JVC GRDVM80U MiniDV Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode

I bought this one, and then returned it a month later. The main reason is that the GR-DVM90U is about the same price, and there are two features that are well worth the upgrade to the 90U. The first is the memory card for digital stills. The 80U doesn't have it -digital stills are stored on the Mini-DV cassette. This is incredibly inconvenient. The second feature is a flash for digital stills. It makes a huge difference, and I have taken some pretty good quality stills with my new 90U. If you already have a digital camera, and don't want to use this camcorder for stills, the 80U is OK. However, if you want to use it for stills, it's well worth it to upgrade to the 90U.

When I first saw this tiny DV camcorder, I said to myself, "wow, I can't believe this is so small! It must be really expensive." Wrong. In fact, despite the engineering required to reduce the size of this camcorder to something so small that one wonders how a lens, LCD, battery, and MiniDV tape even fit in it, JVC has managed to offer this for a really great price. Now, with amazon.com's $... price tag, this item is simply irresistable. While many buyers will not immediately appreciate the small size of the camcorder before actually using it, thinking that they don't mind lugging around something that is 2-3x its volume (as most DV camcorders are), what happens is that you find yourself able and willing to carry this thing around with you almost wherever you go, and suddenly filming becomes something that can be done anywhere, anytime rather than something you have to plan for in advance. This advantage alone is almost priceless. Additionally, the GR-DVM80U takes excellent video. The lens is tack-sharp, and the digital image stabalization, while slightly reducing image quality, works quite well. The 680K pixel CCD is not good enough to take decent stills but no DV cameras take good stills. Color saturation is excellent, with little or no chromatic aberation. So what's wrong with this little guy? If, as I am, you are into digital video editng with your computer (despite claims by many DV camcorder manufacturers, the editing function that are built into the camcorders are pretty much useless), the GR-DVM80U may not be your best bet. Unfortunately, this camcorder is not as compatible with the majority of editing software, both on the mac and PC side, as are many of the Sony and Canon camcorders. Many applications had trouble recognizing this JVC, including one which failed to establish any communication. My strong recommendation is that if you plan on using the camcorder for computer editing, please check with the software company to ensure that their software is compatible with this camera. In conclusion, this tiny, extremely low-priced camera is a simply fantastic piece of electronics, much better for its size and price than any other DV camera I have used (from Sony, Canon, or Panasonic). Image quality is excellent, build quality is superior, and even when I dropped it three feet on a hard surface, nothing resulted except for a minor scratch! If you plan on doing video editing, this may not be the camera for you, unless you specifically ensure that it works with your particular application. Otherwise, I stronly recomment this product to all DV enthusiasts!

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I've had the 50U for 3 years and it has never disappointed me. It is compact, rugged and handsome. The quality of the movies is excellent (mini DVs), and the quality of the still pictures is good (though not as good as any of the >2 megapixel cameras available). The drawbacks, as I see them, are the expense of the media (the mini DVs for film and the MultiMediaCards for stills are about the most expensive choices around), the limited still photo resolution (yields slightly grainy 5 x 7s), a fairly noisy motor, and an eyepiece cover that tends to allow blowing dirt or sand to enter the optics more frequently than I'd like. Nonetheless, the 80U, adding image stabilization, makes this camera an all-around winner, and at this price too good a deal to pass up.

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I got the camcorder about a month ago but only spend about 2 weeks with it because it was in the repair shop most of the time. It seems that this camcorder is incompatible with TDK tapes. There were no mention of it anywhere in the manual or in the packaging. They should at least include a recent updated notice on the problem. After using the TDK tape for 15 minutes, the picture became distorted and the message "Head cleaning required" appeared. I took it to the shop and the technician said the video heads were damage and need to be replaced. After calling JVC on the phone, they told me alot of people had call in about the same problem. I'm surprised no one mention it in their reviews or I would have stay away from the TDK tapes.

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Do not buy a JVC camcorder!!! Just a couple of months after buying a JVC GRDVM80U an "E04" error start popping in th screen. Apparently the machinery is very sensitive to tapes lubricants and other compounds. Cleaning the head is not enough the camara just becomes useless (Well, you can probably fix it for $350, but then it will break down again soon) Search the web for "E04 JVC" and you'll know how frequent and fustrating this error is and I was surprised to learn it is not restricted to this model. JVC just ignores the problem and blames the tape manufacturers. It might function as an average camera if you are willing to give up using a tape ... and recording.