It really is amazing that a camera of this quality and feature-set can be had for as little as $480. If the Santa in your life is willing to spend this kind of dough, and you’re willing to put up with the few negatives described above, don’t be shy about asking him (or her) to toss a PV-GS300 down your chimney.

The Panasonic PV-GS300 has a lot of features and is a great choice for shooters who don’t mind spending a little extra money for quality, but who don’t want to lay down a lot of cash for a higher-end camera such as the PV-GS500.

This is a really good camera for people that want to just point and shoot. If you don’t want to mess around with lots of features and options then you will be happy. I am highly disappointed with the lack of a real light for the camera, the poor performance of the wind elimination and optical image stabilization, and the really bad warranty. Again, if you are just getting a camera that has great video quality then this will be just fine. Keep in mind that you are not paying thousands of dollars for a professional camera.

The PV-GS300 is the most perplexing type of “replacement” model. The key features that made its predecessor so popular have, in part, been tossed out the window. Say goodbye to analog-to-digital pass through, a focus ring, the headphone jack, and an easily accessible SD card slot.

Offering superb video quality under a wide variety of lighting conditions, the Panasonic PV-GS300 is an excellent choice if you typically shoot in automatic mode. Prosumers may find the limited choice and the awkward accessibility of the manual settings frustrating, however.