JVC GRDVM90U MiniDV Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode

Built around JVC's exclusive Progressive 1000 technology, the GR-DVM90 is a versatile digital still and motion video camera that records stunning, high-quality digital video. This dual cam incorporates an array of picture-improvement technologies including a 680,000-pixel progressive scan CCD, progressive color filter, and high-band processor. These technologies assure ultrahigh resolution with up to 520 lines of horizontal and 480 lines of vertical resolution in progressive mode. This technology also offers digital still picture quality with two different image sizes, VGA (640 x 480 pixels) and XGA (1,024 x 768 pixels).

Dual shooting mode lets you shoot motion video and still pictures simultaneously. The supplied removable 8 MB MMC card is used to store not only still images, but also a variety of digital sound effects (MP3). These effects can be inserted into a DV recording at any time to create more exciting and unique videos.

The 112,000-pixel 2.5-inch amorphous color LCD allows the camera to be operated from any angle, for maximum comfort. The 200x zoom makes sure you do not miss any of the action. A built-in auto flash with red-eye reduction provides extra convenience for taking still shots in low light or at night. A digital still picture output is provided, as well as both the serial cable and CD-ROM software for Windows and Macintosh. The DV in/out provides for easy computer connection for more advanced applications.

Playback zoom (10x digital pinpoint zoom) lets you move in for a closer look after you have made the recording. A multibrand remote control allows you to control the cybercam as well as many brands of video recorders. Random assemble editing provides eight-scene memory for favorite scenes as well as the ability to add special effects while editing them to a video recorder.

Additional features include electronic viewfinder with color 0.44-inch CRT, removable flash memory, 8 MB MMC card, auto standby for easy operation, 10x optical/200x digital zoom with spline interpolation, digital image stabilizer, slow-motion playback, 16 by 9 squeeze mode, PCM digital stereo, audio snapshot modes (pin-up mode, four-image, nine-image, and frame and full are available), program automatic exposure with 12 digital effects and 17 scene transitions, self-timer, and iris lock.

1 Well This Review should have been in 2002
For all those with the dreaded cleaning error, I can sympathize - my experience has been somewhat better - I used a Panasonic cleaning tape and that pretty much solved the error problems - we bought the camcorder back in july of 2002 I think for roughly $400.00 off of ebay - Looking back I probably would have gone with a Sony MiniVHS recorder - whatever it's called (the type that takes the small VHS tapes) - Anyway I use only sony DV tapes and that seems to have saved me... I really feel bad for alot of people who had problems with this thing - Customer service person said eventually it will need a new Drum Head - for 250.00 but that won't happen! Again I can't emphasize using a/the Panasonic cleaning tape - Take care folks - JVC is wrong for putting out this product with out testing it thoroughly -

The Good points - nice photo's - people say otherwise but it works pretty well -

The only thing that bothers me the most is the anti-shaking/ vibrating software whatever it's called - here this thing is pretty lame and focus - is good if you don't ever move the camera --

Software package pretty good - but will work with most movie editing software -
take care all -

2 Do not ever buy a JVC
For all of you who want to benifit from the people who have suffered buying JVC NEVER EVER BUY JVC. The company officials are not cooperative. Please dont wat your money

3 You will regret if you buy it
This product came as nicely packaged and had all the bells and whistles and was way ahead of time in terms of progressive scan, miniaturization, etc. The progressive scan feature certainly tempted me to buy this product.

I bought this product 2 years ago and have probably used it about 10 total times when it really worked. Most of the time, the product just quits on you and the operative buttons are plain too too delicate. Here is the chronological list of events that I encountered and I certainly regret buying this camera. Worse, I don't think I'll have the heart to buy another JVC product again. Like they say, perception is reality. I learnt the hard way:

1. Bought the camera for ~$1400 2 years ago.
2. The camera failed to record in low light. I accepted it since it was digital and ahead of it's time.
3. The camera began a never ending sequence of attempting to FIND the focus. I have used this in wonderful full array of stage lighting but with highly pathetic results. The camcorder just would not stop finding the focus and you would see the entire recording blurred with the focus drifting in a never ending way from one section to another--very daunting when you cannot identify a leg from the hand and vice versa.
4. The camcorder's on/off/auto/manual switch became flaky to the point that I had to insert bits of paper to keep it on. The service people could not do anything about it.
5. The camera kept providing the cleaning message
6. The internal battery died and the camera would never respond to any button pushes.
7. The camera recorded beautifully (it appeared) but never wrote ANYTHING on the MiniDV tape--the tape was completely blank.
8. The camera is in such a pathetic state right now that I finally gave up.

Not to mention that the Snapshot mode is so granular and pixelated, I wondered who was in the picture a few times at least. If you are buying it for the snapshot mode, forget it. If you are relying on the software that comes with it, I have so much pity for you. The software is eions old (and a dinosaur) and seldom links with the camera or identifies it the first time through. With GRDVM90U, you have to TRY, TRY, and TRY again and then it does work (after so much agony).

I am buying Sony and staying away from JVC as far as I can be. As part of my new purchase, I reviewed the GRD-93US product of JVC. I hopped down to Circuit city to test drive it before venturing to buy it over the Internet. Guess what? I could not believe it that at 10x, the camera again went on the focus finding mission. I could easily decipher the camera limitation since I went through the ordeal with the GRDVM90U for so long. I tried the Sony DCR-HC65 and it worked just perfect. I was dumb-founded but I was able to make my decision of spending a few extra dollars now and buy a Sony than to buy the JVC and regret it for the rest of my life.

Hey, my life is simple...I just have to make sure that I don't buy any JVC products.

4 Agree- it has problems
And I thought all these problems were related to my mother dropping the camera down the stairs.

Those that have this camera- be patient with "cleaning tape" errors. Cycle the power a few times. Take the battery on and off. It will usually work eventually.

Having half the screen blue has only happened when I used the aftermarket Hi-output battery. It works fine for pictures, but will usually screw up video.

For indoor video, I usually use the SLOW 2 video speed. Brighter video, but slower fps.

Slow picture downloads are due to the Serial port, Video download with firewire is no problem.

5 This product should be RECALLED!!!
If you read through the prior reviews, there are common problems. The most deadly is - ERROR "E04". Also, a head cleaning message is common. I sent it to JVC for repair = $627. The main board went bad. When I asked if this is a common problem - the customer service rep was very angered.

I will try to find out how to request a product recall.

6 Always broken
I bougth this camera 2 years ago at Dumoulin and I took the full 5 years waranty ( luckly ). It is the 3 times the camera goes to repair. Two time they needed to change the main board. And both time the new board they got from JVC was defect and they needed to order a second board. My cam stayed in repair for 6 MONTHS the first time and now 2 MONTHS have past and the teck are still wating for second the board. IT IS ALWAYS BROKEN... buy SONY c'est ben mieux.

7 Ruined vacations
This camera [the worst]!!! 3 months after we purchased this camera, we went vacationing in Whistler. The camera came up with a E04 error and head cleaning required. We sent it back to JVC, they checked and said nothing was wrong. They said perhaps the cold and altitude we were what caused the malfunctioning. So what are they saying, this camera does not work in cold weather.

So since the camera was supposedly fine, we took it on our cruise vacation a few months later. Same Head Cleaning message ruined this trip. They said perhaps the humidity of the islands was making the tape stick to the head. We did get some recording, but half the screen was blue and the other half had a picture.

Sent it back to JVC, once again, nothing was wrong. They said they did a head cleaning for us anyway.

We used it several other times after that, at home it works. When it counts, it doesn't. We've decided that we need to just get another camcorder and throw this junk away before it ruins anymore special moments.

I don't know who would buy a camcorder and only use it at home in a controlled temperature setting. Don't let the pretty compact exterior of this camcorder fool you, it's got no inner quality!!!Buy Sony!!!

8 Piece of Junk
I bought this camera two years ago. I used it on a very limited basis--basically a few birthdays and a vacations. When my wife recently gave birth to twins, i brought it to the hospital to take some video. Well, as you can expect, the camera did not work. I took it to the repair shop and they indicated it would cost $625 to fix it. Find another camcorder--this one has too many problems

9 Two drawbacks...
1-If you're planning to use this camcorder in dark places forget it. Even in low light situations, this camcorder won't see a thing.
2-Battery is short, probably 25 minutes with the LCD screen and about 45 min using the color viewfinder. You'll need to buy an extra battery.

Other than that this is a nice camcorder.

10 excellent price value,main disappointment:batt. time
the dvm 90 is a very good camcorder:i liked its ease of use and the combo of video and sensible stills;it is short on battery time and i needed to buy an extra batt. which gives me 2 more hours...,but no 6-8 hours batteries like you can find in other models.the other shortcoming is dark photography,which is practicalyy impossible.nevertheless,it is perfect for home use,both indoors and outdoors,and it is not a bad substitute for a still camera,that is if you are not keen on having big printed albums but settle for digital ones.2 sum it up:full hearted recommendation.

11 If you want headache and frustration for yourself, buy this!
If you want headache and frustration for yourself, definitely buy this piece of junk!

I bought this product in 6/01, it was fine for about 10 months.

The worst problem is that you can never trust whether the camcorder records anything onto the tape or not, even though it shows that you "recorded >>>" video in the viewer. Imagine how frustrated you would be if you missed your child's 1st birthday party. Besides, every few mins, you get an E04 error -- so stupid!

Will never buy a JVC again in my life!

12 Frustrating camcorder
E04 errors render this camcorder useless, September 18, 2002
Completely echo the customer from Orlando. I have had the camcorder for less than a year, and E04 error is so annoying and makes the camcorder useless even after a full battery charge. I will never buy a JVC again. I read from somewhere that if you see E04, tap on the side of the camcorder, it does help sometimes, but not all. There must be some design issues on this camera. If you buy next time, buy a SONY (I still use the 5-year old SONY Hi8, and it works perfectly).

Reviewer: A customer from Orlando, FL United States
Once one gets the E04 error, it's time to look for a new camera. ... I've had this camcorder for a little over a year and it's pretty much useless at this point.

...Moral of the story: You won;t get your money's worth on this camcorder.

13 E04 errors render this camcorder useless
Once one gets the E04 error, it's time to look for a new camera. ... I've had this camcorder for a little over a year and it's pretty much useless at this point.

...Moral of the story: You won't get your money's worth on this camcorder.

14 Good but not enough...
I bought this small camcorder about a year ago just before I got married. Since then it went to my wedding, through my wife's pregnancy, and our baby's birth. Overall, I am pretty satisfied with it. Although it's small, it has what you need in a camcorder.

Some drawbacks... 1) Sound capture needs to be improved. It records the movie taker's voice perfectly but if you are more than 5 feet away, forget it. Hard to hear on TV. 2) Poor low light performance. I took a lot of indoor shots and it turned out to be way too dark. If you stay indoors a lot, try to buy one with better low light performer. 3) Digital camera is close to worthless. Bad pictures, poor shutter speed (blurry shots). Well... If you need a better digital camera, but a digital camera. It's handy but not as good as a cheap digital camera. 4) Small buttons for Email and other functions too confusing. I hardly used them at all. 5) PC connection is way too slow. It took me over 10 minutes to transfer (via serial port) a few shots from MMC. Get a reader if you plan to use it a lot.

Now adantages... 1) Small!!! You can take it anywhere with you. Just put it in your pocket. It's not much bigger than a regular camera. 2)Attention getter. People will want to take a look at it. Nice! 3) Picture quality is good. 4) DV editing (using Pinnacle Studio 7), connection is more than adequate....

15 Expensive Garbage
Unfortunately there is no "zero star" rating available. After about 40 hours of recording time, and a zillion E05 errors and gobbled up tapes, this piece of garbage is ready for the trash, together with all the accessories I bought. I should have just flushed $...down the toilet. At least that would have been funny.

16 No problems here
I've own one since August 2001 and have had good results. I had one tape get eaten in it during my first week (could have been something I did), but no problems since.

I like the compact size and the still MMC card (I added a 32m unit, 8m isn't much). Stills are OK for smaller prints and web sites, but 1024 x 768 isn't so great for 8 x 10. Video quality is great! I have a HDTV and everything looks super.

In low light it doesn't fare as well; you can adjust for this once you understand how much light you need.

I never used the included software - I got Pinnacle Studio 7, and already had Photoshop, etc.

It is a complicated product with lots of features. I really had to study the manual carefully to get the most use, and I still find myself consulting it.

17 plagued with problems
I've had problems with this video camera since day one. The LCD display works only intermittently. I too got the "head cleaning required" msg after some 3 hrs of play (with sony tapes), and now the main power switch doesn't work, i.e. the camera is inoperative after less than four hours of use. This JVC has let me down. Not a good buy.

18 JVC GR-DVM90u - READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE
I have done a fair bit of research on the JVC GR-DVM90u camcorder and I have read many negative responses towards this camcorder. However, the specifications of the camcorder compelled me to buy this unit.

I found this camcorder as a demonstration model on [an auction website] and paid [money]. A great deal I might add from the original market price of [price]. What I first noticed about this camera was its sleek design. It is one of the best looking camcorders out there and relatively slim in my view.

The biggest complaint about this camcorder was its low light capabilities. But the fact is, Which camera will give you a good clear picture in the dark, Sony with its night shot which turns everything green?! Most cameras if shooting at low light require some outer lighting source... even professional cameras. If people didn't jump to conclusions about how poor this camera was in lowlight before reading the manual, they are terribly wrong. The camera has three features available to shoot under low light conditions.

Slow 1 - Slow Shutter raises light sensitivity to allow shooting in dark environments. Slow 2 - Slow Shutter raises light sensitivity further to allow shooting in even darker environments.
Gain Up Auto - The shutter speed is automatically adjusted (1/30 - 1/200 sec.). Shooting a subject in low or poor lighting at 1/30 sec. shutter speed provides a brighter image than in the AGC mode, but the subject's movements are not smooth or natural. The overall appearance may be grainy.

Although rendering the video quality, it sure helps and provides a decent clear picture.

Another thing what others have complained about is the 200x zoom and it being pixilated. It indeed does get pixilated however when using 200x zoom you are suppose to being using a tripod so the camera could focus correctly on the object. When moving your hand a millimeter to the left and right, you are actually causing the video to move 10 feet to the left and right allowing it to not focus whatsoever, in the end, causing the picture to be pixilated.

The Stabilizer on the camcorder is average. I can't say it's the best I have seen however it does cut down the erratic movement of your hand. Between 1x - 10x zoom, the stabilizer works perfect, however, anything beyond that point; you will begin to notice that it is becoming less effective. Some camcorders are able to handle better during these conditions, however if you don't plan to zoom beyond 10x, it works great.

Okay, enough with the refuting and on to the good points of the camcorder.

I have to say that the quality of the video under normal conditions is superb! Colors are rich and clear. Smooth movement under video mode, however, under progressive mode it really gives the video an unnatural look, perhaps for the better, perhaps for the worse. I mainly use the normal video mode when shooting.
The dual mode on the camera is a great added feature to the camera. While having the quality of the video mode, dual mode allows you to take still pictures and save it onto the removable 8 megabyte Multimedia Card. When pressing the button for the snapshots ? of the way in, it freezes the picture and puts it on the right bottom corner of the screen like a picture in picture feature on a television, however, this does not show on the actual playback of the video. When you want to take that picture, you can press the snapshot fully and it will store it on the memory card. It does not affect the video whatsoever and was very pleased about this feature.

The Digital Camera Mode is another great feature that was implemented on the camcorder. Although the picture quality is average, it allows four different settings. Having choosing the highest quality, the picture quality is pretty good. I wouldn't say it is excellent, but good enough to pass it around.

The features on this camera are endless, from taking still pictures and adding a picture frame to it, to a wide variety of transition effects. Not to mention adding mp3 sound clips to the video.

So far so good, but what about the bad things?

All I can say is the battery life and the memory card storage. The battery life on the camera is 1 hour, however, you can pick up a secondary battery on [an auction site] for [price] that will last you 2.5 hours.

If you are a fanatic with taking still pictures 24/7, you might want to upgrade to more memory. You can pick up 32 megabyte of storage on EBay for around [price]. This will allow you to take 96 high-quality pictures and 620 low quality pictures.

What else should I get?

Firewire port for your PC if you don't have one already. Definitely a necessity to have if you plan to do any video editing. Just load the video into the computer, put it in VCD format, and you can take it to any DVD player that reads CDR's and view them.

Price?

A good value for this camcorder would be up to [price] providing the condition it is in. In any case, anything below [price] is a good buy!

19 I Agree with Sue and Alison - Bad customer service & bad cam
I also agree with Sue and Alison. My camera also experienced the HEAD CLEANING REQUIRED message and you can NEVER NEVER NEVER rely on getting the video captured and played back successfully. If you had a new baby and want to save all the "moments" DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA. I took in for service too and they supposedly adjusted the head, however, I again started getting the messages and my videos come have green and the other half as normal. I truly think that there is something more wrong with this camera. Just as Alison mentioned, I get the E04 Error, you think the battery is fully charged, however, I get this one and I have no idea what to do. In addition, when I contacted the JVC Customer service, they were not too helpful either. SAVE YOURSELF THE HEADACHES and buy ANOTHER camera. I am tempted to do that also, but for the $$.

20 Poor Customer Service
I loved this camcorder for it's size and looks, but that's about all it's good for. After about 10 months of average use, I continually got a "use head cleaning cassette" message even after using a head cleaing cassette. Then, when I started playing back some tapes, I was getting footage on half the screen and green on the other half. After that, I took it to a JVC service center. It ended up needing new heads(ridiculous for a 10 month old camcorder) and another part which would've cost me more than half the price I paid for it if it still wasn't under warranty. I still got hit for the labor costs though. Their service center took 4 WEEKS to fix it which is just absurd. Then, when I got it home and tried playing tapes, they were stuttering. So, I had to take it back there AGAIN for a "minor adjustment". I wrote a letter to the JVC corporate office about it and all I got back was a "blah...blah...blah...sorry for the inconvenience" letter. Their customer service is sickening--once they get your money, they don't care. This camcorder is more trouble than it's worth!

21 buy sony
First and Formost, DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!! When I initially bought this digital camcorder I was really excited about what it could do and the size of the camera itself. The first 8-10 months the camera was great, but then it had to go in for servicing (head replacement or something like that) now we are getting E04 errors all the time left and right so I take to a local JVC Service location and they tell me that they can't find anything wrong with the camera luckily they had a policy of if there was nothing found they did not charge me anything. So we decide to try a different charger thinking that maybe it is the batteries. No luck there either. Both batteries charge normally and charge up to and slightly beyond the 7.2 voltage. So appearently the problem according to the professional repair people is not in the camera and is not the battery charger(Brand New, Ambico V.0916 lithium Ion charger) which by the way seems like a very good and versitile product. The camera is almost 2 years old now and is just very over priced digital camera that take blurry dark digital images. Just based on my experience with this product I have been converted to buying Sony. If in the future you even think about purchasing this digital camcorder gr-dvm line because of a good price, I would suggest that you get rid of that idea and buy the comparable Sony product. The GR-DVM90u has for the most part been nothing but trouble and it gets progressively worse. It is a shame that I had to give it one star, because as it stands right now, 0 would be a better measure. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!

22 Am happy... it is perfect for its price
The camcorder is small - to fit your palm and to make it difficult to man the controls equally. Close zoom in causes strong shivering in the video. So get closer to get close-up shots.
I bought fire-wire ports and installed Studio DV. It works perfectly fine. You can eventually burn VCDs if you have the right CD burner (Roxio 5 and up). The digital quality is not very satisfactory.
Overall if you buy the DVM90U it is worth it, for its lower price. Cheers.

23 ok camera, crappy video interface with computers
I bought this camera unaware I would have so much trouble finding the right equipment to capture video, I have a compaq notebook, and I can't seem to find the right stuff to hook the camera up to my computer, nor the software. I'm totally frustrated with this camera , and have had a few mechanical problems with it also, I would not recommend this camera to someone looking for a easy camera to run.

24 Please don't buy ... This is an outdated model now
The Digital Still Camera is useful only in bright daylight. The product as a whole is delicate & complex to use. If ever you'll need support (which you will... trust me on this one), you will curse yourself for having brought a JVC product!!

25 Great features at a great price.
I've had the 50U for 3 years and it has never disappointed me. It is compact, rugged and handsome. The quality of the movies is excellent (mini DVs), and the quality of the still pictures is very good (though not as good as any of the 3+ megapixel cameras available). The built in image stabilization feature is great and absolutely necessary at extended zoom ranges (camera shake increases dramatically as you zoom). The drawbacks, as I see them, are the expense of the media (the mini DVs for film and the MultiMediaCards for stills are about the most expensive choices around), the complexity of the JVC software/editing pkg and the rather poor JVC service reputation. Nonetheless, the 90U, with its image stabilization makes this camera an all-around winner, and at this price too good a deal to pass up.

26 Just not a Sony
I purchased the JVC for it's advanced features and size. Little did I know how poor the video quality would be. In poor lighting the images are at times unrecognizable. The digital still camera is a joke. The microphone records everything but what you are aiming at. It is a pain to connect it to your TV or to your computer. I'm still trying to fine tune it but I wish I would have read the reviews before purchasing it. The camera is not a good purchase for the money.

27 Great Camera!
I received my camera about 2 months ago and I love it. It is everything I hoped for and more. I love the flash adjustment for the still photos. The manual for the software is not very helpful but the manual for the camera is excellent.
I would give this camera 5 stars if the manual for the software was more helpful.

28 I am really mad with this camera
I purchased this camera because of its size and advertised good features. Well, let me tell you. First, unless you are in a very well lit place, the image is extremely dark and poor. Even in a room in the afternoon with natural light, the image will be too dark.

Second, the camera started giving me problems and stopped functioning after only 2 months of light use (I was only able to record 4 tapes with this gadget)...that means I ended up paying about 300 for each tape ...Geez...I am MADDDD!!!!

I tried to contact JVC but they would give me no answers, I sent it by the mail to Florida where, after about a month they sent me back the camera and charged me $70 (Don't know why because thee warranty was still valid), but anyway, I coughed up the money beause I didn't want to miss any day of my newborn's baby without filming it. Well, after about a week, the camera would not open and eject the tape. Could I be more frustrated? NO!!! I will buy a Sony instead and NEVER!! EVER buy a JVC prodcut again. If you buy this thing beacuse it hs been reduced (...), think again. ($$$) bucks is still a bad dealfor such a crappy gadget with no tchnical suppost whatsoever.

29 Beware JVC if you need repairs
I bought the precursor to this camcorder (the GR-DVM50) in 2000 and was initially very happy with it despite having to jump through some software hoops to capture not-very-clear stills. But, when the main control button broke off less than a year after I bought it, I found out what a problem JVC can be. You cannot have the camera repaired anywhere else but at a JVC center. (Other camera shops send it off to JVC.) The camcorder works if you drop the button in place, but that's not very satisfactory. Still, JVC wanted to charge me over half the (new!)price of the camcorder to reattach/replace the button. I was also told that they wouldn't warranty the repair b/c it must have been damaged. I went round and round with the repairman who wanted me to repair other items which didn't effect the functionality and which I didn't care about. I'm so stubborn I had them return it (shipping charges really added up) and just taped the button back on which works, sort of. Parts did start to fall off the darn thing from the beginning although, to its credit, it keeps on working and the video quality is excellent. I travel a lot, but I'm not unusally rough with my cameras. I'm looking to buy a new camcorder now ('getting tired of that taped-on button!) and am torn about whether the benefits outweigh the risks of dealing with JVC. I love the small size of JVC's products and the quality of the video, but the inability to repair quickly and at a reasonable cost and the resulting need to replace the camera so soon is holding me back. Anyway, caveat emptor!

30 I am not a happy camper
I discovered pretty soon after I bought it that this was not the camcorder for me. The only time the image quality (both still and video) is acceptable is outdoors in bright daylight. I have had much problems downloading still images to computer. I was working on a windows NT station and on a win95. I got it to work once but was never able to repeat it. I am a computer professional. It could be I have a defective cable but frankly I do not have so much time to deal with tech support and repairs and replacement. When I buy a product like this I just want it to work out of the box. Other issues are that it comes with no lens cap and that the battery that it comes with has a very short life (less than a hour). In retrospect the SOny P110 (which is almost double the price) is worth it.

31 All I Hoped It Would Be
This camcorder is all I hoped it would be. Very compact, really nice quality.

32 All I Hoped It Would Be
This camcorder is all I hoped it would be. Very compact, really nice quality.

33 rugged
Bought this camera for a motorcycle trip. Upon leaving Crazy Horse Monument-South Dakota, i left the camera ontop of a jacket on the bike. Didn't notice the error untill i saw something bouncing along the highway at 55 mph. The camera was in a very small lightly padded case. It still worked fine and had only minor scuff marks on 2 corners. This camera took much more abuse than i ever thought, and much more than ever intended. As far as the overall performance..the video works fine, and i didn't have any problems with the software(Windows ME). The still photos are ok for home use, and the included battery only lasts for about 30-40 min...so get a larger capacity. Overall i am very satisfied!

34 Only for close ups and bright light
This camcorder although small and easy to carry works poorly in room light. The digital camera (XGA) photographs are good in close ups where detail is less critical. The resolution is insufficient to make distant (small) objects/detail clear and is quickly spotted in all photographs.

The transfer rate from camcorder to PC of photographs took me over 45 mins for 32 mg of XGA. There are other devices available however to bypass this step. I returned the camcorder.

35 Not Happy w/ video output
The color GREEN is not reproduced well when playing back a video. Green is everywhere (it's in the grass, birds feathers, the leaf of a tree or bush..., everywhere)! Why does the Green look grayish when playing the video!? No, it's not a lighting issue that I'm confronted with. I live in So. Cal and there's lots of Sunshine. Also, this camera does not record well at all, nor take decent pictures when lighting is only slightly hindered. And the email video format is horrible! By the time I discovered all the features, how to use them, and how horrible some of them were it was too late to even try to return it. I am not happy. After learning more about the type of product I actually desired, I've discovered that the Sony DCR-PC110 is the camcorder I should have purchased (although I don't like that Memory Stick). I basically learned a...Dollar Lesson...

36 no support - fire the engineers
As others have said, there is not only no support for the camera, but some of the features that JVC brags about are almost unusable....for example, the megapixel still images. Can you believe that this feature is not usable on new Macs; only the old out of dated ones.....!? Fire the engineers! I want to throw the camer away to buy a SONY!

37 poor software update.
JVC is not keeping up with the software. I have updated my computer to windows 2000, and am unable to use my computer to download the pictures. I have even written to Japan and find JVC does not bother to answer. I went to the store to find out if the most up to date camera is able to be used on windows 2000,the salesman was very helpful, he had not been aware of the problem and offered to give me a copy of the software if it was compatible with 2000 but, no luck, the software goes only as far as 98. Apparently the driver is different. JVC Canada could only tell me to go back to windows 98. That is not good enough. I have been a JVC customer for over 25 years, I have the TV, and VHS from them and this is my third camera from them, but this is the last thing I will ever buy from JVC. What they call customer service, just does not measure up. By the way I love the camera. If it was not for the problem with the support, I would give the camera a rating of 5 stars.

38 Not So Great Camera
UPDATE: I was finally able to get the store I purchased this at to give me a replacement. The Camera was out for repair for about 3 weeks and it is hosed up pretty bad. Hint, anyone who buys this camera, PURCHASE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WITH IT. Luckily I did so because the cost of one repair on this thing would have far exceeded the money I paid for a 4 year service plan. I went with the Sony this time and I already like the Sony better. Sony is hands down the choice when purchasing a digital camcorder. I tried contacting JVC to advise them of my problem hoping they would be a responsible company who cares about what their customers think. I have yet to hear back from them. No JVC product will ever be purchased by myself or anyone I can sway. With the lack of customer focus and the CRAP that they are producing I must believe that JVC stands for Just Victimizing Consumers.

I take back everything good I said about this camera. today I picked up my camera to take a picture and the camera would no longer focus. Made sure it was on auto and not manual. Still no focus. Then I was zooming in on something and the zoom hung. It is now at perpetual 8x. Nothing I can do to change it. I tried powering the thing down, tried running it off the power pack. I tried everything. I had noticed that about a month after I bought this thing that the picture quality (digital still picture, not video) was rapidly going downhill. Just figured I had made a change by mistake. No such change occured on my part. The camera was slowly dieing. The camera would stay in a blue screen sometimes no matter what type of picture I was trying to take. So now I have [an expensive] paper weight unless JVC can fix it. I might have expected something like this many years down the road, but I have had this camera less than 6 months and have not used it that much. I just wanted to buy a nice camera. Guess I should have bought the Sony model. I must apologize to the 10 people who found my initial review helpful. I will NEVER purchase another JVC product. Sony makes products that are far superior, they may cost a bit more but they are worth it. DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA or any other JVC camera for that matter.

39 Nice, but Beware!
I just purchased this camera and love all but one of the features that I was most interested in. JVC advertises that you can capture a short video clips to email friends and relatives. Well, this is true, but what they do not tell you is that the format is in JMM format, which is some kind of JVC proprietary format! I have yet to find anyone who supports or has a converter for this format. JVC has partnered with a web service that allows you to store these images for people to come view. This is a free service until you what more space. I just think this is another gimmick to make money at the expense of the consumer.

You will also find out when you play back these clips with the supplied viewer that the quality is very poor!

Another issue I had was that the menus and buttons associated with the memory card were not very intuitive or easy to follow.

Overall, I would recommend this camera with the exception of ... the Email Clip feature.

40 Even for a Macintosh user
Bought this unit to use the DV features with my Macintosh. JVC is not real supportive of Macs, but they do give you an extension to add to your system which will let other video editing software see the camera on your firewire port and bring in/out the video.

However, to discuss the camera, it is amazing that so much can be packed into such a small package. Due to all the editing features, shooting options for video, and options for single photo shots with it you will be overwhelmed by it all and maybe bit frustrated. Hang on cus it gets easier. Spent a LOT of time just learning how and went to use the features. When it is all said and done, the quality of the video is great. Good control of brightness during shots in low light rooms or bright light. Zoom is fast, but can be made to go slow so not everyone is on a rollercoaster.

JVC support stinks. Call and hard to get someone to answer questions. Leave messages and they dont call back... ever. Recommend going to local camera shop for assistance, if needed.

41 Finally I only have to take one camera to events!
For the past 10 years I've always had to lug both my nikon slr and the camcorder on vacations and to events. It was such a pain. I've been waiting for a camera with enough quality to cover both my motion and still photo needs. The JVC 90 did the trick and it's smaller than both my slr and previous camcorder! The quality of the stills when set to XGA fine is good enough to make an excellent 5x7 and pretty decent 8x10. The 8meg mem card will allow you to take ~24 pictures at this level. Even better, you can video and then take snapshots off the video. This allowed me to get some awesome hockey shots during games this winter. The camera has tons of features I'm still trying to figure out, and leaves plenty of room to grow your skills. I'd recommend an extended warrantee though as the internals of this thing are microscopic mechanical parts that would prabably set you back and arm and leg to repair. I bought a pelican box for mine to protect it. My battery lasts about 10 minutes before dying - I usually run with the foldout off to save power.

42 Compact, powerful and easy to learn
This camcorder is everything I expected. I wanted a Digital camera that would take stills (4 different quality settings), take top qaulity video (IT DOES), and can be interfaced in all aspects to my computer for transfer to in-laws via email. This product does everything I wanted and more. Many different special effects, fades, 12 sounds to add to video, frames to add to stills. Firewire connection worked very well (Card and software for video capture not included, only software for Stills and other video dubbing included). Another neat feature is the email clip feature which lets you pick out a 20 second portion of your recording and transfers it to the included 8MB memory chip for easy transfer to your PC for inclusion in emails! 8MB card hold lots of photos (at least 40-125 depending on quality setting), hold video clips, sounds and frames! Screen is great, battery included lasts about 50 minutes with screen and 60-65 minutes with eyepiece. Very small and inconspicuous. Light (1.2 lbs). Many cables included for dubbing. Great Zoom (200x digital). Good pictures in low lights conditions. Sound picks up very well. Included base screws into camera for more expansion for video out to TV and dubbing connections. Remote control works great, so you can hook it into your TV and sit on the couch and play it as if it were a VCR. All in all, this is exactly the camera I wanted. I have read some reviews that people are having a hard time with all the computer interfacing, but they must be novices because I had to do very little out of the ordinary to get it working. I purchased Movie DV Suite, which included a firewire card and the captures work unbelieveably well. I highly advise purchasing this camera.

43 Very Sleek!
My husband and i have been looking for a camcorder since the birth of our first child, who was born last year. obviously, camcorders are not cheap and you do shop around a bit before buying one.. (it has already taken about a year for us...) no but this JVC DVM 90U has everything one usually looks for in a camcorder. it can easily be rated as one of the best ones around. it has all the features one would find on sony camcorders. it is very compact, lightweight and has loads of features. it has an 8mb memory card (compared to sony's 4mb.You get the software for downloading pictures along with it i.e. you don't have to buy the software and cable separately. All in all, when you compare it with its competitors it stands apart in looks as well as goods.....

will surely recommend it.. still not satisfied, then go ahead and do your own research.....