In an ocean of camcorders this one's a blue marlin.

Right out of the box, this camera's a beauty. First thing you notice is the sleek barrel design and the silver-gray color only compliments the streamlined appearance. Open up the large 3-1/2" viewfinder and you'll immediately notice a vast improvement in the on-screen image quality as compared to other camcorders. Start recording and you find that the controls are easy to access and use on the fly. The thumb-wheel controller covers about fifty different features and options; all in one simple dial. The engineers obviously put a lot of thought into the features and design of this camera. But that's not all. The F1.2 lens allows this camera to have a minimum illumination rating of 1. It is amazing what this camera can capture in dim light. And the 540 lines of horizontal resolution make for strikingly sharp video recordings. The image quality is exceptional. Just when you think it can't get any better, the audio grabs your attention. Everyone who has seen my video recordings has commented on the exceptional quality of the audio. The sound is so true to life and the pickup by the stereo microphone is amazing. The camera operates like a very simple point-and-shoot in automatic mode. In manual mode, you can exert full control over the camera. You have a choice of four shutter speeds and a manual focus ring on the lens, and exposure settings at the touch of a button. There is an iris lock feature that locks the iris in one position for a few seconds then automatically unlocks it to return to normal, but I haven't used it and don't really know when I might need to. There are plenty of accessories available. I've purchased the video flash and the wide-angle converter lens, and I'm most pleased. A larger battery is not necessary, but I'd recommend purchasing one or more spares just so you don't run out of power when you need it. When I was shopping for this camera, I had a difficult time finding any reviews or commentaries. So I was a little apprehensive. Now that I own one of these, I think that anyone who is looking for a high-end consumer camcorder with a lot of Web friendly features should reel this one in.

Since I first wrote this review, I've discovered a fairly active community of fellow JVC camcorder users on a forum just for JVC owners at www.camcorderinfo.com.

One of the neat things that I learned about the DV-3000 from this forum is that progressive scan is operating whenever the camera is in the digital wide mode. This produces a very soft, film-like quality in lieu of the true to life quality of other video.

Something else I've discovered is that an external microphone adapter can be made using simple components purchased from Radioshack and a hot-shoe adapter from JVC's parts department. This simple adapter allows the DV-3000 to be used with any external microphone. The instructions for purchasing components and assembling this adapter can be found on the camcorderinfo.com message board under the JVC link.

The JVC GR-DV3000 continues to gain in popularity world-wide due to its exceptional video quality and features and comparatively low price. If you choose this camera, you'll find a very large and active support network of like-minded enthusiasts on the Web. You only see that kind of loyalty with the classics. Clearly, the DV-3000 is now in a class of its own.

Update: As of December 07, 2004, I have had my DV-3000 for almost three years and I'm still as pleased with it today as I was when I wrote this review. I carry this camera every day and I use it often for both video and still photography. There have been no problems whatsoever. What a great camera!

Update: As of March, 2007, My DV-3000 is still working great after extensive use in my business and personal life. Since purchasing the camera in 2002, I've had no mechanical problems. I appreciate the low-light capabilities and still camera feature the most. You can view pictures I've taken with this camera on my website: water-eg.com. All photos were taken with GR-3000. What a great camera!