I must admit I’m a bit disillusioned by the Panasonic GS500 after reading the latest review on CamcorderInfo. So many features gone: the analog input, the multi-function ring, zebra stripes, etc, etc, etc. Sure, it was released for about $500 less than its predecessor, but with so many prosumer features missing what makes this camcorder at all worthwhile?
The video quality of the Panasonic GS500 is definitely better than the GS400 when you compare the two. The GS500 has a finer noise grain and does away with some of the blockiness its predecessor had. The GS500 is also physically smaller than the GS400.
Beyond this, the features become less and less exciting, mostly because of the lack thereof. Panasonic has decided to go the low-end route, hoping that consumers will buy their camcorders if they seem easy (i.e. lack confusing features). In all reality it’s really not a bad digital camcorder, but I like the way the reviewer sums it up:
If the GS500 was released under any other name and not as a replacement [of the GS400], we would undoubtedly be praising this camcorder. As we’ve said throughout the review, image quality is excellent, manual controls are outstanding, and handling is among the best in the market. But the GS500 does not, of course, exist in a vacuum. It is a replacement model for a beloved product, and it must also be judged in that context.
If you have a bit more to spend, and want the best video quality/resolution, I would definitely take a look at the HDR-HC3, Sony’s consumer-end HD camcorder, which you can read about here, here, here, and here.
