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JVC GR Mini Camcorder Review: JVC GR-DVL815 Mini DV Camcorder

JVC's line of affordable Mini DV cams hit the shelves this year and among them is the GR-DVL815. Banging the multi-digital-output drum, JVC has equipped the GR-DVL815 with plenty of connectivity. Equipped with FireWire and USB, it still provides the standard analog S-video and composite connections. And the folks at JVC have added the analog Random Assemble Edit function (that works so well in the HR-DVS1U Mini DV/S-VHS dual deck) to this Mini DV.

Many companies have come out with a line of DV camcorders perfectly geared for display on the Circuit Guys chain store floor, and the GR-DVL815 is one that new, budget-minded DV fans should pick up and examine.

While the GR-DVL815 seems targeted to the casual point and shooter, the 680,000 pixel, 1/4-inch interlaced CCD offers a crisp image and accurate color representation for the price.

The GR-DVL815's camera body is modeled after another JVC winner, the GR-DVL9800U. And like that $2,000 camera, the more affordable $1,000 GR-DVL815 is well-balanced in the hand and very comfortable to hold. All controls zoom, menu, snapshot and focus are on top of the camera for easy index finger manipulation. The VCR transport controls are also on top, and the buttons double as the exposure functions: Back Light, Program Auto-Exposure, Manual Exposure and JVC's Night-Alive full-color, low-light mode.

The camera controls are positioned a fraction of an inch too far back on the camera to be extremely ergonomic for this reviewer's hand, but are not beyond getting used to. JVC, like many, has chosen to put the tape door on the bottom of the GR-DVL815, making it impossible to change tape while mounted to a tripod. It has also placed the tripod attachment threads as close to the edge as possible, which prompts us to warn you: Don't put too much stress here, it is only plastic.

The GR-DVL815 is well suited for casual users who have access to a fairly well-equipped computer that offers USB and/or FireWire.

On the USB side, digital still images loaded onto the included 16MB memory chip can load onto multi-platform computers and be manipulated with bundled image software called Mr. Photo. Kind of friendly, eh? This simple, but very usable software can get your photos onto your hard drive and over the Internet with just a bunny-hill learning curve.

On the digital video side, the FireWire connect made it a breeze to export footage from the GR-DVL815 onto a Mac with Final Cut Pro, working as well as many higher-end transports. We did, however, experience a head-cleaning prompt after several hours of running our evaluation unit. After cleaning the heads as ordered, the functionality seemed to return without incident. We also noticed that when ejecting and receiving tapes, the servo tape door was a bit noisy on our review unit, but always functioned properly.