The Basics:
Now to have a look at the actual camera... The bulk of the compact housing's outer surfaces are constructed of glossy, somewhat metallic black plastic. The surface behind the LCD screen has a somewhat prismatic appearance, while the surface revealed when the screen is hinged out looks like carbon fiber. Despite this description making it sound like a hodgepodge of design elements, the look is cohesive. Chrome is used sparingly, and overall the appearance is attractive.
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The images below take a look at the Jazz Elite HDV-188 from either side while folded up for storage. The panel printed with the "Jazz" and "HDMI" logos is actually the 3" LCD screen that folds out for viewing, while the opposite (blank) side is where a compartment for the battery and SD card is found. The other key feature on the screen side of the camera is a speaker hidden behind the silver grill. The other item worth noting on the battery compartment side of the camera is a switch to go between mountain (distance shots) and flower (close ups).
The below left image takes a look at the front edge of the camera. Here we find the glass covered lens, the flash, and a panel that is opened to reveal the HDMI port. The below right image shows the back edge of the camera where the bulk of the controls are located. From upper left to lower right we have: a status LED, a small round button used to take still pictures, a larger round button generally used to stop and start video recordings, a switch/button used for on-screen menu navigation and using the 8x digital zoom, two round buttons used for on-screen menu navigation (one of which is also used for toggling different flash modes), a larger round button used for on-screen menu navigation, an 1/8" jack for headphones and AV out, and finally a mini-USB connection used for charging and data transfer.
The number of buttons and the variety of functions each serves initially had me a bit lost when trying to use the camera. Reading the manual a bit more thoroughly may have helped, but I'm the kind of guy that just likes to pick things up and go. After a few minutes everything made sense (in part thanks to on-screen prompts) and eventually the controls seemed rather intuitive.
