I must admit i am going abit crazy about getting a good budget dv camcorder. It seems really hard to find out what is the right camera with the best possible lowlight indoors image quality for a low price.

The JVC-GRD23 (JVC-GRD33 in the US) seems to be a good low light camera in the camcorderinfo.com review but then i heard some comments that suggests that both the gr-d33 and gr-d72 has pretty crappy lowlight performance. This is strange because the gr-d33 scores much better then the other dv cams in this price segment which totally baffles me.

I want a camera that can take very good video with only 40w-60w light bulbs how much would this be in lux and does the gr-d33 do the job.

I have been to various dealers but they wont let me test the dv cams at all so its extremely hard to really know what performance i can get from this dv camera.

I know also that this camera was reviewed in the may issue of Whatcamcorder anyone here who has read the review for gr-d23 as it is called in europe ?

I would appreciate if someone could tell me what they think about the lowlight performance and maybe even provide some small clips from general indoor daylight and also indoor lowlight. Just so i can get a general idea what to expect.

Also does the inbuilt led lighting work well ?

Is there any other camera in this price segment that performs just as well and also has a mic in option ?

I would really appriciate if someone could take the time to answer my questions so i don't have to be disappointed with an eventual purchase. I am perhaps more picky about video quality then others but at the same time i don't want to pay too much money. But i will mainly shoot indoors video so the performance indoors is of paramount importance.

[Mentorron]

If the 23U has DV in (as well as DV out), 3D-Noise Reduction, and S-VHS out, it should be similar and work down to the light of several birthday candles (as long as the face is within a foot of the source). Remember, manufacturers often add/remove features for different markets, so check closely. Note: The PAL CCDs are 800k, while the NTSC's are 680k, so I can't be sure if they perform identically, but 3DNR is the low light clue.
In better light (several 100 watts indoors and outdoors up to an hour after sunset) it should also be sharp and have well saturated color.
Ensure it has the features you personally will need. For instance, I didn't feel I needed analog passthrough or mic in.
The LED light works for only a few feet and is brighter in the center of the image, like a small flashlight: not evenly illuminated across the frame.
The only gain-up that works well is the "AGC" (low gain). The Auto-A (medium gain) and Night (high gain) modes create strobe effects if subject or camera moves (they work ok for still life/buildings at night etc).
The other year 2004 JVC GR-Dxx models, Sony DCR-HC65/85 and Panasonic GS120/200 are also good models but higher priced. They warrant purchase if they have unique features you must have.
I have a 32U (Cdn version of the 33U: only case color is different) and am well satisfied with the images it produces. I bought a Tiffen 30.5-37mm step-up ring to allow a wider range of lens filters, hoods, aux lenses, etc. It is my 4th video camera to date (owned one VHS, one 8mm, one Hi-8). I also had 3 8mm/Super8 movie cameras prior to consumer video. I use 2MP digital still cameras for stills.
It is difficult to post videos or attach to emails due to file size. The short, highly compressed samples at dvspot.com are 10MB and more !!!