I was looking for a basic mini dv camcorder to learn editing and video techniques. Picture quality was certainly important but, having strong photographic knowledge, also wanted something that would allow manual control. That limited the search quite a bit, especially in the single CCD class. The Panasonics in general seem to be well reviewed and offer a good ratio of features to cost.
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br /I've had the camcorder for one week but have explored it quite a bit. In short, it easily meets if not exceeds my expectation. Video quality is very nice. The 30X optical zoom is impressive, but demands a tripod when zooming out in the higher range of the zoom. Color accuracy is very good, assuming a proper white balance. The LCD panel can be rotated which is ecpecially nice when using the camcorder to transfer video to a computer. Battery life is very good, with some power saving features that can be enabled optionally. Unlike most competing models, this camcorder has a more horizontal orientation which makes it very ergonomic to use. Most operations can be carried out with one hand. It is compact and easy to handle, even without the digital stabilizer which it also has. There is even a 16:9 mode that appears to be true widescreen, not just letterboxed 4:3 mode.
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br /For its very reasonable cost, it holds its own very nicely and offers very nice performance. The only feature missing that would be nice is a mic input, but almost none of the entry level camcorders offer this. Other than that, it is very fuill featured and is bettered in this regard only when stepping into the prosumer class. To reach the next level of video performance, the logical step would be to go to Panasonic's 3 CCD models as opposed to a competing Canon or Sony single chip model.
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br /Be aware that the still capability, which I have yet to try, is not meant to replace a stand alone digital camera. The resolution is only VGA 640x480 which is where digital cameras were about 10 years ago. The intent of including this feature on this camcorder is as a convenience. Such images could be acceptable for web posting, but don't expect true digital camera performance here. That's not what this camcorder is for.
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br /This camcorder is a very good model for someone looking to get involved with digital video at a nominal cost. The video quality and feature set are excellent. Naturally, in this camcorder class there are some limitations relative to professional level usage, but with a good understanding of photography and video technique, this can be a surprisingly capable camera.

I'm a video professional and I love my Panasonic PV-GS36. I've used tons of high end $10k+ cameras and I know a good little camcorder when I see one. This summer I got married in Thailand and didn't want to take a ton of video stuff, just a nice little camcorder that wouldn't breakdown on my big day. This one came through with flying colors.
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br /I did weeks of research and this is the one that had the best value for the money.
br /Not only are the controls easy to operate and very intuitive but this little baby withstood the extreme heat and even more extreme humidity of Thailand.
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br /The lens goes nice and wide for small areas where you have to get very close to the subject and still be in focus (depth of field). I'd stay away from the digital zoom, they're not very good on any of the palm/camcorders.
br /Also none of the small camcorders are particularly good in low light.
br /What do you expect for a few hundred dollars?
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br /That said, this one is nice and small, is easy to operate and is tough in rough conditions. I'm very happy I bought this camcorder.

I've been using camcorders professionally and recreationally since 1986, and this little camcorder is the best deal out there period.
br /DV technology is proven, been around for a long time, if you want a reliable, simple to operate, and very GOOD camcorder, look no further. Picture quality is excellent, one of Panasonic's strong points, color accuracy very good, and autofocus laser accurate.
br /The joystick driven menu is very simple to use, most features you'll need are readily available without it's use, and it operates intuitively.
br /Again, this is an entry level camcorder, that means it's best used in fully auto mode, point and shoot, for taping you kids, vacations, etc. That being said, you can still get very creative once you have downloaded the clips to you computer for editing.
br /Another review mentions firewire, saying it wont work on a PC. I'm surprised this user can actually surf the web. All you need to do is connect the firewire cable to the camcorder, windows finds it, install whatever drivers it needs (as with any other peripheral), and away you go.
br /I purchased mine at Costco, they have excellent policies, if you're not satisfied with the product, return it.
br /I recommend this product to all my friends and family and for the average user, who wants a simple, good product.
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Beware of the warranty. Ours had a defect that manifested under certain conditions. However, the labor warranty expires after 3 months so they wanted $200 plus 2-way shipping to repair their defect! We barely had the thing out of the box at 3 months.

I got this item as a gift.
br /I makes really nice movies and I thought I could get rid of my old digital camera as well but....
br /This thing takes miserable still photos. Not even fit for printing. I have a three year old coolpix 3200 that takes much better photos but bad videos. So I get stuck taking them both with me to events. So if you need a camcorder that takes good digital photos just keep looking.
br /Panasonic avg digital picture size 111,587 Bytes on highest resolution
br /My old coolpix digital photos size 1,097,728 Bytes on medium resolution
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br /You do the math

apparently, the firewire connection only works with Mac computers. at least, the user manual has detailed instructions for connecting to a Mac, but nothing for PC. Not only that, you have to download drivers to make the USB connection work. this camcorder is useless to me.