JVC GR-D20 Mini DV Camcorder
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- Recording System: PAL
- Camcorder Type: Digital
- Recording Media: Mini DV
- Optical Zoom: 16x
- Weight: 1.16 lb.
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Why go analogue?.
Pros
Great Value, compact, easy use in 'A' mode, picture & sound great for money.
Cons
Difficult use in 'M'anual. No hot-shoe, mic-socket or focus ring. Bottom loading.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
A good-average cam at well below the average price. If you aren't technically minded it's really all you need. Great Value.
If you are not particularly serious about your video making, but you want something that's easy to use and gives good results without spending silly money then this might be the cam for you.
It uses the miniDV format, which is the universal.
Several reasons for buying mini-DV:
-It gives the best resolution in the domestic realm.
-The format is not going to dissapear.
-The tapes are now cheap(compare to blank dvdcam media!).
-MicroMV aside it allows the most compact cameras.
-Mini-DV cams are now just about as cheap as Hi8's.
In the 'A'uto mode all the weekend user has to do is compose their shot and hit record, the camera does auto focus, exposure & white ballance for you.
Like all auto modes they usually work well enough, but can let you down sometimes. For the more serious user there is a 'M'anual setting on the control dial, allowing manual focus, manual exposure and manual white ballance.
However I found the menu system on the JVC absolutely terrible to use. There are a mind boggling array of options, but using jvc speak as opposed to technical speak, which I personally would find easier to use.
For example, it can shoot in a pseudo 16.9 mode but I'm damned if I can find the setting anywhere. In fairness it's in the handbook, but on any other camera the menu system is usually quite logically laid out and intuitive.
The manual focus is ok to use, the button to activate mf is on the outside and the dial is easy to use (with a helpful scroll showing close up and far away), as ever a focus ring round the lens would be nice, but as no other manufacturer is offering that feature at this price I can't really be too harsh on JVC.
There is a decent zoom on the JVC (16x optical) one thing I didn't like with this cam is that there is no clear warning when you go into the digital section (on sony's, canons & panasonics there is a clear division on the lcd zoom indicator) the number simply keeps rising above 16x.
This means the casual user might find themselves unwittingly straying into the silly digital zoom territory.
Digital zooms are bad.
Up to a point they look okay on the lcd, they always look terrible on a tv monitor. Don't use them!.
The camera also has an electronic image stabiliser, this is a boon for hand held use, but like any electronic system it lowers the resolution slightly, a cam with an optical stabiliser is better, but will cost you four times as much.
Image and sound quality are fine, on a par with anything else I've seen from a single chip miniDV camcorder.
I have reservations about the ease of using the manual settings, but most folk buying this cam will proably just leave it in auto.
The camera is DV-out only, meaning budding film-makers will have to master there finished movies onto dvd or video cd, as the footage cannot be recorded back onto the camcorder (the quality from mini-dv is nearly broadcast, siginificantly higher than DVD).
Annoyingly the camera lacks any input for an external microphone, or even a place to mount it (or a video light for that matter), most home users won't be affected by this, but it would have been nice!.
The camera is a bottom-loader, fine for had held use, rubbish for tripod users, only the panasonics are top-loaders at this end of the market, so it's not really any worse off than the majority of it's competitors.
The camera comes with everything you need to get started (no tape, they never do) basic battey (good for 50 minutes on the tape assuming average use: stop/start recording, LCD screen in use) all the analogue leads you'll need (RCA phono & scart, the cam has an s-video out but no s-video lead).
Final Point. The camera has a night-time shooting mode. These are almost always a waste of time. The JVC is no exception.
Cameras need light to work, without light the picture quality is always going to suffer. The camera should cope fine with typical indoors light, anything darker and you will be dissapointed. Again this applies to any camcorder, not just the JVC.
At this end of the market the Canon MV600 is also a great buy, it will coost slightly more but has bigger zoom (18x),is a bit more helpful in the manual mode & with mic socket and hotshoe.
If you need dv-in look at the GRD-50 & the Canon MV600i.
If you want a full-auto camera that gives good results in most conditions then the JVC is a bargain that's hard to ignore.
If you are a bit more serious but on a budget cameras like the Panasonic GS30 or canon mv600i might be a better bet.
It uses the miniDV format, which is the universal.
Several reasons for buying mini-DV:
-It gives the best resolution in the domestic realm.
-The format is not going to dissapear.
-The tapes are now cheap(compare to blank dvdcam media!).
-MicroMV aside it allows the most compact cameras.
-Mini-DV cams are now just about as cheap as Hi8's.
In the 'A'uto mode all the weekend user has to do is compose their shot and hit record, the camera does auto focus, exposure & white ballance for you.
Like all auto modes they usually work well enough, but can let you down sometimes. For the more serious user there is a 'M'anual setting on the control dial, allowing manual focus, manual exposure and manual white ballance.
However I found the menu system on the JVC absolutely terrible to use. There are a mind boggling array of options, but using jvc speak as opposed to technical speak, which I personally would find easier to use.
For example, it can shoot in a pseudo 16.9 mode but I'm damned if I can find the setting anywhere. In fairness it's in the handbook, but on any other camera the menu system is usually quite logically laid out and intuitive.
The manual focus is ok to use, the button to activate mf is on the outside and the dial is easy to use (with a helpful scroll showing close up and far away), as ever a focus ring round the lens would be nice, but as no other manufacturer is offering that feature at this price I can't really be too harsh on JVC.
There is a decent zoom on the JVC (16x optical) one thing I didn't like with this cam is that there is no clear warning when you go into the digital section (on sony's, canons & panasonics there is a clear division on the lcd zoom indicator) the number simply keeps rising above 16x.
This means the casual user might find themselves unwittingly straying into the silly digital zoom territory.
Digital zooms are bad.
Up to a point they look okay on the lcd, they always look terrible on a tv monitor. Don't use them!.
The camera also has an electronic image stabiliser, this is a boon for hand held use, but like any electronic system it lowers the resolution slightly, a cam with an optical stabiliser is better, but will cost you four times as much.
Image and sound quality are fine, on a par with anything else I've seen from a single chip miniDV camcorder.
I have reservations about the ease of using the manual settings, but most folk buying this cam will proably just leave it in auto.
The camera is DV-out only, meaning budding film-makers will have to master there finished movies onto dvd or video cd, as the footage cannot be recorded back onto the camcorder (the quality from mini-dv is nearly broadcast, siginificantly higher than DVD).
Annoyingly the camera lacks any input for an external microphone, or even a place to mount it (or a video light for that matter), most home users won't be affected by this, but it would have been nice!.
The camera is a bottom-loader, fine for had held use, rubbish for tripod users, only the panasonics are top-loaders at this end of the market, so it's not really any worse off than the majority of it's competitors.
The camera comes with everything you need to get started (no tape, they never do) basic battey (good for 50 minutes on the tape assuming average use: stop/start recording, LCD screen in use) all the analogue leads you'll need (RCA phono & scart, the cam has an s-video out but no s-video lead).
Final Point. The camera has a night-time shooting mode. These are almost always a waste of time. The JVC is no exception.
Cameras need light to work, without light the picture quality is always going to suffer. The camera should cope fine with typical indoors light, anything darker and you will be dissapointed. Again this applies to any camcorder, not just the JVC.
At this end of the market the Canon MV600 is also a great buy, it will coost slightly more but has bigger zoom (18x),is a bit more helpful in the manual mode & with mic socket and hotshoe.
If you need dv-in look at the GRD-50 & the Canon MV600i.
If you want a full-auto camera that gives good results in most conditions then the JVC is a bargain that's hard to ignore.
If you are a bit more serious but on a budget cameras like the Panasonic GS30 or canon mv600i might be a better bet.
