Panasonic SVAV25 D-Snap Multi Audio/ Video Device

Rating:
Summary: Convenience - YES. Design - NO
Review: Being my first digital camera, I was impressed by all the features available in a gadget the size of a credit card. Although the pictures/video may look a bit blurry on the screen, they came out perfectly when uploaded to my computer.

However, the one thing that killed it for me was the size and, more importantly, design. I found it somewhat uncomfortable to take pictures what with the location of the buttons and all. There is one located adjacent to the screen (when you open it up) and a button on the side, which I thought was much more convenient. I also didn't like how it automatically returned to the beginning of the photoalbum whenever you would delete a picture or simply choose to return to the page last viewed.

This is a WONDERFUL camera for putting in your pocket and spontaneous use (although, it could be a bit quicker in start up). My camera survived a month-long trip to Europe as well as several local trips around town. If you want convenience, this is your best bet. If you have large hands, though (no joking!) or need some room to move your fingers, you'll find the design too stuffy for your liking.

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I bought this for my boyfriend about a year ago and he absolutely loves this thing. He brings it everywhere he goes. Everyone is always asking what it is & think it's the coolest thing around. The battery lasts long and it's been working good for over a year with no problems. It's a gadget guys' dream.

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I bought this for my boyfriend about a year ago and he absolutely loves this thing. He brings it everywhere he goes. Everyone is always asking what it is & think it's the coolest thing around. The battery lasts long and it's been working good for over a year with no problems. It's a gadget guys' dream.

Rating:
Summary: need to read
Review: I have had this device for about a year now and I have been happy, for the most part, with it's performance. Everybody wants to know what it is and so forth. It's so small and mobile, makes for easy travel. On top of that it is surprisingly very durable. The only drawbacks I'd like to note for you are the zoom is not very powerful and the pics when taken in zoom function are not crisp. Additionally the software that is needed to run the product through my computer is nothing to brag about. Actually it slows the rest of the computer down so much at times it will lock my system up. Overall I do recommend to all the purchase of this model and for the price it's a fair deal.

Rating:
Summary: Buyer beware
Review: If you purchase this product, I hope you are completely satisfied. It is my opinion that the reliability of Panasonic products has slipped in recent years, and this was confirmed to me when a product I purchased quickly failed. The reason I'm posting this is to warn you that the warranty that accompanies Panasonic products only has value if the company chooses to stand behind it. In my case, they weaseled out of it, leaving me with a total loss and no further recourse. Good luck with your decision.

Rating:
Summary: Fun Product
Review: This camcorder is a fun piece of equipment. While it does not offer high resolution photos or video, it is simple to use and handles a wide variety of tasks from playing asf files to mp3 files to recording audio, video, and taking pictures. The design is unique and possesses most of the needed features for such a device, including a flash, sd card, headphones, and all of the computer accessories. To fulfill basic tasks and for having fun, this product works wonderfully.

Rating:
Summary: Good all in one gadget
Review: This is an interesting and good all in one gadget. Fits in your pocket and easily you have a digital camera, voice recorder, mp3 player and even a camcorder (but don't expect great quality images!!!)... The picture (2MP) quality is just ok, but if you want more, you should buy na SLR camera. This is a convenient pocket sized camera that goes everywhere! Take a picture and improve it later at your PC (reducing noise, color balance, etc). As a camcorder, it's a good equipment to produce internet videos... But don't move it so fast (blur easily!)... the images will not be sharp enought! If you have an extra SD card (at least 256 MB), you will enjoy 4 hours of good sound quality. The supplied earphones are good enough but don't expect an IPOD overall quality! So, if you want an interesting all in one gadget, this Panasonic could be your choice!

Rating:
Summary: Get something else...
Review: This product simply tries to do too much and fails at doing a good job at anything. I rarely return items unless they're really unsatisfactory, but this went back.

My requirements werent huge...we just had a baby and I wanted something small, solid state, and simple to take candid photos and video of the baby without lugging around a regular camcorder. As long as the video and sound were halfway decent enough...something upstream of "what the heck is that?!?", I'd have been happy.

The video even in the extra fine mode is grainy and jerky. The sound accompanying the video is muddy. The photos taken if taken up close are washed out white by the flash.

You MUST use the included clunky panasonic crippleware to copy the movies from the device or the sound on them doesnt work. Inexplicably. You can in fact see the device as a separate hard disk, and play movies, but it sounds like you're underwater and someone above water is talking to you. You can convert the movie files to even crappier quality formats suitable for showing your friends and relatives how technically inept you are.

By the way, if you indeed use the barely acceptable 'extra fine' mode, the included 8MB card can record all of 20 seconds of video. In the 'extra fine' mode, regular mpeg4 codecs will not recognize the file and you have to install a panasonic provided codec that I was only able to find on the company's japanese web site. Going to the regular US site and choosing the product led me to a promising looking page of downloads, manuals and so forth. Choosing any link takes you to valuable information about hair dryers and other sundry products.

Once your friends and relatives manage to download the 4.7MB codec, they can then view your handiwork.

In order to copy mp3 files to it, you also MUST use the included s/w which requires a serial # thats printed on the cd's paper case. Lose that, and you're SOL. I found whole forums dedicated to people bemoaning the fact that they've lost their serial number and when going to load the s/w on a new machine, couldnt do so.

The unit plagued me with "Check Card!" at various times when trying to record video or take still shots. When it did this I had to eject the SD card, wait a few seconds, then reinsert it. All was then well.

I didnt try the voice recording/playback area. I was afraid of something really, really bad happening.

Here's where its going to be good for you. You only have a couple of hundred bucks, you need something thats pocket sized, you need some vaguely recognizable video quality in full daylight and dont need to know what people are saying during the video, and/or you're taking some photos from a long enough distance (more than 2-3') where the flash wont wash them out. And you dont mind loading a bunch of proprietary s/w onto your machine.