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Panasonic PV-GS50S Digital Palmcorder MultiCam Camcorder

The name of this video camera is rather long and words. Isn't Palmcorder and camcorder redundant? One just means (I assume) a video camera that fits in your palm, the other states that it is a video camera. And what is MultiCam anyway? Nothing in the manual talked about MultiCam. I much prefer the "Digital Video Camcorder" title that is on the cover of the manual. Also, the title could probably do without the redundant word "Video", because we all know camcorder is a video capturing device.

Despite the wordiness in its name, I still think the Panasonic PV-GS50S is a very good MiniDV digital camcorder. Its small physical size is hard to beat by other similar devices on the market. It has enough manual controls to help you with cinematography. And its overall control is quite intuitive.

Mini-Review: User Manual

The PV-GS50S user manual is very thick and contains 220 pages. The manual contains is in English and French. You flip the manual over to change between the two languages. The English version has 112 pages, while the French version has 108 pages. The English manual even includes two pages of Spanish Quick Use Guide. The manual describes all of the camcorder features and usage clearly.

However, the only problem I have with the manual is that there is an "Others" section that should be part of the basic manual and not in its own section. For example, while reading about "Recording Moving Pictures (MPEG4)" on page 55, the manual will say, "For other notes, see page 89." Then I'll have to flip to page 89 while keeping one of my fingers on page 55.

I am a pretty reasonable guy, I don't mind having to do this for a few pages. But the crazy part is that the note reference is on every page. You know that the organization of the Operating Instruction manual could be improved when this symptom occurs.

Still, the manual is useful and informative. I suggest you read it if you ever decide to buy this camcorder.

Mini-Review: Model Number

I am really not sure exactly which camcorder model I got. I see at least four model references, and each one is different. The box says I bought a PV-GS50S. The label on the bottom of the camcorder says that it is a PV-GS50D. The user manual cover indicates both PV-GS50 and PV-GS50-k. I got the PV-GS50 for sure, but just don't know which variant and what's the difference between the different models.

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Panasonic PV-GS50S Digital Palmcorder MultiCam Camcorder

Mini-Review: User Manual

Mini-Review: Model Number

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