Rating: 
Summary: mac compatible
Review: I read a couple of reviews where the JVC camera was not mac compatible, but i have had no trouble using it . I purchased a Evergreen tech. pci firewire (works for mac, apple 2.5 firewire drivers installed,system9.0.4) card for my powertowerpro 200 w/g3 and am using imovie2. the camera works great so far.
Rating:
Summary: mac compatible
Review: I read a couple of reviews where the JVC camera was not mac compatible, but i have had no trouble using it . I purchased a Evergreen tech. pci firewire (works for mac, apple 2.5 firewire drivers installed,system9.0.4) card for my powertowerpro 200 w/g3 and am using imovie2. the camera works great so far.
Rating: 
Summary: JVC is becoming a formidable opponent.
Review: JVC is relay helping to foster competition in the digital camcorder market by giving Sony, Panasonic, and Canon a run for their money with this great model. JVC gives you more extras than any other manufacturer for the price; including the genuine DV format with terrific picture quality and sound, effects and scene transitions like dissolves and wipes, still capture, and computer software. What prevented me from giving it 5 stars, was the fact the battery lasts for only 35 minutes (and that's even without zooming) but this isn't so bad considering it charges up in about 25 minutes. Also, the tape door mechanism is so clunky and awkward, that I find myself having to be overly careful of damaging it. In addition, the 400X zoom is overrated and totally useless, for images at that magnification are unwatchable. And last (although arguably trivial) is JVC's habit of using an early 1980's silver color scheme. They should stick with black like the rest of the industry (but who knows, maybe different is good)? All in all though, for the price, the benefits far out-way my measly little cosmetic qualms, and this camera has made me the happiest little digital videographer around.
Rating: 
Summary: for 2 years they were 5 *. Now I put it 1 *
Review: Mr.
I bought a Camera two years ago JVC DVF31 that I have used so far without problem. One month ago it began to have a problem that doesn't already allow me neither to reproduce a tape. When putting a tape in the videocamera it leaves me a legend: "different formated type! ". At the beginning this problem began to make it intermittently and it was solved taking out and putting again the same tape into the camera.
Now already it makes it permanently and it doesn't allow me to use it.
In the JVC official service of Argentina they answered me almost without to revise it that the problem is the motherboard and an the cost of repair [was a lot of money]!!!!!
This legend that appears in the finder "different formated type! " it cannot be for another cause? Help me.
I don't want to leave this camera like old museum piece and to think that it was a very bad purchase.
Excuse my not well written English.
Rating:
Summary: for 2 years they were 5 *. Now I put it 1 *
Review: Mr.
I bought a Camera two years ago JVC DVF31 that I have used so far without problem. One month ago it began to have a problem that doesn't already allow me neither to reproduce a tape. When putting a tape in the videocamera it leaves me a legend: "different formated type! ". At the beginning this problem began to make it intermittently and it was solved taking out and putting again the same tape into the camera.
Now already it makes it permanently and it doesn't allow me to use it.
In the JVC official service of Argentina they answered me almost without to revise it that the problem is the motherboard and an the cost of repair [was a lot of money]!!!!!
This legend that appears in the finder "different formated type! " it cannot be for another cause? Help me.
I don't want to leave this camera like old museum piece and to think that it was a very bad purchase.
Excuse my not well written English.
Rating:
Summary: Very Happy - Torrey Pines and La Jolla viewed brilliantly
Review: Purchased the JVC digital camcorder model GRDVF31 two days before leaving for the Buick Invitational Golf Tournamnent in SanDiego last weekend -had always been a Nikon 35mm SLR user, but wanted the convenience and the fun of a video camera - Very easy to use in all aspects other than the zoom which was a little jumpy in ocean scenes etc. We were thrilled with the results ! The 3" screen was fun to watch and also helpful in editing etc. We had our own "in-flight" movies on the flight back to Boston ! We would recommend a decent carry case and a small tripod for use with the zoom feature ! Good value overall and very enjoyable !
Rating:
Summary: Great Camera, Nice Display, Easy interface to PC
Review: The camera takes great video, and the optics are astounding. (16x optical, and good video at 32 to 64x. The 300x zoom is nearly useless). Interface to PC for frame grab is easy over RS232 jack. Takes about 5 seconds to "download" a digital photo. The included software works well for photo editing. Need to buy a PC card if you want to download video. Mini-DV format is great. The tapes are tiny and should last longer than digital-8.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Mac Compatible
Review: This camera does not support the Macintosh platform. This should be made known to any potential buyers. This is very infortunate, since the MAC is DV ready.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for the non-user to the slightly above average user
Review: This camera is great for those of us who are not film producers in Hollywood. My company purchased this camera basically to satisfy the growing need of graphic documentaion for clients. What I like: 1) The 3" display window is crystal clear for seeing what you are recording while at the same time looking at the broader picture to see what else you need to film. 2) The zoom feature is outstanding. I can focus on the door lock of the house across the street and see who it is made by, but it also shows how shaky a person really is when it looks like they aren't moving a muscle. 3) The ease of transfering images to the computer and getting the exact frame you want. 4) The light for dark recording is as good as most flashlights I have owned (drains battery quicker). 5) Audio recording during video recording is outstanding (but keep in mind what other people are saying in the background as it will pick that up to). 6) Digital display's ability to invert itself when rotated 180 degrees, allowing you to record yourself while veiwing yourself upright. 7) The remote comes in handy once in a while as long as you are facing the camera. What I don't like: 1) The software don't do all I would have of liked it to do as far video excerpts. 2) The fact that our camera is for business, I can't carry it with me at all times, (this comment should have nothing to do with your decision other than that it is a great camera for capturing what you want on video with the capabilities of digital). What you should consider when ordering: 1) The battery that ships with the camera will not last much more than hour. Additional batteries can be purchased that last up to 8 hours. 2) No video tapes come with the camera which makes it useless until you have tapes for it. (JVC part #: DVM-30 or DVM-60). 3) In order to record video to a VCR, you will need to also purchase audio/video dubbing cables. 4) You will probably want to purchase a bag to carry all the cables, extra tapes, charger, etc. in. Overall experience with the camera: I have enjoyed using this camera and have not found it to be more than adequate for anything I have tried to use it for. I give this unit 5 stars for it's ease of use, image quality, size/weight, and all around use.
Rating:
Summary: Not Mac Compatible
Review: This is my first and only camcorder. I wanted to get good quality still shots, which is one reason I went with the JVC. From what I read it had the best suite of software. I had no problem installing the software and getting the camera connected to the computer with the provided serial cable. Capturing pictures is easy and fairly quick. (If you would like to see some sample pictures, go to www.pipeline.com/~vtfcu/car.htm). The tape does not start in the same spot after a frame capture, I find this annoying. The playback controls on the camera do not allow slow motion play. The remote does, but it is at their preset speed. If you have your computer connected, you can also advance one frame at a time. This is necessary to get the exact frame you want to capture on the PC. The camcorder will only play back in slow mode for 2 minutes (I assume to protect the tape). The camcorder has to be turned off when going from play to record. I find this makes it difficult to queue the tape to the exact spot for recording. It seems the tape does not disengage when in one of the record modes. In other words, the tape is engaged when monitoring or leaving the camera on and ready to record. I don't know why this would be if you can only watch in slow mode for a short period of time. But it also seems to stay in pause mode for a long time, so maybe the head is not wearing away the tape when in pause during playback or record. The snapshot mode is not what I expected. When the snapshot button is pressed, the tape continues to run and record the same picture for about 5 seconds then taping continues as normal. I was very impressed with the ability to focus up close. It even focused on the lint on the UV filter attached to the camera. I'm not too sure about the sound volume yet. The quality seems quite good.
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