After researching the least expensive MiniDV camcorder models on the market, I finally decided the JVC GR-DVL120 packed the most punch for the price. My review does focus on some of the negatives, but in general, I am satisfied with my camcorder.The Amazon.com editor's review mentions that the camera has a 16x optical zoom. Unless their are sub-models of the DVL120, this claim is false. The optical zoom is 10x. Regardless, the 10x optical zoom seems suitable.
JVC lets you know that the camera can perform a 700x digital, but this is essentially zoom overkill. There is a setting to stop the digital zoom at 40x, which is plenty zoomed-in. Of course, the farther you zoom in the more shaky the picture. The camera has a digital stabilizer, but the effects are not noticeable. I have no other experience with digital image stabilizers, so I do not know what to expect. Overall, the camera picture is relatively stable for a handheld camcorder. So far, the Night Alive feature has proved very ineffective. It appears that this feature mimics the strobe feature of the camera. I was hoping for more of a "green" view when the low-light feature was turned on, but that may exist only in more expensive camcorders. If you're looking for low-light or fantastically stable images, then this camera may not be for you.
The camera does include numerous other features such as b/w mode, old time movie mode, sepia, strobe, slow and a few others.
The camera does have an automatic mode and a manual mode. The automatic mode is a quick-start way of recording video -the only options that you really need to deal with in automatic mode are the zoom and record on/off buttons. In the manual mode, you have the ability to adjust the white balance (I have not tried this yet), shutter speed and manual focus. The manual focus is a nice option to have, but I found that it somewhat challenging to use and not as versatile in its manual range as I'd hoped. Not a big disappointment though because again, this is a value camcorder and the fact that it does have a manual focus at all is a plus. The camera has a still shot button, which I find more of a nuisance than an added bonus because it is near the zoom feature, so it is sometimes accidentally punched. There is no memory card for data, so the still photo is saved to the MiniDV tape. Do not buy this camcorder if you want both a camcorder and a digital camera combination!
Other features included are editing functions such as wipes and faders. I do not use these because I typically add effects on the back end with my computer. This brings me to one of the coolest features of MiniDV -the ability to connect your camcorder to your computer. The camera does not include the FireWire cable needed to connect to your computer, but they are relatively inexpensive and well worth it if your computer has a FireWire port. I use a program that came with my Dell to control my camcorder from my computer and record video through the FireWire to my computer. All video-to-computer transfers are made in real-time. The digital transfer keeps video quality as good as when you recorded it. The camcorder does include the necessary RCA cables needed to hook up to a television or VCR (with RCA inputs).
The AC adaptor plugs directly into the camera, so you do not need a separate bulky adaptor. The battery only lasts approximately one hour when using the color view-screen (1.25 hours with the small b/w viewfinder), which isn't that long, but is probably suitable for most consumers. Of course, extra batteries are available.
For someone looking to buy a low-priced MiniDV camcorder for general uses, the GR-DVL120 is a great value.
My father owns a ... Sony 3 CCD mini-DV camcorder and when he saw the playback on my ... JVC mini DV camcorder, he said the picture quality was very impressive.
This JVC's picture quality is as good as any min DV camcorder!
Basically the only reason for the price difference is for the EXTRAS--the more money, the more features you get and also the better build. One look at the ...sony camcorder and you know that it is a serious professional grade product. But, for just the picture quality, this ... JVC's picture quality is the same as the ...Sony! The JVC records up to 520 lines of resolution, the ... Sony records up to 530 lines. The more expensive JVC also records up to 530 lines.
But............... on the miniDV cassettes out there, it says that it records up to 500 lines of resolution!!!!!
So basically, all you get is up to 500 lines of resolution even if your camcorder can record up to 530 lines!
A dvd player can play up to 500 lines of resolution, but again since the pre-recorded DVDs out there have only about 480 lines of resolution, all you see is 480 lines even if you buy a [expensive] DVD player!
Bottom line, the JVC is an excellent camcorder for the price.
If you are deciding between mini-DV and Digital-8, it's a no brainer---------always go for mini-DV because it has more lines of resolution and all the professional camcorders out there are mini-DV.
Buy JVC GRDVL120U MiniDV Digital CyberCam Video Camera with 2.5" LCD & B/W Viewfinder Now
This is a great camera for the price. ...The camera is light, easy to use and has great picture quality. I would recommend this camera to anyone looking for a nice digial video camera. I have seen several reviews of the camera online and all say that this is a great camera for the money. There are better cameras out there but you are looking at spending several hundred more for one of those cameras.This camera was a breeze to use with my Apple Powerbook to do video editing with Imovie. No configuration was needed to use the camera with the laptop. I just hooked up the firewire to the laptop and used Imovie to edit and export the film to Quicktime or back to the camera. One note, a firewire cable is not included with this camera so if you are planning on editing via computer you will need to pick one up.
Overall I would highly recommend this camera to anyone who wants a DV camera that is easy to use and not very expensive.I would recommend this product for beginning/amateur video enthusiasts for the ease of use. Although because it is limited by its price range, some features are cut out or needed, which is obviously placed in JVC's higher models. I use it to edit simple home movies using the IEEE Firewire output to my PC and it runs great on most software. I have only one problem with it though: I actually DO a lot of editing and I have to plug the AC adapter to the camera everytime, but the problem is, the plug in the camera is in the wrong place forcing the AC wire to be in this obtuse position bending the wires out of shape. It's not in a real bad condition yet, but i'm predicting in a couple of months or so after use, it will probably be damaged to a higher degree. JVC needs to place the AC outlet somewhere on the side in order to get rid of this problem. But other than that, its a good camera.
Want JVC GRDVL120U MiniDV Digital CyberCam Video Camera with 2.5" LCD & B/W Viewfinder Discount?
Overall this camcorder is very good.Pros-
1. Video Quality
2. Ease of use
3. Price
Cons-
1. No USB capability
2. Video takes up much memory on computer.
3. Quality in low light.
4. Battery Life.
If you plan on buying this camcorder, make sure you get a firewire card. Next, If you plan to to do a lot of shooting indoors or near a power supply the battery is fine. If you will be in the great outdoors, make sure you buy an extra or better batter. The battery that comes with the camera, lasts only for about an hour.
If you plan on doing editing, make sure you have a good program on your computer. The software that comes with the camera is very bad. Also, if you want to take digital pictures with your camcorder, you dont want this one.
Although there are many cons with this camcorder there are also many pros. I use windows movie maker 2 which I donwloaded for free from microsoft.com. It films great movies, but they take up a lot of memory. Also, the optical zoom is great. It is 16x, which is awesome. Overall I would recomend this camcorder to any amatuer filmaker or person who just want to record and edit home movies. If you are a very serious filmaker, you should buy a more expensive camcorder.
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