Customer Reviews

JVC GRD93 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I just purchased this JVC GRD93 camera elsewhere, and recorded my first short video on a new JVC tape. While the camera itself didn't seem to make a lot of noice, the camera noice recorded on the tape was very annoying during playback. JCV customer service was of no help. I'm sending the camera back.

I purchased this camera at [a retail store]. Got it home and made a short tape. The video quality is average. The worst thing however is the noise that is picked up by the microphone of the tape mechanism. It is Extremely loud and annoying. This was a deal breaker for me. And I dont consider myself too picky. The software that comes as part of the package is the bare minimum and I probably wouldnt use. I got a screaming deal on this camera and was really disapointed that I had to take it back - but the noise picked up by the mic is very noticeable. Not worth the money at any price.

I can't believe some of this problems others have had with this camera.

The good: Value, ease of use, battery life, dv format, good video quality.

The bad: Low light video looks grainy. Still pictures are poor.

This is my third JCV. The first one was a vhs-c model, the second was an early dv model.

I have experienced no problems transferring video into my Dell Windows XP PC and have made several DVDs of home movies that look sharp and clear with good color and no camera noise.

I bought this for $250, so called "open box" on ebay. I did alot of research. This camera is for a project for my masters degree in psychology. If this camera were sitting in my class, I would give it a B-. One indepentdant website recommends the grd-33 as "the best under $400". This model which is the top of this line, has a larger CCD or Charge Capture Device than the "33". This is not always better, infact it is less powerfull than other CCD's its size, say from canon, etc, but still better in low light and more value for your $$.
CONS:
Minor motor noise picked up by microphone, no mic input. This is only noticable in VERY quiet situations, or when the volume is all the way up to a volume you would NOT listen to on your TV. This camera does a slightly beter than average job in that arena.
P.S.
This format (mini dv) can be picky. It can be more sensative to failure than VHS and so on (which has been perfected for almost 30 years). Buy one brand and line of premium mini dv's,
and DO NOT SWITCH BRANDS!! These tapes use lubricants that are often specific to the companies (i.e. sony, panasonic.) Never leave a tape in the machine. Personally, I use Panasonic Master Grade mini DV. This is what the pros use. It is more resiliant, handles less than ideal conditions better (heat and contant usage). Some may call it overkill, but it has a lubrication that is unique. This eqauls less head wear and clogging (why other reviewers are having distortion in picture).

P.S.S
Buy a Mini Dv HEAD CLEANER (looks like a mini dv), and use it
once every three months. Sony and Canon are probably less overall trouble free camera makers, but remember, baby your camera and it will baby you. Remember, most people are more compelled to write a review if they are angry at a product. I did about 12+ hours of reading to get the best value for my $$.

Bottom Line:
Good deal for money even as of 6/3/2005. One of the best deals on the market.

Best of Luck!


11/4/05 Update!!
Still works great. Slight battery problem (used aftermarket battery). Camera works fine, and recorded great shots of hurricane Wilma, including footage of a tree that fell on a Lamborghini.

JVC recognise on their web site they have manufactured defective GR-D30U Digital Video cameras..mine is one of them..I sent it back for repair when my camera kept telling me to "remove the lens cap"..when their repair center received it they called me wanting $250.00 to repair it. I sent a letter to the president of JVC. Still no satisfaction. DONT EVER BUY A JVC PRODUCT.

My cam was repaired under warranty by JVC and I have had no problems with the cam until this "lens cap" problem. See their web site JVC.com under service and support for customer notifications that they have a warranty repair for certain models affected by bad CCD's. I have found that there are blogs and threads that explain the CCD failures in the JVC cam's and other brands are actually Sony CCD's. There are several digital camera companies and camcorder companies that all purchased these parts for their product manufacturing. Many of these companies are facing these extensive failures and repair issues. Allot of companies customers are angry but don't realize it is a wide spread problem and mostly due to a faulty Sony part. There is word that Sony is taking responsibility and assisting on repair reimbursements to the companies involved. That seems to be the right thing to do under the circumstance but I am not sure what Sony can do to fix the bruised reputations of the companies that are experiencing these failures. Time will tell on that. See links below:

(...)

I bought the JVC GRD93 Dec 21, 2004. After a day of charging the battery, I opened the camera and replaced the tape in it with a new one and headed off to the soccer match. When I got there it would not come on. I returned home, tried another battery, plugged it back into the charger and nothing. No power, tape will not eject. Similar to problem reported elsewhere by others. Pretty pathetic to have a $500 camera not even last two years.

I purchased a GR-D70 2 years ago. Last week it quit for no reason at all. I've probably used it 10 times. It looks like brand new, well taken care of, never dropped or abused. Since I paid over $400 for it, and it's had such little use, I thought JVC would stand behind their product. WRONG! Their recommendation is to have you ship it to a service center, pay an unreal amount for repair, and hope it lasts another 2 years. I have never paid so much for a new camera and have it totally fail in 2 years. After much research I find quite a number of people with similiar and other failures on a multitude of JVC Digital cameras. My recommendation is to not buy ANY JVC products! Thank you.

This Mini DV is a great low priced camcorder. I got it refurbished for under $150. The still photo feature has a much higher resolution than even some of the newer camcorders in the same category (1600x1200 instead of 640k). It handles well and the 10x optical zoom, though vastly inferior for todays standards, is more than adequate for our purposes. The battery lasts pretty good, but doesn't give much of a warning before it loses power completely. Other than that, we are very satisfied with it.

I've owned a model GR-D30U for less than two years. Yesterday the camcorder just quit powering on. The DC will not work, the battery will not charge. It simply will not turn on at all. Worse, I have a tape in there that I cannot remove without a hammer. The store I bought it from wants $100 just for "diagnosis." Just another case of expensive disposable electronics. My choice next time will not be JVC, a brand I used to trust.