Rating: 
Summary: Best value digital camcorder with stills for money
Review: After comparing this digital video camera with built in digital still camera with numerous other competing cameras that were five hundered dollars higher or lower in price range, I found it to have the best features for the lowest price. It has great video, and best digital still resolution of any competing model (but it is poor compared to full time digital cameras and 35mm film). Very stylish!!!Flash for stills, numerous low light, back light, and special video recording settings make it a great all around digital video camera for parties, weddings, etc., at a home use level. Down side is poor digital stills in comparason to digital still cameras on market. It also uses a Multimedia card which is not supported by no computer needed, photosmart printers such as HP photosmart printers. Also, included software works but is bare boned and basic. Side by side with sony models, the DVM75u was a far better value for me. I must admit, the overall quality of the sony video picture for discerning viewers, and I mean techno-phile junkies, is slightly superior. But I could not give up the built-in digital still camera resolution superiority with flash and an extra five hundred bucks for a difference only a professional could point out, and memory sticks are just offensively expensive. Great for video, gets by for stills. You'll need to purchase a digital still camera for photos.
Rating: 
Summary: I Should Have Bought The Sony
Review: After reading reviews on how Sony digital camcorders are better than comparable JVC models and going against my better judgement to buy a Sony MiniDV, I ended up buying the JVC GR-DVM75U to save [money]. I bought this digital camcorder in January 2002 to record my daughters birth and document her growing years. Well I've had this camcorder for 7 months and I have used the playback feature a whole 5 times. Two weeks ago I went to playback my daughters baptism and to my surprise the playback feature does not work. I tried using two different rechargable batteries, the AC power adapter alone, the AC adapter and battery together, and nothing works. However, I could record fine, at least I think I am recording. Don't know for sure since I can't playback. Anyhow, I took it in to one of JVC's authorized service center. They want to charge me [money](30% of what I paid for this stupid camcorder) to fix a problem with the control board. Sounds to me like the camcorder I got is defective. I wonder how many more are out there with this problem? If you buy this camcorder then beware of this potential problem? Well lets see if JVC will stand behind their product. I am sending it back to them so they can fix it or hopefully send me a new one. Most likely, I'll just write off the [money]I paid for this camcorder and get a Sony MiniDV. At the very least, I know I'll get a superior product even if I have to pay a premium. Buyer Beware!!!
Rating:
Summary: Terrible customer support & not compatible with Windows NT!
Review: As I was not able to transfer still pictures from my camcorder to my computer, and called JVC.
-I had to call 4 times, as their message told me that their customer service line was too busy.
-When I finally got through, I was told that the USB driver was not compatible with Windows NT, and that there was nothing they could do about it!
Rating: 
Summary: Fine all around camera
Review: Bought this camera because I needed a new video camera, and I wanted a digital still camera. Outdoor pictures get great results, and the video is excellent, both inside and out. Many features that are beyond my requirements, but the camera interacts quite nicely with the computer for moving pictures, and with the remote, it's great to playback both pictures and video on the TV. The size is right, easy to carry for extended periods, and doesn't seem like your lugging a big thing around. The family is very satisfied with it!
Rating:
Summary: Fine all around camera
Review: Bought this camera because I needed a new video camera, and I wanted a digital still camera. Outdoor pictures get great results, and the video is excellent, both inside and out. Many features that are beyond my requirements, but the camera interacts quite nicely with the computer for moving pictures, and with the remote, it's great to playback both pictures and video on the TV. The size is right, easy to carry for extended periods, and doesn't seem like your lugging a big thing around. The family is very satisfied with it!
Rating:
Summary: I bought it and I LOVE IT!
Review: Ditto (to all reviews above). I bought this camera for [$ amount]. (Ibuydig.com) I also bought the 3 hour battery which works great! The image and video quality is EXCELLENT. The options and editing features fantastic and asy to use. Get it! You won't be disappointed! The only down-side I can think of is that the simple Email-Clip function provides a rather small streaming clip. It's very easy to use and not bad quality, however, there are video-grabbers which we can use to get the best video-file quality available. Once again, however, the camera provides a VERY easy method of making and sending clips...NOTEWORTHY and well-thought!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Thing!!!
Review: Great Video!!! Great Sound!!! Great Size!!! This JVC camera is better than any others in the market. Its smaller than it looks, and its way more sleaker than the Sony PC100 or the canon dv's. The only drawback is that JCV does not make nightvision, which kinda puts sony ahead in that field. I could have bought sony, but JCV GR-dmv75u definitely outweighed it!!!
Rating:
Summary: What a machine!
Review: I did some major comparing to the Sony PC110. I really tried to go with the Sony, but this JVC knocked me over the head and showed me that it is one hell of a machine. This has almost all the same features as the PC110 at a fraction of the price. Great digtal video, nice stills and awesome compact size. What technology for the price! There are a few draw backs: You have to get used to the small size and button configuration. It has a jack box for the peripheral connections, but that's not a big deal. Battery life could be improved. But these are minor compared to the power, compactness and image quality that this marvel produces. BUY it, you'll love it.
Rating:
Summary: Great Value - Highly Recommended
Review: I purchased a GR-DVM75 in December and took it to Hawaii for our vacation. I was very pleased with the performance and features of the camera and really had no complaints. I originally did some extensive research on the "vertical palm size" mini-DV camcorders and narrowed my decision down to the Sony DCR-PC110, the Canon Elura 20MC and the JVC. Let me tell you that this was an extremely difficult evaluation because all three cameras have their strengths and weaknesses and there was no clear choice. My major concern with the JVC was the workmanship and the quality of the hardware - I had read several reviews where the owner eventually experienced problems and the cost to service the camera was extremely steep. Two weeks after my vacation, I ended up buying the Canon Elura 20MC and did a side by side comparison against the JVC. The primary driving force behind my purchase was size and then feature. My philosophy is that the smaller the unit (with some compromised quality), the more likely I will carry it around and get use out of the camera. Although the Sony has the Carl Zeiss lens and contains the most features, it was also the largest (and most expensive) of the 3 cameras. The ergonomics of the Sony are also terrible and it was extremely awkward to operate. The Canon has progressive scan and the JVC has a high band processor to emulate progressive scan - the Sony did not have an equivalent feature. The Canon and JVC both produced excellent picture quality. Supposedly the JVC can capture 520 lines of resolution as opposed to 400 lines for the Canon. The microphone on both models picks up motor noise in quiet situations but this problem is much more prevalent on the Canon. The JVC has more programmed AE modes, digital effects and fades and a USB port to read the memory card. One major difference between the two cameras is the resolution of the viewfinder. The Canon viewfinder is much clearer and sharper than that of the JVC - this is important when video taping under bright sunlight which washes out the LCD. The resolution of the Canon LCD monitor is 200,000 pixels which is almost twice that of the JVC but this did not produce as big of a difference. In general, digital camcorders do not perform well under low light conditions - especially the smaller, more compact cameras. Both camcorders produced poor quality but somewhat acceptable images in indoor lighting. I found the Canon to produce slightly grainier pictures than the JVC under the same lighting conditions. Both cameras have a low light function but the JVC has a slower shutter speed and a different aperture that allows for a little brighter picture. The Night Alive setting on the JVC significantly slows down the shutter speed to handle extremely low light situations but the picture is too choppy and blurry to be of any use. Sony and Panasonic camcorders have an infra red setting that allows you to shoot video with no lights but it produces a green monotone image. Here is my take on the digital stills. I own a 3.3 megapixel Nikon 880 and the quality of the Nikon is significantly better than the best quality (approx. 1.9 megapixels) stills available from consumer camcorders. This is not only because of the pixel count but because a dedicated still camera has the lens, aperture/shutter speed settings, white balancing, etc to optimize the picture. Ultimately, picture quality is related to each person's own individual tastes and expectations, but if your looking for quality 6 x 4 prints(or greater) or to view photo's full screen on your PC, then the GR-DVM75 will not meet your needs. Instead of spending an extra $300 to $500 on a camcorder to obtain a higher megapixel still capability, I strongly recommend purchasing a separate digital camera with the savings. One other thing I noticed about the JVC camcorders - they tout XGA (1024 x 768) resolution but the camera only has 680k CCDs which isn't enough to support that resolution. I have not seen an explanation for this but my guess is the camera extrapolates the 1024 x 768 resolution from a lower resolution shot. Interestingly, I captured some field stills from the video and many of these shots (640x480) looked better than the XGA stills. Finally, I was bothered by the fact that GR-DVM75 did not come with a lens cap. However, after closely inspecting the camera, JVC does provide a clear lens protector which is actually more convenient then a lens cap. You can unscrew the lens protector and replace it with a UV filter or other 27mm attachments. In the end, I returned the JVC camera and kept the Canon. In truth, it was a toss up and my decision could have gone either way. The Canon seems to be built better and is smaller in size than the JVC. The JVC has more features and functions but I preferred the quality and look/feel of the Elura. The JVC is a much better value for the money but I highly recommend either camcorder. 2/27/02 - Because of the poor low light performance of the Elura, I ended purchasing a third camera, Sony DCR-PC9. See my review.
Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware!
Review: I purchased the cam in Feb 2002 after extensive comparsions to Sony and Canon models. The cam worked perfectly for 2 months, but I now CANNOT put the camera in playback mode..so I cannot playback video or look at pics taken. The camera is a dud, and I would not recommend it at all although it is attractively priced relative to the equivalent Sony and Cannon. I am in the market again, and will probably go with Sony for its reputation!
I e-mailed JVC advising them of my problem with their product and never heard back from them. Buy at your own risk!!
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