features. For a consumer level camera, the GS-150 offers important manual features for those who want more control of the shot.