JVC GR-D270 MiniDV Camcorder w/25x Optical Zoom Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I spent hours on-line trying to select a camcorder from an overwhelming multitude. The important considerations for me were:
- PC connectivity
- Price
- At least decent video and audio quality
- Battery life, size and everything else
This JVC is a success in all these parameters.
- I had no trouble at all connecting to a wintel PC. I have a cheap no-name lash-up desktop box, a $15 firewire card, a generic $5 firewire cable, and XP. I am relieved to report it all worked first time, because connectivity problems are apparently common with all camera brands (including JVC).
- This is one of the cheaper miniDV machines, so the price was right.
- Video quality, for an uncritical amateur like me, is plenty good enough. And there is apparently wide-spread opinion that JVCs are better than average in low-light conditions.
- Audio quality, again good enough. There is definitely some motor noise breakthrough with the built-in mike that interferes with quiet pastoral scenes.
- Battery life with the supplied battery is approx 1 hour. Since JVC batteries are upwards of $80, I will be buying cheap generic knock-offs in the $30 range.
- The supplied USB cable is for downloading pictures from the snapshot and webcam mode. It is worthless for transferring video. Snapshots are inferior to my aged Canon Elph.
If a buddy could have told me here was a camera that worked OK with my computer, and was otherwise decent and affordable, I could have saved hours of research.
EDIT 1: Still 4 stars, but I would have exchanged some of that 25x tele for some more wide-angle. Also, the zoom mechanism is a bit abrupt, it is difficult to get a smooth zooming action.

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With a lightweight design that's 30 percent smaller than previous models, the JVC GR-D270 MiniDV camcorder is an affordable choice for recording life's most important moments--from family gatherings to vacations. But it doesn't skimp on features, with a 25x optical zoom lens, large 2.5-inch swing-out LCD, and the NightAlive function for shooting in low-light conditions. It also adds the Live Slow slow-motion function and ability to save digital stills to a memory card.
The GR-D270 has a 680K-pixel CCD with 340K effective pixels for video, and it can capture still photos in two resolutions (1024 x 768, 640 x 480 pixels) and store them on an optional Secure Digital (SD) memory card. Other features include electronic image stabilization, color viewfinder, Web camera functionality, auto illumination light, multi-language on-screen, Firewire, S-Video, USB (for photos), and composite video out connections. It also offers manual control of white balance, shutter speed, and aperture focus.

JVC's new Live Slow effect slows down the next one second of video to 1/4th speed so it takes 4 seconds to play the next 1 second of video at a slower speed--perfect for shooting sporting events or studying your golf swing. The camcorder only slows down the video and not the audio.

The Clear-View LCD monitor suppresses diffusion of internal light to deliver a brighter image and also reduce reflection and glare from external light so that images are always clearly visible even when shooting outdoors in sunlight. The Data Battery function uses a new style of battery to communicate the remaining life to the camcorder, which will display the amount of time available both if the LCD is open and if it's closed with the press of one button on the camcorder battery.

The Super High-Band Processor that restores the high-band components of the luminance signal ensure a crisp picture with 520 lines of resolution. The enhanced low-light sensitivity of the NightAlive function lets you capture clear, full-color night images without relying on infrared rays, which results in color images and no limit on the shooting range.

The GR-D270 measures 4.4 x 2.2 x 3.7-inches (L x W x H) and weighs 0.9 pounds.

What's in the Box JVC GR-D270 MiniDV Camcorder, software (CD-ROM), Digital Photo Navigator (Windows), AC power adapter, battery pack, shoulder strap, USB cable, AV cable

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