Panasonic PVGS15 MiniDV Compact Digital Camcorder w/24x Optical Zoom

CL) AA) PANASONIC PV-GS15 DV CAM

Blending innovative technologies with new, simple-to-operate controls, Panasonic's PV-GS15 camcorder is an affordable and powerful entry into digital video. Panasonic continues to innovate, adding more optical zoom capability while reducing the overall size. This MiniDV camcorder features a 24x optical zoom, ultra-fast 1.3-second start-up time, 8 MB SD memory card for digital stills, webcam capability, and color viewfinder. It also comes with a 3-hour battery, remote control, and editing software.

Optics
The PV-GS15 is equipped with a 1/6-inch, 680,000-pixel CCD and 22x optical zoom It also features a 800x digital zoom that allows you to zoom in on incredible close-ups.

Digital Stills
In addition to shooting video, the PV-GS15 can also capture digital still images up to 640 x 480 pixels--good for sending photos to friends and family over e-mail or posting to your Web site. They are stored to the Secure Digital (SD)/MultiMedia (MMC) memory card slot. The Direct Mode Dial can be used in digital still mode lets you quickly select the desired digital camera mode, such as Record, Playback, Card Record, or Card Playback.

More Features
The 2.5-inch LCD screen can be opened a full 120 degrees away from the camcorder's body, making it easier to view motion images as theyÕre being captured.

The Quick Start feature enables the PV-GS15 to begin taping 1.3 seconds after turning the power on so those unexpectedÊmoments wonÕt be missed.ÊAfter pressing the Quick Start button, the camcorder will bring up the previous settings that you were shooting with--even if they were manually entered.

The Soft Skin Detail function detects the different skin tones being recorded and softens the focus to create a realistic blend.

Other features include:

• The image-enhancing MagicPix feature allows for rich videos under low-light conditions.
• Digital Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) helps take the jitter out of hand-held video recording and compensate for unintentional hand and camcorder movement.
• Web cam capability, which is ideal for video conferencing with friends or family, or use as a simple monitoring device when consumers are away from home.
• The unsnapping hand strap doubles as wrist loops, enabling you to carry the camcorder like a small bag or purse.
• Color viewfinder

Inputs and Outputs
The PV-GS15 comes with the standard DV IEEE 1394 port (also known as FireWire; Panasonic refers to this connection as iLink) for a super-fast, lossless connection to a PC or other DV machines.

MiniDV Format
MiniDV is the preferred format for personal and broadcast-quality video, and it is highly regarded for its high audio and image quality. With up to 540 lines of horizontal resolution and minimum color noise, MiniDV delivers a 2 percent clearer picture than analog camcorder formats. This is all delivered on a cassette that's 1/12th the size of a standard VHS tape. A MiniDV tape offers digital recording time of 2 full hours--20 times the capacity of a CD.