Great camcorder for the money, but it has it's flaws too...
Written: Sep 29 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great design, Flash for photos
Cons: Faint motor hum noticed, grainy in very low light
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| eric_mason_34's Full Review: JVC GR-DVL9500 Mini DV Camcorder |
When I first started looking into getting my own miniDV video camera, I looked for the most I could get out of how much I spent. First off, I knew I couldn't afford a brand new digital camcorder, so I checked out E-Bay, and looked at the cameras that fell in my price range. After this, I read the reviews for the cameras I saw that I liked the best. For how much I paid for it, the JVC-DVL9500 has been nothing but a rock-solid performer as far as image quality and construction go. I like the built-in lens cover, and the fact that you can leave the dial on the "on" setting, but only turn it on when you pull out the viewfinder or open the LCD display. Very nice. This has proved very useful, because when I want to shoot a quick little piece of video, and I need to do so quickly, I just have to pull out the viewfinder, and the camera almost instantly fires up in about 2-3 seconds.
Now to the gripes.... As with most all consumer level video cameras, especially the small ones, it is especially hard to eliminate the slight motor hum you'll hear on playback of your recorded tapes. Getting an external mic would be the best way to go, but that adds size & weight... Another gripe I have about this camera is in low lit situations... I know I'm getting picky here, because the JVC was rated second only to the industry standard professional miniDV camcorder, the Canon XL-1. In very low light situations, the image gets very grainy, and I noticed a vertical stripe near the left side, which I assume has something to do with the CCD's ability to capture images in very low light. However, all miniDV cameras do this, and unless you have a HUGE lens that soaks up lots and lots of light (like the XL-1), then you're pretty much SOL. You can compensate for this by turning on the slow shutter speed, which opens up the shutter a bit more, but also creates a slightly blurred slow motion effect.
In all, I'm happy I got this camera for as much as I did, and it's payed me back with many hours of great video taping.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
eric_mason_34
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Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 3 members
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