JVC GR-DF550 Mini DV Camcorder

[Jerry Jones]

The JVC GR-DF550:

http://tinyurl.com/qcrta

http://tinyurl.com/llxdh

Here's a PDF JVC camcorder catalog:

http://tinyurl.com/hoeuj

My search for a good, inexpensive Mini DV camcorder has me ready to purchase this JVC unit.

For $350, it seems to have a good feature set...

- decent low light performance;

- slow motion recording;

- web cam functionality;

- decent image quality;

- S-Video port;

- analog/digital conversion

- microphone input

- remote control

But apparently no headphone out.

Still, I plan to order it.

The GR-X5 model is better (3CCDs), but $700 more expensive.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Dr Mordrid]

Is its "wide mode" anamorphic 16:9 or letterboxed 4:3? If the latter I'd keep looking.

Dr. Mordrid

[Jerry Jones]

Hi Doc,

This camcorder utilizes the old-fashioned anamorphic squeeze, but it's only $350.

On the other hand, the Canon ZR500 does offer true 16:9 at a price of $300, but no analog/digital conversion... so it's kind of a wash.

The 3-CCD $500 - $1,000 models by Panasonic and JVC offer true 16:9, but I don't want to spend that much for a Mini DV camcorder when I anticipate that Panasonic will be offering high definition camcorders that will sell for less than $1,000 within one year.

Plus, I already have an older 1CCD Panasonic PV-DC152 Mini DV model and I think it would be awkward to mix relatively low resolution scenes shot on that camcorder with relatively high resolution scenes from a 3CCD Mini DV camcorder.

When the new Panasonic high definition models come out, I'll probably spring for two of those.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[wkulecz]

Its very hard for me to recommend other than the Canon ZR series for low end camcorders. I live at the low end. Once you've got one camcorder or device with Analog to 1394 pass-thru, to me it becomes an expendible feature, especially since I got my Canopus ADVC-100 box.

--wally.

[Jerry Jones]

Canon made a weird decision in connection with the microphone input feature where the newest ZR models are concerned.

Only the *lowest* ZR model, the ZR500, features a microphone input.

The more expensive models don't have a microphone input.

That's crazy, in my view.

The other negative in connection with the new ZR500 by Canon was the lack of a remote control... which I think is really dumb.

I had a Canon ZR20 and it was an OK performer, but I decided to sell it because I wanted to buy something newer.

Unfortunately, I discovered after I sold it that the camcorder manufacturers haven't really done much to improve the low-end models... to the contrary... they've jerked many important features such as "headphone out" and "external microphone input" and the video quality hasn't improved much... if at all.

It's really very disappointing and it makes camcorder buying much less fun.

I also sold my Panasonic VDR-M30 DVD disc camcorder, which produced disappointing pixelization in many types of scenes, but did a very good job with color.

I also sold my JVC JY-HD10, which was a pseudo-professional model of HDV camcorder, which produced DV video that was really no better than the video produced by my Panasonic PV-DC152.

My new JVC GR-DF550 is small and compact like the PV-DC152 by Panasonic; so they should make a good "matched pair."

But I think there's really no GREAT low-end Mini DV camcorder on the market.

I think the camcorder manufacturers must be happy; they play with us.



Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

Forgot to mention...

Another feature of the JVC GR-DF550, which is kind of cool, is the "live slow" feature.

This features allows for slow motion recording/playback.

My GR-DF550 should arrive sometime next week.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

Plus, if I decide I really need true 16:9, I can buy a Century Optics adapter:

http://tinyurl.com/zjnnl

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Elie]

Why are manufacturers even producing Mini DV cams, they should move on to HDV since it is already backward compatible.

They are getting cheaper and cheaper by the minute, I guess for the low end market it's still a good thing to have.

My next cam will be the Sony Z1

[Jerry Jones]

I think the manufacturers are already phasing out Mini DV camcorders.

Why?

Because the NUMBER of Mini DV models is clearly shrinking.

But I believe HDV is almost obsolete, too!

Watch... the camcorder manufacturers - within one year - will be offering high definition camcorders that record 720p and 1080i to hard disk or to memory cards.

Tape is dying.

HDV is dying.

In their article about the newest consumer HDV camcorder from Sony (the HDR-HC3), CNET reported an interesting side note:

"Panasonic, which already has a high-end HD camcorder, plans on coming out with an HD camcorder that will be about the same size or smaller than today's mini-DV cameras in 2007."

"These systems will likely sell for less than $1,000."

http://tinyurl.com/zlf55

Panasonic is the ONE manufacturer that has not endorsed the HDV format.

So I suspect Panasonic will offer camcorders that record to disks or cards.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Elie]

Right, but Panasonic has always had propriatary formats anyway, so the DVCProHD format (which I think is the best to date) is no different, and I bet you will not be phased our for a long time

HDV? we'll have to see, because what is the next step from 1080i? 1080P of coarse and today there are no cheap cams to capture that on tape of memory stick, so I say HDV will strick around for a while.

So we'll see I guess.

Regards,
Elie

[Jerry Jones]

If I were wanting to buy a pro camera, I'd go for the Panasonic AG-HVX200:

http://tinyurl.com/zpzfs

http://tinyurl.com/79txg

I like the solid-state "P2" memory cards.

I also like the multiple formats:

1. DVCPro

2. DVCPro 50

3. DVCPro HD

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Dr Mordrid]

My bet:

HD camcorders using either the MPEG-4 Version 2.0 AVC High (HiP = the current 8 bit Blue Ray/HD DVD "standard"), High 10 (Hi10P = 10 bits) or High 4:2:2 (Hi422P = 10 bits + 4:2:2 sampling) profiles, any of which will be just as or more edit-able as anything yous see now in DV or HDV.

Media will likely be either the current DV tapes (for HiP) or some other media we may not even discussed yet for the others. Still hoping for high capacity holographic cards myself.

Dr. Mordrid

[Jerry Jones]

You may be correct about them using tape, Doc.

However, I suspect they'll use either hard disk or flash media due to the fact the manufacturers are already offering standard definition camcorders that utilize hard disks and/or flash memory cards.

JVC, for example, offers the "Everio" line of standard definition hard disk camcorders:

http://tinyurl.com/bwfaz

Sadly, most of the JVC Everio models have delivered less than ideal image quality, according to many reviews.

Not even matching Mini DV tape.

Here's a fairly negative review:

http://tinyurl.com/75jgo

On the other hand, Panasonic's 3CCD SDR-S100 records MPEG-2 to flash memory:

http://tinyurl.com/grce3

The image quality of the Panasonic unit is said to be pretty decent:

http://tinyurl.com/jkfhy

But the storage requirements of MPEG-2 create a big problem and there are other major flaws in the design...

1. Only 25 minutes of video (at the high quality setting) can be recorded onto the SD card;

2. There's no external microphone input;

3. There's no expandable battery;

4. Poor low light performance.

I would guess that Panasonic will offer flash memory camcorders utilizing MPEG-4 compression... perhaps H.264.

But I hope they don't blow it and give us a "high definition" version of the SDR-S100 because that model lacks basic features that people really do need.

At least it does have a headphone out, however.

There's another possibility.

Sony's XDCam format technology *might* migrate down to the consumer level and we could see some consumer variation.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[wkulecz]

I suspect my next camcorder with be some form of HD. I'm wait for the dust to settle.

DV works better on a hard drive than it does on tape, I suspect HDV in whatever form will do the same. Tape is an expedient for the image acquisition phase, and everything else has a fair way to go to match its $/GB of storage, although most anything else is more convienent to deal with.

--wally.

[Jerry Jones]

Got the JVC GR-DF550.

This is a tiny camcorder!

So far, it seems to work and the image quality is quite good.

Frankly, I've had bad luck with JVC in the past.

I bought a JVC VCR that literally stopped working.

I bought a JVC TV that lacked adequate brightness.

I bought a JVC camcorder that had a CCD failure (GR-DVM5U).

So JVC is definitely "on probation" where this new camcorder is concerned.

If this fails, I'll probably stay away from JVC in the future.

If it continues to work well, I'll see the company in a more favorable light.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net