Summary Definitely one of mini dv's best kept secrets as everyone else has noted. No longer made, if you can locate one of these somewhere, GRAB IT fast. In the hands of a professional, this little gem will knock your socks off with its fabulous image quality.
Small enough to carry anywhere. Great for "guerilla" shooting, documentaries, and other programs. Hey, Mike Moore made is claim to fame with Roger & Me, there's no reason why you can't do the same using this little camera.
It is easy to use. Battery life is phenominal. I keep it with me 24/7. It's always ready to shoot. The quality of the lens is understated. It is simply one of the best quality pieces of glass you can shoot with. Believe it or not, the quality of the lens counts for more than the megapixels of the ccd, and in this dept, the EZ50 shines brigher than the sun.
Shoot all day and come back and transfer your footage to your laptop for editing and finishing. Burn a DVD and man you are a moviemaker!
Strengths Small size, light weight, crinkle finish, fantastic high quality lens, long battery life, nice manual controls, happily lacking in frills that other camcorders come with that are junk toys.
Great value for the money
Weaknesses DV loading is from the bottom
Similar Products Used I've used them all at one time or another
Reviewed by garzilla
, Intermediate
, from El Monte, CA USA
Price Paid $1199.00
at BH
Summary This awesome little camera sure takes a beating both physically, and in being spoken inaccurately of in the DV community. I have had nothing but compliments in regards to the picture quality. I grow every time I shoot with this great little camera.
Strengths Great price!!!
Excellent finish and construction.
Great picture.
Easy to use.
Awesome manual controls.
Sweet lens and zoom.
Good battery life.
Panasonic's Pro divison warranty.
Weaknesses Bottom loader.
Could be better in low light, but still great under normal lighting conditions, both outdoors and indoors.
Similar Products Used Cable access Sony and Panasonic pro gear.
Summary The AG-EZ50 is a great camcorder that is underrated. I am surprised at the lack of reviews on it in magazines or on the internet. Picture quality is sharp and colors are vivid and outstanding. The small size and light weight makes it easy to carry to transport around. Sound quality is clear and crisp (for a built in microphone). When I transferred the movie from the EZ50 to my computer via firewire, I was amazed at the picture quality playback when it was converted into DVD. The camcorder is easy to use, in fact I was able to operate it the first time without referring to the manual. I do recommend reading the manual (for any equipment) to become better acquainted with it.
For quality output, features and price, this camcorder can't be beat.
Strengths 3ccd, firewire, small size and light weight, superb Leica optics, good built-in mic, nice and durable exterior finish, large LCD monitor.
Weaknesses Location of tape load/unload (bottom) is cumbersome which is especially incovenient when it is attached to a tripod. Colors in auto exposure are too saturated. However I usually prefer to use the manual override for better control of color and exposure. Still quality picture is poor. I suggest if you want to take quality digital pictures, then use a digital camera. Even a 2.0 megapixel camera will outperform the picture quality from the EZ50. I don't why Panasonic would add the still picture (digital camera) feature on a prosumer/professional equipment.
Summary I agree with the previous review. This is an excellent option for a professional videographer on a budget. I'm surprised at the lack of reviews and information on this product.
I've used many other 3 ccd cameras and this is right up there with the PD-150.
I love this camera
Strengths Sturdy, tough, and easy to handle. Fully manual controls, great color/image. Leica lens.
Weaknesses No audio volume control while recording
Summary WoW. This is trully one of the best kept secrets. The EZ50 is the smallest and cheapest 3CCD minDV camcorder available. Unbelievable the lack of reviews and promotion/advertisements on this camera.
Strengths Awesome cool looking dark gray "crinkle"finish on camera, tough and less slippery.
Small Size (smaller than many single chip cams)
GREAT video quality on par with MUCH more expensive cameras.
3.5"screen
color viewfinder
Leica Lens (fast focus)
Lack of Gimmicks
Ease of Use
Great battery life
5 of 5
5 of 5
