2004 Caminfo Select: Best Camcorder Under $600by Camcorderinfo.com Editorial StaffPublished on Nov 1, 2004 6:00 PM |
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This year, camcorders ranging from $400 to $600 in price are a varied bunch. Similarities among the specifications of these camcorders are not as uniform as with camcorders cheaper than $400. Optical zoom ranges flutter in the teens, with a couple of 20x optical zooms and 10x optical zooms. Likewise, CCD (the imaging chip, that converts light into data) sizes vary from 1/6 of an inch to ¼ of an inch. While these large CCDs on many of the JVC and Samsung camcorders usually mean excellent low-light performance, this is not always the case. Many of Canon’s offerings in this price range, too, include 1.3 Megapixel imagers while still evincing relatively poor low-light performance, although they perform phenomenally in the areas of handling and video performance under optimal light.
Differences among this group of camcorders manifest in other areas, such as ports available, still performance, and manual control. Many of the camcorders in this price range possess FireWire, S-Video, and A/V inputs and outputs, resulting in support of analog-to-digital passthrough and compatibility with other electronic devices like televisions, VCRs, DVD players, and computers. Still performance among these camcorders varies greatly, though it's safe to say that the still performance of most consumer camcorders is mediocre at best.
We would advise you to buy a camcorder for its video rather than its still performance, though there are couple of good hybrid machines out there. Still performance on these camcorders ranges between 640 x 480 JPEGs to MiniDV tape and 1600 x 1200 JPEGs to card, as seen on many JVC camcorders. Most of these camcorders include manual control over focus (though they tend to lack focus rings), standard white balance adjustments, and modest amounts of control over iris and shutter speed.
At the beginning of 2004, the $400 to $600 category was much smaller, but the current market is much more populous. Camcorders in this category include the Canon ZR85, Canon ZR90, Canon Elura 60, Canon Elura 65, Canon Elura 70, JVC GR-DX77, JVC GR-DX97, JVC GR-DX307, JVC GR-D93, JVC GR-D230, Panasonic PV-GS55, Panasonic PV-GS14, Panasonic PV-GS15, Sony DCR-HC20, Sony DCR-HC30, Sony DCR-HC40, and Samsung SCD903.
Choosing the winner for the sub-$600 Caminfo Select award was a hard task because there were so many contenders. The camcorders considered were extremely varied, and exhibited unique traits that, in some cases, helped to compensate for their particular weaknesses. But in the end, a choice had to be made, and the winner by a nose is the Panasonic PV-GS14.
The competition was fierce, as our usual tell-all factors were overruled by a barrage of other factors. Many of the camcorders at the heels of the PV-GS14 -- like its siblings, the PV-GS55 and the PV-GS15 -- displayed frustratingly similar controls, handling, and features, causing the judging to take place in the performance department, which yielded some anomalous results. When up against other manufacturers' offerings, the PV-GS14 had to compete with Canon’s Elura series, which have reduced their prices dramatically since their debut on the camcorder scene. While the Eluras all featured incredible handling abilities, as well as superb zooms and video performance, their poor low-light performance helped push the PV-GS14 over the edge.
Also neck-and-neck with the PV-GS14 were two of Sony’s offerings from the HC series: the DCR-HC30 and DCR-HC40. While offering excellent automatic controls, display, ease of use, and general appearance, these Sonys couldn’t stand up to the PV-GS14’s manual control abilities. Likewise, while the many JVCs which faced the PV-GS14 offered tempting low-light performance due to their special noise-reduction technology, their lack of accessory shoes as well as their inability to contend with the Panasonic's versatility made their good qualities seem less attractive.
The Panasonic PV-GS14 shares much in common with the PV-GS55 and the PV-GS15. All three camcorders have a 1/6-inch CCD with 680K gross pixels. They share a 2.5 inch LCD screen, and have similar manual controls, adjusting focus, white balance, iris, and shutter speed in similar performance windows with comparable methods of access. All three camcorders feature an SD card port for the recording of stills at 640 x 480. This resolution may seem small when compared to those of the other camcorders, but no matter whether you acquire stills at 640x480 or at 1600x1200, they'll nevertheless be of significantly less quality than the least expensive digital camera, and so are generally discarded as faulty bases for judgment.
The PV-GS14 does include a 22x optical zoom, and the PV-GS15 houses a slightly higher 24x optical zoom. Both camcorders sport 800x digital zooms, and the nominal difference between their optical zooms, coupled with the PV-GS15’s inflated price tag, make these camcorders comparable. We just don’t think it’s worth the extra money to get that extra 2X. Similarly, the PV-GS55 has only a 10x optical zoom, but features analog inputs, allowing for analog-to-digital passthrough. Again, while this is important for some people, it cannot be a deciding factor. All three Panasonics feature a microphone input as well as an accessory shoe for external devices.
The final decision came down almost exclusively to video and low light performance and, for its price tag, the PV-GS55 did not do so well in these categories. Its performance under bright light was marred by washing and blurring, and its low light showing was decidedly disappointing. These trends continued on the PV-GS15, and though the PV-GS15 did improve on the PV-GS55’s bright light performance, its mediocre showing in low light the PV-GS14 to take the prize, with surprisingly good low light scores. All of these Panasonics also include manual gain control, a rarity on such low-end camcorders, which allows the user to boost the signal (and, in a negative effect, the noise) to compensate for low light faults.
Read the Full Review of the Panasonic PV-GS14
As stated above, the Panasonic PV-GS14 features a 1/6-inch CCD with 680K gross pixels. It has a 22x optical zoom -- significantly higher than that on the PV-GS55, though less than PV-GS15’s 24x optical zoom. The PV-GS14 features a 2.5-inch LCD and Panasonic’s unique amount of manual control, with adjustments available over focus, white balance, iris, and shutter speed. All of these controls are located beneath the LCD, and are inaccessible when it is closed, with many trapped with the camcorder’s menu system. This seems to be a trend with most of the camcorders at this price point. It also includes a microphone input, headphone compatibility, and an accessory shoe.
While these details are true with both the other Panasonics in this category, the PV-GS14 outperforms them with excellent video and low light scores. Coupled with the lack of physical differences between it and the PV-GS15 (aside from zoom and supplied remote), the PV-GS14 may be a better option simply because you save almost $100 over the PV-GS15.
Read the Quick Review of the Panasonic PV-GS15
Read the Full Review of the Panasonic PV-GS15
The only discernible differences between the PV-GS14 and the PV-GS15, beside its 24x optical zoom to the PV-GS14’s 22x, are the PV-GS14’s superior low light score and the near-$100 drop in price between the two. We recommend the PV-GS14 over the PV-GS15 in this instance because the extra features on the PV-GS15 just aren't worth a hundred dollars.
Read the Quick Review of the Panasonic PV-GS55
Read the Full Review of the Panasonic PV-GS55
As opposed to the PV-GS14, the PV-GS55 has analog inputs (FireWire, S-Video, and A/V, specifically) that allow the camcorder to perform analog-to-digital passthrough. While this is a nice feature, it's certainly no reason to chose one camcorder over another; if you wanted to buy a camcorder for this function alone, many of the cheaper Samsungs offer this option at nearly a third of the price. A difference that does matter is the difference in optical zoom between the PV-GS14 and PV-GS55. The PV-GS55 drops the zoom down to a 10x optical zoom, compared to the PV-GS14’s 22x. This factor, coupled with the PV-GS55’s poor showing in both low and optimal lighting hurt its recommendation.
JVC GR-D230
Read the Quick Review of the JVC GR-D230
Read the Full Review of the JVC GR-D230
The JVC GR-D230 houses a surprisingly large quarter-inch CCD with 1.33 gross megapixels, as do many JVCs at this price point. While this seems significantly better than the PV-GS14’s 1/6-inch CCD with only 680K gross pixels, video performance and low light performance are similar between the two camcorders. Physical differences include the GR-D230’s 10x optical zoom to the PV-GS14’s 22x zoom, and the Panasonic’s superior manual control. While the GR-D230 does have many of the same manual control options seen on the PV-GS14, such as shutter speed, focus, and white balance, these features are harder to use and navigate in the JVC camcorders. There is no accessory shoe on the GR-D230, but the camcorder does have analog inputs, allowing for analog-to-digital passthrough. Also, the GR-D230’s SD card captures digital stills (JPEG) at a resolution of 1600 x 1200, as opposed to the PV-GS14‘s 640 x 480. Because both of these abilities are decidedly inferior to any decent digital camera, still performance isn’t one of our make-or-break categories.
JVC GR-D93
Read the Quick Review of the JVC GR-D93
Read the Full Review of the JVC GR-D93
Sharing many of the specifications of the JVC GR-D230, the GR-D93 performs similarly in bright and low light and offers a 10x optical zoom. One of the most salient differences between the two camcorders, aside from the GR-D93’s lack of a microphone input, is the body shape of the GR-D93. Strangely, while there isn’t a tremendous change in design between the GR-D93 and the GR-D230 within the realm of consumer camcorders, the two camcorders are so similar as far as their internal makeup as to make this minor difference stand out. When measured against the PV-GS14, the JVC GR-D93, like the GR-D230, doesn’t stand up in the areas of manual control and optical zoom, though its video performance scores are equivalent.
Read the Quick Review of the JVC GR-DX307
Read the Full Review of the JVC GR-DX307
Also among JVC’s offerings in this $400-to-$600 category is the JVC GR-DX307, a matchbook camcorder. The GR-DX307 houses a 1/4.5-inch CCD, still with 1.33 gross megapixels, and a 10x optical zoom. The GR-DX307’s video performance scores and manual controls are very similar to those of the GR-D230 and the GR-D93. Likewise, the GR-DX307 includes analog inputs and still capabilities like those other JVCs. The main difference between the GR-DX307 and the GR-D230 and GR-D93 is its three-inch LCD screen, something that the PV-GS14 lacks. However, trends in comparison continue between this JVC and the PV-GS14.
Read the Quick Review of the JVC GR-DX97
Read the Full Review of the JVC GR-DX97
Another matchbook camcorder in the running against the PV-GS14 is the JVC GR-DX97. The 1/6-inch, 680K CCD found on the PV-GS14 is also present on the JVC GR-DX97, yielding comparable video performance and low light scores. Like its fellow JVCs, the GR-DX97 includes analog inputs to facilitate analog-to-digital pass-through, something that the PV-GS14 does not do. The GR-DX97’s 12x optical zoom is inferior to the PV-GS14’s 22x optical zoom. While the PV-GS14 does excel in the areas of manual control, the JVC GR-DX97 does include a three-inch LCD screen.
Read the Quick Review of the JVC GR-D77
Read the Full Review of the JVC GR-D77
The JVC GR-DX77, another matchbook camcorder in this category, is exactly the same as the GR-DX97, except that it includes a 2.5-inch LCD rather the GR-DX97’s three-incher. The GR-DX77 also does not ship with a 8 MB SD card, but is nearly seventy dollars less than the GR-DX93.
Read the Quick Review of the Sony DCR-HC20
Read the Full Review of the Sony DCR-HC20
Of Sony’s HC line, the DCR-HC20 and DCR-HC30 are available in the $400-$600 price range. The 1/6-inch, 680K CCD found on the PV-GS14 is present on the DCR-HC20, and its video and low light performances are comparable, but of lesser quality, as is the 10x optical / 120x digital zoom. Manual control on the DCR-HC20 is also inferior to that of the PV-GS14, without manual gain or shutter speed controls. Like the PV-GS14, the DCR-HC20 doesn’t include analog inputs, and while there is a microphone input on the DCR-HC20, there is no card for the capturing of still images. While it seems like a landslide victory for the PV-GS14, in the ease of use category, the DCR-HC20 clearly wins with superior handling and convenient features, coupled with the best LCD screen in the business. We do like the spot metering and spot focus features on the entire HC line.
Read the Quick Review of the Sony DCR-HC30
Read the Full Review of the Sony DCR-HC30
The Sony DCR-HC30 looks, handles, feels, and performs similarly to the DCR-HC40, though it does include a Memory Stick Duo for still image capture (at 640 x 480) and analog inputs. The video performance and everything pertinent to our judgment of the DCR-HC30 re: the PV-GS14, however, remains consistent with the DCR-HC20.
Read the Full Review of the Sony DCR-HC40
While the performance of the DCR-HC40 remains the same as the DCR-HC20 and the DCR-HC30, its CCD has been increased in size from 1/6-inch to 1/5-inch. Gross pixels have been increased from 680K to 1.07MP. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make much of difference performance-wise. Trends seen with the DCR-HC30 and DCR-HC20 continue with the DCR-HC40, though this camcorder does include a greater still resolution of 1152 x 864 as opposed to the 640 x 480 found on the DCR-HC30 and the PV-GS14. The DCR-HC40 also includes a hot shoe, which is nice, considering its microphone input.
Read the Quick Review of the Canon ZR90
Read the Full Review of the Canon ZR90
The most advanced in Canon’s ZR series, the Canon ZR90 offers the same 1/6-inch, 680K CCD and a similar 22x optical zoom to that found on the PV-GS14. Its manual control options, while not as advanced as the PV-GS14, are equally accessible and easier to navigate. Also, its SD card captures stills at 1024 x 768, an upgrade from the PV-GS14’s 640 x 480. Unfortunately, there is no microphone input, though a cold accessory shoe is included. Also, unlike the PV-GS14, the ZR90 includes analog inputs.
While this is all fine and good, the execrable video and low light performance of the ZR90 really pushes the scale in the PV-GS14’s favor. The ZR90, and indeed the entire ZR series, features excessively noisy, dark, and muddy images at low light levels.
Read the Quick Review of the Canon ZR85
Read the Full Review of the Canon ZR85
The ZR85 suffers the same performance ailments seen with the ZR90 and, for a price reduction, relieves the Canon ZR90’s design of its S-video input. It also features only a 20x optical zoom and inferior night modes to its more advanced sibling.
Read the Quick Review of the Canon Elura 65
Read the Full Review of the Canon Elura 65
Canon’s Elura series, now low enough in price to reside in the $400 to $600 window, looks pretty good. Most camcorders in this series, including the Elura 65, feature a ¼.5-inch CCD with 1.33 gross megapixels, 16x optical zoom, manual control options decently comparable to the PV-GS14, an SD card capturing JPEGs at 1280 x 960, a microphone input, and a hot accessory shoe. On top of all of this, the Elura 65 includes a jog dial that allows for easy navigation through the camcorder’s menu system. The special effects and still-camera options found on many Canons are found here as well, though these superfluities do not really affect our judgment much. The multi-focal are a nice addition, though. What really tips the scales in the case of the Eluras is low light performance. As the poor performance found with the ZR series seems to have bled into the Elura department, Canon’s offerings, though they offer comparable options and perhaps the best handling overall this year, cannot hold up in low light.
Read the Quick Review of the Canon Elura 60
Read the Full Review of the Canon Elura 60
The Canon Elura 60 features the same poor low-light performance as well as the same excellent handling seen with the Elura 65 and the entire Canon low-end line. The fifty dollar difference in price between the Elura 60 and 65 results from the Elura 60’s lack of a microphone input and hot accessory shoe, as well as its inferior 14x optical zoom and worse 16:9 mode. Trends of comparison with the PV-GS14 continue.
Read the Full Review of the Canon Elura 70
The Elura 70 features all of the amenities found on the Elura 65 with an increased 18x optical zoom. Unfortunately, the problems which marred the Elura 65’s performance under low light continue on the Elura 70.
Read the Quick Review of the Samsung SCD903
Read the Full Review of the Samsung SCD903
Last, and most certainly least, the Samsung SCD903 is available with a ¼-inch, 1MP CCD, a 12x optical zoom, comparable ports to the PV-GS14, and a memory stick that captures stills at 1152 x 768. Like the PV-GS14, the SCD903 includes a microphone input and lacks an accessory shoe. What separates the SCD903 from the PV-GS14 is the Samsung's horrible low light performance, on par with the Canon ZR series. This camcorder produces incredibly noisy and intolerable images in light levels only slightly lower than average indoor light. On top of this, though not as important, the SCD903’s manual controls, like many Samsungs this year, while not limited, are poor not only in accessibility but in functionality. Particularly faulty is the white balance.
In the end, the Panasonic PV-GS14 reigns supreme not because it offers something the competition doesn’t, but because it performs better and, based on what it offers, acts as evidence for the argument that quality rules, always, over quantity. While the PV-GS14 doesn’t feature an accessory shoe or tremendous still capabilities or analog inputs, it packs in quality where it counts: performance. Too often these features are given too much weight in the buying process, in press releases, news pieces, and so on. These are subtleties, pure and simple, and such be treated as such.
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