Customer Reviews

JVC GRD230 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

CCD is big and the color is clear -I just bought the JVC GR-230 this month and I am wondering why I did not do it sooner. This camcorder is 1.33MP and has 10x optical zoom as well as a ¼-inch CCD to bring the action close and record it with decent quality. I shopped around and this it the largest CCD for the price.


Does well in low-light even during a lunar eclipse - The camcorder does pretty well in low light. I took some night footage during the lunar eclipse and found that it did the job but it kind of faded the colors as the moon moved into full eclipse.


Automatic and manual modes - I really like the fact that I don't have to be a rocket scientist to set the automatic modes. I was able to adjust my shutter speed and the image stabilization to adjust the clarity and depth of my nighttime footage. I also tested out the sepia and twilight modes to alter the look an feel of some of my daytime shots.


Macro Pictures - I was expecting the worst from the still image features. I've never been too impressed with pictures taken with less than a 3 mega-pixel camera. I was pleasantly surprised that this camcorder actually takes good macro images. I was able to take some pretty nice macro plant shots and print them out on 4x6 paper. I tried to print them on 8x11 and they did not turn out as well so I am sticking to the 4x6 prints.


Form factor - At first glance I thought this was a DVD camcorder. I really like the small compact forms factor. It is lightweight and easy to use and the 2.5 LCD panel does the job. You can tilt it up to 45 degree angle although I am not sure why you'd want to.

I bought the camera through Amazon and it was delivered in three days. I experimented with it for about three weeks before this review.

The Goods: It is sleek yet sturdy and has all the functionalities one would expect. Autofocus function is very good & I am able to shoot close ups in video & stills amazingly well. The clarity of the picture is very good and I am impressed at how well it has captured the video, when I played back on the TV. The buttons are well located for easier operation and the whole thing was easy to learn and operate. The additional light is helpful, to filter any shadows when you are shooting in dim light. I was bale to use it for highlighting the closeup shots as well. The optical zoom is plenty and the digital zoom is as good as many cameras out there. I biught this camera, because of the megapixels that it was offering and I was happy with the clarity.

The price through Amazon is the lowest I found anywhere and I feel that this camera is well worth the money I paid(...).

The software provided does the job well, however, I would recommend to buy firewire for converting to VCDs. It took me nearly 2 hours to convert 40 min tape to VCD via USB cable. The Pixela software is easy to use and I did make a successful VCD.

The Bad: I was bit disaapointed with the night shooting, even with the night alive mode. The focus was blurry, when I engaged night alive. If there is low light, the picture although visible, can be very blurry. I guess all camera's are that way. In low light situations, the accesory light did not help me much either.(as I have started using this camera from last few weeks, I may have to learn more about shooting at night).

I also felt that JVC could have provided the firewire and increased the capacity of the SD card. I however, did some research & found that most camcorders, do not come with firewire or high capacity sd card.

Verdict: Great camera for the price, with a lot of features. It is sleek and does not weigh much at all. I would recommend a purchase, if you shooting outdoors(does really well & sharp) and in areas, where there is decent light.

I bought this camera from Amazon as it was on sale, after testing it for about a week, I really am amazed with this Camera, OK, here is why:

PROS

1. The price, for the price I paid ($300 - 400), I got a whole lot of features.

2. The Camera is so light and compact, there are many camcorders that are light, I've used a Sony, Cannon and now this is the second JVC that I use, its small enough to make it stable in your hand, some camcorders are small and light which make them shake in your hands, the design of this allows it to be very stable in your hand.

3. It has a high resolution (540 lines) which is really great, I'm comparing it with other Sony Cameras that only have 500 or 510 and cost twice as much.

4. The built in night light is Excellent, the colors I got after turning on the light (in low light conditions) are just amazing.

5. The ability of the Camcorder to convert between Analog and Digital (line in recording)

6. This might not be a big deal to some, but it is to me, the Camera is MADE IN JAPAN.

CONS
What I did not like about the camera is just a very minor issue which is: The A/V connection is not the standard type that you would buy from any store, it has its own A/V connection cable

I've read that people are complaining about a sound issue, this is the second JVC I've used, the sound is higher than what you'd see in other Camcorders. However I did not notice that until I read the reviews. The sound of the Camera is not a problem as far as I'm concerned, maybe I'm not picky

Overall, this is an Excellent deal. Some people go with Sony because of the name, but I like to compare specifications, this Camera equals most Sony camcorders in specifications, but the price is much less. Sony has a big name, but is it worth to pay double the amount to get a name???

I recommend this camera, In fact, I bought another one as a gift.

I hope this helps.

I liked the form factor and power supply that came with this camcorder. It would be very easy to bring on a trip. The fatal flaw in my opinion however is the motor noise. It's extremely loud and the built in microphone picks it all up and records it on tape. I've owned other mini dv camcorders in the past that did not have this problem. (Canon Optura Pi, Canon ZR40).

At $300 after rebate, no other camcorder in the market can compete with it. Read the reviews at www.camcorderinfo.com, and you will understand it. There are other $300 camcorders, but in my opinion this belongs to an upper tier compared with them. For example, its sensor is 1/4" while most of others have a 1/6".

After playing with it for several days, I verified that the image quality is quite good and it works well in low-light.
Though it has lots of manual control features, they are not really convenient to access. It is not a problem at all for me (and I guess for most of other casual customers), since I would not use them anyway. Its automatic mode is good enough.

It is not really built sturdy. A cover must be popped out to access the Firewire and USB ports, which I'm afraid would not last long. But at its price, I cannot complain.

My only serious complaint is that it records the motor noise. I know that it is common in almost any cheap camcorders, but obviously mine must be defective. The noise is too loud to be normal. (I asked for a replacement.) As of my writing, out of 14 reviews, 4 reviewers reported that that motor noise was recorded, while 1 reviewer said that he didn't have any problem. This ratio is much higher than in reviews of other camcorders (such as Sony HC40), so be careful.

One reviewer complained that he cannot capture MPEG using USB. To be precise, that is not true. The bundle software *does* capture MPEG video, but the quality is limited. To capture in DV format, you must use Firewire, which is the case with most camcorders.

In summary, I think it is an excellent camcorder for beginners like me. The value is unbeatable. But watch out for motor noise.

Although the motor noise is insignificant during recording, whatever little that's produced propagates fairly well to the recording media. In quiet to moderate settings at home, you WILL hear the motor noise grinding in the background. This was a show stopper for me. The JVC technical support staff were not helpful at all. And therefore, this unit is going back.

Read some of the reviews concerning motor noise recording onto the tape. Put the camcorder on my table in record mode and was totally silent---played back tape at loud volume and could only hear my refrigerator running, no camera motor noise at all! Overall a fantastic camera for the price. To copy movie to your computer you must connect the audio cable portion of the supplied wire harness to the

I see two people reported noise and 17 mentioned no problem, with one specifically saying they had not noticed this at all.

I just want to second that I have han NO noise at all. I have tested it with both normal volume recording at a christmas party as well as a situation with no noise at all, and I can here no noise from the motor on any recording.

I am also surprised that soemone mentioned no tape in the package. I have bought panasonic and sony models with no tape either.

I am very happy with this camera for the price

When I got the camera, I immediately noticed the small size. That along with the CCD were pluses, but as soon as I turned on the camera for recording, that's when the problems started. First of all, please, somebody tell me if this is correct or if I should return it for an exchange (mine may be faulty):

The winding noise from the DV tape is captured onto all films recorded. This means that there is a constant train like noise captured onto all of the videos I record from this camcorder. I'm thinking that the manufacturer's can't be that stupid to make such a faulty mistake, so I'm gonna try to exchange this for another one. Is there any hope in doing this, or does all JVC GR-D230's have this problem?

I also didn't like the need to install their proprietary software.
Please, people who have this camera, tell me if this is a common mistake that you have to live with, or is this just a faulty item they shipped. Thanks

I bought this as a wedding gift for my sister, and have used it to shoot loads of footage at the wedding. Firstly, I havent heard ANY motor noise (and nobody else seeing the video has either). And I used it in both dimly lit rooms and normally lit rooms as well as outdoors. The picture quality is great, and the sound quality too. The ease of use of this camera in automatic mode meant that any relative of mine could step into my shoes when i wasn't around. Plus the digicam feature was a lifesaver because I ran out of battery on my digicam, and had to use the JVC as the substitute (and the photo quality is prety decent). Also the remote included with it is pretty handy and damn neat.

I would recommend that you buy the JVC starter kit along with this (thats the bag,1 cassette and the extra battery pack which lasts for 3 hrs) because the standard battery has a 1 hr life only. I also recommend that you buy an SD card separately as the included 8mb card is inadequate.

If this camera has faults, its only for the USB/Firewire port cover. I don't like it as I feel is fragile and can snap off pretty easily. Also the LCD has to be kept open due to the location of the cover.

All in all, a great camcorder, and at the price I bought it, excellent value.