2003 CamcorderInfo.com B&H Camcorder Shoot-Off: $700 Price Group

by Robin Liss
Published on Oct 5, 2004 12:00 AM



The $700 - $799 price group includes four camcorders. The PV-DV73 was not available for testing at the time of the Shoot-Off. The first is the Sony DCR-TRV33 with a 1/4.7 in. CCD. The next two are two JVC models, the GR-DV800 and the GR-DX79 the first being a horizontal style camcorder and the second being a vertical matchbox style camcorder. The fourth camcorder in the group is the Canon Optura 10.

The first camcorder in the group is the Sony DCR-TRV33:

 

The DCR-TRV33 leans toward red like all of the other Sony camcorders. This trend is best exhibited in the yellow tile. Compare the yellow tile of the Sony to all the other camcorders and notice how it it much more orange looking. The colors on the DCR-TRV33 are also much more saturated than the other camcorders. The trend towards red isn't much of a problem because it really helps in representing skin colors. Compare the skin color tile on the Sony to those of other camcorders, the skin color looks much more vibrant on the Sony. Read the full DCR-TRV33 Review - Shop for the DCR-TRV33 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the DCR-TRV33 @ PriceGrabber

The JVC GR-DV800 is the second camcorder in the price group:

 

 

The GR-DV800 does a better job under normal lighting conditions than other JVCs. The camcorder doesn't lean towards blue like other JVCs, and the saturation is increased. Compare the red tile on the JVC to that of the Canon. Shop for the GR-DV800 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the GR-DV800 @ PriceGrabber

The JVC GR-DX95 is the third camcorder in the price group and the second JVC:

 

 

The GR-DX95 suffers from the problem of leaning towards blue like the other JVC camcorders. Although the difference is slight, the JVC GR-DV800 produces a better picture than the GR-DX95. Shop for the GR-DX95 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the GR-DX95 @ PriceGrabber

The Optura 10 is the fourth camcorder in the group:

 

The Canon Optura 10 improves noticeably over the Canon ZRs. The colors are much more saturated on the Optura 10 than on the ZRs. The Optura 10 is a nice mix of increased saturation with out skewing the color balance. Again, look to the yellow tile and compare it to the other camcorders. Also compare the blue tile, on the GR-DX95 it looks somewhat purple, on the Sony DCR-TRV33 it looks dull, slightly dark and on the GR-D500 it looks dull, slightly white. The Optura 10 represents the blue, and all the other colors best. Read the full Optura 10 Review - Shop for the Optura 10 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the Optura 10 @ PriceGrabber

Here is the composite of all four camcorders:

 

In the $700 pricegroup for normal lighting, the Optura 10 takes first place because of the slightly increased saturation and the very good color representation. The Sony takes second place because the lean towards red becomes a little much when brought against the Canon. The JVC GR-DV800 comes in third with the GR-DX95 coming in fourth.

It's pretty easy to do well in normal lighting, but when the lights were turned down the camcorders had a much harder time producing a quality image.

 

The DCR-TRV33 does a pretty good job of low light performance, mixing gain and good color representation. The DCR-TRV33 is clearly tyhe winner under low light conditions. Read the full DCR-TRV33 Review - Shop for the DCR-TRV33 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the DCR-TRV33 @ PriceGrabber

The second camcorder is the GR-DV800:

 

The GR-DV800, like the GR-D500 does a poor job in low light with little color information. Shop for the GR-DV800 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the GR-DV800 @ PriceGrabber

The third camcorder is the GR-DX95:

 

Just like the GR-DV800, the GR-DX95 does a terribly poor job under low light. Shop for the GR-DX95 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the GR-DX95 @ PriceGrabber

The fourth camcorder is the Optura 10:

 

The Optura 10's low light performance is improved over the Canon ZRs, however there still is a problem of way too much gain. Read the full Optura 10 Review - Shop for the Optura 10 @ B & H Photo Video - Compare Prices for the Optura 10 @ PriceGrabber

Here is the composite of all four camcorders:

 

Taking both low light and normal light performance into account, the ranking for the $700-$799 price category in the 2003 B & H CamcorderInfo.com Shoot-Off is 1. Sony DCR-TRV33, 2. Canon Optura 10, 3. JVC GR-DV800, 5. JVC GR-DX95. The rankings of the $700 pricegroup is very similar to the $600 pricegroup, the Sony is the clear winner because of good normal light performance and clearly wining low light performance. The Canon falls down to second place only because of it's poor low light performance. The two JVCs loose out because of poor low light and normal light performance.