Hi everyone, I'm new to this site,I'm trying to write some really honest reviews for you to read and...
Hi everyone, I'm new to this site,I'm trying to write some really honest reviews for you to read and hopefully I can give you some great ideas and I would appreciate some tips or advice from you. I'm a 21yr old female from the uk.
Member since:07.10.2004
Reviews:13
Members who trust:12
I bought this camcorder and i liked it very much. The GR-D70, as with it's sister products the GR-D20/30/90, is likely to satisfy customers looking for a no-frills, easy-to-use camcorder that has digital stills, USB and full DV/AV inputs.
First Impressions: The GR-D70 isn't a featherweight - but neither does it have the sturdiness of DCR-TRV22 (it's nearest Sony competitor). It' overall design is functional rather than beautiful, though that won't be of concern to someone who is looking for a camcorder that is easy to get to know, offers a reasonable range of functions, and which does what it says on the box.
The main power switch, menu thumbwheel, photo button and small zoom toggle are all to the right of the monochrome 0.24" LCD viewfinder and are easily accessible when shooting.
The camera's line are pleasing to the eye, with all connecting sockets masked by colour-matched rubber hatches. The cam's main VCR controls are situated in the 2.5" colour LCD screen recess, and unless the remote control is being used this must be open in order to operate playback functions. It's here also that the main
video/DSC ( Digital Stills Camera ) switch can be found.
Features: The camcorders appearance underestimates it's comprehensive functionality. Not only do you get the full range of DV and AV inputs in the form of FireWire, composite video (via3-pole jack splitting to video and twin-audio RCA connectors) but S-video in and out as well. The S-video and LANC sockets ( for controlling suitably equipped analogue editing VCRs) are hidden behind a door adjacent to the lens on the outer body, whereas the AV socket is openly visible just above it.
There's no external microphone or headphone socket with this camcorder, and neither is there a flashlight. This will put the camcorder at a serious disadvantage when compared with Sony's aggressively priced DCR-TRV22 DV camcorder, it has to be said.
The 8MB MultiMedia Card (SD card is an optional accessory) slots in behind the LCD screen door. Digital stills can be taken in JPEG format in two resolutions- 640x480 (standard) and 1,024x768 (fine) pixel modes. Jvc has included a feature called DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) which allows the tagging of skills stored on the MMC card for later printing.
Also included is Windows-only software called Digital Photo Navigator, designed to facilitate USB transfer of stills editing them in a PC. Image mixer is also included, providing the capability to create VCD movies via USB or FireWire - a feature only now starting to appear on recent Sony models. Users with PC or Mac editing and authoring software will prefer, of course, to do it on the computer, but it's a nice touch all the same. No support for Mac users is provided with image transfer via USB, though, DV export via FireWire is not affected - with connection to Macs being good.
The GR-D70 possesses a 1/6th inch single 800,000 pixel CCD with a lens whose widest aperture is a creditable f1.6, and producing an equally impressive 16:1 optical zoom ratio.
A full range of manual controls is also provided using the menu thumbwheel, including focus, exposure and white balance. The latter has AE presets, for fine, cloudy and artificial light conditions. The AE control menu also offers a choice of electronic shutter speeds, but is limited to1/50th and 120th seconds.
Last, but not least, the GR-D70 offers a "cinema" mode which enables users to shoot pseudo-widescreen pictures which, when appropriately selected on a widescreen TV, will assume 16:9 characteristics. Alternatively, the 4:3 squeeze option will simply compress the picture horizontally in order that it unsqueezes as a widescreen TV image.
Performance: The f1.6 lens is sufficient to produce pictures even in average interior low light conditions.
There is, as you'd expect from a 1/6th inch CCD, a certain amount of picture noise when the light level drops, but this camcorder copes very well, faring much better when compared alongside the Canon MV600i or MV650i in similar conditions.
The 2.5" LCD screen displays images with a noticeable red bias and the screen itself is fairly well visible in sunlight. Audio recording is only possible via the camcorders built in electret condenser type microphone in either 16 bit/48KHz modes (the latter allowing for additional separate commentary recording or music). Stereo separation and overall quality is much as to be expected from mics of this type, reasonable but lacking the depth and resonance of higher-spec systems.
Conclusion: In keeping with market trends, JVC has responded to the need for full digital and analogue connectivity on this model, and this is to be applauded. It's a pity that this has been included at the expense of other useful features like an external microphone input or more importantly, a headphone output, but theres no doubt that for the majority of camcorder users looking for a simple DV camcorder that produces good quality pictures and sounds under normal conditions this isn't a concern.
When assessing the JVC GR-D70 in this context, it must be said that it's a very fine little camcorder indeed. It's a pity though, that it might not fare well against Sony's aggressively priced DCR-TRV22, which possesses many of the features absent from the GR-D70 at less cost.
Specifications: CCD: 1/6" Lens: f1.6 Filter Diameter: 37mm (1 1/16") Optical Zoom: 16x (2.7 - 43.2mm) Digital Zoom: 700x Movie Resolution: 800,000 pixels Stills Resolution: 800,000 pixels Connectivity: Full DV & AV in/out Audio: Pcm 12-bit/16-bit USB Streaming: Yes (Windows only) LCD Screen: 2.5" Viewfinder: 0.24" B&W LCD Focus: Auto/Manual Exposure: Auto/Manual White Balance: Auto/Manual Program AE: Auto + 6 modes Headphone out: No Microphone in: No Still Photo Mode: JPG, 2 modes (fine/std) Media Card: 8MB MMC (SD optional) Bluetooth: No Image Stabiliser: No Widescreen: No Movie Light: No Dimensions: 69x94x143mm Weight: 525g
Camcorder - Optical Zoom: 35, 35 x - Digital Zoom: 800x - Weight: 315 g - Supported Media Type: Hard disc drive, Flash card - Viewfinder: without Viewfinder
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Advantages: Has all the features you would want for a beginners camcorder Disadvantages: When light levels are low the picture can become a little jerky and grainy.
Darthmiller 01.05.2004 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of JVC GR D70
Advantages: Has all the features you would want for a beginners camcorder Disadvantages: When light levels are low the picture can become a little jerky and grainy.
Darthmiller 01.05.2004 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of JVC GR D70
Advantages: Fairly cheap, easy to use, and easy to edit Disadvantages: This may have just been mine but it stopped working after 2 years, complaining of condensation
piropete 09.09.2005 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of JVCGRD70EK
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