JVC GRD230 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

Other products by JVC

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1 x 1 x 1 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001B86G8
• Item model number: D230US
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,234 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 27, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Amazon.com Review The features of the compact, versatile GRD230 are accessible right out of the box. The record button is right under your thumb, and the digital still shutter button is exactly where your index finger comes to rest on top of the unit. Playback and mode functions are likewise clearly marked and easy to reach under the flip-out LCD screen. The camcorder's well-thought-out design manifests itself in a dozen other thoughtful details as well. One of our favorites is that closing the LCD screen turns the power off, and opening it turns it on, which facilitates quick-draw shooting and means you'll be unlikely to run down the battery accidentally.

Turn the camcorder on and off simply by closing and opening the LCD screen.

Which is all well and good, but how's the image fidelity? Decent to excellent. Daylight, of course, provides the most vibrant colors and the sharpest contours. But we found that even indoors, under the kind of fluorescent lighting you might find at, say, the offices of a Seattle-based online retailer, the video quality is surprisingly good. One thing the GRD230 does extremely well--and this is not a feature JVC calls out--is take sharp close-ups. We could see clear detail from as close as 5 centimeters away. Image stabilization is among the best we have ever seen: zoom in on a detail across the room, and the picture is as steady as if the camera had been mounted on a tripod.

One of the big draws of the GRD230 is the SD memory card slot that lets you take digital stills (the unit includes an 8 MB card, but you will almost certainly want to get a higher-capacity card as soon as possible). All the power of the 10x zoom lens is also available in still mode (forget about the advertised 500x "digital" zoom, whi ch is nothing but a cropping mechanism), and there is almost no shutter lag. Plus, the GRD230 does close-ups as well in still image mode as it does in video mode.

Freakishly good close-ups. (Actual still picture taken with the GRD230 -- See full-sized image.)

The twin white LED auto-lights are a nice touch, even if their power is not overwhelming. The LEDs come on automatically whenever light is low (you can override this manually) but drain battery power at about a tenth the rate of conventional lights. Power management in general is something the GRD230 does very well indeed. An entire day of intermittent shooting on one charge proved to be no problem.

We do have a few complaints. Automatic mode is not as automatic as it might be; we had to manually adjust the brightness on a few occasions. Transmission to a PC via the USB cord required the installation of drivers from the included CD-ROM. (Isn't the U in "USB" supposed to stand for "universal"? Why do some cameras require a special driver and other s don't?) Also, the shape of the camera body, with its round hump, rather suspiciously makes the GRD230 look like a DVD camcorder. JVC isn't trying to fool anyone, are they? No matter: DVD or no DVD, you would be hard pressed to find anything at this price even approaching the quality and features of this tidy little unit. --David Stoesz

Pros

• Compact, intuitive design
• Decent image quality
• SD card slot for digital stills
• Excellent image stabilization

Cons

• Shaped deceptively like a DVD camcorder
• LED lights have a very limited range
• USB connection requires installation of cumbersome software

Product Description

JVC's Ultra-Compact Series Mini DV camcorders feature a fun, stylish design unique to JVC. The initial model in this series features JVC's DV Navigation, which displays thumbnails for each recorded scene to make it quick and easy to find specific material. Also featured is a 2.5-inch LCD monitor, 10X optical/500X digital zoom, USB connectivity, Video CD creation, e-mail video clips capability, NightAlive and includes an SD card.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Reasons to Love this Camcorder!!!, October 29, 2004

By	Movie Maker (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

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.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Camcorder that Does a Lot, November 18, 2004

By	NJ Rao "Rao" (NJ) - See all my reviews

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Camcorder, December 10, 2004

By	A. Khawam "A.K." (Iowa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.