Customer Reviews

JVC GRD30 MiniDV Camcorder with 2.5" LCD and 16x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

..... I love it. The picture and sound quality are great, I dont think I could ask for more.

The battery it comes with is good for over an hour, which easily covers a 60 minute tape. Thats better than the default battery you get with a lot of other camcorders which are often in the 30-45 minute range. It lacks the remote control and USB/memory card you get with the 2 higher (and more expensive) models, but thats fine by me. It can still take stills, but its not a function I have any interest in. If I want good stills, I have a 2.2MP Kodak for that. Pretty much everyone knows by now that you dont get good stills off a camcorder, just as you dont get good video off a still cam. If its an included secondary feature, then fine, but dont expect the quality you get with a more dedicated device. I got this for the video, and its a wonderful thing.

It doesnt do too well in really low light, of course I wasnt really expecting otherwise. I have yet to ever see a digital camcorder that actually does great with inadequet light. It has a night mode, which does greatly increase the lighting, but it drops the frame rate terribly. It has another "backlight" function that can be handy for less than optimal lighting. But in reasonable-good lighting, you get wonderfull piture quality. It has a nice selection of transition effects built in, I still have yet to explore them all. The 16x optical zoom is cool. Its more than enough for me. The size of the unit is nice, not too big and not too small - similar in shape/size to the canon ZR series, only this thing is of higher quality than the canon counterparts, especially where audio is concerned.

Now, Im sure this isnt the ideal model for everyone in every situation, but for the price, you'd be hard pressed to get this kind of quality elsewhere. There are $$$$ models that cant compare to this, so Im happy with the buy. Its pretty easy to use. Not too much of a learning curve. Not so many buttons that you get lost. Manual/automatic choices. Yeah, its a nice piece of work and I was surprised at how affordable it was. I would recommend this to most people.

I just got my GRD30 yesterday and spent a good amount of time with it last night. Overall, I think it is a very good camera for the price.

It wasn't made overly clear to me (until I read through the manual) what the real differences were between this model and the GRD70/90 models. The only differences I saw were that this model has no remote control (not a big deal for me) and doesn't have on-board memory chip for storing still images (again, not a big deal). What I do think is important to know, though, is that the GRD70/90 models accept DV INPUT and can record the DV input onto the MiniDV tape. Had I known that, I might have stepped up, but I'm not sure it's worth a hundred dollars.

Overal Pros:
The picture quality is excellent.
The CCD resolution is outstanding at this price point -- 50% higher resolution than most other entry-level models (what sold me on this camera).
The price (and, therefore the value) is excellent.
Battery life is better than average (>1 hr) and it fully charges in less than 1.5 hrs.

...and So-So's:
The zoom is adequate, but not spectacular.
There is some on-tape noise when zooming in and out, but it's not overwhelming. We didn't even notice it until we taped our dog running in the yard (with no conversation).
The image stabilization is merely okay. But, it is a worthwhile feature.

...and Cons:
There is NO on-board light, and the low-light functionality is not spectacular. I'm not sure how much that will come in to play down the road.
There is no auxiliary audio input, so the front-facing microphone is all you get.

If you're looking for an entry-level DV camcorder, you could do a lot worse.

This is a standard-issue MiniDV digital camcorder in a very stylish body. While not one of the small pocket-size types -- incidentally those are often awkward to operate and susceptible to hand shakes -- the GRD30 is still small enough to be highly portable. All the standard features of a digital camcorder, from digital tape to fold-out LCD screen to IEEE 1394 "Firewire" connections, are there, and JVC also claims superb video image quality. The 16x optical zoom is higher than many other camcorders. (When choosing a camcorder or digital camera, pay ZERO attention to digital zoom claims, since digital zoom is entirely useless. Only optical zoom power counts.)

An attractive price, especially here on Amazon.com, makes this a top buy.

I purchased this camcorder strictly for two reasons. One, the price was exceptional. At first, I thought quality might suffer, but what the {heck}, buy it anyway. The second reason was to get a camera that I could carry around with me all day. And if it got banged up, or run over by an eighteen wheeler, no great loss. Upon receiving the camera, I opened the package, loaded a cassette and started shooting. This is one great little unit. The picture quality and sound were amazing. People complimented me on such colorful and crisp footage. I now view this camcorder right up there with the more expensive Panasonics. In the creation of this camcorder, JVC performed a really wise concept. They left all those features that you and I never use OFF this camera. We're talkin' bare bones here, and that's just fine with me. Buy this one, make your movies, and let it bang around a bit. For this great price, you cannot lose.

I've not owned a camcorder for about 12yrs. I'm glad I waited until now to buy a MiniDV. I'm a Windows user and was not sure how XP Pro would like this JVC. It's was easier than I thought! No PC video software included unless you loaded the Demo software and buy it. I connected the FireWire to my PC. I already had an IEEE 1394 port on my SB Audigy2 sound card. Powered it on. XP Pro surprised me! It knew the device and the model. Then Windows Movie Maker app loaded with all the basic controls as the camcorder on screen for my enjoyment. Coolness + some basic tools to make .wmv's from clips I recorded of the video footage taken or insert .jpegs from our Digital Camera into the movie I was putting together.

JVC MiniDV GR-D30, got its first work out at the Indy 2003 USGP F1 race. Took some video & Digital Photo's of the race. We set up the GR-D30 with the Sport mode & Clouds. Race was overcast and at times did rain. Video came out very nice and the long life battery (5hrs)was a good decision for this 2hr event. I put together a highlight movie 4:23 min. 320x240 16bit @ 705kbps total file size 20.5mb.

I've always liked JVC it's been my choice in TV's & Home Theater Audio. I like the JVC MiniDV and ease of use with PC's.

This model is prone to display this error message for long periods of time. The manual says to just wait it out (1 hour recommended).

Solution: Take a slightly damp cotton swap and clean the moisture sensor.

Remove power from the camera. I remove the battery as well. In the back of where the tapes go, on the left side is a silver component. It's just behind a metal roller that hangs down from a plastic piece over the head. If you look behind the roller diagonally across where the tape goes, you can see a black square on the right side of the silver component. Clean this (gently!) with a moist cotton swab. The swap should get a bit of black gunk off. I'd recommend cleaning it with a dry swab next to remove any moisture. Wait a minute or so to be sure it's dry. Then re-apply power. You should not see a false consensation message for a long time. ;-)

Found this on JVC's website under CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION...this model is one of the reported ones, hope this helps everyone with this problem...

JVC has received reports that in certain circumstances, a small quantity of units of the models listed below, may, while in the camera mode, show no picture, a distorted picture and/or display "LENS CAP" even though the lens cap is removed. We have identified the cause as a failure of the CCD image sensor. Until October 1, 2007, repairs of units exhibiting these problems will be made free of charge at JVC Factory Service Centers. Click thisFactory Service Center link to find your nearest location. Please call (800) 858-6442 if you need any assistance in obtaining a free repair. We apologize for any inconvenience and are appreciative of your understanding and support.

I boight this camera a year ago, at the beginning I was really happy with the movies it can take, and also the capability to export them to any pc just with a standart firewire connection. BUt finlly I got problems with the nighshot (it didnt work at all) and the reason for finally sold it was it started to make heavy noises on the casette compartment, so loud that you could hear the noises in the tape you record. I went to JVC and the didnt gave me any naswer for the problem (I dont have guarantee since I live outside USA).

This is my first cam and I must say I am impressed. The size alone is excellent. Weighing in at just a few pounds, easily fits in your hand, this cam has easy to use features that even a novice like myself learned without having to read every inch of the manuel (although I recommend you read it anyways, to catch on to some of the more technical maneuvers). Having a cam that connects to my pc was an added feature I would have preferred but with this being my first time out in the world of camcorders, I cannot complain that this lacks that feature. Overall, I would definitely recommend this cam to anyone who is interested in recording basic video footage. I was, however, pretty amazed at the zoom capability. Who knew I could zoom in on leaves of a tree across our neighborhood street! Great cam, great price, highly recommended!

I bought this model JVC mini DV camcorder one year ago when it was first released. The price then was $375 after a $25 rebate, great price I add. At around November of that year the camera locked up into "Condensation, Operation Paused" mode. I didn't know what to do, and the Authorized JVC location wanted a lot of money to just look at the camera, not fix it. I read online that putting a blow dryer on it and leaving it plugged in and on for one hour will allow the camera to clear up the condensation. It worked, but the camera started to go into that mode over and over, until it was in a perpetual locked mode. After leaving it plugged in a week, it suddenly became fine, and here I am a day later it appears to be fine now. This camera shoots great video except in low-light situations which is fine but I find it unreliable. I went on a trip and it never worked, but it works now, weird.