The PV-GS320 certainly delivers top quality video for an affordable price, but considering it is Panasonic's top of the range MiniDV camcorder we expected more in the way of features and manual controls. The PV-GS320 is an updated version of last year's PV-GS300. It offers three separate 1/6-inch 800K CCD sensors and a Leica Dicomar lens with 10x optical zoom capability. The excellent optical image stabilization system does an impressive job at controlling shakes during handheld shooting, even when employing the zoom.

The video quality is uniformly excellent, especially when you consider the PV-GS320 is now priced at less than $500. The DV camcorder renders an impressive level of detail and delivers colors that are beautifully saturated. Even in less than perfect lighting conditions, the PV-GS320 captures superior quality images, maintaining good color saturation while keeping video noise to a minimum. The PV-GS320 is also effective as a digital stills camera, capturing stills at a maximum resolution of 2,048x1,512 pixels. The camcorder offers a SD memory card slot for storing stills and video clips, although this is located on the underside of the camcorder, making it impossible to access if the device is mounted on a tripod. Even more regrettably, the unit does not offer a built-in flash, which limits its functionality as a true hybrid stills camera.

The key elements of the PV-GS320 are the features it lacks, rather than the features it offers. Manual control enthusiasts will be especially disappointed with the revised feature set of Panasonic's flagship MiniDV camcorder. There is no manual focus ring, no microphone input, no headphone jack and no dedicated function buttons. Instead, Panasonic groups the controls into two menus, most accessible via the joystick control. The manual focus control is also now only available only by pressing the joystick, something manual control enthusiasts will tire of quickly.

Point-and-shooters may find more appealing aspects of the PV-GS320. Autofocus is quick and accurate and the navigation system is simple to master. Still, the DV camcorder lacks a dedicated video light and the ports for power, USB and FireWire cables are bizarrely hidden behind the battery, diminishing the overall user friendliness of the PV-GS320. Every time you want to download footage to a PC, for example, you have to remove the battery and plug in the AC adapter to power the camcorder.

The substantial reduction in price makes the Panasonic PV-GS320 excellent value for a 3 CCD MiniDV camcorder that delivers high quality images. If you're a point-and-shooter looking for a simple way to obtain great video images, this MiniDV camcorder may just hit the mark. But for us, if the Panasonic PV-GS320 DV camcorder is the best that MiniDV format has to offer in terms of functionality, it is clearly time to move onto one of the newer formats.

Pros: 3 CCD imager, excellent video performance, reasonable price
Cons: Disappointing feature set for a top of the line model, no manual focus ring, microphone input, hot shoe, headphone jack or analog-to-digital passthrough.

Warranty
90 days, labor; 1 year, parts