With an ultra-compact design that weighs a little over a pound, the Panasonic PV-DC352 is a feature-filled camcorder that can easily be toted around on vacations and to special events. It features a large, 2.5-inch LCD screen, 10x optical zoom, remote control, and digital still capability with a Secure Digital (SD) memory slot.
Lens
The PV-DC352 features a high-quality lens developed by world-renowned lens maker Leica AG, which captures crisp detail and true-to-life color. The lens features a 1.3 megapixel CCD, which converts optical data into digital information, letting you capture crisp, high-resolution images.
With an optical zoom power of 10x, the PV-DC352 also has a digital zoom, which works by electronically enhancing the optical image, that can magnify the picture up to 700 times. The digital image stabilization system keeps the picture steady and solid throughout zooms and camera shakes.
Digital Stills and MPEG Video
You can store your digital stills directly on tape or on the included 16 MB Secure Digital memory card using the camcorder's memory slot. The camcorder can be switched into a mode called progressive photo shoot, so that images captured will not have the jagged lines of interlaced video and come out clear and undistorted. The digital stills are in JPEG format and have a resolution of either 640 x 480 or 1,280 x 960 pixels.
Videos are recorded in high-quality, high-compression MPEG4 format, making it simple to transfer them from your SD card to a PC to save, edit, e-mail, or post on the Internet.
You can save video and still photography on the included, removable Secure Digital card. You can also record conversations or personal messages with the built-in microphone, and then save them to the SD card.
Inputs and Outputs
The PV-DC352 comes with the standard DV IEEE1394 port (also known as FireWire) for a super-fast, no-loss connection to a PC or other DV machines. You can also connect to your PC via a USB connection. S-video and RCA connections allow direct viewing on a television or VHS dubbing.
MiniDV Format
MiniDV digital technology delivers clear, sharp video with up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution--far superior to the 240 lines of resolution offered by 8mm camcorders. You'll also get minimal color noise interference for a more stable picture.
Using Pulse Code Modulation technology (PCM), Panasonic's MiniDV camcorders provide pristine sound. Choose 12-bit or 16-bit audio recording mode.
- 16-bit audio includes one set of stereo audio tracks to produce CD-quality sound.
- 12-bit audio uses two sets of audio tracks, so you can easily add background music or commentary to your videos while maintaining the existing soundtrack.
This is all delivered on a cassette that's 1/12 the size of a standard VHS tape. A MiniDV tape offers digital recording time of two full hours--20 times the capacity of a CD.