The entry-level unit in Panasonic's latest range of MiniDV camcorders, the PV-GS80 is a no-frills device that delivers quality video at an affordable price. If you're looking for a feature-rich bargain, though, you'll need to either invest a little more or opt for a competing brand's budget model.

The Panasonic PV-GS80 a single 1/6 inch 680K pixel sensor that delivers 340K effective pixels in 4:3 mode and 460K in 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. The lens is from Panasonic, rather than the Leica Dicomar lens used in their higher-end models. It offers a 32x optical zoom capability along with an effective optical image stabilization system. A lot of competing budget DV camcorders employ only a digital image stabilization system, so this is a welcome benefit of the PV-GS80. The OIS does an impressive job at controlling shakes during handheld shooting, although if you're using the zoom at the outer limits of magnification you'll still likely need a tripod. This DV camcorder also features a huge 1000x digital zoom capability, but for most situations, the resulting image degradation effectively makes this of little or no use.

In good lighting situations, the PV-GS80 delivers some surprisingly high quality video. Images are clean and sharp with good color saturation and plenty of shadow detail. Unfortunately, in anything less than ideal conditions the video performance tails off dramatically. Colors quickly become washed out and the level of grain and video noise becomes distracting. This unit does not offer a built-in video light and we found that employing the "Night Mode" did little to improve the image quality. If you're simply looking for an inexpensive camcorder to record vacation videos on the beach or outdoor sports events, the PV-GS80 will deliver. But if you know you'll be shooting a lot of footage at night or in low light conditions, we recommend you pass on this model.

Whatever your intended uses, you'll find the PV-GS80 is a simple DV camcorder to operate. The one-touch navigation system that is now standard on Panasonic's MiniDV camcorders is a breeze to operate, even for a first time camcorder user. The unit feels comfortable in one hand and the 2.7 inch LCD monitor is crystal clear. The tape loading mechanism is situated on top of the unit so you won't have to remove it from a tripod to change MiniDV tape. Less impressive though is the location of the power, USB and FireWire ports. These are all hidden behind the battery, so every time you want to download footage to a PC, for example, you'll have to remove the battery and plug in the AC adapter as well as a USB or FireWire cable.

Technically, the Panasonic PV-GS80 does take digital stills as well as video, although since the unit does not offer a SD memory card slot, it can only record stills to tape as seven second still images.

For an inexpensive MiniDV camcorder, the Panasonic PV-GS80 will provide good quality video in well-lit environments, but other competing budget models offer more in the way of features.

Pros: Good video performance in well-lit situations, inexpensive, 32x optical zoom and excellent optical image stabilization system
Cons: Useless stills function, awful low-light performance, limited feature set

Warranty
90 days, labor; 1 year, parts