JVC GR-D93 First Impressions Camcorder Review

by Mark Bassett
Published on Feb 20, 2004 12:00 AM



JVC introduced three new Compact Series camcorders at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV. The flagship of the GR-D Compact Series is the GR-D93. JVC's GR-D93 is 20 percent smaller than last years Compact Series. The camcorder is a fully-automated consumer camcorder designed for ease of use and high resolution stills. The GR-D93 has a 10x optical zoom on the 1.33 Megapixel ¼ inch CCD, which translates still resolutions of up to 1,600 x 1,200. The GR-D93 has a built in LED, and a 2.5 inch LCD.

The GR-D93 has a Manufactures Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $699. The GR-D93 is an option for novice consumers looking for a ¼ inch CCD camcorder with high resolution digital still capabilities, and built in LED light source.

Video Performance
The JVC GR-D93 is built with a ¼ inch 1.33 Megapixel CCD. This is larger than many of the one CCD camcorders on display at CES Unfortunately, as most of you know, conditions at these shows are not ideal for testing video and low-light performance. We at Camcorderinfo.com hope to secure a prerelease model for further evaluation in the near future.

The Front
The front of the JVC GR-D93 has a 30mm lens situated at the top. The JVC Video Lens has a 10x optical zoom. Below the lens, is an infrared sensor for light metering. Adjacent to the sensor is a two-bulb LED light. Below the light, is a two channel microphone that records in 12 or 16 bit sound.

The Right Side
The right hand side of the GR-D93 is the bottom loading tape mechanism. The pleather strap on the GR-D93 doesn't adequately secure the camcorder. At the back of the camcorder is a mode-adjust dial. There are four settings: manual, automatic, off, and playback. The automatic setting limits access to manual controls.

The Back
The back of the GR-D93 is predominantly taken up by the battery. There is a perpendicular record button along the right side. Above that button is a circular label that corresponds to the depressible jog dial on the top of the GR-D93 with a + and a - and several steps in between. This is for manual control features. Next to that label is the viewfinder, which doesn't rotate at all.

The Left Side
The left side of GR-D93 houses the 2.5 inch LCD. Underneath the LCD are the playback buttons stop, rewind, play, and fast forward. The rewind button doubles as the night shot button. Below the playback buttons are a selector switch between tape and SD card, the SD card input, a quarter sized speaker and the video ports. These include SVideo, Firewire, and USB. On the exterior of the left side, at the back of the camcorder, are the AV in/out input, the DC power cable, and a button the turns on the two-bulb ED.

The Top
The top of the GR-D93 has a square design on the tape mechanism side and the lens casing. The tape mechanism side is dark gray and the lens side is polished silver and blue. Near the back right side is a raised zoom toggle control that works well, and is positioned perfectly. Behind the zoom control is the electronic shutter for taking still pictures. Further back is the depressible jog dial that controls the majority of manual functions and navigates the menu.

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control
The GR-D93 processor provides adequate full automation, and ample manual controls.

Overall Manual Control
While the JVC GR-D series has significant manual control over picture the system is manipulated in the LCD menu, which is controlled with a depressible jog dial at back of the top of the tape mechanism housing. This is used to change focus, exposure, shutter speed, and white balance. Shutter speed steps are 1/50th to 1/4000th. The one negative is the dial, which is too small.

Zoom
The JVC GR-D93 has an unremarkable 10x optical zoom. Other camcorders in this price range have 22x optical zoom. The controlling mechanism is well designed and accurately enables three variable speed zooms. While the JVC has 700x of digital zoom, the result is grainy video or stills.

Focus
The depressible jog dial is the focus control on the GR-D93. A manual focus ring would make this a great camcorder. The focal adjustment control is too small.

Exposure (Aperture)
Like manual focus the GR-D93 has manual exposure controlled through the LCD menu and the four-directional depressible dial. A design enhancement of location or size would add to the functionality of this feature.

Shutter Speed
Shutter speed is set through the LCD menu on GR-D93. The steps of speed start at 1/50 and go to a blistering 1/4000th of a second.

White Balance
The GR-D93 is a consumer point and shoot camcorder, with standard white balance settings.

Gain
The JVC GR-D93 offers no gain control.

Still Performance
The GR-D93 shoots UXGA high resolution stills at 1,600x1,200. The pictures are stored to SD Card, and resolution can be decrease to save space. However, the still resolution level is above average on the GR-D93.

VCR Mode
The GR-D93's rewind, fast forward, play, and stop buttons are located beneath the LCD menu. They area on the small side and positioning them under the LCD means the LCD must be opened for playback.

Low Light Performance
Again, the lighting conditions at the show made it impossible to do a thorough test of low light performance. Check back soon for a full review of the GR-D93 with a complete low light performance breakdown.

LCD/ Viewfinder
The GR-D93 has a 2.5 in color LCD screen. Menu fonts are sized and spaced in a way that they don't crowd the display or the viewfinder. The LCD has full rotation and angulations abilities. The color viewfinder, however, is completely static-it is a stationary feature, which strikes me as odd.

Audio
With the amount of background noise coming from competing displays at the JVC exhibitions, they're pushing Hi-Definition televisions and accessories, an accurate sound evaluation was impossible. However, the built in microphone does not provide quality sound and there is no accessory-shoe or input for an external microphone.

Handling
JVC's GR-D93 is somewhat uncomfortable. The strap isn't designed to hold the camcorder securely in hand, and doesn't have a substantial feel. Perhaps the strap should be reconsidered now that the camcorder is 20 percent smaller. A bottom loading tape mechanism and small eject switch take away from the overall attractiveness of the camcorder. It will likely be a source of frustration for tripod users. Improvement on the design could also be made on the depressible jog dial. An increase in size and perhaps the addition of a second dial for manual control near the front of the camcorder would lend itself to access by a users thumb. The one stand out is the LED light which has multiple bulbs and is super bright, and the control button which is large and located on the exterior of the camcorder makes it easy to find and use.

Ports
The GR-D93 has a Mini AV in / out jack, which is also the headphone jack, an SVideo In/Out, a USB connector, and a Firewire port.

Other Features

The GR-D93's other main feature is the,two-bulb LED, which is only effective when you are close to your subject, and the conditions made testing it difficult.
16:9 widescreen mode
The GR-D93 has digitally stretched wide screen.
Webcam
Firewire cable and USB allow video chat.
MPEG
At the top of the resolution latter, the GR-D93 has MPEG4 capabilities.
Analog to Digital Pass Through
The GR-D93 can transfer an analog signal from a VCR or television to DVD, or directly to the SD Card as a motion MPEG4.


Comparisons

The flagship of the new GR-D line is the GR-D93. It adds a ¼ inch 1.33 Megapixel CCD, and ships with a built in two-bulb LED. The price of the GR-D93 is near the $700 mark, and as a result must be compared to the Panasonic PV-GS120, a three CCD camcorder. Three CCDs will likely dwarf the GR-D93 in video and low light for around the same amount of money. Canon's premier model, the ZR70MC, has a small CCD but an amazing 22x optical zoom. Canon's camcorder is larger, and is better to hold in hand than the JVC. The Sharp VL-Z800U is the comparable priced camcorder from that manufacturer, and also has a 10x optical zoom and a built in LED. The Sharp like the Canon has a 1/6 in 1.33 Megapixel CCD, and shoots stills at XGA or 1,280x960. Sharp's VL-Z800U is about the same size as the JVC GR-D93, but because of the strap and rounded design it handles significantly better.


Who's it For
Point and Shooter's
The GR-D93 is a good choice for a point and shoot camcorder with a ¼ inch 1.33 Megapixel CCD, still capabilities, and the built in LED helps in low-light situations.
Budget Consumers
The GR-D93 is an option for budget minded consumers who don't want to spend more than $700. For the money, you get one of the few, one-CCD camcorders that is larger then 1/6 inch, has super high resolution still capabilities and a two-bulb LED. The shortfalls are the lack of accessory-shoe and the hand strap.
Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid
The GR-D93 has an SD Card and takes stills at 1,600 x 1,200. The camcorder is shipped with an 8mb SD Card.
Gadget Freaks
The GR-D93 is more along the lines of a stripped down MiniDV point and shooter.
Manual Control Freaks
On the GR-D93, manual control is minimized by the control mechanism.
Pro's/ Serious Hobbyists
The rudimentary level of manual control, as well as the mechanism that controls the features will be an issue in pro-shooting situations.

Conclusion
The top of the GR-D line, the GR-D93 is a good point and shoot camcorder with a moderate sized CCD. The stand out features are the CCD and the super high resolution stills. Unfortunately there are no external microphone capabilities. A lot is riding on whether or not JVC's attempts to improve low light performance will turn out to be effective on the new camcorder.