Rating: 
Summary: GR-D30 it's a winner!
Review: I've not owned a camcorder for about 12yrs. I'm glad I waited until now to buy a MiniDV. I'm a Windows user and was not sure how XP Pro would like this JVC. It's was easier than I thought! No PC video software included unless you loaded the Demo software and buy it. I connected the FireWire to my PC. I already had an IEEE 1394 port on my SB Audigy2 sound card. Powered it on. XP Pro surprised me! It knew the device and the model. Then Windows Movie Maker app loaded with all the basic controls as the camcorder on screen for my enjoyment. Coolness + some basic tools to make .wmv's from clips I recorded of the video footage taken or insert .jpegs from our Digital Camera into the movie I was putting together. JVC MiniDV GR-D30, got its first work out at the Indy 2003 USGP F1 race. Took some video & Digital Photo's of the race. We set up the GR-D30 with the Sport mode & Clouds. Race was overcast and at times did rain. Video came out very nice and the long life battery (5hrs)was a good decision for this 2hr event. I put together a highlight movie 4:23 min. 320x240 16bit @ 705kbps total file size 20.5mb. I've always liked JVC it's been my choice in TV's & Home Theater Audio. I like the JVC MiniDV and ease of use with PC's.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice camcorder but unreliable
Review: I've owned this camcorder for just over a year but have only used it for about 10 hours recording time. Now I keep getting a message :'Operation paused, condensation, please wait.' It doesn't go away, no longer how long I wait and I can't use the camcorder as a result. I now have to send it to a repair centre at my own cost to have it fixed, if it can be at all. I like the camcorder itself, it's easy to use etc, but it's unreliable and I'm sorry I didn't pay more money for a more reliable model. It's put me off buying any more JVC products and I think I'll stick to the Sonys or Canons etc, in future.
Rating: 
Summary: 2 things to think about
Review: Nice camera all around but two things to think about. One is that the camera is not great at close in use. That is you need to stay back to get every one or every thing in the shot. This makes indoor use less usable. For a one person shot it's great add two or three people you need to step back more and more to get the shot. This going out more and more leads to ishue number 2. The further you have to get to get the total seen, the less sound you get. Note this camera does not have a mic jack. So in total I love the camera and the price. I can live with the ishue of close in use and sound. I have an early 90s Sony 8m that was great and came with a wide angel switch. If this camera came with wide angle it would be 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Can you call a camcorder sexy?
Review: This is a standard-issue MiniDV digital camcorder in a very stylish body. While not one of the small pocket-size types -- incidentally those are often awkward to operate and susceptible to hand shakes -- the GRD30 is still small enough to be highly portable. All the standard features of a digital camcorder, from digital tape to fold-out LCD screen to IEEE 1394 "Firewire" connections, are there, and JVC also claims superb video image quality. The 16x optical zoom is higher than many other camcorders. (When choosing a camcorder or digital camera, pay ZERO attention to digital zoom claims, since digital zoom is entirely useless. Only optical zoom power counts.) An attractive price, especially here on Amazon.com, makes this a top buy.
Rating:
Summary: from the viewpoint of a newbie cam owner
Review: This is my first cam and I must say I am impressed. The size alone is excellent. Weighing in at just a few pounds, easily fits in your hand, this cam has easy to use features that even a novice like myself learned without having to read every inch of the manuel (although I recommend you read it anyways, to catch on to some of the more technical maneuvers). Having a cam that connects to my pc was an added feature I would have preferred but with this being my first time out in the world of camcorders, I cannot complain that this lacks that feature. Overall, I would definitely recommend this cam to anyone who is interested in recording basic video footage. I was, however, pretty amazed at the zoom capability. Who knew I could zoom in on leaves of a tree across our neighborhood street! Great cam, great price, highly recommended!
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