Panasonic NV-GS37

Panasonic's NV-GS17 won a Budget Buy award in our last camcorder group test. Sadly, this model hasn't kept up with the competition.

The NV-GS37 is no match for its three-chip stablemates, but you can't argue with the price. If you're after a camcorder to try desktop video-making, this is extremely good value.

Good 30x Optical Zoom, nice styling, comfortable handling, good recording quality and aimed specifically at the newbie.

Not sure about persuading users to use USB 2.0 for video transfer - so is the software superfluous? The 1000x digital zoom has no use whatever so why does Panasonic bother with it at all?

Not convinced that it's an advantage to buy this over the entry-level model, given the few additional benefits, but OK for the newbie.

zoom, portability, image quality, value for money

100% of reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

3 stars may be a bit harsh but I feel that I have to warn people that the Operating Instructions, written in Japanese English are, in my humble opinion, very inadequate. E.g. "Operating with remote control: The menu screen transition is the same as...

3 stars may be a bit harsh but I feel that I have to warn people that the Operating Instructions, written in Japanese English are, in my humble opinion, very inadequate. E.g. "Operating with remote control: The menu screen transition is the same as...

This is worth buying over the 27B model because it comes with excellent editing software for a beginner or intermediate. The zoom is the major bonus on the camcorder making it excellent for safari and for long range shots, it is also very compact. It...