is it worth buying panasonic nv-gs500?

**failas** · 01-11-2010, 04:20 PM

Hello everyone,

sorry if it's not the right place to post this question. I have heard a lot of good things about panasonic nv-gs500 camcorder. I have noticed that this camera is for sale on amazon for 620 pounds. Do you think it would be worth buying it? thank you very much for your opinions...

**MatthewPerks** · 01-11-2010, 05:05 PM

Personally, I don't think investing such money on a standard definition camcorder is a wise decision now that HD has become far more mainstream. Sure, you may not have an HD telly now, but three years ago, even streaming 720p over the internet seemed absurd, and now full 1080p is being streamed. It's moving incredibly quickly.

It makes more sense, in my personal opinion, to buy an HD camcorder for about the same price. If you have trouble editing, you could always transcode the video to mpg-2 for editing purposes.

So no, I don't think it's worth buying it at that price.

Some good HD camcorders to consider are Panasonics HDC range, or perhaps Canon's HFxx range. I use a Canon HF100, which I bought in the summer for £500. It produces a stunning picture when used right, and because it's HD, it looks far better to me than any professional standard definition model, even when downsized to standard def.

This is just my personal opinion, however.

I'm sure others will give their thoughts on the matter too.

**vertovian** · 01-11-2010, 05:42 PM

HD is a bangle for noobs and wannabes.

Crap is crap regardless of pixels. Good films are not made by cameras.

Just get a camera you like the feel of in use and you will likely use it more. Get something you can afford to drop and get wet.

The camera you mention is a fine camera but too expensive.

**MatthewPerks** · 01-11-2010, 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by vertovian

HD is a bangle for noobs and wannabes.

Nah, I don't think so at all. There's nothing wrong with a picture that has more detail in it, esp. if it's for the same amount of money. What IS bad, is not taking advantage of that extra detail by making something that no one would want to watch (excluding family outings etc, of course, as it's the memories that are more important in those), or using the camera badly.

**TimStannard** · 01-11-2010, 10:58 PM

Matthew - you don't get the same for the same amount of money. Surey you may get HD, but you are missing out on all the manual controls (with buttons & rings - not hidden away in fiddly menus) with a £600 camera. Having said that, I probably wouldn't buy a NEW SD camera now.

Failas - the NV-GS400 was a superior camera to its successor - a real classic. You can still pick these up second hand on eBay for around £400.