If they make a sequel to "The Graduate," Mr. Robinson's career suggestion to the college grad won't be "plastics" but "go digital." It seems like everything in consumer electronics are all going digital. New video cams even
a digital idiot can useThere's the flawless digital sound of compact discs; the near perfect picture quality of movies on digital video disc (DVD); cable companies and television manufacturers are retooling to digital; prices for digital still cameras are falling; and even digital camcorders -- like Panasonic's new JPV-DV710 Digital Video Camcorder, about $2,800 -- are edging toward the consumer market.
The DV710 has more than enough bells and whistles to satisfy any aspiring Spielberg. It's small and only 1-1/2 pounds, and has a 3.8-inch color LCD monitor for video taping subjects as well as a color viewfinder. There's Photo Shot -- which allows the user to take a still picture; a 100-times digital zoom -- equivalent to a 5,000-mm lens; a 10X optical zoom -- about 500 mm; Program AE (Auto Exposure); digital electronic image stabilization; digital wipe and mix strobe; remote control, index search; bookmark search; and a 5-pin editing jack. There are tons of other options for filming in various situations that guarantee near perfect results.
I used the camera in perfect and horrible lighting conditions: light only from a flashlight or shooting surfers backlit by the sun. The results were the same: near perfect exposures and focusing.
But what's especially attractive about this tiny wonder is its ease of use for the non professional. You don't have to be a electronics nerd to start filming successfully immediately. If you can handle even the simplest computer, you'll be video taping with the DV710 in just minutes. A quick-use instruction section helps new buyers to get going fast.
Tim Ryan, Star-Bulletin