2003 CamcorderInfo.com B&H Camcorder Shoot-Off: $300 Price Group

by Robin Liss

Published on Sep 30, 2004 12:00 AM
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The $300 - $399 price group includes the Sony DCR-TRV250 with a 1/6 in. CCD, the Panasonic PV-DV53 with a 1/4 in. CCD and the JVC GR-D30 with a 1/6 in. CCD. The first test was the normal lighting conditions, where the lighting was set to 3000 LUX. The Sony and the Panasonic did very well under normal lighting conditions, however, as we saw in many of the tests the camcorders began to really show their true colors (pun intended) when we turned downed the lights for the low lux test.

The first camcorder in the group is the Sony DCR-TRV250:

 

As we found with almost all of the Sonys, the image was more saturated than the other camcorders. The image produced by the DCR-TRV250 is redder than the other camcorders - a slight problem though it helps in the representation of skin tones. The general color representation under normal lighting conditions is very good. The DCR-TRV250 doesn't over or under compensate any color. You can really see how the DCR-TRV250 stands out from the other camcorders when you look at how it represents the magenta color in the upper left. The dynamic range of the DCR-TRV250 is similar to that of the PV-DV53 but clearly better than that of the GR-D30. Read the full DCR-TRV250 Review - Shop for the DCR-TRV250 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the DCR-TRV250 @ PriceGrabber

The JVC GR-D30 is the second camcorder in the price group:

 

 

The GR-D30 has the poorest image of all three camcorders in normal lighting conditions. The dynamic range (how bright the whites are and how dark the blacks are) is very poor. The color saturation is weak making the colors look drab. Look at the difference between the skin color tile (second down on the left) on the GR-D30 and the Sony DCR-TRV250. The GR-D30 seems to over compensate blues, making the yellow somewhat green and the magenta more purple. There was also too much noise and general discoloration with the GR-D30. Under normal lighting conditions the GR-D30 is clearly the worst camcorder in the bunch. Shop for the GR-D30 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the GR-D30 @ PriceGrabber

The PV-DV53 is the third camcorder in the group:

 

The PV-DV53 produces a sharper looking picture than the DCR-TRV250, however the colors are slightly less saturated. The image from the PV-DV53 is pretty good - with generally even color representation. The biggest problem is that the yellow tile seems to lean a little orange. The PV-DV53 produces a great image for this price category, pretty much tying with the Sony DCR-TRV250 for normal lighting conditions. Shop for the PV-DV53 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the PV-DV53 @ PriceGrabber

Here is a composite of all three camcorders:

 

Under normal lighting conditions (3000 LUX), the PV-DV53 and the DCR-TRV250 produce much more accurate colors than the JVC GR-D30. The DCR-TRV250 is certainly more saturated with all the colors having a slight red tint to them, which really enhances skin tones. The extra saturation and the red leaning CCD will generally produce better images for the point and shoot user, while the PV-DV53 might present a more 'true' image that isn't enhanced. If you are looking for point and shoot and don't want to adjust your picture elements, I would go for the DCR-TRV250 because the CCD is generally going to produce a better image for most people. If you are looking for a more 'fair' picture which you can adjust manually I would go with the PV-DV53.

The test under low light creating a lot more differentiation between the three camcorders, the first was the DCR-TRV250:

 

The DCR-TRV250 is disappointing with it's low light performance. The DCR-TRV250 ranks second after the PV-DV53 but ahead of the GR-D30. The DCR-TRV250 certainly produces a lot of grain, however there is still some color information. Read the full DCR-TRV250 Review - Shop for the DCR-TRV250 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the DCR-TRV250 @ PriceGrabber

The second camcorder is the GR-D30:

 

The GR-D30 was the worst in low light of the three camcorders. There is barely any color there, the image practically looks black and white. On the positive side, there wasn't an excessive amount of grain. Shop for the GR-D30 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the GR-D30 @ PriceGrabber

The third camcorder is the the PV-DV53:

 

The PV-DV53 was one of the most positive surprises of the test. The PV-DV53's 1/4 in. chip really sets it apart from the camcorders in this bunch in low light. Although there is a fair amount of grain, it isn't anymore than the Sony however the larger chip produces much more color in the image. The PV-DV53's image under low light conditions is much better than that of the Sony DCR-TRV250 or the JVC GR-D30. Shop for the PV-DV53 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the PV-DV53 @ PriceGrabber

Here is the composite of all three camcorders:

 

Taking both low light and normal light performance into account, the ranking for the $300-$399 price category in the 2003 B & H CamcorderInfo.com Shoot-Off is 1. Panasonic PV-DV53, 2. Sony DCR-TRV250, 3. JVC GR-D30. I believe that in this category, unlike some of the other categories the rankings are very clear, the outstanding performance (for it's price category) of the PV-DV53 puts it ahead of the Sony which it ties in normal lighting, the JVC however clearly takes third place in both normal and low light making it easily fall into third place.