JVC GR-DA30

I’d wanted a camcorder for a while, years in fact. However as a non-necessity that would cost at least $300 and likely more, a camcorder just never actually worked its way into my discretionary budget. With camcorder prices dropping rapidly I thought to myself recently that when prices dropped below $200 I would get serious about purchasing something.

Well, camcorders in general are still pricing on average between $300 and $600, however, one model has broken the $200 barrier, and I personally found it on sale for $129.99, a price I couldn’t pass up.

Now, let me say right here, if you’re a video aficionado with a solid grasp of video technology and are looking at camcorders with high-end features, neither this product nor this review will be what you’re looking for and you can stop reading now.

I’m not a video professional, nor was I looking for a top of the line camcorder. In looking at camcorders, I was looking for something that met the following criteria: 1) inexpensive, 2) decent quality video and audio, 3) reasonably good zoom, 4) relatively small, 5) preferably mini-DV. I just wanted to be able to take some simple videos of special occasions from time to time, and to be able to transfer that video from the camera to my computer to edit and add special effects.

The JVC GR-DA30 mini-DV camcorder fits exactly those specifications. First and foremost was the price – I found the unit priced at $129.99 on Woot.com, one of the “deal a day” websites. Certainly one of the most inexpensive camcorders I’ve found.

But what about features? The JVC GR-DA30 is a straightforward, uncomplicated, standard definition mini-DV camcorder with some nice features, including 30x optical zoom, 800x digital zoom, a 2.4” rear-mounted sliding LCD monitor, and firewire PC connection. The unit comes with built in video effects including sepia tone, mirror, strobe, classic film and black & white, and digital scene transitions such as slide wipe, black fader, scroll wipe and white fader. The unit also allows for both automatic and manual exposure, and has two recording speeds – LP and SP – and can function as a webcam.

To be honest, at $130 I was just a little bit skeptical and thought there was a pretty good possibility that the JVC GR-DA30 would reflect its inexpensive price. I’m pleased to say that wasn’t the case. I’ve had my JVC GR-DA30 for about a month now and have filmed several hours of video. Overall I’m extremely satisfied with the purchase. The unit is very small and lightweight, with an attractive and compact design. I did have to read a few pages of the instruction manual to locate the various controls, but that took about ten minutes and I was off and running. The video quality is surprisingly good; it’s not high-definition, but it’s more than decent with equally good audio. The 30x optical zoom is great!! The video effects and scene transitions are easy to use, requiring no more than a few clicks on the appropriate menu. Transferring the video from the camcorder to my laptop (requires a firewire cable, not included) was equally easy.

The two critical comments I would have about the JVC GR-DA30 are these:

1) The 2.4” rear-mounted, sliding LCD monitor is nice. The monitor is large, and being mounted on the rear of the camera rather than on the side seems like a more natural position. That said, most side-mounted LCD monitors fold to the side of the unit when not in use, which protects the screen from damage. With the rear mount, the monitor is always exposed which could result in it being damaged if not careful. I recommend keeping the unit in a case when not in use, and even perhaps wrapping a cloth around the monitor to protect it. I wouldn’t be surprised if JVC came out with a cover for the LCD monitor in future versions of this model, and if they haven’t thought of that they should.

2) The battery life is very short. The unit uses a lithium ion rechargeable battery. Fully charged I got barely an hour of filming out of it. Not a problem if you do all your filming indoors or near an electrical outlet, however, very prohibitive for filming in places away from a power source. I recommend a second lithium ion battery if you’ll be filming outdoors or otherwise away from a powersource.

The JVC GR-DA30 comes with: an AC adapter, a detachable microphone, a shoulder strap, a set of composite cables, and an instruction book.

Recommended accessories: a small case (approx. $20) and a firewire cable (approx. $20). You’ll also need some mini-DV tapes (3 packs, approx. $21), and per my note above, I recommend a spare lithium ion battery (approx. $70) to allow for filming longer in situations where you’re not near a power source.

My initial purchase was the JVC GR-DA30 at $130, case at $17, firewire cable at $22, and tapes at $24 for a startup cost of $193.

I don’t know of any other camcorders where the startup cost is below $200, and better yet the JVC GR-DA30 is actually decent quality.

Bottom line, I do recommend this camcorder for those looking for a basic camcorder with a low startup cost.

Enjoy!!