JVC GRDVL725U MiniDV Camcorder with 2.5" LCD and 8MB SD Card

by JVC

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000063WOE
• Item model number: GR-DVL725U
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,910 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 11, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The JVC GR-DVL725U is a top-flight digital camcorder, capable of snapping 1-megapixel digital stills. Plus, it's chock-full of enough features to satisfy just about any amateur videographer, including a 10x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, manual focus ring, and a whole slew of digital effects and faders.

Lens
JVC put a 10x optical zoom into the GR-DVL725U, which is a good compromise of image quality and zoom power, and should be more than adequate for just about any situation. The digital zoom pumps up the total magnification to 700x, but we recommend using as low a level of digital zoom as you need, as zoom erodes image quality, particularly at high levels.

Digital Stills
We were quite pleased with the digital-still capabilities of the GR-DVL725U. Many camcorders these days come with some sort of digital still mode. The DVL725U records 1,280 x 960 stills, which is a 1.2-megapixel resolution. This particular resolution is relatively good for a camcorder, and matches more expensive offerings.

Inputs and Outputs
The DVL725U comes with the standard IEEE 1394 port for lossless transfer of digital video to a computer, or another IEEE 1394-equipped device, and a USB port for still image transfer. Additionally, the 725 has an S-video output for duping your footage onto tape.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reasonable price, December 29, 2002

By 

"dm7" (Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JVC GRDVL725U MiniDV Camcorder with 2.5" LCD and 8MB SD Card (Electronics)

If I am able to vote 4.5 stars, I would.

What I like:

* great video quality and colors (near-professional quality),
* manual control (whiteness, brightness, focusness),
* easy to understand (for someone like me who doesn't want to read the manual),
* great LCD quality,
* sleek design (easy to hold and control except when you're reaching for manual focus button- can be difficult if you have the band on your hand).

What I dislike:

* nightshot feature (strobing effect if the room doesn't have enough of light),
* short battery life-span - only lasts approx. 55 minutes with LCD on and approx. 70 minutes without LCD on (I highly recommend you to buy an extended life battery),
* random black noise dots appears in some certain conditions (barely noticable),
* bad still photos (good enough for webpage and internet only),
* 700x digital zoom (totally ruins the video quality); best to use 10x optical zoom only.

Overall, I am very pleased with how well this camcorder performs, especially in focusing and stabilization. I think it is a great camcorder at this price compared to others. I highly recommend it for both home and professional use.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Camcorder, July 26, 2003

By 

Juan (Imperial Beach, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JVC GRDVL725U MiniDV Camcorder with 2.5" LCD and 8MB SD Card (Electronics)

This is my first camcorder, and it so far a very good one. The features that come with the camcorder are all true and they all work great.
The Digital Still Mode however is very bad. If you want good pictures get a digital camera, or a regular camera for that matter. The stills are terrible, only good for posting on internet and sending through email.
Battery lifespan is very short, so plan on buying a couple more batteries.
The cover for the SD or MM card is located in an awkward postion. Everytime I open the LCD or put my thumb at the bottom of the camcorder the cover pops open.
Other than that all the features that are advertise with this camcorder are right on target. Very nice camcorder. Too much camcorder for being my first one.

2.0 out of 5 stars RECALL!!, October 22, 2006

By 

M. Guerrero (SoCal, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: JVC GRDVL725U MiniDV Camcorder with 2.5" LCD and 8MB SD Card (Electronics)

Well I just got the bad news that this camcorder had a recall & I just missed the cutoff date for a free repair courtesy of JVC. An error code of E01 appears on the LCD screen indicating it is in "safe mode" rendering it inoperable, GREAT! I've used it maybe a 20 times and now I have a usless camera w/a tape stuck inside, oh wait, it's gonna make a great paper weight! I'll never buy another JVC product....Ever!! Other than than that worked great.