JVC GR-DVM75U Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode

by JVC

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005KAMT
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,763 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

With the GR-DVM75U, JVC brings a true workhorse of a camcorder to market. A number of great features are packed into this small, easy-to-carry device. With a 680,000 pixel CCD, the GR-DVM75U records the marvelous 520 lines of resolution proscribed in the DV standard, making every memory captured sharp and crisp. Being in a low-light environment is not an issue for the GR-DVM75U, the special night shooting function enhances low-light sensitivity so you can still capture clear images at night in full color.

There is also a built-in digital still camera that captures images in many modes--such as full screen, frame, pin-up, negative, or multipicture--onto either tape or the included 8 MB MMC card. These photos are capable of a resolution of either 640 x 480 or 1,024 x 768 pixels. The GR-DVM75U is compatible with both MultiMedia or SD memory cards.

The GR-DVM75U also comes with a variety of multimedia interfacing capabilities, making transferring DV recordings or digital photos to a computer fast and simple. In addition to the standard IEEE 1394 DV interface, there is a USB port for quick transfers to PC. With the included software and cable you can easily bring your photos into your computer for editing or e-mailing.

Also included are an AC power adapter/charger, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, remote control, CD-ROM software for photo editing, shoulder strap, jack box, USB cable, AV cable, and editing cable.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Value - Highly Recommended, February 1, 2002

By 

R. Kodama (Los Angeles, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: JVC GR-DVM75U Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode (Electronics)

I purchased a GR-DVM75 in December and took it to Hawaii for our vacation. I was very pleased with the performance and features of the camera and really had no complaints. I originally did some extensive research on the "vertical palm size" mini-DV camcorders and narrowed my decision down to the Sony DCR-PC110, the Canon Elura 20MC and the JVC. Let me tell you that this was an extremely difficult evaluation because all three cameras have their strengths and weaknesses and there was no clear choice. My major concern with the JVC was the workmanship and the quality of the hardware - I had read several reviews where the owner eventually experienced problems and the cost to service the camera was extremely steep. Two weeks after my vacation, I ended up buying the Canon Elura 20MC and did a side by side comparison against the JVC.

The primary driving force behind my purchase was size and then feature. My philosophy is that the smaller the unit (with some compromised quality), the more likely I will carry it around and get use out of the camera. Although the Sony has the Carl Zeiss lens and contains the most features, it was also the largest (and most expensive) of the 3 cameras. The ergonomics of the Sony are also terrible and it was extremely awkward to operate. The Canon has progressive scan and the JVC has a high band processor to emulate progressive scan - the Sony did not have an equivalent feature.

The Canon and JVC both produced excellent picture quality. Supposedly the JVC can capture 520 lines of resolution as opposed to 400 lines for the Canon. The microphone on both models picks up motor noise in quiet situations but this problem is much more prevalent on the Canon. The JVC has more programmed AE modes, digital effects and fades and a USB port to read the memory card. One major difference between the two cameras is the resolution of the viewfinder. The Canon viewfinder is much clearer and sharper than that of the JVC - this is important when video taping under bright sunlight which washes out the LCD. The resolution of the Canon LCD monitor is 200,000 pixels which is almost twice that of the JVC but this did not produce as big of a difference.

In general, digital camcorders do not perform well under low light conditions - especially the smaller, more compact cameras. Both camcorders produced poor quality but somewhat acceptable images in indoor lighting. I found the Canon to produce slightly grainier pictures than the JVC under the same lighting conditions. Both cameras have a low light function but the JVC has a slower shutter speed and a different aperture that allows for a little brighter picture. The Night Alive setting on the JVC significantly slows down the shutter speed to handle extremely low light situations but the picture is too choppy and blurry to be of any use. Sony and Panasonic camcorders have an infra red setting that allows you to shoot video with no lights but it produces a green monotone image.

Here is my take on the digital stills. I own a 3.3 megapixel Nikon 880 and the quality of the Nikon is significantly better than the best quality (approx. 1.9 megapixels) stills available from consumer camcorders. This is not only because of the pixel count but because a dedicated still camera has the lens, aperture/shutter speed settings, white balancing, etc to optimize the picture. Ultimately, picture quality is related to each person's own individual tastes and expectations, but if your looking for quality 6 x 4 prints(or greater) or to view photo's full screen on your PC, then the GR-DVM75 will not meet your needs. Instead of spending an extra $300 to $500 on a camcorder to obtain a higher megapixel still capability, I strongly recommend purchasing a separate digital camera with the savings. One other thing I noticed about the JVC camcorders - they tout XGA (1024 x 768) resolution but the camera only has 680k CCDs which isn't enough to support that resolution. I have not seen an explanation for this but my guess is the camera extrapolates the 1024 x 768 resolution from a lower resolution shot. Interestingly, I captured some field stills from the video and many of these shots (640x480) looked better than the XGA stills.

Finally, I was bothered by the fact that GR-DVM75 did not come with a lens cap. However, after closely inspecting the camera, JVC does provide a clear lens protector which is actually more convenient then a lens cap. You can unscrew the lens protector and replace it with a UV filter or other 27mm attachments.

In the end, I returned the JVC camera and kept the Canon. In truth, it was a toss up and my decision could have gone either way. The Canon seems to be built better and is smaller in size than the JVC. The JVC has more features and functions but I preferred the quality and look/feel of the Elura. The JVC is a much better value for the money but I highly recommend either camcorder.

2/27/02 - Because of the poor low light performance of the Elura, I ended purchasing a third camera, Sony DCR-PC9. See my review.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a machine!, October 4, 2001

By 

Customer Review (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JVC GR-DVM75U Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode (Electronics)

I did some major comparing to the Sony PC110. I really tried to go with the Sony, but this JVC knocked me over the head and showed me that it is one hell of a machine. This has almost all the same features as the PC110 at a fraction of the price. Great digtal video, nice stills and awesome compact size. What technology for the price! There are a few draw backs: You have to get used to the small size and button configuration. It has a jack box for the peripheral connections, but that's not a big deal. Battery life could be improved. But these are minor compared to the power, compactness and image quality that this marvel produces. BUY it, you'll love it.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I bought it and I LOVE IT!, October 26, 2001

By 

Ken (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JVC GR-DVM75U Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode (Electronics)

Ditto (to all reviews above).

I bought this camera for [$ amount]. (Ibuydig.com) I also bought the 3 hour battery which works great!

The image and video quality is EXCELLENT. The options and editing features fantastic and asy to use.

Get it! You won't be disappointed!

The only down-side I can think of is that the simple Email-Clip function provides a rather small streaming clip. It's very easy to use and not bad quality, however, there are video-grabbers which we can use to get the best video-file quality available.

Once again, however, the camera provides a VERY easy method of making and sending clips...NOTEWORTHY and well-thought!