Initial Impressions
Small. This thing is just small. Really small. It's the first thing people mention when they see it for the first time. Cute is usually the second word applied. And it's both of those things. It fits easily in small hands, and I was using it to make a quick movie and shoot some stills within minutes of picking it up.

Interface
The SV-AV10 is essentially a big battery with a lens and SD card reader-writer. As such, the control system is rather limited, consisting of two buttons and a rocker switch on the back, and a large trigger button on the top. On the back, the menu button doubles as the power button. The power won't turn on or off unless you hold the button for two to three seconds, making it hard to accidentally turn on the phone while it is in your pocket. Upon powering up, you're confronted with the various modes (movie mode, still mode, etc.) for recording or playback. You use the rocker switch to choose between them, and the mode button to switch between the playback and recording menus. Whatever recording mode you're in, the trigger switch at the top starts and stops. In playback modes, you rely heavily on the rocker switch. Depressing the switch performs multiple functions, and makes me wish they'd added another button. The system works well for the most part, however, and is relatively simple.

It's clear that Panasonic intended the user to manage files by using the included software and memory card reader. It is extremely difficult to delete individual files, and to actually playback items is a bit cumbersome, as the SV-AV10 only displays a list of files stored, requiring you to pick blindly (file names are automatically generated, and usually appear similar to this: MOL001.ASF). The only exceptions are the MP3 and AAC files you transfer to the memory card, but those file names are truncated after 17 characters, so you need to be concise.

Movie Mode
I'll admit, I was quite excited about the promise of an MPEG-4 in such a small package. This new codec stuffs really large video files into exceedingly small spaces, and is being used by entertainment companies to provide new video-on-demand services over the Internet. And, the codec is so efficient that even in the "fine" mode, you can store about 20 minutes of footage on the included 64 MB SD card. Unfortunately, the footage you get from the SV-AV10 is jerky: the frame-rate is probably about 15 fps, far short of the 24 fps that movies are shot at, or television's 29.9 fps. What it is good for, though, is sending e-mails to friends, and making little mini-movies for fun. I'd hoped for a little more than this, as Kodak's MC3 supplied as much a year earlier (with a smoother frame rate). Similar to the MC3, you can shoot until the card is full (about 20 minutes with the included 64 MB card), whereas most digital camera movie modes have a 30 or 40 second time limit per clip.

Frame-rate limitations aside, the SV-AV10 is a fun toy. There's a certain amount of kitsch value with something like this, but the price might end up being too prohibitive for some.

MP3 Playback
There's not a whole lot to discuss here. Once you've used the included software (RealJukebox) to transfer files to your SD card--digital-rights management is in effect, so you need to check music in and out--you place the card back in the SV-AV10, go to the MP3 playback mode and go. There's no EQ, and the headphones that come with the machine are of the cheap earbud variety, which means you'll probably want to use a better set. Obviously, the machine's not geared toward audiophiles, but it performs its functions admirably.

Digital Photo Mode
The SV-AV10 is fine for taking lower-resolution snapshots. In that respect, it's kind of fun to use. The lack of any sort of zoom hurts you here; you'll have to get in close for most shots. Once you turn the flash on, you'll blow out most of your subjects, so use it sparingly.

Software
I was disappointed in the software that came with the SV-AV10. RealJukebox was fine, albeit not the most current version, and I was happy with how it worked. It was the Panasonic SD-MovieStage software that gave me nightmares. The software was good for pretty much one thing: viewing your movies on a computer. Trying to do anything else was problematic, and extraordinarily difficult to figure out, even with the manual's help. It's not particularly adept at making cuts, or editing together various movies, but then, I'm not sure most people will want to do that with this particular machine.

Final Analysis
The Panasonic SV-AV10 is a unique device with a lot of appeal for those who need a camera that does a lot of things. While it isn't a high-end digital camera, MPEG camcorder, or MP3 player, all the functions are performed adequately or better. The one thing you'll want, particularly if you have an interest in MP3 playback, is extra memory: high-quality MP3s eat up your memory quickly.

There aren't many options for your pictures that you're taking meaning you can't change the lighting effect (inside, outside, cloudy, snow, night, etc), size, picture type (black & white, etc) or many of the other things that you can on other cameras. I found that when pictures were loaded onto the computer, they looked grainy and dull, and if you used the flash, that also seemed to ruin the effect of the picture. There is also no zoom which is one thing I forgot to check out when purchasing this camera. I was not happy with this camera at all after a couple months when I needed better quality photos.

The video recorder of the camera was also a disappointment to me. The recording was very choppy and colors again were poor. On the bright side, it recorded the sound well.

I had no problem with the MP3 player or audio recorder, they both worked fine and were the quality that one would expect.

I now own a Sony Cyber-Shot camera which I am VERY pleased with. Basically you really need to think about what type of pictures you will be taking with your camera and if you want them to be the best quality possible, or if it simply doesn't matter to you to decide if you will be happy with this camera.


Not professional, but not that bad either   December 10, 2003
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Ok, it may not take pictures/movies like professional digital cameras can, but it's still a good camera if you looking for something to do for fun. It's small enough to carry in your pocket, you can operate it on the fly when you need to, so its pretty reliable there. You have to mess around with the software a bit, and experiment with the camera a bit too but once you get the gist of how it works, you wont regret buying it. However, this camera is NOT worth paying full price for($200-$400). I bought a used one at Circuit City for only $125, I've had it for about a year and it still works great!


cool camera   July 15, 2003
 1 out of 4 found this review helpful

this camera is awsome i love it my dad bout it for me so i didnt have to use his and i love it . I can take digital still pics and take videos of cool stuf tht happens . And also listen to mp3s and also take voice recordings.


An ok gadget for the techphile, definitely needs zoom   July 5, 2003
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I bought this gadget for it's many functions although I mostly used it to take video and pictures, sometimes record audio. I really did like it, but after a while I couldn't justify the cost versus the quality... The video quality was ok, about what you get with a medium resolution avi file, but nowhere close to divx quality. Picture resolution at 640x480 was decent, but you'd definitely want better if you want quality pictures. Sound recording was good, but I could only playback on the unit. With SD cards you don't have to worry about memory. My main gripe about this gadget though is the absence of a zoom. I was using it one time when a friend asked me if it had a zoom feature. I told him "this is the zoom" and ran up closer to the subject. If Panasonic added a zoom feature I would definitely recommend it, but overall it doesn't excel in any area. You're probably better off picking up a megapixel digital camera that also takes video.