Customer Reviews

JVC GRDVM90U MiniDV Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

This camcorder is everything I expected. I wanted a Digital camera that would take stills (4 different quality settings), take top qaulity video (IT DOES), and can be interfaced in all aspects to my computer for transfer to in-laws via email. This product does everything I wanted and more. Many different special effects, fades, 12 sounds to add to video, frames to add to stills. Firewire connection worked very well (Card and software for video capture not included, only software for Stills and other video dubbing included). Another neat feature is the email clip feature which lets you pick out a 20 second portion of your recording and transfers it to the included 8MB memory chip for easy transfer to your PC for inclusion in emails! 8MB card hold lots of photos (at least 40-125 depending on quality setting), hold video clips, sounds and frames! Screen is great, battery included lasts about 50 minutes with screen and 60-65 minutes with eyepiece. Very small and inconspicuous. Light (1.2 lbs). Many cables included for dubbing. Great Zoom (200x digital). Good pictures in low lights conditions. Sound picks up very well. Included base screws into camera for more expansion for video out to TV and dubbing connections. Remote control works great, so you can hook it into your TV and sit on the couch and play it as if it were a VCR. All in all, this is exactly the camera I wanted. I have read some reviews that people are having a hard time with all the computer interfacing, but they must be novices because I had to do very little out of the ordinary to get it working. I purchased Movie DV Suite, which included a firewire card and the captures work unbelieveably well. I highly advise purchasing this camera.

My husband and i have been looking for a camcorder since the birth of our first child, who was born last year. obviously, camcorders are not cheap and you do shop around a bit before buying one.. (it has already taken about a year for us...) no but this JVC DVM 90U has everything one usually looks for in a camcorder. it can easily be rated as one of the best ones around. it has all the features one would find on sony camcorders. it is very compact, lightweight and has loads of features. it has an 8mb memory card (compared to sony's 4mb.You get the software for downloading pictures along with it i.e. you don't have to buy the software and cable separately. All in all, when you compare it with its competitors it stands apart in looks as well as goods.....

will surely recommend it.. still not satisfied, then go ahead and do your own research.....

I just purchased this camera and love all but one of the features that I was most interested in. JVC advertises that you can capture a short video clips to email friends and relatives. Well, this is true, but what they do not tell you is that the format is in JMM format, which is some kind of JVC proprietary format! I have yet to find anyone who supports or has a converter for this format. JVC has partnered with a web service that allows you to store these images for people to come view. This is a free service until you what more space. I just think this is another gimmick to make money at the expense of the consumer.

You will also find out when you play back these clips with the supplied viewer that the quality is very poor!

Another issue I had was that the menus and buttons associated with the memory card were not very intuitive or easy to follow.

Overall, I would recommend this camera with the exception of ... the Email Clip feature.

For the past 10 years I've always had to lug both my nikon slr and the camcorder on vacations and to events. It was such a pain. I've been waiting for a camera with enough quality to cover both my motion and still photo needs. The JVC 90 did the trick and it's smaller than both my slr and previous camcorder! The quality of the stills when set to XGA fine is good enough to make an excellent 5x7 and pretty decent 8x10. The 8meg mem card will allow you to take ~24 pictures at this level. Even better, you can video and then take snapshots off the video. This allowed me to get some awesome hockey shots during games this winter. The camera has tons of features I'm still trying to figure out, and leaves plenty of room to grow your skills. I'd recommend an extended warrantee though as the internals of this thing are microscopic mechanical parts that would prabably set you back and arm and leg to repair. I bought a pelican box for mine to protect it. My battery lasts about 10 minutes before dying - I usually run with the foldout off to save power.

Bought this unit to use the DV features with my Macintosh. JVC is not real supportive of Macs, but they do give you an extension to add to your system which will let other video editing software see the camera on your firewire port and bring in/out the video.

However, to discuss the camera, it is amazing that so much can be packed into such a small package. Due to all the editing features, shooting options for video, and options for single photo shots with it you will be overwhelmed by it all and maybe bit frustrated. Hang on cus it gets easier. Spent a LOT of time just learning how and went to use the features. When it is all said and done, the quality of the video is great. Good control of brightness during shots in low light rooms or bright light. Zoom is fast, but can be made to go slow so not everyone is on a rollercoaster.

JVC support stinks. Call and hard to get someone to answer questions. Leave messages and they dont call back... ever. Recommend going to local camera shop for assistance, if needed.

The color GREEN is not reproduced well when playing back a video. Green is everywhere (it's in the grass, birds feathers, the leaf of a tree or bush..., everywhere)! Why does the Green look grayish when playing the video!? No, it's not a lighting issue that I'm confronted with. I live in So. Cal and there's lots of Sunshine. Also, this camera does not record well at all, nor take decent pictures when lighting is only slightly hindered. And the email video format is horrible! By the time I discovered all the features, how to use them, and how horrible some of them were it was too late to even try to return it. I am not happy. After learning more about the type of product I actually desired, I've discovered that the Sony DCR-PC110 is the camcorder I should have purchased (although I don't like that Memory Stick). I basically learned a...Dollar Lesson...

As others have said, there is not only no support for the camera, but some of the features that JVC brags about are almost unusable....for example, the megapixel still images. Can you believe that this feature is not usable on new Macs; only the old out of dated ones.....!? Fire the engineers! I want to throw the camer away to buy a SONY!

I purchased this camera because of its size and advertised good features. Well, let me tell you. First, unless you are in a very well lit place, the image is extremely dark and poor. Even in a room in the afternoon with natural light, the image will be too dark.

Second, the camera started giving me problems and stopped functioning after only 2 months of light use (I was only able to record 4 tapes with this gadget)...that means I ended up paying about 300 for each tape ...Geez...I am MADDDD!!!!

I tried to contact JVC but they would give me no answers, I sent it by the mail to Florida where, after about a month they sent me back the camera and charged me $70 (Don't know why because thee warranty was still valid), but anyway, I coughed up the money beause I didn't want to miss any day of my newborn's baby without filming it. Well, after about a week, the camera would not open and eject the tape. Could I be more frustrated? NO!!! I will buy a Sony instead and NEVER!! EVER buy a JVC prodcut again. If you buy this thing beacuse it hs been reduced (...), think again. ($$$) bucks is still a bad dealfor such a crappy gadget with no tchnical suppost whatsoever.

I discovered pretty soon after I bought it that this was not the camcorder for me. The only time the image quality (both still and video) is acceptable is outdoors in bright daylight. I have had much problems downloading still images to computer. I was working on a windows NT station and on a win95. I got it to work once but was never able to repeat it. I am a computer professional. It could be I have a defective cable but frankly I do not have so much time to deal with tech support and repairs and replacement. When I buy a product like this I just want it to work out of the box. Other issues are that it comes with no lens cap and that the battery that it comes with has a very short life (less than a hour). In retrospect the SOny P110 (which is almost double the price) is worth it.

JVC is not keeping up with the software. I have updated my computer to windows 2000, and am unable to use my computer to download the pictures. I have even written to Japan and find JVC does not bother to answer. I went to the store to find out if the most up to date camera is able to be used on windows 2000,the salesman was very helpful, he had not been aware of the problem and offered to give me a copy of the software if it was compatible with 2000 but, no luck, the software goes only as far as 98. Apparently the driver is different. JVC Canada could only tell me to go back to windows 98. That is not good enough. I have been a JVC customer for over 25 years, I have the TV, and VHS from them and this is my third camera from them, but this is the last thing I will ever buy from JVC. What they call customer service, just does not measure up. By the way I love the camera. If it was not for the problem with the support, I would give the camera a rating of 5 stars.