Customer Reviews

JVC GRD770 MiniDV Camcorder with 34x Optical Zoom

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

 

 

I bought this camera at Fry's and it was a deal that came with a tripod.The camera is great this is my first camcorder it was easy to operate and easy to learn the controls.i hook it up to my macbook pro an start up idvd and it transfer almost with out touching anything.It is easy to control and the zoom is very good .If you move fast the camera takes 10 secs to refocus the only drawback so far.I wish there was a car charger for it but i have yet to find one if it exist

I recently purchased the GR-D770 MiniDV Camcorder to replace an eight year old JVC VHS-C camcorder. I did a bit of research online, and the JVC had to most features for the cost. The audio is excellent, as is the picture quality. The zoom is smooth, and all the controls are conveniently located; the menus are easy to navigate with the thumb stick. Also, synching is up to my laptop was a snap, after I bought a 4-pin to 4-pin DV cable (I didn't see any in the price range that included one).

But the key phrase here is "entry level". It's true that it has numerous features and a great zoom on it. But the picture is a little bit lacking in my opinion. The colors seem a bit pale at times, and in low light situations like in a room there is picture noise (grain). But that's to be expected for most entry level cameras. This is my first digital camcorder and I wanted something inexpensive to capture memories of my two year old and vacations. And really it does that just fine. But if you really want something that that reproduces color well and keeps the amount of picture noise down, then you should look to get something that costs a few hundred more.

Although this camcorder is relatively inexpensive, it does have enough features to make it a perfect video camera for anyone. No one will know you only paid a little over $200.00! Very small footprint, fits in the palm of your hand. I have another camcorder that I paid about 3 times as much for and unless you are a professional, there really is no difference!

I've only had the JVC GR-D771(U) for about 3 hours and I'm already sold that this is the model for my family! There's still plenty of time to discover the quirks of this device, but at this present time I only have positives to say. First off, the A/C adapter is dual voltage. That's an absolute must if your traveling (or stationed) overseas. The camcorder comes with a USB cord in the box, BUT also has a firewire port that can be utilized to transfer video to a computer or recording device. It's extremely easy to use (which in most cases means limited capabilities)EXCEPT in this case...
*it's got wind noise cancellation,
*a stability feature (called DIS, but I don't know what it stands for)which comes in handy when your using 900X digital zoom
*16:9/4:3 formating
*270 degree rotating LCD so you can see what you look like while recording
*2 or 4 channel stereo sound recording
*a blinding LED to illuminate subjects in the dark (there's also a night recording option but I haven't tested that yet)
*you also have the sweet ability of dubbing images from the miniDV tape to the SD/MMC in playback mode
*There's B/W, sepia, strobe, and mirror options as well as fade in/out effects
* You can also use this as a webcam with at least windows messenger, I haven't tried yahoo or aim...sorry

I'd say the only bad thing about the JVC GR-D771(U) camcorder is that there isn't enough time in the day to play with it!

I bought this camera as my first intro into recording videos for my family, since I've just had my firstborn son.

The first problem with this camera its is buggy Firewire performance, when I try to upload videos to my computer I can see the video and FF or RW the tape but play and stop don't work from the computer so I have to manually control the camera to capture video. Mind you I have tried it with two different firewire card/cable combination.

The worst part is that the Menu button stopped working after two months, I have recorded only 30 minutes of footage with the camera and the menu button does not work. As another reviewer stated, if you remove the battery for some time, 2 days in my case, the menu button works again for about 5 minutes and then dies again.

JVC support is nonexistent, if you email them they replay that they will contact you in 5 days, which it didn't happen, there is no firmware/software updates for the camera, and if you think you'll find much information on the net about it, think again. And as I don't live in the US, I'm stuck with the faulty camera since there is no place I can take it here.

My advice, don't buy this camera, it will save you all the trouble, and you know JVC won't be getting my money again, should have gone with a Panasonic or a Sony one, lesson learned.

I have had multiple issues with this camcorder. It was used a total of less than 60 minutes and then put away for several months (inside the air-conditioned house). Now the screen no longer works; it won't record videos; and the DV connector to transfer what little footage I have doesn't recognize the camera. I bought a replacement camcorder to get the footage off the film and it transferred easily -- so it isn't an issue with the computer or software.

I will not purchase another JVC camcorder as they want more to repair this one than it costs to purchase a new one.

I purchased a JVC mini DV camcorder (750) and it worked wonderfully until after 3 yrs. the motor quit and I paid $50 to have it serviced only to find out it would cost $283 to repair, which is a little more than I originally paid for it! I was in need of a new camera as there was no other way to play the mini tapes of my baby daughter unless I wanted to pay thousands of dollars for a mini duel deck VCR. So, I purchased a used 750 from Amazon which had problems of its own, then I tried a used 770 which had the exact same problem and error messages as my original. So, from what I can tell, these cameras aren't very durable and don't last. At least that's been my experience w. JVC. Who knows about other brands. Bottom line is, once the camera messes up, there's no way to review your tapes unless of course you have them transferred immediately after recording. I would not recommend!

I bought this model in May of 2007. It worked exceptionally well for two years. Transferred footage with no problem to the computer and it's been great to have.

It is now July of 2009 and two weeks ago I started to get a burnt out pixel in my recordings. I first thought it was the video display, but upon transfer it is burnt into the recording as well.

It pretty much kills the family footage because you tend to just stare at the darn thing. When I do zoom to the digital level the red dot moves off screen, but I don't see myself doing that for my recordings.

So, it's worked good for 3 years, but it has no longevity I think as is the case with electronics these days.

I had an 80's betamax and 80's VHS and those lasted almost 20 years...

Bought this from Amazon 3 weeks ago. The image quality is OK. I didn t expect too much from such entry level camcorder. When I tried to adjust the settings I found the "MENU" button doesn t work anymore. If I remove the battery for some time and put it back the "MENU" goes back to work for a few seconds and no response then.