The Panasonic PV GS500 MiniDV offers a balance of automatic and manual features to better address the needs of the videographer. The menus may be cumbersome, but with patience and dexterity you will be able to achieve better control over your filming.

The three CCDs are a standout feature of the Panasonic PV GS500 Mini giving it exceptional widescreen performance. The 16:9 LCD screen accurately displays both widescreen and regular (4:3) footage and can be adjusted to compensate for shooting in bright light. The Leica Dicomar lens with 12x zoom and image stabilization assure quality in both video and still images. Panasonic offers its own branded features in the PV GS500 like TeleMacro for close-ups, SoftSkin to erase wrinkles, and a Pro Cinema mode to mimic 35mm film quality, which may appeal for both their novelty and usefulness.

Consumers compliment the Panasonic PV GS500 for its image quality and ease of use, calling it a camcorder that inspires confidence, a good thing for beginners and experienced videographers. Experts note it is the perfect camera for more sophisticated users who want to shoot in automatic mode. Manual adjustments can be challenging.

The Panasonic PV GS500 MiniDV camcorder may take practice to master all of its features, but it will be time worth spent. Meanwhile, point and shoot, the consensus is you’ll be more than pleased with the results.