1 comments about Sony Handycam DCR-HC26E - Camcorder - 800 Kpix - optical zoom: 20 x - Mini DV.

1. I bought this camcorder for a colleague in Nigeria and he was absolutely thrilled with the camera. It was smaller than I thought it would be but the picture quality is excellent. The basic controls are easy enough for a child to operate, but there are lots of options to explore with the touch screen controls.

5 comments about JVC Everio GZ-MG20 20 GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder w/25x Optical Zoom.

1. When we received the camera, it had been previously used. We were initially given a run-around, but Amazon gave us a good discount on the camera that made us happy. They couldn't replace it with a new one. The camera seems to have a sharp picture and excellent sound. It is amazingly small. It seems like a great choice for general home video. The software is a little daunting. Follow directions very carefully. The freedom from tapes and discs is nice feature... will also run longer w/o interruption to change discs or tapes.



2. The quality is awesome, the ergonomics is just super (the four way stick in the LCD for starters), the transfer capabilities are nice (just plug it in to ANY PC and it becomes an external hard drive with video files, although you have to rename the .MOD to .MPG), and the zoom/frame rate is great. (Upto 32X optical and .5-4000 fps - this is really good for shooting as you like).
   
   For those who complain about the grainy stuff, try changing the frame rate yourself - lower frame rate for poorer lighting condition (so that the poor lighting gets registered on the CCD more slowly but rigidly), or change the white balance. I have had very little lighting problems , and that too only when shooting at really bad lighting conditions (in night for eg)...
   
   Other than that, the camera is perfect for trips; it's amazing to see that the product turns out to be as good and heavenly as it was advertised.. for the first time.
   
   Some personal gripes (from the stand point of a HDD camcorder), are that you can't record from a video source directly :D, and that you need to wait for 4 seconds before you can start recording after switching it on (it shows the same JVC animation every time, possibly to warm up the HDD meanwhile), and that you need to recharge it often if you are shooting it with the provided battery. If you can add 90$ more the 4 hour battery will make this cam one of the best. Also the digital stills are like crap; I mean 640x480 stills, worse than the ones in the cell phones.
   
   But the overall thing is that you can shoot the videos and then transfer and burn them to your DVDs.. the problem is, with such a camcorder you would want to shoot everything that moves and is colorful and waste the 20GB soon enough...
   
   I have owned a JVC VCR way back, and it was pretty good too, and that made my judgement about a industry first HDD camcorder from JVC...



3. The 5 main reasons I purchased this camcorder:
   1) Size. It's barely larger than a can of soda!!!
   2) Hard drive. Nice not to not ever have to buy blank tapes or discs.
   3) Ease of use. The controls are well designed. Had most everything figured out in no time.
   4) Downloading to the computer is a breeze.
   5) Reviews from other owners. Everyone seems to like it for the most part.
   
   Very happy with my purchase!



4. I agree with the many other users who have experienced the "Condensation, Operation Paused" defect on their JVC GR-XXX. Despite numerous others reporting this problem, JVC says its not a recognized problem. I would disagree - it is a recognized problem, but its your problem, not theirs.



5. First off, I want to say that the camera shoots pretty good footage outdoors, not at all superb quality, but passable for just archiving personal footage. Indoors is another story, out of the box the low-light conditions pretty much blacked out the playback.
   
   After researching, and changing settings, with help from a review on a similar camera, the indoors picture is pretty good. With the lenses and filters I purchased for this it actually has it to a B-. What I did was set it to M mode, shutter speed to 1/30 and set it to cloudy. You can also gain up while in this mode for a brighter picture, but it does add some grain.
   
   The hard drive is so easy and convenient. I didn't bother installing any of the included software because I use Sony Vegas to edit video. Sony Vegas doesn't recognize the MOD format the video files are saved in, so again I did a few minutes of research to find out that you can simple highlight the MOD part of the file name/extension, backspace 3 times and type MPG. This instantly converts it to MPG format, which Vegas and all of my other playback programs recognize.
   
   Sound is great, for a built in speaker it was almost one of the best I've heard on a simple video camera. The lense comes with threads to attach wide-angle lenses, and filters to make the picture even better... all in a camera a little over 5 inches long!
   
   I was really pleased with this camera, and recommend it to anyone who really needs a good camera, but nothing extravagant- for people who rarely use it. It takes a few minutes of tweaking to get it right indoors, but most cameras aren't cut and dry to begin with.
   

5 comments about JVC GRDV500 MiniDV 1.33 MP Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, 10x Optical Zoom, and 8MB MMC Card.

1. Since writing my first raving review on this camera it has fallen to the "Blue Screen of Death" that most JVC cameras face.
   
   No recording, no playback. The screen just states that I need to clean the heads. After 10 brand new head cleaners have been tried and fail the view screen still remains blue.
   
   I was trying to use the digital camera mode but even that hardly if ever works.
   
   I now have a shiny item to hold balloons down or better yet to use when I want people to THINK they are being videotaped.
   
   Gone is my previous high rating, this camera is just plain junk.



2. I bought this camcorder last Christmas and I've loved it since. I was looking for a reasonably priced Mini DV camcorder and came across this one at a local Sears. It felt nice and sturdy in my hands unlike the smaller ones offered by Sony and Panasonic. I checked some reviews on it, found them to be good and bought it at J&R over in NYC. The video quality is nothing short of outstanding in good lighting thanks to the 1.33 megapixel CCD (a godsend in this price range).

   As for faults, the only real Achilles heel this camcorder has is the worthless "Night Alive" mode. Sony's nightvision trumps the JVC in this respect because the picture becomes nothing but a bright, blurry mess in Night Alive mode. I will invest in a video light to remedy this problem and I suggest that those considering this camcorder do likewise. Overall this is still a terrific camcorder thanks to the 1.33 megapixel CCD not usually found in this price range.




3. If you're lookin for a crisp clear image, a powerfull ccd, a lightweight camera with photo capacity for a low price, from a trustble company, this is your choice. Despite some reviews that report bad quality images on low light, I've got nice movies under that circustances. Of corse you should know that you'd better use a tripod and as with any cam a bright light is prefereable. But once you watch your footage on TV it's better than you thoght. For this price you cannot get any better. Now I moved for a GR-DV4000, much expensive, including britgher lens and some other upgrades on the same body. If you're looking for daylly use camera, stop searching. You found it.



4. This is the first DV camera I've owned and I'm glad that I made the right choice. I've had this camera for over a year now (bought in Feb 2004) and have no major complaints with it. This camera has a very clear video quality that often amazes me! Digital stabilizer functions well. Stereo sound is good.
   The only reason this camera didn't fetch 5 star is the relatively poor video quality in low light. Though this can be adjusted using shutter speed, still I can't seem to get what I want. Bear in mind though that almost all camcorders have this issue, unless you spend much more money and buy the high-end ones.
   Good luck with your purchase. Fot this price, you won't regret it!



5. I haven't had the camera for very long, but my experiences with it thus far have shown it to be an excellent lower-to-middle range Mini DV cam for the money. It captures image and sound excellently, is lightweight and very easy to use.

No comments about Canon DC320 DVD Camcorder + Accessory Kit.

No comments about SVP HDDV-3000 12MP Max. 6-in-1 Multi-Functional Camcorder with Rare Huge Flip LCD! (2GB High Speed SD Card & Tripod Included).

No comments about SVP HDDV-2880Bu 16MP Max TOUCH BUTTON 2.5-inch 270 DEGREE LCD Digital Video Camcorder + FREE 4GB High Speed SD Memory Card.

No comments about SVP HDDV-3000 12MP Max. 6-in-1 Multi-Functional Camcorder with Rare Huge Flip LCD! (2GB High Speed SD Card Included).

2 comments about DXG DXG-505V 5.1 MegaPixel Camera with 2.4" Rotating LCD.

1. The DXG-505V is an inexpensive, value-packed multi-function device that tries to do everything, but is spread a bit thin in terms of practicality. As a camera, its pictures are mega-sharp although it's surprising to experience internal mechanical focusing noise (and such short battery life) on a solid-state camcorder that has no moving parts. DXG should have really bundled in the optional NP-60 Li-Ion rechargeable battery (found online for under $11) and a 2GB SD card (about $25) and raised the price accordingly, because you WILL be buying these items.
   
   As far as features go, let's run down the list:
   
   1) Pictures. Quite good! Very basic lens, but sharp with decent color, 5.1MP resolution, auto-focus, & flickery electronic flash.
   2) Camcorder. Grainy, even in HQ (640x480) mode, with rather low color resolution. Spend $25 and get yourself a 2GB SD card. Haven't tried the Direct Printing support, but it's in there.
   3) FM radio & MP3. These work, barely. Clumsy and primitive.
   4) Webcam. Yep, this works. You can capture pics or movies with it in Pinnacle Studio or Vegas. Bonus for also being able to record and playback via NTSC.
   5) Flash drive. Works just like any other, very easy to get your files in and out of the camera.
   6) Audio recorder. Primitive. Sound is fixed at 12KHz mono, and record levels are not adjustable.
   
   So, you get the idea. The LCD rotatable LCD display is excellent, and the firmware is very well done for the most part - so as long as you keep your expectations modest, it's a very fun device but strictly for kids and hobbyists.



2. What this is supposed to do best is probably the worst feature of this product, which is recording video. If you don't mind low res video, and just want something to mess around with, then it's fine. It does take good pictures, but if I wanted good pictures, I would've bought a digital camera. Same goes for the mp3 player, radio, and voice recorder. I wanted this for capturing decent video, and it does a really lousy job with what they should have made thier number one priority. I didn't expect too much from this camcorder for it's price, but it's pretty bad when my brothers digital camera, which was cheaper than this, takes much better quality video. So yea, your probably just better off buying a digital camera that records video, because it'll probably be better at pictures and video than this sub-standard camcorder.

No comments about Canon XL-H1S 3CCD HDV High Definition Professional Camcorder with 20x HD Video Zoom Lens III.

5 comments about JVC GRDF430U MiniDV Camcorder w/15x Optical Zoom.

1. I bought my camera 09/2005, I used the camera and it worked great through christmas and new years. I packed the camera in the case I bought for it and did not use it until this year Christmas. I took the camera out and got the "lens cap" error on Christmas morning. I did call JVC after seeing the recall on their website, however my camera is not on the list. The customer service employee told me I could pay for it to be shipped and fixed at the nearest service center to my home in Houston,TX, which was in Lawrenceville, Georia. I personally will not purchase another JVC product. I recently bought a new television and I was considering JVC, I am greatful now that I went with a Samsung.



2. My model is JVC GR-D33U. It works great before I got the famous Lens Cap problem. I filled in a request at their customer support web page. To my surprise, a week later I received an email and JVC offered to fix it for free even it passed the support period. After sending out my camcorder for one week and receiving no feedback at all, I received the camera through UPS and the problem was fixed. JVC didn't bother to follow up.
   
   I encourage everyone with similar problem do the same thing and maybe JVC can fix yours for free as well.



3. We bought this camera in January 2006, and love its color quality, ease of use and size. We bought it to replace our bulky, but reliable five-year old JVC camcorder. This new one worked perfectly until a week before Christmas, when we got the lens cap error problem. We made it just in time (under a year) for the parts warranty, but had to spend $100 in labor to repair the camcorder. We still love the camcorder, but hesitate to recommend it to anyone now that we've learned that JVC has ongoing cap error problems with several of their camcorder models.



4. Hardly used the camcorder. No longer works. It doesn't register a signal and shows a lens cap error even when the lens cap is off. What a disgrace. My last JVC product.



5. I have been using this camcorder for two years. I did have the universal "lens cap error" malfunction. I went to my local authorized repair facility and had to pay $150 to get it fixed. That was a major bummer. However, otherwise the camcorder has been excellent to say the least. I love how small and light it is. It is comfortable to use for extended periods. The ergonomics are very good. I almost always use manual mode and set white balance manually, which produces superior results. I use automatic mode when I tape in varying light situations and it works reasonably well. Optical quality of the lens seems to be very good. Sound quality is good and it has a mic input, which is a plus. I have taken absolutely no precautions when handling this camcorder and besides some paint that wore off due to rough handling it has been very durable. Overall, while irked by having to pay to repair a known mass defect for which there should have been a service campain, I am quite happy with my JVC camcorder.