JVC GR-D72 Camcorder Review

by Mark Bassett
Published on May 5, 2004 12:00 AM



JVC's GR-D72 is the middle of the road camcorder, between the GR-D33 and the GR-D93. The GR-D72 is a modestly priced camcorder with decent low light abilities. A step up from the most budget minded model the GR-D33US, the GR-D72 adds an SD Card for stills. The GR-D72 has the same 1/6th inch 680k CCD, zoom power to 16x, a built-in LED, and a 2.5 inch LCD. The top of the line camcorder in this JVC line is the GR-D93, although it lacks the optical zoom power on board these other two models. The GR-D72 has a Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $549.99.

Video Performance (6.5)
The JVC GR-D72 and its 1/6 inch 680k CCD appear to hold its own in automatic mode at 3000 lux. Colors reproduced by the processor at 3000 lux are bright and fully saturated. The GR-D72 seems to favor the blue end of the color spectrum, but overall the GR-D72 does a good job of separating colors. Looking at the testing chart left to right from the top, the yellows are as rich as they could be; they have that darker look as a result of the mix which is heavy on blue. The reds are rich; they look great, like a Washington Red apple in season. The magentas are also very well captured, and are nearly perfect with a great mix of red and blue. The blues are the best of all the colors; they are deep and full without looking too dark. The greens are like the yellows, a little over mixed with blue. The GR-D72 features JVC 3D noise reduction which is a contributing force to minimizing visual feedback, and generating a distinct image with accurate color representation.

The Front (8.5)
The top of the front of the JVC GR-D72 has a 30mm lens, which protrudes from the body of the camcorder at the top and is covered in a stainless steel band. At the bottom of the lens, the front of the GR-D72 body protrudes to come flush with the base of the steel band. Markings on the threaded black stainless steel circle that is used to screw in lens add-ons, indicated that 1="2.7~43.2" F1.6 30.5, JVC Video Lens, 16x optical zoom/AF. Essentially, the lens opens from a minimum of 2.7 to 43.2, and the shutter speed is from a minimum of 1.6 to 30.5. Exactly .5mm below the lens is an oval infrared sensor for light metering measuring .5mm wide and 2mm long. .5mm below the sensor is the JVC logo. Next to the sensor, on the right hand side, is lettering that reads 700x digital zoom. This right panel, the lens, and the sensor, are on a shiny stainless steel raised boxy oval. The left panel is dark gray and plastic. Adjacent to the middle of the lens is white lettering that reads 16x optical zoom. 1.5mm below the lettering in a two bulb LED light source, this is covered by a plastic oval. Less than .2mm below the LED is a perforated panel covering the internal microphone. Below that, pressed into the plastic are L and R and Stereo.

The Right Side (8.5)
The right side of the GR-D72 has a plastic strap that has the letters JVC centered in white on the exterior. Above the strap on the far left side, nearest the battery, is a silver colored piece of plastic that is the GR-D72 mode selector. The selector is shaped like a circle with a rectangle jutting out to the left. At the top to the selector, in the dark gray plastic, white words read power/charge. To the right of the selector is white lettering that reads from top to bottom M, A, OFF (Charge), and play. These are the different modes of the GR-D72. To the right of the selector, .5mm from the M, impressed into the plastic is the lettering DIGITAL VIDEO CAMCORDER.

The Back (8.0)
At the top left, on the back of the GR-D72, is a viewfinder that measures 3.3mm wide by 3mm high. Of this, 1.5mm by 1.5 mm is the actual glass of the viewfinder and the rest is the hard plastic eye cup. To the left of the viewfinder is white lettering in a raised plastic circle that reads M menu/volume, and - then a crescent line, and +. In the center of the crescent line is an upside down triangle. Below the viewfinder on the left side of the GR-D72 is a silver vertical hook that a shoulder strap attaches to. Left of the hook is a battery port that measures 5.5mm by 3.5mm. To the left of the battery is an oblong record button that sticks out from the body of the GR-D72 .25mm.

The Left Side (8.0)
The left side of GR-D72 is two toned. The front, where the stainless steel band of the lens is visible, is silver in color and the back, where the viewfinder is visible, is light blue. Next to the stainless steel band, dark gray lettering reads: 16x optical zoom. In the blue section, to the right, white lettering reads MiniDV. Below these lettering sequences, which run along the lens housing, is the LCD panel. The LCD panel is 7.5mm long by 5.5mm high. The panel has several stickers and letterings. The stickers read Auto LED Illumi light, clear LCD monitor, and 3D noise reduction. To the left of the LCD is a silver button labeled light; this is the on off button for the LED. Just below this button is the AV in/out port and the DC power port. When the LCD is open, the actual size of the screen is 5mm by 4mm. Underneath the screen are several buttons and ports, and a half-inch sized speaker. From left to right, top to bottom, the buttons include: rewind (night shot), play/pause, fast forward (backlight), S-Video, a blue switch for recording to video or SD card, an info button, an index button, Firewire, and USB. Additionally, at the bottom, there is a panel that pivots upward allowing for a memory card to be inserted vertically.

The Top (7.0)
The most noticeable absence on the top of the GR-D72 is that of an accessory port. The GR-D72 does have an LED and stereo microphone. While these are nice add-ons, they're not substitutes for the accuracy of an external microphone or a true spot light. On the back of the right side are the raised zoom, electronic shutter for taking still pictures to tape or SD Card, and the depressible jog dial.

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (6.5)
The GR-D72 is set in automatic by placing the menu selector into A or automatic mode. When you are in automatic mode, the GR-D73 adjusts video or still image with focus, exposure, shutter speed, and LED light. The GR-D73 can be set to manual mode by placing the menu selector described in the right section in M or manual mode. Automatic worked fairly well, evenly responsive, making necessary adjustments quite seamlessly.

Overall Manual Control (4.0)
In order to make manual adjustments, the GR-D72 must be in M, or manual, mode. Users can navigate through manual options appearing on the LCD menu by depressing the jog dial, and scrolling to the appropriate adjustment. The first of these options is focus. The second choice in the LCD menu is program AE, which is aperture, and has only two manual options and a series of pre-sets. The third option is manual or automatic exposure. The fourth option in the LCD menu is white balance. These picture adjustment features are controlled with a depressible jog. The only other manual feature is a function of the included LED light source and that is the on/off switch on the left side of the GR-D72. There are quite a few options for manual control, and having them accessible with a jog dial is a great advantage to making adjustments on the go.

Zoom (7.5)
Just like the GR-D33, the GR-D72 has a 16x optical zoom, and the GR-D72 is capable of 700x digital zoom. When using the zoom, a numerical read out on the LCD or viewfinder alerts the user to the amount of zoom from 1x to 700x. Although, to use the digital zoom it must be activated in the LCD menu. When activating the digital zoom you can set it only to optical to 16x, or 40x, or 700x. The toggle adjusts zoom at several rates of speed. These are both controlled by the user's index finger and adjusted by the GR-D72's processor. Fast zooms are slowed automatically by the processor as the maximum or minimum zoom is achieved. This allows the camcorder to adjust focus and exposure at the target zoom. You can easily control the rate yourself, either really slow or really fast, and there are a few zoom speeds in between. The processor adapts the image to the new zoom fairly quickly, but when using the zoom in a macro format, there is a limit to how close you can zoom because of the capabilities of the lens, which isn't designed to support a super close up.

Focus (2.0)
Manual focus on the GR-D72 is activated by pressing the blank tape search button on the top of the camcorder, near the electronic shutter, when in manual mode. Once engaged, the depressible jog dial doubles as a ''focus ring,'' and a visual key indicates on the LCD or the viewfinder whether the image needs adjustment. Although there is definitely lag as the processor renders the new focal plane. The focus system needs to be adjusted slowly for it to work best, but the system only needs one finger to activate and use.

Exposure (Aperture) (3.5)
Manual exposure on the GR-D72 is activated from within the LCD menu so users can make changes to the level of exposure, and then engage the change by depressing the jog dial. Remember there's a built-in LED light source, and when that is active, your exposures will need constant vigilance to maintain an accurate image. This is due to the fact that the built in LED is small and doesn't illuminate a large area, as a result when changing between subjects at different focal ranges, there could be more or less light depending on the subject distance. That also has a bearing on focus, so once you've adjusted the exposure, by depressing the jog dial, reconfigure focus. Or do the process in reverse. However, if you don't use the LED, relying on the ambient light source or using full external lighting, there's less need for recalibration.

Shutter Speed (5.0)
The GR-D72 shutter speed has only two options and a series of presets that include sun, sand, surf, night, etc. The options are 1/60th or 1/100th. These automated manual settings can be found in the LCD menu, and adjusted with the depressible jog dial.

White Balance (7.0)
The GR-D72 has the standard white balance settings: Indoor, Outdoor, Manual, and Automatic. The white balance is adjusted when in manual mode, and set with the LCD menu and the jog dial. To set white balance, point the camcorder at a white surface in the lighting conditions you're currently in, and engage the dial. This will give you the most accurate colors for the light.

Gain (0.0)
No gain control on the JVC GR-D72.

Still Performance (4.5)
The GR-D72 has one significant upgrade from the GR-D33US and that is the capacity to shoot stills to tape or SD Card at a resolution of 1,024x768 or at volume at the low 640x480 resolution. The number of stills you can shoot depends on the size of the card and the resolution of stills. You can also shoot stills to tape, but this pauses shooting for roughly three or four seconds if you are recording. The option to shoot to tape or to memory is accessed under the LCD screen, or you can set this option in the LCD menu. The stills can be transferred to a personal computer or shown on a television screen by connecting the GR-D72 to AV, S-Video, Firewire, or USB. You can set whether you want the stills to have a border or fill the entire screen from within the LCD menu. The quality and resolution of the stills can be set in the LCD menu.

VCR Mode (6.0)
The GR-D72's VCR or playback mode is activated on the right hand side with the mode selector. All of the buttons used in playback are tucked underneath the LCD, with the exception of the blank search which is also the manual focus button. These buttons are on the small side and positioned so close together in the interior panel. Playback can be watched on the LCD or in the viewfinder. It can also be shown on a television or on a computer screen by hooking the GR-D72 with S-Video, AV, or Firewire. Also part of the playback mode is the ability to see stills taken on tape or in memory on SD Card. These can be scrolled through or seen in an index, like a contact sheet, by pushing the index button located beneath the LCD monitor.

Low Light Performance (4.8)
The JVC GR-D72 has a 1/6th inch 680k CCD, with the slowest shutter speed at 1/50th of a second. Tested at low light settings of 60 lux and 15 lux, the JVC GR-D72 performed very well considering the physical limitations of the CCD. When the controlled lighting environment of the testing facility was set to 60 lux, the JVC GR-D72 accurately replicated all spectrum colors from blues to reds to yellows and greens, with each brick on the chroma-key clearly discernable. While not as crisp as at 3000 lux, the colors are still clear, although grain in the image is apparent. In addition to the noticeable grain are limits in saturation of some of the colors, and noticeable bleed between bricks on the chroma-key.

From left to right, top to bottom, the yellow leans a little closer to green. The reds are still full of color but the bleed between true red and magenta and pink are significant. The purple tile that was so well represented at 3000 lux, looses intensity, but maintained consistency as is true for the colors in the adjoining tiles. The blue still looks terrific. Lastly, the green suffers significant bleed between tile shades and has a great deal of grain.

At 15 lux the GR-D72 did not do as well, which is expected at these low light levels. The overall critique (stating the obvious) is that many of the colors aren't nearly as vibrant as at 60 lux. The yellow tile looks like a dark version of cream/white, and differentiating between the shades of red is somewhat challenging. The purple is sort of discernable, but the blue leans to black, and the greens are a darker version of the yellows. The black and white and grayscale tiles are very clear, as are the distinctions in different intensities of gray. The big improvement here is that the grain and noise isn't much more than at 60 lux. All that stated, the JVC GR-D72 out performs the competition for sure. Panasonic PV-GS, Sony DCR HC, and Canon ZR come after the JVC GR-D72

LCD/ Viewfinder (5.0)
The GR-D72 has a 2.5 inch LCD, that has a super clear function to make the image more crisp. The image is crisp, although when the lighting isn't great the picture is on the blue side. The LCD gets filled up quickly with fonts and icons when using manual controls. There aren't any LCD adjustment settings, so what the standard settings are, are the settings that stay. The viewfinder is color and doesn't rotate. The eye cup is hard plastic, not rubber. The LCD does the swivel flip for self shooting and has full rotation. It clips nicely into the body of the GR-D72 when not in use, but doesn't open to a full 90 degrees when active. More like 80 degrees, this means that there's a slight angle. The LCD is light so that it doesn't affect the balance of the GR-D72. There is a large boarder of gray plastic around the actual screen.

Audio (2.0)
The GR-D72 has a built in microphone, a stereo microphone that records in 16bit and 12bit for laying tracks in post. There are no external microphone inputs on the GR-D72. There are no sound manipulating features-no zoom microphone, or windscreen. The change from 12bit to 16bit is controlled in the LCD menu. The speaker is large and the sound emanated isn't too tinny.

Handling (6.5)
One of the most important factors when considering a camcorder purchase is whether or not it is comfortable in your palm. This is the driving factor in the industry wide slimming efforts or as I like to call it: The Atkinization of the consumer camcorder. The JVC GR-D72 has lost weight and looks good, but it tends to flop around when in your hand. While the camcorder is small enough to grasp, this may not suffice for long periods of shooting. Port placement is another area for improvement. On target, even though some of the key jacks are underneath the LCD, namely Firewire, they do not stand in the way of functionality. The VCR playback buttons are on the small side and hidden away beneath the LCD, and the depressible jog dial is on the small side. However, the placement of the jog dial allows for one handed alteration of manual settings while in a shooting position, this includes activating or deactivating the LED light. The zoom toggle for the sizable 16x optical zoom is a winner. It's a little on the loose side but works nicely allowing for variable zoom speeds in a variety of shooting postures.

Ports (7.0)
The assortment of jacks on the GR-D72 include: Mini AV in / out, which is also the headphone jack, an S-Video In/Out, and a Firewire port. Of these, the only one that comes included in the box is the AV in/out. The ports appear to be of sturdy construction so should last with frequent plugging and unplugging of cables.

Other Features (6.0)
There aren't many other features in the GR-D72, in fact it's a pretty standard middle of the line MiniDV camcorder. What could be considered additional features are the two bulb LED, and the S-Video input. There is also the 3-D noise reduction for picture which could be considered another feature. JVC also has a software suite called JVC video community that includes Movie Wow, which is rudimentary editing software.

16:9 widescreen mode The GR-D72 doesn't have true wide screen capabilities, but does have digitally manipulated ''squeezed'' 16:9 aspect ratio.

Webcam There is a Firewire and USB, and a software suite to do web cam work.

MPEG The GR-D72 doesn't have MPEG, but with cables to hook to your PC you can likely capture MPEG's to your hard drive.

Analog to Digital Pass Through The GR-D72 has analog digital pass through capabilities, and an S-Video cable port.

Comparisons
The GR-D72, has a 1/6 inch 680k CCD that does good in low-light and performed well in the video quality evaluation at 3000 lux. The 16x optical zoom is very powerful and JVC included a built in two-bulb LED. The GR-D72 also includes an SD card and slot for capturing still photos.

Canon ZR85 Compared to Canon's ZR85, with a comparable optical zoom, the GR-D72 has better all around performance but the Canon feels more substantial. The ZR85 is more comfortable to hold, and has exterior playback buttons, but it looses out in video and low light. The Sharp VL-Z500U is also comparable with 10x optical zoom but no LED. The Sharp, like the Canon, has a 1/6th inch 680k CCD, and shoot stills at 640x480, but only has a 10x optical zoom.

Sharp VL-Z500U Sharp's VL-Z500U is about the same size as the JVC GR-D72, but has an awesome hand strap and is great to hold. The LCD on the Sharp is also great because it uses ambient light and saves battery. Even though it has the split body design, the VL-500U has more manual controls than most consumer camcorders.

SC-D23 Samsung makes a comparable camcorder called the SC-D23 with the same CCD size and pixel count. This camcorder also has an LED light, and 10x optical zoom.

Sony DCR-HC20 and DCR-TRV260 Sony is another manufacturer with several offerings that compete with the GR-D72: the Digital8 TRV260, and the DCR-HC20. The TRV260 didn't perform as well as the GR-D72 in video and low light, but it does have many of the Sony LCD manual/automatic LCD controls like spot metering and spot focus and a 20x optical zoom. The TRV260 is much bigger than the GR-D72. The HC20 also has those features with a 10X optical zoom. The HC20 has a 1/6 inch CCD and is more geared for point and shooters and ease of use than the GR-D72, and when the HC20 is in full auto it adapts to changes in various shooting conditions a little faster than the GR-D72. The Sony HC20 isn't a bad choice either if you want pure point and shoot. But anyway you slice it, the GR-D72 technically had superior performance to these models. The GR-D72 may not be as ''easy'' to use as the HC20 is purported to be, but the GR-D72 makes waves where it counts, in video and low light performance.

Who's it For
Point and Shooter's (5.0)
The GR-D72 could work nicely as a point and shoot camcorder with stills to tape or to SD Card, with good low light and strong video performance.
Budget Consumers (5.0)
The GR-D72 is a good option for a budget minded consumer, with an MSRP that's $50 less than the competition it has a 1/6th inch 680k CCD, 16x optical zoom, and SD Card port, and a two-bulb LED.
Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid (4.0)
The GR-D72 could do ok as a digital camera, but only ''ok'' because it doesn't have super fine resolutions because of CCD size and 680k effective pixels.
Gadget Freaks (4.0)
The GR-D72 isn't a gadget camcorder: For gadgetry turn to the celebrity line.
Manual Control Freaks (4.0)
Yes there are manual controls; no they aren't too easy to use. The GR-D72 is a point and shooter with the option to adjust picture, but not too many options, and the depressible jog dial is small.
Pro's/ Serious Hobbyists (2.0)
I don't think this is the right camcorder for a pro or a serious hobbyist.

Conclusion
Overall this GR-D72 is a good camcorder for the money. It did perform well in the video tests and in the low light tests. Some handling issues take away from the GR-D72's overall ease of use. The GR-D72 is very similar to the GR-D33, but on the GR-D72 there is a memory card port. The amount of manual features is fair, and they work decently, with the exception of focus. Another area in need of improvement is lack of audio in and an accessory shoe. If you're not planning on doing too much professional shooting and you're cost conscious I would recommend the GR-D72.

This is a camcorder that will work well for you and capture good footage, and take decent stills. The GR-D93 is a better model for stills and you'll get comprable low light and video performance. Other points to consider are what you'll be using the GR-D72 for, and whether or not you need great low-light and still capabilities. It does better than the competition in this category. What impressed me was the small size and the good picture, what didn't impress me was the feel of the camcorder and how well it worked adjusting to changing lighting and focal conditions. The viewfinder is unimpressive, and the LCD and the viewfinder quickly become cluttered with fonts when in menu mode. The menu itself is pretty easy to navigate, but has a lot of irrelevant attributes. The GR-D72 has a great look, but feels a little cheap compared to other models, even if it does out perform. Frankly, the increased still performance is not worth it on the GR-D72. It's a great camcorder, but save yourself a little money and buy the GR-D33 and buy a seperate digital camera.