JVC GR-DVL805

The JVC GR-DVL805 is a MiniDV camcorder made by the Victor Company of Japan (JVC) beginning in 2000. It was made with the same chassis as the GR-DVL505, from which it didn't differ much.

Overview
The GR-DVL805 has the "camera in palm" design, which was common in its era. It has a 3.5" diagonal (8.9cm) LCD and a color LCD viewfinder that tilts but does not telescope.

Common Features

 * 10x Optical Zoom and 250x Digital Zoom
 * Digital Still Camera with internal memory
 * Automatic and manual focus.
 * S-Video and A/V jacks that can be used as outputs only, and an IEEE-1394 jack that can be used as an input or output
 * Backlight Compensation
 * Fader, Effects (Sepia, Monotone, Classic Film, Strobe, Slow 4x, Slow 10x, Video Echo)
 * Automatic or manual exposure
 * Automatic or manual white balance with three presets (sunlight, cloudy, halogen)
 * Digital Image Stabilizer that is active in the wide modes
 * Can record in 4:3, 4:3 with bars, or 16:9
 * Built-in Light
 * Tape is inserted from top
 * 3.5" LCD
 * Color Viewfinder, tilts
 * The zoom control doubles as the volume control during playback (common on JVC units)

Distinctive Features

 * There is a lighted area on the back of the LCD that comes on when the unit is in camera mode (see gallery).
 * Unusually for a MiniDV camcorder, this model can record a 4:3 image with letterbox bars. This is typically only seen on analog camcorders.

Series/Family
The GR-DVL805 has only one close relative, the GR-DVL505. There are only two differences between the two: The DVL805 has a 3.5" LCD and a color viewfinder, while the DVL505 has a black and white viewfinder and a 3" LCD.

Battery/Power
The camcorder can be powered by the JVC BN-V408U (standard), BN-V416U, or BN-V426U. These are lithium-ion batteries. The DC power jack is in the battery compartment, so it is not possible to connect both a battery and a DC line at the same time. The charger supplied is the AA-V40U, which comes with a cable that can plug into the camera to power it while a battery is charging.