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Rating: 
Summary: OK but overly complex -- TOO compact...
Review: GOOD / PROS --
- Compact and small
- Good quality screen
- A neat gadget
- Plays and records sound clearlyBAD / CONS --
- Complicated
- Buttons are TOO small
- Hard to focus -- takes bad still pictures
Rating: 
Summary: Holy Carpe Diem!
Review: i bought this 5 days ago and the device may "work" but the cradle doesn't. After installing the USB drivers a dozen times and being put on hold by three differnt companies, i have had it. I bought this because i need a mp3 player and a digital camera. Silly me, I thought that companies want my business. Panasonic tech support is a joke. Sony has the best music. Microsoft can megabyte me. I am returning this device for the cheaper Palm zire 72. Which uses the same memory type.
Rating:
Summary: One Nifty Little Gadget
Review: I hate to write a "me too" review, but my own experience with the Panasonic D-Snap 50 leads me to conclusions very similar to the other reviewers. This is a very cool gadget, but it has a very specific target audience - people who need a camera and a Dictaphone with them at all times. (If that's not you, consider a Palm Zire 71, or maybe a camera phone). Unlike many other combination devices, the D-Snap 50 doesn't try to do too much, just a few things fairly well. The MP3 player is as good as any other card-based unit, the voice recorder is on par with the most expensive Sony stand-alones, and the digital camera is good enough for small jobs and web work... but until you get used to using it, you'll think you need to cut off your index finger to take a decent picture. Also, I haven't yet decided whether including an 8 MB memory card with the unit was meant as an insult or a joke. Most of the negatives associated with the D-Snap 50 can be cured with three things: patience, practice, and an extraordinarily large SD memory card. After you've taught yourself how to hold it, and jacked up all the settings to acceptable quality, you will wonder how you ever did without it. As for durability, we'll have to wait and see, but I trust the brand. Three and one-half stars, four when the price drops.
Rating:
Summary: Ultimate Versatility - but know what you are getting!
Review: I travel frequently and write as a hobby, and I have often wished I had camera or camcorder with me to capture an interesting scene to use in my writing. I normally carry a digital voice recorder, but usually do not have the ability to photograph because cameras are generally too bulky for everyday use. I therefore purchased this gadget in an effort to give me an `all in one' recorder I could use to capture voice notes, still images and short movies. Here's what I found: The Good: - Small! Yet it has a good, solid weight to it.
- Easy-to-learn controls. I was using the gadget's full functionality within minutes, and didn't have to slog through the manual to learn each mode. Once I learned how to use one mode, the others were fairly intuitive.
- Versatility - I was able to hook the camcorder up to my DVD player and record a movie in MPEG-4 format for later watching. I then reversed the cables and played the same movie, outputting to my television. I took a few pictures, then made some voice memos, and the quality of the memos was better than on my old digital recorder. Very cool! The Bad: - The camcorder works well only when under strong light conditions. It lowers the shutter speed when it has insufficient light (and `insufficient' here includes any indoor shooting), which means dropped frames and dark colors. There is a mode to compensate somewhat for low light, but this only brightens the images without speeding frame rate.
- I knew this going in, so I don't really think of this as a `bad', but you may not know: MPEG-4 is NOT movie-quality! The best you can do on this device is 320x240 - half the normal resolution of your TV screen, which means half as good as your normal camcorder. Plus, it's compressed, which means some quality is lost. The movies this device makes are for posting on Websites, not sending copies to Grandma.
- The camera also does not work well indoors. It has an automatic flash, but the flash is somewhat underpowered and does not illuminate objects more than a few feet in front of the camera.
- Only 2.5 digital zoom on the camera. No optical zoom. This is, effectively, a simple point and click camera.
- Listening to the most recently recorded voice memo requires scrolling with the track ball, unlike normal voice recorders which allow you to listen to your most recent memo with ease - this is important, as you will often want to ensure you actually captured what you were saying.
- Short battery life - about an hour of recording. The battery is quite slim, so this is to be expected. However, an hour is significantly less than most one-use objects.
- No protective case! A leather holder is a must for this device. Instead, all you get is a neck strap (good, though it's almost too heavy for wearing around the neck) and a grey felt bag which could protect from scratches, but not dropping. Who the heck is going to carry this in a felt bag? It needs to be worn on the waist, like a cell phone. The Ugly: - It's very easy to place your finger over the lens when taking pictures. Panasonic tried to compensate for this by placing several small nubs on the front of the device so you could, by feel, know where to hold the camera. However, they're not enough, and Panasonic's `fix' is a hard plastic bubble you're supposed to peel and stick to the front of the camera to prevent your finger from sliding up. Yes, that's right - instead of building a bump into the camera's case, you the consumer have to gum a piece of hard plastic to it. In the software industry, we call this a `hack.'
- The `Menu' button, which you will be using frequently, is difficult to push. It's tiny, and because of the camera's shape is difficult to push without grasping the camera with both hands. This is a device that wants to be used only with one hand.
- I'm concerned about durability. While most of the parts feel solid and durable, two spots feel like they are asking to break. One is a small roller ball that you use to traverse the menus; it's tiny and light, and if it goes, there's no way the gadget will work without professional service. The second is the plastic catch that keeps the LED screen in place when the camera is open. Since it's possible to force the camera to close without pushing in the latch, I can see this part wearing out quickly and preventing the LED from locking open. Summary: Despite my grips, the SV-AV50 is definitely a keeper. It an excellent emergency memory preserver/party toy. It is well-engineered with a few minor flaws. It is NOT a camcorder replacement and NOT a digital camera replacement; if you buy expecting either of these you'll be mightily disappointed. 4/5 stars, but know what you are getting!
Rating:
Summary: Ultimate Versatility - but know what you are getting!
Review: I travel frequently and write as a hobby, and I have often wished I had camera or camcorder with me to capture an interesting scene to use in my writing. I normally carry a digital voice recorder, but usually do not have the ability to photograph because cameras are generally too bulky for everyday use. I therefore purchased this gadget in an effort to give me an 'all in one' recorder I could use to capture voice notes, still images and short movies. Here's what I found: The Good: - Small! Yet it has a good, solid weight to it.
- Easy-to-learn controls. I was using the gadget's full functionality within minutes, and didn't have to slog through the manual to learn each mode. Once I learned how to use one mode, the others were fairly intuitive.
- Versatility - I was able to hook the camcorder up to my DVD player and record a movie in MPEG-4 format for later watching. I then reversed the cables and played the same movie, outputting to my television. I took a few pictures, then made some voice memos, and the quality of the memos was better than on my old digital recorder. Very cool! The Bad: - The camcorder works well only when under strong light conditions. It lowers the shutter speed when it has insufficient light (and 'insufficient' here includes any indoor shooting), which means dropped frames and dark colors. There is a mode to compensate somewhat for low light, but this only brightens the images without speeding frame rate.
- I knew this going in, so I don't really think of this as a 'bad', but you may not know: MPEG-4 is NOT movie-quality! The best you can do on this device is 320x240 - half the normal resolution of your TV screen, which means half as good as your normal camcorder. Plus, it's compressed, which means some quality is lost. The movies this device makes are for posting on Websites, not sending copies to Grandma.
- The camera also does not work well indoors. It has an automatic flash, but the flash is somewhat underpowered and does not illuminate objects more than a few feet in front of the camera.
- Only 2.5 digital zoom on the camera. No optical zoom. This is, effectively, a simple point and click camera.
- Listening to the most recently recorded voice memo requires scrolling with the track ball, unlike normal voice recorders which allow you to listen to your most recent memo with ease - this is important, as you will often want to ensure you actually captured what you were saying.
- Short battery life - about an hour of recording. The battery is quite slim, so this is to be expected. However, an hour is significantly less than most one-use objects.
- No protective case! A leather holder is a must for this device. Instead, all you get is a neck strap (good, though it's almost too heavy for wearing around the neck) and a grey felt bag which could protect from scratches, but not dropping. Who the heck is going to carry this in a felt bag? It needs to be worn on the waist, like a cell phone. The Ugly: - It's very easy to place your finger over the lens when taking pictures. Panasonic tried to compensate for this by placing several small nubs on the front of the device so you could, by feel, know where to hold the camera. However, they're not enough, and Panasonic's 'fix' is a hard plastic bubble you're supposed to peel and stick to the front of the camera to prevent your finger from sliding up. Yes, that's right - instead of building a bump into the camera's case, you the consumer have to gum a piece of hard plastic to it. In the software industry, we call this a 'hack.'
- The 'Menu' button, which you will be using frequently, is difficult to push. It's tiny, and because of the camera's shape is difficult to push without grasping the camera with both hands. This is a device that wants to be used only with one hand.
- I'm concerned about durability. While most of the parts feel solid and durable, two spots feel like they are asking to break. One is a small roller ball that you use to traverse the menus; it's tiny and light, and if it goes, there's no way the gadget will work without professional service. The second is the plastic catch that keeps the LED screen in place when the camera is open. Since it's possible to force the camera to close without pushing in the latch, I can see this part wearing out quickly and preventing the LED from locking open. Summary: Despite my grips, the SV-AV50 is definitely a keeper. It an excellent emergency memory preserver/party toy. It is well-engineered with a few minor flaws. It is NOT a camcorder replacement and NOT a digital camera replacement; if you buy expecting either of these you'll be mightily disappointed. 4/5 stars, but know what you are getting!
Rating: 
Summary: Total Gadget
Review: I want to love this gadget, but I can not. It tries to do too much, and ends up doing too little. PROS:
- Super Small
- Large LCD
- Excellent Prodcut Design
- Many "Features" CONS:
- You're finger easily gets in the way of the lens(1 in 3 shots are finger shots)
- The digital photos are VERY grainy in ALL light conditions (I would not even post the photos to my web site)
- No "Red Eye Reduction"
- The video quality is medium, definitel not a camcorder replacement
- Audio files need to be translated to some "native" format, using included software... no drag and drop here! I will most likely return it, despite my desire to like all that it offers and how cool it looks. It just not deliver quality on the images and video.
Rating:
Summary: Total Gadget
Review: I want to love this gadget, but I can not. It tries to do too much, and ends up doing too little. PROS:
- Super Small
- Large LCD
- Excellent Prodcut Design
- Many "Features" CONS:
- You're finger easily gets in the way of the lens(1 in 3 shots are finger shots)
- The digital photos are VERY grainy in ALL light conditions (I would not even post the photos to my web site)
- No "Red Eye Reduction"
- The video quality is medium, definitel not a camcorder replacement
- Audio files need to be translated to some "native" format, using included software... no drag and drop here! I will most likely return it, despite my desire to like all that it offers and how cool it looks. It just not deliver quality on the images and video.
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: One Nifty Little Gadget
Review: The trouble with most combination devices is that they try to do too much, and thus end up doing lots of things poorly. With the D-Snap 50, Panasonic has avoided this all too common design flaw... mostly. The D-Snap 50 is an excellent gadget for professionals on the go, combining a two megapixel video camera, a digital voice recorder, and an MP3 player all into a package smaller and lighter than a pack of cigarettes. The bundled software is complete (if unexceptional) and the controls are fairly intuitive - most people familiar with digital cameras should be able to master the basics in a few minutes of use. Nonetheless, there are a few questions I'd like to ask the D-Snap engineering team. First, did you intend for me to amputate my right index finger in order to take a decent picture? Second, just how many songs, memos, pictures, and videos do you expect me to fit on a measly 8 megabyte memory card? Third, why so many different quality settings for images when only Superfine (or Fine and big) is even good enough for email? Finally, would Macintosh support have killed you? Despite these grievances, this is a great buy for a select target audience, such as people considering the Palm Zire 71 that prefer to organize their thoughts using spoken words instead of text. With a little practice - and a 256 MB or 512 MB Secure Digital Card - the D-Snap's annoyances will quickly fade. Three-and-a-half stars now, four when the price comes down a little.
Rating:
Summary: One Nifty Little Gadget
Review: This is a very cool gadget, but it has a very specific target audience - people who need a camera and a Dictaphone with them at all times. If that's not you, consider a Palm Zire 71, or maybe a camera phone. Unlike many other combination devices, the D-Snap 50 doesn't try to do too much, just a few things fairly well. The MP3 player is as good as any other card-based unit, the voice recorder is on par with the most expensive Sony stand-alones, and the digital camera is good enough for small jobs and web work... but until you get used to using it, you'll think you need to cut off your index finger to take a decent picture. Also, I haven't yet decided whether including an 8 MB memory card with the unit was meant as an insult or a joke. Most of the negatives associated with the D-Snap 50 can be cured with three things: patience, practice, and an extraordinarily large SD memory card. After you've taught yourself how to hold it, and jacked up all the settings to acceptable quality, you will wonder how you ever did without it. As for durability, we'll have to wait and see, but I trust the brand. Three and one-half stars.
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