Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

This is quite a product.

I purchased this camera from Crutchfield back in September after 9-11. I suppose you could say I freaked out a bit and took this camera to Maui with me for an extended spend-fest which lasted for the entire month of October.

The details of my experience are available for me to peruse whenever I like.

DSC....simply wonderful! I take my pictures at 1024x768 XGA resolution..the highest possible, and manage to gather 202 images on my 64 MB card before transferring my files to my computer. You can use the included USB cable to connect, but I recommend getting a firewire port (about 40 bucks or so). You need the firewire to download your video images anyways. You can take over a thousand pictures on a 64 MB card at the lowest resolution...I haven't bothered to do this, the high res images are superior. Manual and Automatic modes present a myriad of choices, you will spend quite some time mastering this device, but the work is certainly worth it.

DV...unbelievable quality..VHS and 8 MM is dead. Spend the money and experience the future. You can film everything with this camera.

Size...ultra compact and lightweight. I have skiied down the slopes of Breckenridge Colorado with this unit in one hand and had no trouble at all. It easily fit within my interior jacket pocket (Colombia System) and the weight was almost unnoticable. The LCD monitor is hard to see in direct sunlight, I tend to use the full color eyepiece.

Zoom...200x pixelates, you will not want to fully zoom out, although it is nice to be able to do so when you like.

Battery...included battery is light and tends to die after about a typical days filming. Recharges in a short time and is quite satisfying, however, I would recommend the purchase of a backup to ensure seamless mobile activation time.

Night vision... not really what it might seem, choppy framerate but absolutely interesting.

Remote control is an apt device.

In summation, I would urge anyone who wishes to document the beauty of life which surrounds us to purchase this camera. I have taken almost 5000 pictures and have many hours of memories to peruse at my leisure. Grand INDEED!

After comparing this digital video camera with built in digital still camera with numerous other competing cameras that were five hundered dollars higher or lower in price range, I found it to have the best features for the lowest price. It has great video, and best digital still resolution of any competing model (but it is poor compared to full time digital cameras and 35mm film). Very stylish!!!

Flash for stills, numerous low light, back light, and special video recording settings make it a great all around digital video camera for parties, weddings, etc., at a home use level.

Down side is poor digital stills in comparason to digital still cameras on market. It also uses a Multimedia card which is not supported by no computer needed, photosmart printers such as HP photosmart printers. Also, included software works but is bare boned and basic.

Side by side with sony models, the DVM75u was a far better value for me. I must admit, the overall quality of the sony video picture for discerning viewers, and I mean techno-phile junkies, is slightly superior. But I could not give up the built-in digital still camera resolution superiority with flash and an extra five hundred bucks for a difference only a professional could point out, and memory sticks are just offensively expensive. Great for video, gets by for stills. You'll need to purchase a digital still camera for photos.

This is excellent camera, it got great picture quality, sound quality and best of all is the price. I compared with Sony PC110, it got almost all features with the very reasonalble price. Great Buy !

Perhaps I'd give this 4.5 stars, but I'm happy enough with it to round up and not down. Vids are crisp and vivid. They transfer great with FIREWIRE/pinacle/dazzle 80 (unlike Sony w/ it's less frilly included editor). Only downside is the still pics for a camcorder are fair, it's not a mega-pixel cam like Sony's. For this reason some reviewers prefer the Sony, here's why I don't.
#1 If your desktop doesn't revolve around Sony's exclusive (& stupid) MEMORY STICK (and most of yours don't)then you have to buy one just to use all the so-called convenient features it brings.
#2 The CCD is much clearer and better.
#3 NIGHT VISION? so what! JVC's NIGHTALIVE frame rate may be slower but it actually captures color in low light! Even if you NEEDED to tape your kids sleeping in total dark, it makes them look GREEN and hollows out their eyeballs! - Yuk!
#4 Do you really care that Carl Zeiss makes the lense? Perhaps it makes a diff with film photography but not with Sony's CCD resolution.
#5 It's heavier, bulkier, clunkier (too many outside buttons) and less stylin than the JVC.

I recently had mine stolen, after tinkering around with comparible Sony's I'm going right back to buy another JVC GR-DVM75!

After reading reviews on how Sony digital camcorders are better than comparable JVC models and going against my better judgement to buy a Sony MiniDV, I ended up buying the JVC GR-DVM75U to save [money].

I bought this digital camcorder in January 2002 to record my daughters birth and document her growing years. Well I've had this camcorder for 7 months and I have used the playback feature a whole 5 times. Two weeks ago I went to playback my daughters baptism and to my surprise the playback feature does not work.

I tried using two different rechargable batteries, the AC power adapter alone, the AC adapter and battery together, and nothing works. However, I could record fine, at least I think I am recording. Don't know for sure since I can't playback.

Anyhow, I took it in to one of JVC's authorized service center. They want to charge me [money](30% of what I paid for this stupid camcorder) to fix a problem with the control board. Sounds to me like the camcorder I got is defective. I wonder how many more are out there with this problem? If you buy this camcorder then beware of this potential problem?

Well lets see if JVC will stand behind their product. I am sending it back to them so they can fix it or hopefully send me a new one. Most likely, I'll just write off the [money]I paid for this camcorder and get a Sony MiniDV. At the very least, I know I'll get a superior product even if I have to pay a premium.

Buyer Beware!!!

Just wanted to write a quick review for this product. I bought it a month ago and haven't had any troubles at all. It took awhile to read through the manual and discover all of the MANY features.. but that was just the beginning. I have much to learn and I have yet to take a bad picture/video.

My only complaint so far is the little round switch that goes from Manual/Auto/Off/Play. It's difficult to turn sometimes.. but if you leave the camera in the correct mode and just close the screen, it works nicely. (Just a few little secrets I've learned)

It's a little goofy with the sound effects and other strange things you can add to your video. The snapshot effect seems to be unchangeable also.. it always makes the "shutter" sound and effect (even if you turn off the sound) I wasn't really bothered by this.. but I was hoping that I could take snapshots and add transitions between them to create a nice little slideshow. To do that.. it takes a little more work. But, I'm no sure many of the other camcorders have anything better.

This was supposed to be a quick review.. so I'll just say that I haven't been disappointed yet. It's a fun little machine with great resolution and endless possibilites. For the price I paid.. very well worth it!

I work for an ad agency in Los Angeles ...and I used to lug around too much heavy and bukly equipment until this baby came around. One day I went out with the location scouts and director to scout for possible filming locations. Here I was with a Digital8 video camera and another Nikon DX-1 digital camera to film and photograph locations, then the director and then the location scouts come strolling up with these little Palm Pilot looking things in their hands and I was like wheres everything else? All they said ws its all here. So after a day of walking around with my ... I ditched my video camera in the car. I started to use one of the scouts JVC Mini DV camcorders and was increadibaly surprised at the resolution and quality even for stills. The cameras were all stock except each of them carried 2 128 memory cards other than that everythign was great. What surprised me was theat such a little package could deliver the quality it did. Easy to heek up to a PC in our editing room too just plug it in and your ready to go. This is by far one of the best MiniDV Camcorders out there now.