Digital Trends

Toshiba Gigashot GSC-R30 June 5th, 2006 | by David Elrich

Features and Design

The gigashot GSC-R30 has a vertical shape, radically different than the more horizontal JVC and Sony HDD models. It's more like the SD-based Panasonic SDR-S100. Whether this is a good or bad thing is totally your call—we strongly recommend you handle any camera or camcorder before you put your money down. That out of the way, the GSC-R30 feels comfortable, once you adjust the Velcro wrist strap. With the proper fit, your index finger falls on the wide/tele toggle switch and the snapshot key for stills is right behind it. There is an indentation on the front so your fingers can curl around the body as you hold it. It's nicely done.

The camcorder measures 1.9 x 4.7 x 2.8 (WHD, in inches) and weighs 15.8 ounces with battery, SD memory card, strap and lens cap. You definitely won't get a hernia walking around with it. I do have to complain (naturally) about the funky lens cap. It's attached by a string to the wrist strap and flaps in the breeze as you shoot. It's like something out of the Dark Ages. Sheesh. It takes away from the overall sophisticated look which is mostly dark gray with touches of silver.

Taking off the lens cap you'll find a 10x Canon optical zoom lens which is a decent range but pales in comparison to the 2006 JVC Everios such as the GZ-MG37. This new 30GB model costs the same as the Toshiba but has a 32x optical zoom. Ouch. But that's not the whole story. The Toshiba has a much larger CCD (2.12MP) and takes much higher quality stills so bear that in mind since larger imaging devices usually deliver higher quality video with less noise. The JVC has a 680K CCD. And the Toshiba takes 1600 x 1200 pixel stills versus 640 x 480 for the Everio. Back to our brief tour...Also on the front of the GSC-R30 is a flash for improved still quality, an AF Assist lamp that also does double duty as an auxiliary light, a front LED and remote sensor. The top has a stereo mic, a tiny speaker but no hot or cold shoe. 

The left side of the camcorder is fairly plain since this is where you'll find the articulating LCD screen. The screen measures 2.5-inches and is rated a good 207K pixels. By comparison the JVC GZ-MG37 has a widescreen LCD for framing 16:9 videos for your new HDTV rather than the traditional square 4:3 shape. The Sony DCR-S100 has one too. This is a pretty major oversight but since this is Toshiba's V.1.0 camcorder, figure widescreen LCDs will be part of the package next year. JVC's initial HDD camcorders also had 4:3 screens. 

The right side is also fairly plain with the wrist strap, zoom switch and shutter key for snapshots. You'll also find a compartment with a flimsy door covering the DC in and A/V out connections.

The rear of the camcorder initially appears very busy with switches and decals galore. Once you get over a little shock, everything is nicely labeled. My guess is that many of these buttons will disappear next year as they're eliminated and incorporated into software. As for the here and now, there are power and mode switches (video, still, playback). There's also a jog wheel to spin through the onscreen menus with a four-way joystick in the center. To the right of them is the red-colored record button. There are also buttons for the built-in light, backlight compensation and menu. You'll also find an SD card slot.

On the bottom is a battery compartment door, a special USB connector and tripod mount. The battery is rated a whopping 2.5-hours by the company.

Since there's no blank media involved, you won't find a tape or disc with this baby. It comes with a 1200 maH lithium ion battery, AC adaptor, special USB cable, an A/V cable with S-video out, remote control, lens cap and software CD ROM. The disc has ACDSee PowerProducer 3; another disc has the owner's manual in PDF form. There's a three-language Quick Start guide (18 pages in English) to get you going as well as a pocket-sized Quick Help guide that unfolds like an accordion. I'm all for saving trees but an in-depth printed owner's manual you can throw in your bag would be a good thing.

After loading the battery, charging it and popping in a 2GB SD card it was time to give the gigashot a workout.

Image Courtesy of Toshiba