The JVC GRDV3000U MiniDV Digital Cybercam with 3.5″ LCD, 16 MB SD Memory Card & High Res Color Viewfinder is a top-flight digital camcorder, and is one of the first with the ability to capture 2-megapixel still images. Plus, it’s chock-full of enough features to satisfy just about any amateur videographer, including a 10x optical zoom, 3.5-inch LCD, and manual focus ring.

JVC put a 10x optical zoom into the JVC GRDV3000U MiniDV Digital Cybercam, which is a good compromise of image quality and zoom power, and should be more than adequate for just about any situation. The JVC GRDV3000U MiniDV Digital Cybercam digital zoom pumps up the total magnification to 300x, but we recommend using as low a level of digital zoom as you need, as a zoom erodes image quality, particularly at high levels.

JVC were pleasantly surprised by the digital still capabilities of the JVC GRDV3000U MiniDV Digital Cybercam. Many camcorders these days come with some digital still mode, some with a 1-megapixel resolution. The DV3000 surpasses all of them with the capability of recording 1,600 x 1,200 stills, which is 2-megapixel resolution. Admittedly, the JVC GRDV3000U MiniDV Digital Cybercam stills are interpolated up–the camcorder is equipped with a 1.33-megapixel CCD–but that doesn’t take much of the luster from the achievement.

The JVC DV3000U MiniDV Digital Cybercam also features a fair number of inputs and outputs, meant to satisfy most consumers. You get the standard IEEE 1394 port, plus S-video analog inputs and outputs for converting all your old footage to digital, or dubbing your footage to cassette.