Panasonic PVDV51 MiniDV Digital Camcorder

This camera stands out because the video quality is great, while unneeded features are left off. I don't need a color viewfinder--or a color LCD for that matter, even though this camera comes with one. I want to be able to aim it, that's all. I have a nice Olympus digital camera I bought on Amazon last year that takes PERFECT pictures and I don't need an inferior "still mode" which is commonly included with lots of these digital VIDEO cameras. Mercifully, Panasonic made the effort to make a camera for the real, practical world which does not force me to pay for a high-end digital camera and media capability that I do not need at all. The 2.5 inch color LCD is even too much in my opinion! I LOVE that this camera takes such good video and has an excellent zoom capability the most. That's all I really need!

I purchased eight of these cameras last July 02 and they have been a huge disappointment. I have many of the precursors to this model, the pvdv-101. There are two issues with the Pvdv-51. Out of eight cameras, three of them had case breaks in the exact same spot, just where the hand strap connects to the rear section of the camera. I am a teacher and use these in a high school setting. With the first camera break, I blamed student negligence. However with the third that happened (in my hand!) it's clear to me that there is an engineering fault. I suspect the grade of plastic used isn't strong enough but that's only speculation.

The second major problem has to do with the video heads. From the first week of use, these cameras have been plagued with head clogs. I use only Sony Premium tapes (do not mix brands). Again, I have other Panasonic cameras that I use and they do not have these problems. The dry erase tapes will work for most clogs though sometimes the tape has to be run through many many times to clear the problem. Some clogs have not been fixable and are waiting to go out to have their heads "professionally" cleaned.



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Finally, Panasonic's customer relations has been poor with this issue. I have had no success on the phone or in print resolving my problem and will be switching to another similarly priced camera when replacing these models. I've been testing a Canon ZR-60 and am pleased with it's performance. This camera also has an external mic input which the Pan does not.

Over the years, I've invested more than 100 grand in equipment in Panasonic and this is my first major disappointment.

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The PV-DV51 has pretty good picture quality, but the built in mic is pretty (bad), no mic jack either. Menu button is almost impossible to access during use if you have normal-sized fingers. Good cheap digital cam but I'm returning mine to get a Canon

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As a beginner of camcording, I reviewed all the many cameras on the market and decided to purchase this one for its ease of use, size for traveling, and clarity of recording. I have never owned a camcorder and after one day of testing, I feel very comfortable at recording and playback. Actually, I take it everywhere and having a wonderful time using it. The only drawback is you cannot download to a PC. However, I have ordered a cable and software from Pinnacle to solve this problem. I highly recommend this product, if you are a first time user and you want great pictures with minimal experience.

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I just got my PV-51 out of storage to shot some video off the end of a runway while I was landing and taking off. I had forgotten what nice video it takes, even when

compared to a non-tape HD cam. The only issues I have with this camera are the forementioned weak strap attachment. I had to send mine back to the factory within a year when the front tab snapped off.

The second issue is that the jog switch, probably the most important part of the camera control, isn't working. You can get the menus, but the push the wheel to set them function is gone. What you see is what you get now. There is just too much function to put in one little switch, so I'm not surprised that the jog button failed.

Other than that, it takes easy to find batteries and with 3600 mah or higher batteries you will run out of tape before the battery. I took mine to Oshkosh

a few times and two batteries and three tapes got me through the event at EAA. It's a little out of date now, but if you find one that works, it's a good

second cam for set and forget sort of filming.