Panasonic PV-GS19 MiniDV Camcorder w/24x Optical Zoom

I bought this camera when it first came out. It's not a bad camera, by any means, 4 the price. But, I did have problems connecting it 2 a computer via firewire. I tried two different computers & neither recognized the camera. I spent many hours,literally, trying 2 find the problem. Searching the internet high & low. But had no luck. I even bought a thirty dollar firewire cable, 2 see if I just need a different one. I broke down & finally called Panasonic tech support. The gentlemen spent about five 2 ten minutes talking with me. He eventually told me they would have 2 build a case file & get back 2 me in a week or so. I never heard back from them. I did like the camera, other than that. It's light, easy 2 use. I got good use out of it. I recently bought a new camera though (Canon HV30), & gave my Panasonic PV-GS19 2 my niece. She loves it. So if you are looking 4 a basic home movie camera or starter camera 4 a child this is it. You can buy editing programs that come with an adapter (You plug the AV cable into it, & the adapter plugs in 2 the computer)so you can edit your video. This is what I ended up doing.

Great product! Great image & zoom. Captures color very well. Sound is good. Very compact. Good battery life. Still picture quality is ok. Definately recommend this product.

I really wanted a 3CCD model, but since I'm just starting out & need 2 buy other stuff, like a tripod, monopod, media, firewire adapter card, camera bag, etc. This fits the budget nicely & it is compact enough 2 carry it anywhere. Yes the USB connection does work, yes FireWire does work, although it took me a minute 2 figure out that a connection problem was the fault of the video software version I was using, not the fault of the camera.

My son bought this camera on his own this past summer 2 take videos of his friends skateboarding, etc. His desire was 2 get video editing software 2 add sound effects, music, titles, etc. The camera works great & does what is advertised. Always keep in perspective that a $300 something camera will not match up with the features & extras that a $1000 something camera offers.

The real reason 4 my posting this message relates 2 how 2 connect this camera 2 your PC 2 download videos. This is how it will work.

1. Ignore the USB connection stuff in the manual. Good 4 still picture transfer & webcam stuff only. Look at page 43 in the manual: "PC Connection With DV Interfac Cable". You must use this method 2 transfer video.

2. You need a "firewire" IEEE 1394 OHCI compliant card in your computer. I purchased & added a PCI Trendnet TFU-H33PI 2 my 5 year old HP XL773 computer that I also recently loaded Windows XP.

3. Here is the KEY. I bought a cheap SanMAX 4pin 2 6pin 1394 cable. Could not get the camera 2 be recognized by the computer OS. With XP it should recognize the camera as soon as you connect it & turn it on with the camera set 2 playback mode. XP will treat it like new hardware the first time. I tried everything 2 reload the card software & search online 4 drivers & through forums 4 answers. Then I remembered that my neighbor does video editing. I took my sons camera over 2 his house & his computer recognized the PV-GS19 Panasonic camera right away. I then plugged my SanMAX cheap cable into his computer... NOTHING. IT WAS THE CABLE. I borrowed his Belkin shielded $25+ cable & plugged it into my computer & it WORKED.

Moral of the story. Don't skimp on the firewire cable. They are not all created equal.

I was taking good video 20 minutes after opening the box.The camera is easy 2 use & you can compensate 4 dark scenes quickly by changing a video setting with the cameras joystick.I had no trouble copying video from the camera 2 my computer ( XP ) via the USB connection. The windows movie maker program worked fine.Be aware that Panasonic does not supply a USB cable with its camera.

Panasonic PVGS19 offers an amazing 24x optical zoom, an SD slot 4 capturing still photos & a host of digital effects including Panasonic's exclusive Soft Skin Mode which gives all your subjects a virtually perfect appearance! This is the perfect camcorder 4 consumers who are interested in capturing high-quality digital video & audio onto mini DV tape. Other features offered include an Electronic Image Stabilizer 4 shake-free video recording & Zoom Microphone Technology 2 focus audio pick-up where the lens is zoomed. In addition 2 MiniDV video, take still pictures at 640x480 VGA resolution that can be captured on an SD memory card. The camera has a Firewire IEEE1394 DV port 4 transferring video & a USB 2.o port 4 transferring stills 2 a computer 4 enhancement, editing, copying, & printing. Don't leave home without it! 2.5 Color LCD Screen Monochrome viewfinder 24x Zoom Lens / Filter Diameter - 30.5mm / 35mm Film Camera Equivalent - 39.5 - 948mm Up 2 800x Digital-zoom enhancement Unit Dimensions - approx. 3.25 (h) x 2.5 (w) x 4.5 (d) Unit Weight - 0.90 lbs.