Camcorder Reviews

i bought this item for my daughter , to tape her new baby, born,may19,2oo2. she is so happy with it. i could have paid a very high price for one and bought this instead, im very happy i did.

It does all i wanted it to do. I love it. Easy to handle and fun. We love to 'review' the pictures everytime we take them! it's so funn to see the kids in action!

This camera has a dial for different types of shots, which makes it simple. It also has fun special features like black and white. It doesn't have a light, but I was suprised how well low light footage comes out. For those who aren't ready to go high tech. or don't want to spend a lot of money, it's a great buy.

My father bought this for me and it is a great game. Not only can the inexpensive camera be used for the great games, but if you have Microsoft Netmeeting, (available at Microsoft's website,) it works as a low picture-quality video conferencing camera. It is a great game for any kid between 6 and 12.

If you are like me you like things with great quality and a great price,this has a great price used or new .I would recomend this to anyone looking for this type of product.

this little game system is great for the road. little kids love it. it is so many games in one.

While not new to computers and electronics I was new to digital video and was looking for a top of the line product for hobby use. While not cheap, I believe this product lives up to the promises and is a great value. Some aspects are tricky (connecting to a vcr) but after you get the hang of it very easy to use. The microphone is very sensitive but in quiet areas picks up a lot of motor noise making a microphone necessary. Overall, a great product.

First off: this is a mini DV camcorder. This means it uses mini DV tapes. They are the size of an old answering machine tape. They come in three sizes: 30 min, 1 hour and 80 minute. The tapes cost slightly more than the normal 8mm tapes, but only by a few dollars. The problem is that you can't run into the local drug store and get these. You have to go to a local consumer electronics store or get them off the web. After buying those, you have to buy a new battery (1hr is simply not enough time for a major family outing). The prices are around $80 for an 1 hour battery, $100 for an 1 1/2 hour battery and $160.00 for the 2 1/2 hour battery. This unit comes with a ton of software, so most people won't have to buy any extra for editing your videos on the computer (or pictures).

The main thing about this digicam is the fact its basically for semi-pro video makers. It has super-high resolution (number of horizontal and vertical lines in the images). You can make work presentations. You can dub sound onto videos, splice and dice scenes, etc. What sold me was the fact that you can shoot in widescreen rather than just full screen to have the bars on a regular tv or to use on a widescreen tv (think of the future here). The weight is heavier than most of the digicams in its class. This one weighs in at a hefty 1.5 pounds, where others are 1 lb.

Some of the other kool features that I had to make sure it had: (1) you can take precious older video tapes and record them to a digital tape from your old VCR, for safekeeping. (2) you can take the digital movies you do and put them directly onto a VCR tape for other family members, or you can edit it on the computer (putting in songs if you want), and then transfer it onto a VCR tape.

(3)the LCD screen is BIG (the largest in this price range is 4 inch, the JVC is 3.8). Most of these high end pro jobs use the 2.5 thinking you will use the viewfinder mostly. I like the big screen and you might too. The screen is anti-glare, high res, and pivots and moves, including flipping.

(4) a function I wanted that you don't find on a lot of players that this has is the color viewfinder. Do you really want to see things in black and white?

(5) well, if you like B & W, you can choose that from the ton of recording options. It also has fading, swipes, and a lot of video effects I can't wait to play around with.

(6) Progressive scan: a lot of the best players have it, but the Sony's don't. What it does is stops jitter in images. The jvc adds to this a 2x recording feature. This allows for slow-mo playback of 10X. Here is an example of what this means: your kid is at t-ball or want to analyze your golf swing. With this, you can record it in the superfast mode (think EP vs. SP recording speeds on a VCR). Then you have some options, you can play it back, with a finer image produced or you can slow mo it. Progressive scan also allows you to extract a single image from your swing or son's swing. So if your desire a pic of you swinging, you can take a single image from the camcorder movie and download it to the computer and then save it to disc and have it developed at a local drugstore, email it, or save it as your desktop wallpaper. You are also supposed to be able to edit your pictures to add effects using the software (have not seen this yet).

(7)the zoom: this has the 200X digital zoom. The sony's are not as good in this price range. Although you can get a better zoom off some of the really highend Digital 8 camcorders.

(8) The camcorder also adds something called a high-band processor. What it is supposed to do is add the high-band part of the luminance (light) signal back in. Camcorders take away this when recording because it takes away from the crominance signal (color).

(9) another imporatant feature dealing with the snap shot ability of this digicam is the resolution you can get in pictures. On most camcorders with the picture capability, you can only get 600 X 480 images (lower res - VGA). The JVC can take pics up to 1024 X 768 (called XGA). This is nice for framable pics. You can fit about half as many of these nicer pics on the removable disc depending on the snapshot mode you are in. There are 3 modes: fine (less pics), standard, and economy. you can get 75 VGA pics on the 4mb card in economy mode (or 36 XGA). That goes to 25 (12 XGA) in fine mode). You get get the bigger card (8 mb) and swap them for more pictures if you go on a long vacation. I have not priced the bigger cards yet. Note though, you can take 5400 stills, if you put them onto the tape.

(10) speaking of the cards (which i have not explained), I chose this one because there are not many of these digicams that have the extra memory cards for picutures. In most camcorders with the picture taking option, you can only take the pictures onto the tape, whether its a digital 8 or mini DV. This one and the sony I liked (the TRV20 - sony's rival for about $150 more) have cards you can take out after putting pictures on it. The cards allow for easier and faster transfer of the pics to your computer. Getting pictures from a tape is supposed to be a major pain. Sony's memory stick (their memory card), though, can be put into a 3.5 converted floppy disc and slipped into any floppy drive for down load. Also this player has been knocked because pic downloading is slow even with the fire wire being used. (hooks the digicam to a card you put in your computer).

JVC GR-DVL9800U is the top of the line camcorder from JVC. This is an upgrade from the GR-DVL9500U. Essentially the difference is in the function as a digital camera.

It incorporates the function of both a digital camera and a digital camcorder. One of the best features is the ability to take photos or videos separately or together. Photos are stored on a proprietary multimedia card. The camera comes with one 4 MB multimedia card (an 8 MB card is optional). Photos are stored as VGA (800x600) or XGA (1024x768). The resolution is second only the to Sony PC-100.

The GR-DVL9800U has a menu system that is easy to use. Its compact size easily allows one hand operation. The 3.5 inch LCD monitor is large and the picture is crisp. The color viewfinder with adjustable diopters makes for a truly compact package. The flip out flash makes it useful take pictures with flash when you choose to use flash (some places do not allow flash photography). The interface for viewing the digital photos is comparable to high end digital cameras.

The accessories include an AC power adapter, a credit card sized remote control, a battery pack, AV cable, S video cable, JLIP cable, lens protector, and a PC connection cable. However, it doesn't include a DV cable for IEEE1394 cards, nor does it include a Mini DV tape along with the camera.

Ordered from Amazon in December - 2 months later they were out of stock. A month after that, the web site said 'available soon'. It's now mid-May, and they still can't tell when it will ship. So be prepared for a LONG wait!!!

If you own a DV500, DV800, or DV2000, or a JVC camcorder with the info-shoe mount, you need this flash. The camcorder takes excellent shots with the flash. I don't know how you could live without one.

When you switch to Memory Mode, notice how dark the image gets in the viewfinder. With the flash on, the pictures will be bright and colorful. If not, then the pictures will be dark, just like what you see in the viewfinder.

Worth the money.

Turn your JVC camcorder/digital camera into the first rate digital camera it is!

I own the JVC GR-DV2000U Camcorder (best I've ever owned). It is a dual camcorder/digital camera. I was disappointed with the Digital Camera functions until I got this flash, now it's the best digital camera I own!

A very nice hand-held camcorder, with more 'bells and whistles' than a comventional camcorder. When camcorder is turned off, a lens protective gate closes, minimizing dust and damage. Auto shut-off after 5 minutes if camcorder is not used. The built-in light has three settings: On, Off, and Auto. Motion detector mode can act as a security camera. Flip-out-and over color LCD screen is handy when holding camera above crowds to video tape stage performances, etc. Built-in speaker acts with LCD screen for accurate, immediate checking of taping. Easy to use for all. Only drawbacks: Maximum tape length is 90 minutes in SLP mode, and auto focus has some trouble in certain circumstances (which are few). Manual focus wheel (conveniently mounted below lens)compensates in most circumstances. Using LCD screen or built-in light drains battery quicker. Use the conventional B/W viewfinder.

It's a Great Camcorder It is Lightweight and has a very vivid LCD Screen. The Instructions are very very simple to understand! I take everywhere with me you never know what you can get on video with this little thing! I am giving this 5 stars I would rate it 100 if I could. Buy it! It is worth it!

they good camera, strong, lightweight, not too expensive, worth the money. ENJOY IT!

It is the best camera we have had so far. It is our 3rd. and by far the best for the money.

We purchased this model a few weeks ago after our 1996 camcorder went to "a better place". We are so happy with this camera! It has all the options that we need and that pop out viewing screen is the best! It is very easy to use and the videos are great. What more can a consumer ask for???

this is a really nice little camera. it zooms and has the little screen so you don't have to use the eye peice

I ordered a Dual Battery Charger but received a single batery charger. However the single battery charger had a plug in adapter for a car cigarette lighter. This pleased me. Since this extra compensated me for getting the wrong thing

We bought it so that we could charge 2 batteries at once for the holidays and vactions. We have no complaints and my wife is putting it to good use with the new camera.

Compact, small, super-easy to use; small enough footprint; efficient. In retrospect, something that should've been "standard" with any Sony Cybershot camera. Hooking up my camera to an AC charger is too cumbersome and a pain. This device is so straight forward, with two "pockets" to insert batteries, that having one go dead on you while you're on the road shouldn't happen.

Well worth the price and less cumbersome than the TWO power cords that come with your Sony digital camera (one from your wall to the the charger, the other from the charger to your camera).

With this gizmo, you have just ONE cord. It runs from the wall to the charger. That's it. I always worry about charging my camera from the wall because there isn't enough clearance for the wire and the back panel to your camera. The result is your camera, during charging, is pushed upward at a funny angle, on one edge because the flimsy door panel to access the input jacks is flush bottom. This door feels it could break at the slightest mis-directed touch.

No such worries anymore.

Extremely happy with this product that I bought summer of 2001.Have had no technical issues.The wife loves it for it's point and record ease.Playback is excellent.Some fun special effects.Audio is very clear.Hold it in one hand and a beer in the other.

My son just bought this camera a short while ago and he just can't stop admiring it...Neither can his friends. This camcorder comes with plenty of features including steadyshot, 560x digital zoom and 20x optical zoom. Even though the battery it comes with is for two hours only, it suits him just fine. He has taken many shots and loved them all. The effects are neat:sephia, pastel, negative art, black&white, solarize, mosaic, slim, stretch. The sephia is my favorite and reminds me what old movies looked like. There are also many fades to choose from. Sony really has put a lot of work into this camera. I really suggest you buy it if your looking for a high-quality, moderatly priced camcorder.

I bought this camcorder to replace a Canon 8mm that was over 8 years old. My Canon camcorder stopped recording sound and finally stopped working. Canon would not repair it because it was an old model. My family has several Sony electronics products and none of them have had any problems. That says enough for me about Sony quality. About the camcorder...I like the video quality produced by the Sony Hi8 TRV98. It is a little better than the standard 8mm picture produced by my old Canon camcorder. I know Hi8 is not as good as the 500+ line resolution of Digital 8. However, the Hi8 400+ line picture quality is great. The pictures are sharp with excellent color. This is a great camera for the price if you do not plan on "going digital" to load videos to your computer. I like the large 3.5 inch LCD screen, Lithium Ion battery and the S-video out. ....

the last camera i had was pretty bad compared to this. it was a very old 8mm and it only had a b/w view finder. i got this camera from a relative and i think its great. Pros: Color LCD, Color Viewfinder, incredibly small, battery life isnt too bad (about 2 hours using the NP-FS21 battery with the lcd on), nightvision Cons: a built in flash or light would be nice, more digital effects, a better zoom. Overall i think its a pretty good camera. Its perfect for an average camera and the size is great so u can take it anywhere.

I ordered this camera...I took it with me on my trip to Europe last summer and it was absolutely phenomenal. I filmed during the day and at night and all of my footage was great. I will say that i wished that I would have had another battery, but i managed to film each day (for 18 days) and it worked out well.

You can review your footage by touching the screen lightly, it has a remote control, editing accessories and it weighs approximately a pound~! I walked all over Italy and it was really convenient to carry with me everywhere.

I really think that this is a great camera and I highly recommend it if you're able to find it for a great price like i did.

This camcorder by Sony is awesome. The color and sharpness is unbelievable. This camcorder is very easy to get up and running. I highly recommend this product to amateurs as well as professionals. Recommendation: Strong Buy

Works wonderfully...charges quicker than charging in the camera...a two-battery charger...charge batteries in the car or at home.

Excellent charger for the Canon BP-511 batteries I use for my Canon G1 digital camera. The Canon CR-560 charging light shows single flashes when the battery is less than 50% charged...double flashes when 50-75% charged...triple flashes when more than 75% charged...a continuous light when it is 100% charged. Also, when two batteries are placed in the charger, the first one inserted will begin charging and the second one will sequentially begin charging when the first one is fully charged and its charging light glows steadily. It takes approximately 3 hours for both batteries to charge...each taking approximately 1 1/2 hours to charge; charging times will vary from one user to another. You can charge batteries in your car...or...you can charge batteries at home with the inclusion of the AC cord that already comes with the Canon G1. You can also check the charge of a battery at any time by inserting the battery and checking the charging light/flashes. The battery can be charged at any time when it's not fully discharged, but I prefer to wait until my Canon Powershot G1 shows the flashing low battery indicator before charging my battery. You can also charge one battery at a time if you wish.