JVC GR-D760 Mini DV Digital Camcorder
JVC GR-D760 Mini DV Digital Camcorder
Versatile DVC ultra-powerful 34x optical zoom and convenient dual recording capability for shooting stills during video recording.
Customer Review: JVC GRD-760 - review
In auto mode (if the auto focus works properly) in day light the camcorder has great picture and is pin sharp.
But in very bright scenes the colours can be washed out as the camcorder doesn’t automatically get darker to compensate for the brighter scene so you loose detail in what ever your videoing.
Battery charging is very simple and easy, you press the Data button and you can instantly see battery life. I love the graphics which show battery life, but the battery doesn’t last that long.
Viewing the tape.
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Move the selector to play mode, viewing the tape is easy to do but what is annoying is you can easily move the joystick to another position and instead of viewing the tape, you switch the camcorder lamp on or if you want to run the tape and normal speed you can do that instead the tape rewinds or fast forwards, that’s annoying and the camcorder should have had buttons inside it for rewinds, fast forwards and play.
Did try editing the tape as the joystick didn’t feel to strong.
Auto focus
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Auto focus isn’t fast, even in daylight it some times gets confused and tends to “hunt” around until it gets a lock on (which means you could loose a once in a life time moment)
If you point it at the sky to video a plane or helicopter flying in the distance, Auto focus can’t do it as it just hunts around for it. In low light or at night (unless there is bright spot some where) Auto focus is utter rubbish.
The macro feature is good but the auto focus lets it down badly as it cant lock on fast enough and when it does, it doesnt stay locked on.
i.e.
If you video a flower gently moving in the wind with a bumble bee landing on it. As the flower moves in the gentle breeze the auto focus looses focus for a bit and then has trouble locking back on to it.
Image stabilisation is great but this only works when the auto focus works properly. If the auto focus is having trouble Image stabilisation wont fix the problem.
I want some thing which I can trust 100% of the time and which works with out me worrying about it, this doesn’t work that well and I can’t trust it.
Controls
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Controls are very easy to use and are laid out ok, it took me a short while to master them.
Going from 16.9 to 4.3 is at push of a button on the LCD screen and is very easy, the camera works it all out for you.
If you take a photo the camera automatically switches off Image stabilisation and 16.9 mode while the photo is being taken and puts them all back when its finished to allow normal video to be taken, that’s great.
Once you set the camcorder up, you never need to do it again.
Accessing more detailed menus is a real pain as the instruction manual isn’t that clear and controls on the camcorder don’t help much in this way, so it can takes ages to find a menu which adjusts low level stuff such as 12 bit or 16 bit sound.
If you want to take picture it will not happen instantly, there is bad shutter lag which again means you loose that once in a life time moment, so better have your SLR camera handy if your going to do this. Also the picture quality on the JVC isn’t that good or clear.
It has a great feature where you can take a photo and it automatically saves it to SD card at the same time as you videoing other things, this is good.
Low light performance
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In auto mode indoors including at night with lights switched on in the room the camcorder gives good images. If go in to the garden at twilight the image is ok-ish. But the auto focus lets it down as it can get confused.
Some times the lamp comes on (when you didn’t ask it to), that’s very annoying if your filming some thing like a wild animal which doesn’t need to see you.
When you switch to manual and go to twilight mode this isn’t that good as images can be blurry at times as the camera looses focus lock, the one for ultra low light (which has an owl symbol) is a pile of utter kak. Its useless for capturing any thing moving in crisp clear fashion all you see are wavy lines all over the place or blurry moving imagines unless your filming a lit up building then its crisp and clear (so useless for making a movie at night).
Best feature of this camcorder is build quality, that is great and has a solid well built quality feel and looks like it will give countless years of service, the LCD hinge looks like its heavy duty stuff and the clasp to keep it next to the camera is a great feature.
Conclusion
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I was really looking forward to this camcorder as I read a few good reviews but after having it for a few days I was very dissappointed by it.
The main thing a camcorder needs is a good auto focus system as your recording moving images, this hasnt got it.
JVC’s engineers need to give this camcorder more auto focus points = camcorder can “see” better. They also need give the camcorder’s computer better software which will allow it to lock on to a subject and not let it go if it moves.
Auto focus and low light performance let this camcorder down very badly. Its no use having a camcorder which looks good, is well made, has a lot of toys to play with and (when the auto focus works properly) has pin sharp images if it cant auto focus and give pin sharp images all the time.
The JVC only does it around 60-70% of the time, that’s no good for those once in a life time movies such your kid having her birthday etc or saying those first words or capturing images of you and your brother from New Zealand (who you haven’t seen in 20 years) seeing each other at the airport for the first time you need a camcorder which will record them.
If you want a decent camcorder which will give good video, better to look else where.
The Samsung VPD375W has very similar features to the JVC GRD760 but the Samsung has better auto focus which 97% of the time locks on and stays locked, the JVC can only do that 60-70% of the time.
The Sony HC37 and 45 are similar priced as the JVC and Samsung, These Sonys are great camcorders but don’t have all the features of Samsung or JVC have such as taking pictures and video. The DVD and HDD Sonys have features of the Samsung and JVC but they cost 2-3 times as much.
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Good points
:-
Looks good and has some chrome around it so has a bling factor.
Great solid build quality which will last for years.
(if the auto focus works properly) in day light pin sharp video with no grainy-ness.
(if the auto focus works properly) good Image stabilisation
Easy to use and setup.
Bad points
:-
Auto focus lets it down extremely badly in lot of the areas I filmed in.
Overall bad low light performance.
JVC eats power so you’ll need to recharge it a lot.
Doesn’t come with firewire cable.
Washed out colours in daylight.
Accessing detailed menus is a real pain.
Camcorder manual isn’t that detailed.
By e-mail JVC customer service is very slow and getting back to you
and most don’t know enough about the product. If you call them its
an 0870 number which is very expensive.
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Lowepro Apex 120AW Shoulder Bag For Digital Cameras/Camcorders - Arctic Blue? 
List Price: ?30.00
Amazon Price: ?22.05
Customer Review: Great little bag
I bought this bag specifically for a new point and shoot digital camera with underwater housing and a number of accessories. It works like a dream and is like Dr Who’s Tardis inside. Intregal cloth and water proof cover are great too. It also has internal pockets, adjustable dividers and slots for memory cards. Really amazing quality and funtionality for such a small bag at a very reasonable price. I chose it as I know Lowepro make great camera bags having owned a bigger version for my SLRs that has kept them safe around the world for years
Lowepro Apex 120AW Shoulder Bag For Digital Cameras/Camcorders - Black? 
List Price: ?30.00
Amazon Price: ?23.05
Used Price: ?26.99
Customer Review: Fine for a Nikon D40
This bag fits a Nikon D40 in comfortably, with about 2 inches to spare at the top and room for 2 spare memory cards and a filter or two. It’s light and comfortable to wear, and the rain cover is a plus - stops the rain water seeping in through the zips which can be a problem on other camera bags. My camera survived a hail storm quite dry and snuggly in this bag with the cover on. Opening at the top makes the camera easy to access and put away. So far I haven’t come across any negatives.
Customer Review: Perfect for my Fujifilm S9600
I purchased this bag online so was unable to test the fit with my Fujifilm S9600. Luckily it fits like a glove. I was looking at the Apex 110AW also but the 120 is a little longer which means it’ll take the camera with the lens hood in place. I can fit in a all the associated cables, spare batteries and the battery charger without it all rattling around like they would in a much bigger bag. The build quality is superb, padding seems good and there is a microfibre cloth built in to protect delicate lcd displays on the back of your camera. The easily deployed (and easy to stash) rain cover will protect your camera and case from the elements. All in all I am very impressed. Size was important to me as I wanted all my stuff in one place but I wanted a bag small enough I wouldn’t be put off taking it to places. Although the S9600 isn’t a digital SLR it is very similar in size so I can see this bag being perfect for your EOS 400D, or similar, with a reasonably sized zoom lense attached.
Panasonic NV-GS180B Digital Camcorder 3 x CCD ( 10 x Optical , 2.3MP Stills , 2.5″ LCD ) 
Used Price: ?214.63
Customer Review: Brilliant
I have this camera for about 6 months and is excellent. This is my first camcorder but i love it. Takes excellent video quality, easy to use, and quite small to always carry with you. The optical zoom is fantastic, and the picture quality with up to 20x digital zoom is very good as well. Nice and vibrant colours, no pixels whatsoever with optical zoom (mind you though need to use the right setting for the right moment). The only negative is the absence of flashlight and the battery wont last for more than 45mins, hence the 4 stars. I love this liitle gem though and very happy with it.
