Panasonic NV-GS300 review

Panasonic's NV-GS300 is very similar to its NV-GS150, which won a Best Buy award in our DV cameras Labs in Shopper April 2006.

The NV-GS300 is comfortable to hold unless you have large hands, in which case the natural position leaves your forefinger sitting uncomfortably on a protrusion for the main control dial. We've been impressed by the dial and mini joystick control system on previous models. The dial selects recording and playback modes, while the joystick controls a two-tier menu system. In recording mode, you simply press the stick in to access a range of shooting presets. Alternatively, press the Menu button to bring up more detailed options. There's a wide range of manual controls, including shutter speed and aperture adjustments. However, a manual focus ring would have been a nice addition.

The widescreen LCD produces sharp and colourful images. Beneath the LCD are the USB and FireWire ports, with support for input as well as output. The viewfinder is also good, although it uses a standard 4:3 ratio and is letterboxed for widescreen. It extends far enough to get past the battery, though, so you can get your face to it unimpeded. Battery life is very good, so you shouldn't get caught short at a crucial moment.

The picture quality exceeds that of even our recent Labs winner. It has the same array of three 800,000-pixel CCDs, but Panasonic has managed to coax a brighter and more colourful picture from them. Unless you are looking for the most realistic colour reproduction possible, you will find that the subtle tonal enhancement creates very pleasing results. Image noise is kept to a minimum in most lighting conditions and performance in low light is also good.

The large lens has an automated cover built in, which is ideal for the lazy, absent-minded or accident-prone user. A 10x optical zoom is sufficient for most, and an optical stabilisation system is provided. This gives steadier pictures than an electronic system and doesn't sacrifice picture detail from the CCD. Widescreen mode is a bit of a disappointment, as the image is heavily cropped to fit the 16:9 aspect ratio. This is a common issue though, and is seen on camcorders from all manufacturers.

The NV-GS300 is well designed and shoots colourful video. The only problem is the price; the NV-GS180 is similarly specified and costs less than £400, which means you are paying over £150 for optical stabilisation, FireWire input and an automated lens cap. We're not convinced the extra cost is worth it.