JVC GR-D395 Camcorder Review

Still Features (5.0)
The GR-D395 is a camcorder with the ability to take still photos, but those stills are going to be small, with a maximum resolution of 640x480 pixels. It can capture photos to an SD Memory Card or MMC, in either Fine or Standard quality. JVC refers to this camcorder’s stills as snapshots rather than photos, and, though the distinction is semantic, they deserve credit for not overselling unimpressive still photo capabilities. The GR-D395 cannot capture snapshots to MiniDV tape.

A slot in the LCD cavity protects memory cards; a port protects it but, on our test unit, fit poorly. Taking snapshots requires setting the Video/Memory toggle in the LCD cavity to Memory, which automatically activates still mode. Still photos can be played back consecutively using the Reverse/Fast Forward buttons, as a slideshow, or browsed in thumbnail mode. The GR-D395 supports DPOF printing, and playback zoom is possible using the remote control. Finally, the DSC (Digital Still Capture) menu formats or erases memory cards.

Precious few camcorders in this class offer much in the way of still features. A 640 x 480 still is generally the limit in terms of resolution. Occasionally, that number may rise. The Elura 100 offers still capture up to 1152 x 864.But even if these camcorders did offer more features, you wouldn't want to take advantage of them. Camcorders are simply not designed to take still images. One look at a camcorder's still next to a dedicated still camera's photo will tell you all you need to know.

Still Resolution (1.2)
We tested the JVC GR-D395’s still resolution by shooting a standard ISO 12233 chart and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. At its best, the GR-D395 produced a resolution of 124297.81. The chart below shows that the camcorder is right in line with other camcorders in its class.

Still Performance (2.5)
The JVC GR-D395’s stills, thankfully, did not suffer from the same poor color performance as the video did. This is not unusual, as the still performance and video performance can be miles apart on many camcorders. The stills from the D395, however, are no great accomplishment. The picture is quite noisy, noisier than the video. There is also a good deal of blue noise, which does not bode well for stills in less than ideal light. If blue noise is present at 3000 lux, you can bet that it will get worse in low light. At a maximum resolution of only 640 x 480, the stills did not look much sharper than the video.

Comparatively, the JVC GR-D350 is very similar. There is a slight shift towards the reds, while the D395 has more blues. The Sony DCR-HC26 has much more vivid color, but it did not do as well capturing fine detail. Color balance was better, and it had much brighter whites and a wider dynamic range in the grey scale.

The Canon ZR700 produced an image with colors just as bad as the D395. The grey scale looks good, but the colors are pale and just look terrible. Noise levels are high. Because the ZR700 captures at a higher resolution of 1024 x 768 (so does the ZR600), it can capture more detail--but a larger image with bad colors and heavy noise is hardly an improvement. The Panasonic PV-GS39’s stills are just terrible – bad colors, very high noise, and a generally fuzzy look.