Customer Reviews

JVC GRDVL820U MiniDV Digital CyberCam Video Camera with 3.5" LCD, SD Memory Card Compatibility & B/W Viewfinder

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

 

 

This is a good little camera with great features. I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived as it's smaller than I expected. Quite a tidy, compact package with big features. I figured there was really no need for a color viewfinder in the DVL 920 model, so not worth the extra $'s.

Only one major reservation... it doesn't work with TDK or Panasonic brand tapes. After purchasing the camera and recording an hour of tape, I played the tape back on the unit and got a message on the screen that the camera needed cleaning and the image was broken up and basically garbage on the screen. After speaking to JVC tech support they informed me that with TDK tapes the camera will exhibit that behavior, but I was using Panasonic. I then bought a Sony tape and everything seems to be fine.

I tried out in the course of over three weeks four different camcorders before deciding on this one. It is wonderfully quiet not to mention light, compact and easy to use. The LCD screen is clear and big. The playback is clear with excellent sound. Many extra features such as the editing options during playback were an unexpected treat. I like to shoot somewhat professional footage up here in Alaska and edit it with music and this model by far met all my usual standards and more......

Does everything it says does. Good size, Good video, not bad pictures. It won't replace your camera but it's decent enough to snap a quick shot should the opportunity present itself. It's easier than digging for your camera while trying to shoot video. Light serves it's purpose. Haven't had too much of chance to use the night alive yet. You have to get an extended battery, the one it comes with maybe lasts an hour using the big LCD. That seems to be the case with all camcorders.

Amazing camera, does everything it's advertised to do. Blows away SONY models that cost up to $1,800. Compare features side by side, you will be surprised. Have had no problems with camera or tapes. My wife loves it because it is so light, I love it because of it's rich feature set and cool design.

I had to return it the next day, got error message saying to remove and reinstall tape....found tape to be partialy stuck in camera upon removal...damaging expensive tape...not cool! This happened every time a tape was inserted. I only managed to get 20 mins of recording in before this happened. I did like the quality of the still pictures, much improved over my GRDVL510.The 510 has not been without problems ....frequent head cleaning notices.. not to mention the pixelated images. I was using JVC tapes and was advised by JVC to switch brands ...now using Sony..so far ..so good.I have to say my 8 year old Sony 8mm handycam still works and has never required a head cleaning. I should have stayed with Sony products...You live ..You learn.

I sold my mavica camera to get this because it has a digital camera built in, but even though the pixels are the same, teh quality is not. Also, it is a pain to find where you left off taping, but other than those two things, it is a great camera.

I would like to have written about the good features, but on the second day, as I was watching the tape, I somehow disconnected the ac adapter, & zap, it died. I later read in the manual, not to disconnect the ac adapter while the camera is on. What happens if the power at home goes out while you are playing it?

I got this camera as a loaner the other day when I took my Sony in for repair. Any thoughts of getting a JVC in the future have died.

First, the good stuff. The controls and the setup are MUCH better than Sony. The tape access, on the side, is preferable to Sony's bottom loading (on at least some, and my, unit) tape. Further, the on switch only requires a quick glance to turn on, rather than a serious look until you are familiar with it -- like the Sony. Finally, the built in light really comes in handy for quick shots.

That's it. There is a constant buzz on the camera that comes through on the tape. From looking at other JVC reviews, this seems to be a systematic problem not limited to my unit. And the picture is no where near as sharp. Now, my camera does have a slightly bigger CCD, but still the sharpness of Sony overwhelms JVC -- at least for one CCD camcorders. As far as taking still pictures, I didn't take any so I can't comment, but don't buy a camcorder to take pictures. That feature is there for a quick spontaneous snapshot when your camera isn't available or handy, not for continuous use.

I'm glad I get to give this back. I can live with akward controls, but I've got to have good picture quality and this camera doesn't deliver.

I got mine using hotel points so I didn't have many choices but I do ilke what I got. The camcorder is packed with a ton of features and capabilities. What I have used a lot and can tell you about is the digital imaging capabilities. I have taked a ton of stills with this (with 128 MB SD card there's plenty of space). While the size (almost 2 Megapixels) is rather big the quality leaves a little to be desired. I'm anxious to get the firewire cable to test out the digital video (one of the main reasons I bought this).

After using this camera very happily for about a year and a half, suddenly videos became very blocky when onscreen objects moved. Now, instantly, everyone reading this is going to say, "How obvious, the heads are dirty." But I don't think this is the case. I have cleaned the camera with a cleaning tape about once every two or three weeks, or when it looked like the heads needed cleaning. But about two months ago, that stopped helping. The picture has become progressively blockier. A couple of days ago, I gently cleaned the heads with q-tips and a non-harming cleaning solution, but this did nothing to improve the camera's condition.

I recently went to Best Buy and talked to a salseman there, who said more complaints are made about JVCs regarding this matter than Canon or Sony.

Believe me, I didn't want to switch brands - as I had been using and liking my JVC camera, as I said, for about 1 1/2 years. But soon I'll be getting a Canon and throwing the old JVC away. It's unlikely I'll buy from them again.