I think that's wishful thinking Frank. My, albeit rank amateur speculation, is that it's really just mostly a gs100 with a higher zoom, higher still rez maybe...maybe better low-light. And the rest is about the same. just my two tarnished pennies tho.

No e-mail from Pana USA yet, as I expected.

The GS400 picture indicates a different looking cam than the GS100: longer, and the front-end looks different.

> The GS400 picture indicates a different looking cam than the GS100: longer, and the front-end looks different.

Our nightmare would be - increased still pixels, decreased low-light video.

Agreed; and this has been a reoccurring nightmare, year after year with all brands of consumer cams. Less still pixels, bigger CCDs and bigger lenses, please. :-))

The bigger looking lens glass makes me very curious. This move could be similar to that of MX350 (from MX2500). Similar body design but with bigger lens and CCD, and available only in PAL country.

Could be, regarding the pokerish shape. Some North American dealers are already taking orders for the GS400, so it's not a "PAL only" like the MX350.

I realize that the full specs haven't yet been released, but when they are you'll know if it's a good cam or not by seeing if Tommy decides to e-bay his GS100. Tommy is always a good fellow to follow. :-))

I wish Panny would release more specs already... It's kinda hard to decide whether or not to buy the 953 or wait for more info on the GS400. :)

Has anyone heard is they're gonna be showing off the GS400 at NAB or not? If they are, it might be worth me taking a few days off work to pop on down.

The GS400 will most likely be out before NAB, or at least its full specs will be. Is the AG-DVC30 out yet? Pana had said March 4th for the DVC30. Anyone seen one yet?

A swedish site http://www.scandinavianphoto.se/product/item.aspx?itemid=1558407
lists the GS400 with 1/4.7" CCD. That could be the real beef effectively lifting GS400 to prosumer category from other 1/6" CCD toys.

If Pana keeps the $1,500 tag, it could blow away any competitors including Sony 950. It's a sorry for GS100K owners also.

Time to save money ;-)

1/4.7" CCDs? Isn't that Sony's CCD size? 1/6" vs. 1/5" CCDs isn't going to make that big of a difference when you add in megapixel CCDs. Low light performance is barely noticeable between my "toy" GS100 versus my past 1/4.7" 3CCD PDX10. Sony has recently increased their CCD size (1/3.6") on cams like the TRV70 and HC85 which have 2 megapixel CCDs but low light performance is still dismal with all those millions of micro pixels.

Hi Frank,

From the Netherlands site:

http://www.koopdigitaal.nl/

specs as translated (babelfish) dutch to english as follows:

==== Translated Specs ======

Panasonic NV-GS400 12 1675,00
Extra product information

- continuator of MX 500
- 3 CCD prerecording system
- 4.0 mega pixel still picture prerecording
- LEICA Dicomar lens with MEGA optical Image Stablisator
- SD memory lock
- USB 2.0
- 12 x optical hem
- 9 cm. wide open LCD baffle
- DV in/ - Analogously in/
- Photograph flitser
- JPEG foto's (2304 x 1728)
- Simultaneous prerecording of foto's 1 megapixel on SD
- Li-ion accumulator
- lens 58 mm

More information: www.panasonic.nl

==== EO Translated Specs ======
I think we've seen most of the specs from the other sites. The only ones which are intriguing are:

- continuator of MX 500
- lens 58 mm

Can anything be inferred from knowing the lens is 58mm?

58mm? The filter threads? From looking at the MX5 and GS400 pic, the front lens element of the GS400 looks wider.Is the CCD size mentioned?

Frank, no CCD size mentioned.

That line about "more information: www. panasonic.nl" was part of the translated specs.

I just went to the site (http://www.koopdigitaal.nl/) then searched (upper right of page) for nv-gs400 and when the result shows, just click on the "i" icon after the price and this will bring up a page with the specs without a picture and in dutch.

Thanks. For some reason the GS400 specs are a big secret. Pana probably feels guilty that there was no GS100 for outside of Japan and that the GS400 may be not as good (as the GS100). That's what I suspect. I also suspect that the GS400 may just be the MX5000/PV-DV953 with an ever so slightly touch-up, to make it appear as Pana's great new consumer top of the line 3-chip for 2004. Pana sure thinks outsiders are sheep. Lead them, they'll follow; feed them, they'll eat. (Not this black sheep.) :-))

58mm. REALLY???

That's as big as the VX2100. That's even bigger than the filter thread of the DVC30.