JVC GR-DV3000U

I bought this for its quality fast lens and have not been disappointed. The image quality is excellent. Many of the functions cause a cheesy bell sound, but this can be turned off. I only have two complaints about the camera: The supplied battery only lasts about an hour with the camera turned on, whether you are shooting or not. Also, there is no microphone input, but most people don't use external mics anyway. This camera was just discontinued but it seeems to have very similar specs to its replacement. If you can find this thing on sale for under $800, I highly recommend it. I'm giving the camera high ratings based on consumer use. If you want to make a short film with it, get something else with a mic input. You'd also need to spend some $$$ on a battery pack for this one.

lens image quality easy to use

battery life lack of mic input no optical image stabilizer (digital only) "night alive" feature is useless

First camcorder

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