Reviewed by
petemitchell , Intermediate

Price Paid
$272.00 at Ebay.com

Summary
I just purchased the JVC GR-D200 (201; same camcorder just different color) and I just want to say that the quality of picture and sound as well as ease of use has truly impressed me. I owned a JVC VHS camcorder for 15 yrs. What a difference digital makes.
I can honestly say that this camcorder weighs a little more than my Canon S50 but not by much. It has ample effects for those of us who like to add some fun to our movies. The camcorder works well in the dark but not like the Canon's or the Sony's as far as I can tell but it's not horrible...just not the best. The Battery's life is not that great but you can always upgrade for about $50.00. One of the complaints I do have with the package deal is that the software is not that good. It's also taken me some time to figure out how to use it as a Web Cam. (Use Trackercam software...works like a charm).

The picture quality (stills) is ok but if you complain about taking pictures with a camcorder you should really invest in a good digital (I got the Canon S50 for stills). I like the fact that the package is very complete; comes with the camcorder, software, shoulder strap, lens protector, USB/Firewire, battery, battery charger, wiring to connect to TV/VCR and of course the instruction manual.

The manual is very easy to read. Well put together.

JVC's web site, however, is not really up to date with software and hence my complaint. I do believe though that the GR-D230 is built on a similar platform so the support maybe interchangable?

Strengths
Picture quality
Sound quality
Sufficient LCD
Weight
Easy to use
Complete package

Weaknesses
1 h battery
Poor software (it works though...just limited...read about my WebCam experience).

Reviewed by
FOCI , Intermediate

Price Paid
$800.00 at Circuit City

Summary
I bought this camcorder last year for christmas and I hardly get to use it!!! It works perfectly for the first week then a month from my purchase I tried to upload the film I took to my computer but while it was uploading it really heated up and in the side of the camcorder it says "EXTENDED USE OF THIS UNIT CAUSE ITS SURFACE TEMPERATURE TO RISE. THIS IS NOT A MALFUNCTION." So I was like ok it wil heat up then next thing I know it just turns off and starts smelling like smoke. so i tried to send it back to circuit city but it was past its 30 days.... so I had to take a roadtrip to Cypress, California (a whole day trip!!!:-( )So they sent it to their base station in hawaii and hawaii sent it back to me 3 weeks later accusing me for using a wrong power source and saying to use only JVC power source. OK... so I use the camcorder for ten minutes just to see if its working properly (carefully making sure that the power source matches the model number of the source stated in the camcorder's manual) then the same thing happened....I was really upset so I called jvc again and sent it back to them demanding a good fx or a replacement....they sent it back to me 2 weeks later and now I'm testing it out and the same thing happened....I was hopping to bring it to my spring break trip...but I guess i will just have to send it back to Hawaii for the third time!!!! Dammit!...i need a reliable camcorder....I use it properly....I read the manual front to back three times...I hate JVC their service sucks and I guess what they mean by "EXTENDED USE" must be leass than 10 munites.....don't purchase this camcorder or ANY JVC product!!!! JVC produces lemons!!!!

Strengths
Good photos...

Weaknesses
Very unreliable

Customer Service
Horrible....very slow and you have to call during work because JVC is in a different time zone than Los Angeles

Reviewed by
Louisville , Intermediate

Price Paid
$409.00 at Beach Camera

Summary
I own an Olympus C-3040 that is a terrific camera. Looked long and hard for a Digital Camcorder that took good stills. The choice came down to Sony, Canon or JVC. For the price ($409) the JVC blew away the other two lines.

At the end of my evaluation, I wanted to take motion pictures of family AND take decent stills. The JVC GRD-200US fits that bill.

I won't give up my Olympus - 3.3 vs 1.3 megapixel is no choice.

Strengths
Small, light weight. 1.3 megapixel stills, easy to use, lots of output (USB and analog), great battery life, built flash for stills (most don't have this feature!!!)

Weaknesses
Low lighting is a challenge (I am being kind because I like the little camers). Actual low ambient light is okay (not great), no light (Night mode) is a joke.
Accompanying software is a little quarky.

Customer Service
For JVC - not used For Beach Camera - solid, they don't suffer from the normal internet "bait and switch" disease.

Reviewed by
Paul Macgregor , Intermediate

Price Paid
$600.00 at Future Shop

Summary
This camara is not the best inside . You need to turn on lots of lights.Digital stills can be out of focus at times.
the look and feel of this camera in nice.if your hands are big you might not like it.The image stableizer doesn,t do much to eliminate gitter.

Strengths
1.33 megapixel for a cam is not bad. Easy to use menu.

Weaknesses
needs a light.

Similar Products Used
canon Zr60