Customer Reviews

JVC GRD72 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/16x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I've only had this camera for a week now, but I'm very pleased with what I got for the price. I have a degree in cinema & photography, so I like to think I know a few things about cameras.

PROS

Nearly all the controls can be manipulated with one hand, thanks to the scroll wheel. Pushing it in brings up the menu, and scrolling the wheel allows you to select the menus and features you want to change. Another push of the wheel selects the menu item you want to change. This is a great feature that pretty much sold me on the camera, as the Sonys rely on a touch-pad LCD. The trouble with that is you must have the LCD screen out whenever you want to alter a setting, and therefore you have to take the camera away from your eye and use both hands. You also use up your battery twice as fast, and you'll eventually wear out the LCD screen and get it dirty. No thanks, Sony.

It also has a built-in LED light for low-light shooting. This doesn't compare to the infra-red of the Sonys, but then again infra-red gives you a green "night-vision" picture. If low-light shooting is important to you and you don't mind the greenish video, then go with infra-red.

It uses a separate SD memory card for digital stills (card not included).

The viewfinder is color, not b&w like some camcorders.

Analog-to-digital pass-through for converting your old analog tapes (VHS, etc.)

Remote control included! Big plus in my book.

It has a bigger lens than the Sonys (but still not as big as the Canons). This should result in better picture quality; however, it does make the camcorder slightly larger and heavier than the Sonys.

The optical zoom is 16x, versus 10x on the Sonys. (Canon even has a camcorder with 22x zoom.)

JVC bundles MovieWOW software for editing your videos. I haven't used it yet, but it's a freebie so it's worth trying out. You can also download Microsoft's Movie Maker software for free if you don't like MovieWOW.

At less than $400 it's the best value out there. (...) CONS

The viewfinder doesn't tilt up -- strange that JVC wouldn't incorporate this feature, as it would be a big plus. I'm over 6' tall, so when the camcorder is mounted on a 5' tripod I have to stoop to look through the viewfinder. (Yes, I can pop out the LCD screen and angle it up to view the picture instead, but this eats up battery power as I said. I could also get a 6' tripod, I suppose.)

There's no hot shoe on top to mount an external microphone or flood light -- another oversight on JVC's part.

No included SD memory card for digital stills. Oddly, you can only select "tape" or "tape & SD" for capturing stills, so either way it's going to record the still to tape. Why JVC didn't give you the option of writing stills strictly to the SD card is beyond me. No matter -- the stills any camcorder takes are low-resolution, so if you want good digital stills then buy a digital still camera instead.

Image stabilization is disappointing, but that's true with all the camcorders I tried out. It's somewhat helpful, but it's certainly not going to turn your camcorder into a Steadicam. Use a tripod when at high zoom levels, or keep the lens as wide as possible when hand-holding to smooth out your tilts and pans.

Night vision mode slows down the shutter speed, making your video a bit choppy.

OTHER ADVICE

Go to a camera or electronics store and try out the different cameras before making a decision. You might be surprised by the features you hate and the ones you love. This is what steered me away from the Sonys and to this JVC model.

Turn off the digital zoom -- it's worthless (this is true of any camcorder).

Make sure you add on a UV filter, if only to protect the lens. This should be standard issue for all camcorders.

Also consider a polarizing filter for sunny outdoors shooting -- makes a big difference.

A flourescent filter is a good idea if you will be shooting indoors where flourescent light dominates (office or industrial settings, for instance).

If zoom is important to you, consider adding on a 2x or even 3x telephoto multiplier. This will turn your 16x zoom in a 32x zoom, or 48x zoom, respectively. But be warned -- at those zoom levels, you'd better have a rock-solid tripod to keep the picture as steady as possible.

You need a firewire connection to your computer to get the best transfers. If you don't have firewire on your commputer, you'll need to buy an add-in card.

Enjoy!

I spent over 20 hours researching my recent camcorder purchase. The best site was camcorderinfo.com. In fact, they just posted a thorough review of the GRD72 and also have reviews of one model down (D33) and one model up (D93) from this one. Also be sure to check out the competing models' reviews (Sony and Canon).

What I was looking for in a camcorder, was, surprise surprise (!) good video performance in a range of lighting conditions. I had read that low-light performance on ALL so-called consumer camcorders was very poor. The D72 (and D33) have the best low-light performance of ANY camcorder priced $600 or less! That's saying a ton considering these models sell for almost half of that! Seriously, check out the Sony HC20, 30, or 40 and the D72 beats them all! Plus it has decent still image capability, includes LED lights, and has analog-to-digital passthrough. Can't be beaten! What a deal!

Super easy to use and great video - what more could you want? Some of the other reviews on amazon for the D72 seem bizarre and based only on the software that comes with the camera. You likely won't use the software that comes with ANY camcorder you buy. What do you want out of your camcorder? Good video performance, versatiliy, and ease of use are the only criteria that matter! Dig around on the Internet for reviews of other models to convince yourself, but if you take this reviewer's advice alone, you'll save yourself a dozen hours of work! :-)

December update: Well, I've had this camcorder now for six months and I'm still thrilled with it. I've shot about 3 hours worth of video in that time and have played around with editing on the computer. The key seems to be to have a fast enough computer as well as a firewire connection (my first attempt with a USB cable yielded horrible video). Also, when viewing on TV, again, the video quality depends on the connection you use (try the S-video!) as well as the quality of your display. None of these problems are limitations of this camcorder, but are realities of digital video. The video I've shot so far is VERY good (stunning actually) when hooked up properly. I also have noticed that this camcorder is now $50 less than when I bought it in May - even more of a great deal! Enjoy!

I wanted a camcorder that has a large zoom and good low light performance, as I shoot wildlife. So far this camcorder seems to "check most of the boxes." I bought it at Costco for $[...]. For the money it's 5 stars, but in the larger schema there are a few improvements I might recommend.

Some negatives-
->Nylon strap is narrow, contributing to a little instability in handholding; one has to form a "C" to cup the camcorder like a Big Mac to hold it steady (not a big deal).
->Manual focus is a bit awkward, I still prefer the ring. Man focus is useful while crouched in the bush and you don't want the auto-focus to zero in on the blade of grass 2 feet in front of you, instead of the elk 30 feet away. Simple solution: Set to manual control, focus on distant object and press manual focus button.
->Zoom action lever is small, so one must concentrate to do a smooth zoom. But true of many camcorders.
-> I wish the finder tilted up - it only goes straight back.

Positives-

Software install went off with out issues. I believe some of other folks' issues is due to other issues on their pc's.*

->scenalyzer captured all the video perfectly on the timecode breaks.
->Video quality is quite good, in fact excellent (YES!!) for such a cheap camcorder. Low light performs far better than expected, My old Sony lost all the chroma at low light levels, while the color on this JVC is not vivid, it is far better than most in low light. ...and that's without their niteshot.

Daytime quality is fantastic. I can't believe I am getting this quality for this price, actually.
->The gentleman who mentioned the mic picking up noise from the mechanics, I did not hear this. I hope his replacement unit is ok for him.
-> Macro (extreme closeup) is very good.
-> Has just about all the key features one could want to shoot decent video. Manual exposure controls, Iris lock, White balance (limited, but good enough). Like a good set of golf clubs, the limitation is usually in the operator, not the tool.

Some General TIPS:
->The CCD image sensors in a digicam and a camcorder are completely different, so don't expect ANY camcorder to shoot stills well. Maybe someday, but there's a long way to go.
-> Digital zoom is worthless. Ignore it. Turn it off.
->Tape is cheap, always record at fastest speed (SP)
->Don't expect to get DV out of USB. USB on most all camcorders is simply to dump out "low-res" still and MPEG files from the camcorder. These are really only good enough for streaming to the web, or e-mailing to those on dial-up. To do it right, you need firewire to get DV ot of the camcorder.

Additionally,

Tip: Consider http://www.scenalyzer.com/ for their capture program. It does analog and digital capture very well and is pretty cheap ($[...]). One thing i love is the stop motion video capability it offers.

*Don't underestimate how important is is to have the latest drivers (esp. video card drivers) on your pc before doing such an intensive task as video editing. As an experienced network manager, much of the PC problems I see are due to an excessive amount of garbage software and outdated drivers (and BIOS) on the typical PC.
For video editing, I have a partition on my PC running Windows 2000 and my video editing (Premiere) and related software ONLY. No games or other crap to gum things up. (That's on a separate install of Windows) You cannot expect to be able to install all that software available out there and still have it work correctly.

Your PC MUST deliver about 3.6Meg of data per second to the CPU to have smooth video. 720x480 DV consumes 13.6Gig PER HOUR of your hard disk. Rendering sucks CPU cycles, unless you have a hardware card to offload this process to. You will also need a fair amount of freespace to render and do other tasks. I believe it a disservice for others to state they had issues w/ this software w/o checking to ensure their own house was in order first.

Summary: Excellent value for the money. Thanks JVC!!

---NEW----------NEW---NEW----------NEW---NEW----------NEW---NEW----------NEW

NEW (7/06) I just discovered many camcorders apparently are being recalled - the video goes Kaput - no video in camera mode or streaking. Apparently there was a batch of bad CCD's Sony, JVC and maybe more bought. Sony has a class action against them; JVC is doing a recall. check the relevant site if your camcorder is kaput! It may be on a warranty.

I have had the JVC GR-D72US for 1 week now, and am very happy with the video quality in all lighting situations. Even in near-zero lighting situations where only light source was a window, quality was very good using the AGC Gain turned on. The camera adjusts fairly quickly in auto mode once powered up. If you are taping indoors, and move outdoors during a single shoot, the white balance may not catch up to current conditions.

I have found the camera to feel a little flimsy in your hand. The strap doesn't hold the camera in your palm very securely, even after adjusting the strap to circulation-stopping levels. The body of the camera is solid, with the exception of the tape load door found in the bottom, which wobbles slightly when fully closed.

The analog passthrough function works great. Produces excellent quality captures with very little quality loss from the original. Remember to remove the tape before you begin the capture, or your software will assume that it will need to play the contents of your tape, rather than true passthrough from the analog source.

Digital Still quality is marginal. I still have some work fiddling around with quality settings. But so far, the images where not acceptable. Great to have a separate SD card slot. Wish the camera had a SD-Only mode. Stills are captured to tape AND SD, or to tape.

Front LED is spot-light focused, and only lights up what is directly in front of the lens.

Like all camcorders, the digital image stabilization stops working after about 10x zoom, so have a tripod or mono-pod handy for long zooms. 16x zoom is great to have. Panasonic GV15 has a better 22x zoom capability. Focus seems to wander slightly in low-light situations at 16x zoom. Tip: Manual focus if you are going to sit at 16x zoom to stop "wandering". Image quality is excellent at 16x.

Buy yourself an extended life battery. I found one at keybattery.com for $17. Lasts for 2.5 hours.

Overall I found this camera to be a good solid purchase. It does everything I need. The small size of the camera allows me to carry both my Nikon 5700 and JVC in the same bag during trips.

From what I've read from some of the reviewers I might not have bought a JVC. Now I'm glad I did. Taking the time to learn the pros and cons of the various menu settings has allowed me to avoid all of the pitfalls they encountered, especially for low light shooting. If you shoot in electrically lit areas, do NOT use NightShot or Auto-A menu settings if the camera or a subject might move. Use the AGC setting. AutoFocus and Image Stabilization only work well in dim lighting using Auto mode, not Manual.
The color balance of the videos outdoors is slightly toward the "cool" end of the spectrum, but can be made perfect by doing a manual white balance (carry a pure white card to set it).
I have not encountered any unsurmountable problem yet. The only negatives so far (7 months of use) in addition to what I said above are: if you power on the camera and it is at a high zoom setting from last time, the autofocus has problems until you zoom out; the front LED light is of little use, it creates a keychain flashlight type of illumination, bright in the center and dim around the edges; the Wide Squeeze mode for 16:9 is ONLY good if you NEVER want to make a copy for a 4:3 TV.
Best points: Excellent color quality outdoors and acceptable indoors with reasonable illumination and manual white balance, small and easy to carry, battery charges quickly and it's life is ok as I don't use LCD much or leave camera ON between scenes; good optical zoom range but you might need a wide angle converter in cramped spaces; sound quality is adequate unless you're recording musical instruments and want precise accuracy.
Suggestions: Buy a 30.5-37mm step-up ring, a UV filter and a proper lens hood. It fits snugly in a Roots N5 bag (belt, hand, and shoulder straps), available at photo stores, leaving room for an extra tape (or two or extra small battery), the A/C adapter and a white balance card.

Like some of the other reviewers, I spent alot of time researching before I settled on this model. I based my purchase on what features it offered - I wanted my camcorder to be small, easy to use, digital, have firewire and USB capability, have a memory cart slot, and be able to take stills. The JVC fit the bill. I got a great deal and they even threw in a memory card and a tape.
The camera does have some very minor motor noise, but I don't think there is a camera out there that doesn't. Pretty much in every review I have read on various models someone complains about motor noise. The mike is fixed to the camera case and is very sensitive so noise happens.
The video quality is very good. I originally thought I would have to a DVD camcorder but this has more lines of resolution. With the light on the video drops in quality but this is explained in the manual and is expected.
I wish I could record video directly to the card. It would be nice to throw a 1G card in and be able to transfer it to my computer quickly. I think this was an oversight by JVC. The largest card it will take is 64mb which is plenty for the size of still it is capable of. The camera will accept cards larger than 64mb, but may not display the pictures properly if you want to view them.
The still picture quality isn't bad. It's actually pretty good compared to some stills I have seen from camcorders. Just keep the resolution and image size set to their highest settings. Why take pictures at low quality when you can fit hundreds at high quality on your card?
The optical zoom may not be as high as others, but it is plenty. I have not used the digital zoom so I cannot comment on it. I have been pleased with the amount of zoom I get without the digital zoom so I haven't needed it.
The camera is small, lightwieght and easy to hold. If you do buy one, I would reccomend a good sized case. Extra tapes, cables and adaptors quickly take up more space than the camera.

3/11/05 Update: Camera still works as good as new, despite getting drenched at Niagra Falls. Has proven to durable to, and has survived a few drops.
It has the ability to convert analog sources to digital which great if you want to use it to convert old VHS tapes to DVD.

4/12/06 Update: Camera has developed a glitch. Sometimes it displays a "remove lens cap" even when the lens cap has been removed. So far it has only happened when I try to record on used tapes, not on brand new tapes, but I'm not convinced that has anything to do with it. I did some research and found that JVC is aware of this exact problem, and have offered to fix all JVC camcorders with this problem free of charge until October of 2007. Despite this problem, I still like this camera.

6/22/06 - I sent it to JVC and they fixed it free of charge. They also aligned it and cleaned it for free. Turn around time was about a week and a half. Thanks JVC!

I have been hooking the camera with a firewire to a Lite-On 5007 DVD recorder with excellent results. This ability to quickly make DVDs from my home movies has to be one of my favorite features of this camera.

To sum it all up, you get what you pay for, really. I was disapointed at first with the performance of this camera, but when the price comes to play, it is ok. I wanted a camera to replace our old but very good (although very heavy too) Sony CCD-TRV95 Hi8 camcorder.

I have been trying out fluorescent indoor recording head to head with our old sony and, believe it or not, the older camcorder performs better, in color reproduction (much better) and in autofocus (a little better), although the JVC is better in resolution (less grainy).

Motor noise is recorded on the tape, you can hear it easily, too bad. White balance is not good enough, I played with it a lot and still did not get it to perform as good as the old Sony.

When you rotate the LCD screen completely (so the person being recorded can see himself) the viewfinder does not turn on (even if you extend it), so you can still see what you are filming, our Sony does that. The viewfinder does not rotate, but that is really no problem since the LCD does rotate.

The supplied battery last a little over half an hour of full LCD recording use.

I have not tried taking pictures (that was not what we bought it for, if you want good digital photos get a digital camera, do not waste your money on a camcorder that does both things right, at least not yet).

Another thing that I don't like is that some functions are only availiable on the remote, so you cannot access every feature on the camcorder without the remote control.

On the other hand, the size and weight of this camera are almost perfect for traveling, and of course the price is unbeatable. You also get analog to digital pass through, in my case very useful. Just don't expect too much, when something seems too good to be true, it is.

If I find something new worth mentioning (good or bad) I will post it.

Update, the LCD screen is dead after only two months, bad, bad.

Please go into this purchase knowing that you aren't going to get the quality of a $1,000 camera for $350 and I think you will be pleased.
yes, some things are annoying like the LED lights being spotlight focused on a small area and the "night mode" slowing down the shutter so it is choppy.
BUT compared to the previous Canon I owned, it is great.
Low light shooting is much better even with out the light, and the colors are much more vibrant and distinct.
I burn my movies to DVD and the difference between this JVC and my Canon are substantial.
There is VERY little to no pixelation or rough dithering in low light with the JVC.It is somewhat grainy but ALL cams are at low light.
As for the drivers not working, as mentioned in some reviews, XP Pro AND XP Home both recognized cam as soon as I plugged it in and driver disk wasn't even needed.
I work for a company that sells consumer electronics and 70% of the returns we get are NOT because the product is defective, but because the user can't figure it out.
Go with a retailer who has at least a 14 day return policy and try it out. if you don't like it, return it and try something else.
Just don't expect Corvette performance at a Chevette price and you'll be happy with this.

After researching online and trying out several brands and models, I chose the JVC GRD72. I purchased it at Costco for $400.

Low light performance, the remote control, and analog input were the main reasons I purchased this camera and they all work very well. I have also found the 16x9 squeeze mode and LED light to work better than I expected. I have had no trouble capturing video on any computer via firewire.

This camcorder does not take very good still photos, and provided software is only fair. You should look at another camcorder if these features are important to you.

Overall the performance has been better than expected and I am very happy with the purchase.

The camera is a great little camera. I like it's simplesity and it's very easy to use. Now for the bad part, take the CD's that came with the camera and place them in the circular file (the can) they're worthless and invest in Pinnacle 9. You'll be more than pleased. The combination rocks.