Panasonic PVDV952 MiniDV Multicam Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Color LCD, Color Viewfinder, & 8MB SD Memory Card

The PV-DV952 is the ideal camcorder for aspiring directors and video enthusiasts alike, thanks to its unique combination of features and performance. The huge 3.5-inch LCD screen and color viewfinder make things easy to see, and your shooting experience is enhanced by a three-CCD system, 10x optical zoom, digital still capability, and a zoom mic that automatically magnifies sensitivity as you zoom in. You can also record MPEG4 movies for Internet sharing and e-mail.

Lens
With a lens developed by world-renowned lens maker Leica AG, the DV952 sports three separate CCD sensors, each designed to pick up a certain hue of the image. This triples the performance of regular camcorders, producing brighter colors and sharper images. There is an optical zoom magnification of 10x along with a 700x digital zoom, which works by electronically enhancing the optical image. The optical image stabilization system keeps the picture steady and solid throughout zooms and camera shakes without compromising picture quality. The manual focus ring provides users with greater control of the image, a must for filmmakers finding that perfect shot.

Digital Stills
The camcorder has a mode called progressive photo shoot, so that images captured will not have the jagged lines of interlaced video and instead come out clear and undistorted. You can store the stills on DV tape or on the included 8 MB Secure Digital card (the DV952 is also compatible with MultiMediaCards). The convenient pop-up flash unit comes in handy for low-light environments.

Inputs and Outputs
The DV952 comes with the standard DV IEEE 1394 port (also called FireWire) for no-loss connections to PCs or other DV machines. By using the USB port or RS-232C serial connection, you can easily transfer your digital stills. RCA connections are used for direct viewing on a television or for 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 get minimal color noise interference for a more stable picture. You'll also get excellent sound quality in either 12-bit or 16-bit audio recording modes.

• 16-bit audio includes one set of stereo audio tracks to produce CD-quality sound.
• 12-bit audio utilizes 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.