Panasonic's PV-DV101 is a great place to start if you want to dip your toes into the digital video river. The camcorder includes a 20x optical zoom lens with digital image stabilization. The stabilizer works for both playback and recording, so if you decide to save your batteries when you're recording, you have the option of applying stabilization to your footage at a later date.
To help you shoot good footage, the PV-DV101 features a five-mode program AE. Simply put, the program AE sets the white balance, shutter speed, and other camera functions for a variety of possible shooting conditions. So, if you set it to sports, all the settings will be adjusted to shoot action footage correctly. In addition to the shooting modes, there are a number of digital effects, including sepia and monotone, which can add a little spice to your movies. There's also a digital still mode that record onto the MiniDV tape.
Product Description:
The ultimate in home video recording, this unit will deliver better resolution than many live broadcasts. It records CD quality audio all on a miniature cassette tape. It is a digital Palmcorder that fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. The high definition zoom acts like a telescope, with extraordinary clarity. The optional fluid head tripod holds it to pan smoothly, and the different zoom speeds are a brilliant asset. It's an impressive value with a user-friendly design.IEEE 1394 PC Interface provides a connection to compatible digital camcorders for high quality dubbing at home, or to compatible personal computers for advanced editing and viewing, 18x Hi-Definition Zoom acts like a telescope to produce close-up shots with extraordinary clarity and 300x Digital Zoom provides an incredibly close shot through the use of digital technology. 2.5" Color LCD Monitor displays what you're recording or playing back in full vivid color, PhotoShot Built-in Digital Still Camera can record about 750 still images on one 60-minute tape in LP mode while 5-Mode Program AE (Auto Exposure) prepares camcorder for various recording conditions with 5 automatic exposure settings. Digital Electronic Image Stabilization compensates for unintentional hand and camcorder movement to help stabilize your recordings. Index Search marks the beginning of each recorded program on a videotape and lets you access each program with a simple touch of the remote control.