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Reviewed by UK Guest, 14th Jun 2004. |
| Review Summary: excellent for the money |
Overall Score: 4/5
 
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Review: I'll try and keep this short. At this price point this JVC GR-D23EK is an excellent camcorder. Period.
I've used a few camcorders over the years from vhs-c, 8mm, hi-8 and tested digital 8 and minidv.
Compared to analogue tape MiniDV is FAR FAR better. The picture is crisp, the colours true, vivid and stable and the sound is also clearer and louder.
In daylight the JVC is superb, beating my old Hi-8 in every department. In low light the image is still far clearer than many higher priced camcorders with minimal graininess and still retains colour. I've seen higher priced camcorders which under the same condition give dull colourless and/or grainy pictures. Not so on this JVC.
Included is a built in light which is sufficient to illuminate an average room enough for the camera to focus and record useable pictures. The light can be used in 2 ways. On auto setting not only does the light turn itself on and off as lighting conditions require it also extends the exposure time to allow more light to enter the lens and is 'almost' able to see in total darkness. The downside is the video recorded can become choppy but this only occurs in total darkness and i do mean no other light at all.
The camera is small, lightweight, has an auto setting for the beginner which copes very well WITH ALMOST EVER SITUATION as well as a manual overide for the pro out there.
The LCD screen is clear and has a brightness control. The menus are clear and easily accessable.
The 16x zoom is superb for a camera this cheap (many only have 10x), the image stabiliser excellent and digital zoom useable upto 40x after which the image suffers badly from pixelisation (as do all digital zooms)
It has S-VHS output as well as the DV output and the viwfinder is also colour for those times the LCD is not being used.
If this all seems too good to be true the only downsides are the lack of an external mic socket and a 'shoe' for mounting accessories. However as it has a built in light ask yourself will you actually use these functions? And as for no DV IN will you need that? Most people record to PC then DVD now anyway.
I think this is a brilliant camcorder. Better than the Sony HC18 & 20 and the CANON 700 I tried for price, low light performance, ease of use and overall quality. RECOMMENDED. |
Ratings
| Value For Money: |
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4 |
| Review Score: |
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4 |
| Recommended? | |
Yes |
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Digital Cameras