Panasonic NV-GS230 Camcorder Review
Panasonic is one of the leading manufactures of camcorders with over seven of their models in the best selling lists. The model, Panasonic NV-GS230 is one among them. This light weighing camcorder is one of the best Mini-DV Camcorders with an extremely good video quality.
Unbeatable pricing:
At the times when the quality of the camcorders were usually determined by their cost, where the quality was supposed to be directly proportional to its cost, the Panasonic team were the people who showed that quality camcorders can also be produced for less cost. The Panasonic NV-GS230 Camcorder fits into this characteristic of theirs.
Built:
The NV-GS230 Mini DV Camcorder has a classy look weighing just 460grams. With the low weight, you might be wondering about the number of CCDs. Despite its lightweight, Panasonic has incorporated three CCDs which are small enough to complement the weight. Each CCD is 1/6 inches with 800,000 pixels. The 2.3megapixel camera can produce still images of resolution 1760X1320 pixels.
As we said earlier the features of Panasonic NV-GS230 3CCD Camcorder is not proportionate to its cost. It has a lot to provide for the video lovers. Both the headphone and the microphone minijacks go with the standard accessory shoe. The top loading of the tapes is also possible which eases your job of changing the tapes, which otherwise demands you to unscrew the cam from the tripod.
The LCD panel does a great job by compensating the absence of a built-in video light. The toggle 0 Lux night mode does a good job at the low light areas, but it is the slow shutter speed that makes the frame rate jerky.
The USB port can not only be used to access the contents of the SD card but can also be helpful in using the NV-GS230 as a webcam or for capturing DV on a PC.
In short, the interfaces include AV Output Out (AV 4P), Microphone (stereo mini), Headphones HP Out or AV Out, USB 2.0 High-Speed (mini B), DV Input/Output (IEEE1394) Out and an Accessory Shoe Cold.
Image functionalities:
The image quality is extremely good which is achieved via great colour definition and lighting. With enhanced sharp images and reduced noises, the video is a treat. But when it comes to the lowlight areas, the performance of Panasonic NV-GS230 Digital Camcorder was not that satisfying with a lot of colour information lost and more evidence of grains. But then, considering its cost, it does a very decent job. Though the 16:9 widescreen LCD is not available, like most of the other camcorders that are currently available in the market, Panasonic NV-GS230 can shoot in both the widescreen and the standard 4:3 mode with the 4:3 screen.
Image stabilisation is done optically. The absence of built-in lens cover might be disappointing; the traditional protective can be used though. By opting for an appropriate mode and with the help of the soft skinned joystick, manual focusing can be done. Talking about the joystick, though it is a little fiddly, it does its job with some interesting features too like, Tele-macro, night view and digital fade effect. The digital fade effect technology has been incorporated for those who fancy in-camera editing.
Generosity exhibited in manual mode:
Panasonic NV-GS230 Digital Video Camcorder becomes extremely generous when switched to the completely manual mode. Both automatic and manual options are available for white balance which includes two presets for indoor and outdoor. The NV-GS230 also allows you to make a lot of adjustments like the shutter speed and iris. The shutter speed can be adjusted from 1/50th to 1/800th of a second and that of the iris from F/16 to F1.8 allowing 18DB of video gain. This list further extends to the level that separate configuration can be made for the shutter and exposure options.
Going through the menu, we can find a lot of the other features that are available on NV-GS230. It provides you options for five modes such as, sports, portrait, lowlight, spot light, and surf & snow. An x10 optical zoom is available which is not a lot but then sufficient enough for a good video shoot. Another interesting feature is the zoom mic which adjusts itself to the video zoom and the sound recording is done in the same distance as the video is done. The wind cut feature is also available which as the name indicates, reduces the unwanted effects created by the wind noise. An external mic attachment is also available for you to have a better audio but the built-in mic as such does a good job.
Storage and firewire:
Panasonic NV-GS230 has a built-in SD-memory card slot for extra storage. As any other camcorder, the NV-GS230 also sports a firewire port which enables you to work with any firewired equipment, but unfortunately you will not be able to record your edits back to tape. Though the S-video is built-in, the analogue video ports are output only. This might have been a cut down keeping the taxes in mind which apply on including these features.
Battery and accessories:
Panasonic NV-GS230 has a reasonable battery life of an hour and eighteen minutes of shooting on a single charge. The box content of the camcorder includes an AC Adaptor 1Battery Charge Type, Battery Pack Lithium-Ion, AV Cable AV 4pin, IR Remote, Lens Cap, PC Cable USB and a CD-ROM SweetMovieLife 1.0E MotionDV STUDIO 5.6E LE for DV.
Verdict:
Panasonic NV-GS230 comes with a lot of great features for less than quarter of a grand which is simply unbelievable. Though there are performance issues with the lowlight areas and firewire input, NV-GS230 does a great job with its manual and audio connectivity features. The MiniDV model might have just been replaced by the high definition models, yet for those who are still willing to fit into this kind of budget and reluctant to move into the hi-def models, Panasonic NV-GS230 is a wise choice.
Panasonic NV-GS230 Mini DV Camcorder – Technical Specifications, Features
| GENERAL | |
| Model Name | NV-GS230 |
| Manufacturer | Panasonic |
| Camcorder type | MiniDV |
| Dimensions W x H x D | 71.0x 72.5 x 122.9 mm |
| Weight | 410g |
| Colour | Black, metallic silver |
| Monitor | 2.5 Inch LCD (123k pixels) |
| LENS DETAILS | |
| Image sensor | 1/6inch CCD x 3 (800 K x 3 pixels) |
| F value | Wide: F1.8 Tele: F2.8 |
| Zoom | 10x Variable Speed Zoom |
| Focal length | 2.45mm – 24.5 mm |
| Filter disclaimer | 37mm |
| 35mm film camera equivalent | Moving picture : 47.1 – 471 mm (4:3) Still picture : 41.1 – 411mm (4:3) |
| Lens brand | Panasonic |
| CAMERA DETAILS | |
| Minimum illumination | 1lux (color night view) |
| Focus | AF |
| Scene modes | Sports Portrait Lowlight spot light surf & snow |
| Backlight | Yes |
| EVF | 0.33inches Colour(113k pixels) |
| Digital zoom | 10x – 500x |
| LCD panel light | Yes |
| Webcam function | JPEG 320×240 approx. 6 fps |
| Still image size | 1760 x 1320 2.3MEGA or 1280 x 960 1.0 MEGA or 640 x 480 0.3MEGA |
| CARD DETAILS | |
| Card slot | SD |
| DPOF max | 999 stills |
| PictBridge | Yes |
| RECORDING DETAILS | |
| Recording format | DVC-SD |
| Recording mode | SP/LP |
| Playback mode | SP/LP |
| Variable speed search | 20x Speed |
| Audio recording system | PCM 12bit 4ch/ 16bit 2ch |
| Audio dubbing | Yes |
| Microphone | Stereo Zoom Mic Wind Noise Reduction |
| Counter time code | Yes |
| Media remaining indication | Yes |
| Counter time code | Yes |
| PRODUCT SPECIFICS | 3CCD Camera System 10x Optical Zoom 2.5 Inch LCD Web Camera Function Electric Image Stabilizer 2.3 Megapixel Still Picture recording Crystal Engine USB 2.0 (HS Mode) |
| Battery | Lithium ion battery |
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