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Review: Having read a few magazine reviews and browsed some manufacturer web sites, I settled on this JVC GR-DF470EK MiniDV camcorder as a good all-rounder, not bottom end and not too pricey or complicated. I have found it produces great results for my needs. The features for the money are great. DV In and Out is particularly good in this price bracket, full manual control of everything and a nifty battery data system that shows remaining power. You can also switch off the LCD and use the viewfinder to conserve battery power. Program modes include night scope, shutter speeds from 1/50 to 1/4000, sports, snow, spotlight, twilight, sepia, B&W, classic film flicker, strobe, mirror and 5S mode for stop frame animation or time lapse. I tend to use Auto mode almost all of the time and the image is fine. There's the occasional white balance error but it quickly corrects itself. Shooting outdoors gets particularly bright and rich colours, even in cloudy conditions. Takes stills on a supplied memory card, also has some clever sounding Biphonic sound system, which I haven't tried yet (two extra mics supplied on something that looks like a pair of headphones. You wear them when recording and the tape records a triangle of sound from the built-in mic and the earpiece mics, which is supposed to simulate surround sound). I was amazed at how small and light the camera was when it arrived, it's great to handle. The mic picks up slight tape mechanism noise during quiet spells, but nothing annoying. All in all, I've been delighted with the results - it's been a great introduction to digital video. Perfect for grab out of the bag and point and shoot, getting great results (but the Tamrac 5696 bag Amazon recommend for this model is just a little small for my needs - it's tight with the camera, AC adapter and a couple of tapes in). As a companion, I'd also recommend Tom Ang's 'Digital Video Handbook' and Adobe Premiere Elements for editing. |
Digital Cameras
