Customer Reviews

JVC GRDV500 MiniDV 1.33 MP Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, 10x Optical Zoom, and 8MB MMC Card

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this camcorder to make a low budget movie. I was impressed with how many features (like 540 lines of horiz. resolution) were available on this camcorder that were hard to find on anything but the best quality professional mini-dv camcorders.

The image quality was great when adequate lighting was used, and there was no picture distortion, even on a larger (close to 50") television. I recently had trouble with the tape loading mechanism, but that could just be my fault.

Pros:
-1.33 Megapixel CCD hard to find on less expensive camcorders
-Sharp LCD screen
-Viewfinder has diopter (so you can take off your glasses)
-Accepts many lens attachments (I use a wide angle and telephoto lens from Sony)
-Body feels strong, not cheap and light like many Sonys or Panasonics
-Some of the picture effects are useful (like shutter speeds)
-Digital Wide Angle setting (allows you to reach <1x zoom with built in lens)
-Great battery life for included battery
-High quality mic preamp built in
-Amazing picture quality for price when used in good lighting

Cons:
-Bottom loading tape (can't open with tripod attached, but few cameras don't have this now)
-No focus ring (you have to use the tiny scroll wheel, but focus rings are only available on camcorders that cost $1000+. Just use a telephoto lens if you need to pull focus)
-Remote sensor can only be used in front of camcorder
-Poor low light shots (just use good lighting)

All in all, this is a great camcorder for making low budget movies, as long as you have decent lighting. Many options are available in manual mode, allowing you to have more control over picture. Automatic mode works great too.

easy to use. Easy to understand manual. great clear digital stills as well as video. If you have windows xp, not even a need to load the software or drivers. XP friendly. very easy to take pictures and video from camera to your computer.
Dont hesitate to buy this one. Would recomend the very good investment of the video or picture light you can order for that model at JVC.com if indoor shots are going to be taken with low light.

Its simply amazing what you can do with this piece of equipment!
Very user friendy and if you are operating on Windows XP,then you are in another entertainment world.
With its compact nature and numerous facilities,it is a must buy.
I love it.

I bought this camcorder last Christmas and I've loved it since. I was looking for a reasonably priced Mini DV camcorder and came across this one at a local Sears. It felt nice and sturdy in my hands unlike the smaller ones offered by Sony and Panasonic. I checked some reviews on it, found them to be good and bought it at J&R over in NYC. The video quality is nothing short of outstanding in good lighting thanks to the 1.33 megapixel CCD (a godsend in this price range).

As for faults, the only real Achilles heel this camcorder has is the worthless "Night Alive" mode. Sony's nightvision trumps the JVC in this respect because the picture becomes nothing but a bright, blurry mess in Night Alive mode. I will invest in a video light to remedy this problem and I suggest that those considering this camcorder do likewise. Overall this is still a terrific camcorder thanks to the 1.33 megapixel CCD not usually found in this price range.

I haven't had the camera for very long, but my experiences with it thus far have shown it to be an excellent lower-to-middle range Mini DV cam for the money. It captures image and sound excellently, is lightweight and very easy to use.

This is the first DV camera I've owned and I'm glad that I made the right choice. I've had this camera for over a year now (bought in Feb 2004) and have no major complaints with it. This camera has a very clear video quality that often amazes me! Digital stabilizer functions well. Stereo sound is good.
The only reason this camera didn't fetch 5 star is the relatively poor video quality in low light. Though this can be adjusted using shutter speed, still I can't seem to get what I want. Bear in mind though that almost all camcorders have this issue, unless you spend much more money and buy the high-end ones.
Good luck with your purchase. Fot this price, you won't regret it!

If you're lookin for a crisp clear image, a powerfull ccd, a lightweight camera with photo capacity for a low price, from a trustble company, this is your choice. Despite some reviews that report bad quality images on low light, I've got nice movies under that circustances. Of corse you should know that you'd better use a tripod and as with any cam a bright light is prefereable. But once you watch your footage on TV it's better than you thoght. For this price you cannot get any better. Now I moved for a GR-DV4000, much expensive, including britgher lens and some other upgrades on the same body. If you're looking for daylly use camera, stop searching. You found it.

Since writing my first raving review on this camera it has fallen to the "Blue Screen of Death" that most JVC cameras face.

No recording, no playback. The screen just states that I need to clean the heads. After 10 brand new head cleaners have been tried and fail the view screen still remains blue.

I was trying to use the digital camera mode but even that hardly if ever works.

I now have a shiny item to hold balloons down or better yet to use when I want people to THINK they are being videotaped.

Gone is my previous high rating, this camera is just plain junk.

So far, the only thing keeping me from giving this camera 5 stars would be that the night vision is choppy. I'm sure its a side effect of the slower shutter speed required for night viewing, but it made all movement look blurry but the color was great. It's light weight, and easy to use right out of the box. The software that comes with it is usable. It would be better if they would just use a standard windows look and feel though. I could not get XP's movie maker to recognize the camera, but after reading one of the other reviews, I'm sure it's my problem and not the camera's. (8 USB devices and 4 cameras hooked to the same computer may have something to do with it.) All and all, a great package.