Toshiba Gigashot GSC-R30 June 5th, 2006 | by David Elrich
Full Review - Conclusion
Conclusion We're back to Square One with the HDD camcorders we've tested. We love the capacity and the benefits of HDD recording. That said video quality is not worth the trade-off in our real-world trials. You can buy a decent MiniDV camcorder for half the price. You can spend about the same money ($700) for the Sony MiniDV DCR-HC96 and be way ahead of the game in terms of quality. And if you want some of the pluses of HDD recording such as thumbnails, there are always DVD camcorders like the recently reviewed Panasonic VDR-D300 ($999) that's outstanding. The 2.12MP Toshiba gigashot GSC-R30 has a list price of $799 but can be found for under $700--a lot less than the 3.3MP Sony DCR-SR100 with Dolby Digital Surround capability ($999) and about the same as the second-generation JVC GZ-MG37 with its more powerful zoom but smaller CCD and puny still capability. The buzz on the ‘Net has Sony solving the quality problems of the initial HDD camcorders with the DCR-SR100. We'll get one in as soon as we can to give you our three cents. Bottom line: the Toshiba gigashot GSC-R30 is clearly Version 1.0 and you should look elsewhere to satisfy your HDD jones. Pros: Cons:
by Dan on November 8, 2009:
“I own the 60GB version since Xmas 06. I like this camera but it does have a few draw backs. The good: Small, compact easy to use. Hard drive holds tons of files. And organizes them nicely. Battery life is good. Nice features. Easy to get pics to...” More...