Panasonic Nv GS27 Mini Dv Camcorder

This machine is light, reasonably specified and a doddle to use with plenty of scope for basic videomaking with 6 program AE modes,manual focus,a unique stereo zoom microphone which is useful for getting sound/vision close up on your subject, a flip out colour LCD monitor, and a joystick controller which makes selecting features relatively easy! Picture quality is well within what you expect for miniDV;decent colours, and a nice level of detail with good rendition. Sound from the stereo zoom microphone is of the usual good quality but the soundstage is a little too close for comfort and could be better, the downside to it is that the stereo effect vanishes at full zoom and goes to mono. No mic socket means you can't upgrade the sound with a better stereo microphone either. The viewfinder is a disappointing B/W! Forget the colour night mode;it's poor-you're better off with Low Light AE. A good budget camcorder but no way to upgrade the sound and dropoff of stereo image in telefoto mode.