JVC GR-D395 Camcorder Review

The Front (6.0)
The JVC GR-D395 is not a bad looking camcorder, with a well-integrated body and a generally solid feel. At its front is a JVC Video Lens with a 32x optical zoom – the most powerful optical zoom on the consumer market until Samsung upped the ante with a 33x optical zoom on its entry level camcorders this year. The lens filter diameter is 27mm, and it has a 2.3mm to 73.6mm focal length. Ridges on the front rim of the lens hood suggest it’s a focus ring, but the ridges are purely cosmetic: the GR-D395 has no manual focus other the touchpad control.

The front portion of the camcorder, including the lens hood, is made of a reflective, silvery plastic that sets it off from the grey-metallic color of the body – and that some people might find to be gaudy. Below the lens and to the right is a small but powerful LED light that assists with illumination in very dark settings, and the camera sensor (used during auto adjustments) is just below the light. At the base of the camcorder’s front is the on-board stereo microphone.

The Right Side (6.0)
The right side of the GR-D395 is relatively plain, and the only control is the Mode switch, located at the camcorder’s back end about a third of the way down the body. It extends out slightly from the main body, and is oriented towards the user. Just above the switch is a small Power/Charge indicator light that glows red when the camcorder is on but does not indicate whether it is in Record or Play mode. In the upper center of the right side is an oblong plastic cover that serves no purpose on this model. Below this grey plastic cover is the tape compartment door, occupying about half of this side’s surface area but opening from the camcorder’s base.

A hand strap extends from back to front along the lower third of the right side, and it is relatively poorly padded in comparison to Sony and Samsung’s hand straps. Skimping on the strap seems a poor choice because its deficiencies are immediately evident as soon as you slip your hand into a shooting grip. A few extra manufacturing dollars would be well spent here – especially when you consider that the right side of the GR-D395 doesn’t rest well in the palm. As a final blow, the tape compartment door feels and looks flimsy and underengineered, and does not help with the tactile aesthetics of this model. In terms of design, this side of the camcorder is certainly its weak point.

The Back (5.5)
By far the most prominent feature of the GR-D395’s back is the battery, which is twice as large as most consumer camcorder batteries. It’s a whopper, and extends back from the camcorder over an inch, adding a good deal of heft and ungainliness to an otherwise fairly standard-looking device. Aesthetics aside, the battery also makes using the viewfinder, located directly above, just about useless. While the viewfinder can be extended, it does not come close to clearing the battery. This has the unfortunate consequence of forcing you to press your cheekbone flat against the battery if you do decide to use the viewfinder.

The viewfinder itself feels flimsy when extended – as though a bump could break it off. Like those found on most consumer camcorders, it is uncomfortable to use for long periods of time, due to the hard plastic eyepiece. This is a shame, as the .33” screen’s quality is quite good. When extended, the viewfinder has a diopter adjustment on top which is easier to use than most. The battery release is just to the right of the viewfinder’s lower right corner.

Also on the camcorder’s right, about a third of the way down, are the Record button and Mode switch. The Record button is silver, and not well-labeled, so, despite its placement under the thumb, it’s easy for a new user to overlook. The Mode switch just to the right of it is also thumb operated and has three settings: Rec, Play, and Off. A tiny blue button at its back releases the switch so that it can be toggled between modes. The switch is easy to use, but very small: people with large hands may have a tough time operating it without accidentally hitting the Record button. The mode dials on many Sony camcorders, in contrast, do not require such fine finger control. Also, the switch has a tendency to fall back to the “off” position if jarred.

At the base of the GR-D395’s back is a port cover for the DC jack, on the left, and an AV port on the right. The large port cover protecting the DC jack is attached by a slender piece of plastic that would easily snap, but it is at least long enough to move the cover well clear of the port.

The Left Side (6.0)
When it comes to controls, most of the action on the GR-D395 is located on the left side, which also houses the 2.5” LCD screen. There is one button above the screen, just forward of the viewfinder – a large Auto button. The rest of the controls and ports reside in the LCD cavity, beginning with a circular touch pad at its top center. This multicontrol functions as a VCR interface and menu navigator, and provides quick access to manual focus, Night mode, Backlight (BLC), and quick tape review. For a controller that plays so many roles, it is surprisingly easy to use, partly because it’s large and has a raised surface with some tactile information. In the center of the touch pad is the Set/Data button, used for menu selection and data transfer when the camcorder is connected to a PC.

The other buttons in the LCD cavity are disconcertingly small and arranged vertically to the right of the touch pad. From top down, they are 16:9/Blank search, Menu, and Light/Index. The all-important menu button, in particular, is poorly labeled (the label is embossed on the button rather than in black text) and undersized. To the right of these buttons is the SD card slot. Its large port fit poorly on our test camcorder and perpetually bulged out, which raised questions about the D395’s manufacturing quality as a whole. To the left of the touch pad is a blue toggle switch for recording media, allowing users to select either Video or Memory. In the bottom left of the LCD cavity are USB and DV ports.

The LCD screen is bright and undersized – since a 2.7” LCD is becoming standard – and it does not support 16:9. This means that, when the camcorder is in 16:9 mode, the image on the LCD is squeezed to fit the 4:3 frame. This is a serious drawback when it comes to framing shots in 16:9 mode, as the LCD also crops a few degrees all around from what the CCD is actually capturing. You’re shooting more than you think. The LCD extends to 90 degrees from the camcorder body, rotates through 270 degrees, and folds into its cavity for monitoring from the left. The LCD hinge, like other mechanical parts on the GR-D395, seems underengineered, and may be prone to breakage.

The Top (7.5)
The top of the GR-D395 features only two controls: a zoom toggle slider and a Snapshot/Slow button, both located near the camcorder’s back and operated with the index finger. The zoom toggle is exceptionally poorly designed. It is a slider rather than a raised toggle, which offers less fine control, but its orientation is an even greater liability. The slider is oriented straight along the top of the camcorder, whereas a user’s index finger naturally meets the toggle at an angle. Operating this slider effectively requires bending the index finger uncomfortably. Competing camcorders from Samsung, Panasonic and Sony all feature toggles that allow operation without strain. The Snapshot/Slow button is just below the zoom toggle, and functional, and poorly labeled.