Most of the innovations in the consumer DV camcorder realm are aimed at models based on hard-drive or solid-state memory. MiniDV camcorders like JVC's GR-D870 receive relatively few new features and cosmetic changes every year, but attract mostly through their price, the well-known DV codec and dependable storage (tape resists the wear of time much better than CDs and DVDs). For $20 above the price of the nearly identical D850, you get the option to record slow motion and take some incredibly small resolution photos (while simultaneously recording video, if that's your thing). Of note is the fact that Canon's ZR800 offers support for an external microphone at a price that is around $90 bellow the $240 cost of the GR-D870.



At the source of the D870's images is a 1/6-inch, 680,000 pixel CCD sensor. Both in size and resolution, it fits within the norm for this camcorder class, and the resulting video has all the positives and negatives of the cheapest MiniDv camcorders.



The 35x Konica Minolta zoom lens opens up to f2.0, and reaches an aperture of 4.1 at the telephoto end. There is no stabilization offered for the lens. The 2.7” widescreen LCD is designed to reduce reflections and glare, and the automatic LCD backlight will help viewing in direct sunlight. 



An auto button is placed on the camera's body for quick switching between the auto and manual modes.



The menu system that drives the D870 is controlled by way of a joystick placed on the LCD. This is a mixed blessing, as it allows for easy fiddling with your free hand, but the extra motions could produce shake in your video.



While complete manual control over shutter speeds isn't possible, a feature called “NightAlive” adjusts the GR-D870's shutter speed between 1/2 and 1/30 of a second. This will greatly enhance the camera's sharpness and color accuracy in low-light conditions, but the slow shutter speed will cause very heavy blurring in any moving scenes. Another, more user-friendly solution for shooting in low-light is an on-camera light, but it will probably prove to be too weak most of the time.



In other features, a web-camera function uses the firewire connection to turn the D870 into a webcam. Slow motion lets you records video at a quarter of normal speed, but it's not exactly clear what happens to the audio speed. “Power-Linked Operation” lets you keep the camcorder running in hibernation mode, consuming less battery but springing out into action when you open the LCD panel.



Rounding out the obligatory functions is a still photo mode. Tiny stills (680 x 340) can be taken while recording video.



The included battery supplies power for 115 minutes of continuous shooting. Recording is done on standard MiniDv cassettes, so a firewire port is needed for transfer to a computer.