The GR-D250US is a budget model in JVC's current lineup of MiniDV camcorders. It offers the same sleek and compact design as the midrange GR-D270US, and it also has the more expensive model's solid low-light performance and manual controls. However, the GR-D250US lacks the GR-D270US's memory card slot and USB port for capturing and transferring stills to a PC, as well as its video light. Since the least satisfactory aspect of the GR-D270US is the stills quality, the GR-D250US represents a better overall value. You can capture stills to tape, of course, but the GR-D250US is aimed at those looking for an inexpensive video camera rather than a hybrid.

The GR-D250US features the same optical set as the GR-D270US, boasting a 1/6-inch, 680,000-pixel CCD, along with a powerful 25X optical zoom and an 800X digital zoom. The images produced by this camcorder are clean and sharp with rich, well-saturated colors. JVC's NightAlive feature performs extremely well for a budget camcorder. Even in less-than-optimal lighting conditions, the video remains sharp and bright with accurate colors, ideal for capturing pictures as the sun goes down. The unit's digital image stabilization system does a solid job countering unintentional camera shakes.

The automatic controls on the GR-D250US work quickly and accurately, making it an effective point-and-shoot unit. More unusual for an entry-level model, the GR-D250US also offers a high level of manual control. You can manually adjust shutter speed, exposure, white balance, and gain to give you greater control over the images captured. The 2-1/2-inch foldout LCD screen is designed to reduce reflection and glare for easier viewing in bright sunlight, while the Data Battery function displays two readouts for the remaining battery life. The first figure is the remaining battery time left if you use the LCD, while the second is calculated if you switch to the color viewfinder. Overall, the GR-D250US is an affordable and highly portable MiniDV camcorder, ideal for capturing all those home video moments.

Warranty
90 days labor, 1 year parts